TMJ

TMJ is an abbreviation for temporomandibular joint, which is the joint that connects your mandible (lower jaw) to your skull at the temporal bone. While many call disorders associated with this joint TMJ, those disorders are more appropriately called TMD (temporomandibular disorder), and TMD can have symptoms that range from teeth grinding and headaches to trouble chewing and pain when opening and closing your mouth. TMD is not only an annoying disorder; it is also a destructive one and can cause serious damage to your teeth if left untreated. At our practice in New Hyde Park, NY, Dr. Amit Pandya can determine if you suffer from TMD and offer ways to treat the disorder.  

The TMJ controls an assortment of jaw functions, including chewing, so if you’re chewing muscles or the joint itself is in pain, it is possible that you have TMD. TMD is often caused by stress, which leads to unconscious clenching and teeth grinding while awake and asleep. TMD’s symptoms include pain, trouble chewing, lock jaw, headaches or ear pain and popping or clicking sounds when opening your mouth. However, these symptoms may be indicative of other health problems as well, so it is important to see a medical professional for a diagnosis.

Grinding your teeth is an especially worrisome TMD-associated behavior since it can lead to further problems with your mouth. If your teeth grinding is left unaddressed, you will cause serious wear to the enamel of your teeth and expose the dentin, which will make your teeth more sensitive to heat and cold and more susceptible to decay. However, you can work with Dr. Pandya to relieve symptoms with mouthguards or nightguards.

If you think that you might be suffering from TMD or teeth grinding in New Hyde Park, NY, schedule an appointment with our office by calling 516-233-2135. For more information, visit www.GoingGrin.com. 

Mini Implants

Mini Implants

Dental implants help our patients replace missing teeth, whether it is one tooth or several teeth that are missing. There are two main types of implants available: standard implants and mini implants. Many of our patients choose to get mini implants because they are smaller in size, less expensive, and require less bone to be implanted into. They also take significantly less time for the healing process.

Here are some benefits to getting mini implants:

• The implant process can be completed in one visit, since the three months of healing for traditional implants is not necessary.


• They are less expensive since less work needs to be done.


• Patients with periodontal disease make good candidates because less jawbone is needed to support the smaller implant.


• They are ideal for implant-supported devices, such as dentures.

Mini implants are usually done during a single visit. Patients undergo anesthesia so they do not experience discomfort during the procedure. Dr. Amit Pandya drills a hole into their jaw bone, where a titanium metal post is implanted. Then, an abutment crown is placed over the top of the implant to act as the surface of the new tooth.

Schedule a consultation with us at 516-233-2135 to get the mini implant procedure started.

Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and onlays are two procedures that use the tooth structure as a base for restoration. Often called partial crowns, both inlays and onlays strengthen the tooth while restoring its shape and working to prevent further damage. At our office in New Hyde Park, NY, we use these procedures to repair teeth when decay is too extensive to support a filling but not bad enough to use a crown.

When there is no damage to the cusps of a tooth, Dr. Amit Pandya uses an inlay, bonding it right on top of the tooth. Made of porcelain, inlays are both strong and natural-looking, providing an attractive solution to repairing your tooth. Onlays are used when damage is a little more extensive and are used to repair part of the cusp of the tooth.

Inlays and onlays can be created at a lab out of porcelain, gold or composite resin in a lab. Fabrication normally takes between two to three weeks, and during that time, you will be provided with temporary restorations while you wait. Once they are ready, they will be cemented in place.
To ensure that your teeth get the best dental care available, schedule an appointment with our office by calling 516-233-2135. For more information, visit www.GoingGrin.com.

Mini Dental Implants

While dental implants are a great solution for replacing missing teeth, in New Hyde Park, NY, we use mini dental implants as an effective alternative in situations where regular implants cannot be used, such as in narrow spaces. Roughly half the size in diameter as conventional implants, mini implants are often used to replace smaller teeth in the mouth, as well as serve as a base for dentures.

Because mini implants are so small, often no incision is needed to place them in the gums. They can usually be inserted by Dr. Amit Pandya through the gum and into the bone directly, which eliminates much of the recovery time and allows the restoration to be placed immediately or shortly after. Like regular implants, mini implants are made of titanium. However, they are one solid piece, which give them roughly the same strength as a regular implant, which is made of an implant and a separate abutment that is added after installation.

When used for dentures, four to six mini implants are placed along the gum line, and an entire set of uppers or lowers can be attached directly to the gums, which is advantageous to the patient since, unlike adhesive, implants do not shift or slip. This makes dentures more comfortable while eating, speaking and smiling.

If you want to know if implants or mini implants are the right solution for your missing teeth, call 516-233-2135 to schedule an appointment. For more information, visit www.GoingGrin.com.

Thinking About Dentures?

Dentures are an option chosen by many of our patients in New Hyde Park, NY. Available in both full and partial, dentures serve as a removable replacement for missing teeth.

If providing you with full dentures, Dr. Amit Pandya will remove all the teeth from your mouth. With conventional dentures, the gums are given time to heal before the dentures are placed, which means that you will not have any teeth for several months. With immediate dentures, you would forgo this healing process with not teeth. Prior to having your teeth removed, the dentist would take measurement of your mouth in order to place dentures immediately after your teeth are removed. This type of full dentures requires a follow-up video to refit the dentures since the jawbone will slightly change shape as your mouth heals without teeth.

Partial dentures are another option for those who do not need all their teeth to be removed. They are similar to bridges, except they are removable.

Whichever dentures our patients choose, they take time getting used to, and even though they are not real teeth, dentures should still be cared for as if they were. They should be brushed before removal and should be placed in room temperature water or cleaning solution overnight.

To find out if dentures are the right choice for you, schedule an appointment with our office by calling 516-233-2135. For more information, visitwww.GoingGrin.com.

Sealants

In our dental office, we provide a wide range of dental treatments and procedures, including pediatric care. Sealants are one of the pediatric dental services we provide to our youngest patients, and it is a very important one.

Sealants work by protecting young teeth from cavities and tooth decay, particularly on the molars. When molars first grow in, they are used for chewing, and susceptible to decay. They are also harder to brush and clean than the front teeth. If we can put a sealant on as soon as they grow in, we protect them from decay.

Sealants can only be placed on teeth that do not yet have any decay, which is why we like seeing children when their molars first grow in. We perform it twice here in our New Hyde Park, NY dental office: first on the baby teeth, then when the permanent teeth are coming in. It is a liquid barrier protecting children’s teeth from bacteria, food particles, and the accumulation of plaque.

If your child needs sealants on his or her teeth, call our dentist Dr. Amit Pandya at 516-233-2135 to schedule an appointment.

Bridges

Many of our patients have missing teeth and are in need of replacing them. With only a few missing teeth, partials aren’t needed and implants can be a long process to go through, which brings us to dental bridges.

With bridges, our patients are able to restore their smile with abutments that replace missing teeth, and the entire process is done in only a few short weeks. The only requirement we have for bridges is that there are natural teeth adjacent to the missing teeth, as these will have crowns to act as the tether to the bridge.

The process for dental bridges goes as follows:

1. We perform x-rays and an examination to get a good look at the natural, adjacent teeth
2. Impressions are made of the natural teeth to be used for crowns, and for making a similar abutment for the bridge.
3. The patient returns in two weeks when the abutments are ready to have crowns placed over their teeth and complete the bridge.

Bridges last about 10-15 years on average, lasting longer if the patient takes good care of their teeth. If you are in the New Hyde Park, NY area need dental bridges, contact our dentist Dr. Amit Pandya.