Michael Bailey, DDS
1697 E. Coalton Rd, Suite B
Superior, CO 80027

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Superior Dental offers a full array of dental services to help you maintain optimum oral health.   We provide general and preventative dental care for the entire family, as well as cosemetic dentistry, orthodontics (Invisalign) and facial cosmetic services such as Botox and Juvederm.

You can read more on this page about specific services. Dr Bailey takes gret pride in his work, you will receive incredible personal attention from our staff on all of your dental needs.

 

• Bone Grafts
• Botox
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Crowns and Bridges
• Dental Implants/Restorations
• Dermal Fillers
• Extractions
• Invisalign®
• Periodontal Treatment
• Root Canal Therapy
• Sealants
• Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)
• Jaw/TMJ
• Cosmetic Fillings (tooth-colored)
• Teeth Whitening
• Veneers
• More Information

Initial Oral Evaluation/Cleaning
Your initial oral examination includes a comprehensive oral evaluation, charting of existing teeth and restorations. We will also take x-rays, which includes a panograph and/or bite-wing x-rays for proper diagnosis of decay, as well as a prophylaxis (cleaning).

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Cosmetic Dentistry
People choose aesthetic dental procedures/surgery for various reasons-to repair a defect such as a malformed bite or crooked teeth, treat an injury, or just improve their overall appearance. Whatever the reason, the ultimate goal is to restore a beautiful smile.

For these and many other reasons, aesthetic dentistry has become a vital and important part of the dental profession. Common aesthetic dental procedures can be performed to correct misshaped, discolored, chipped or missing teeth. They also can be used to change the overall shape of teeth-from teeth that are too long or short, have gaps, or simply need to be reshaped.

Some of the more common procedures involve:

• Bonding - A procedure in which tooth-colored material is used to close gaps or change tooth color.
• Contouring and reshaping - A procedure that straightens crooked, chipped, cracked or overlapping teeth.
• Veneers - A procedure in which ultra-thin coatings are placed over the front teeth. Veneers can change the color or shape of your teeth. For example, veneers have been used to correct unevenly spaced, crooked, chipped, oddly shaped or discolored teeth.
• Whitening and bleaching - As the term implies, whitening and bleaching, a rapidly increasing procedure, are used to make teeth whiter.

Which techniques should be used to improve your smile? A complete dental exam will take many factors into consideration, including your overall oral health.

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Crowns
Crowns are synthetic protection, made of a material such as gold, porcelain or ceramic.  Dr Bailey will choose the most aesthetic crown that will provide the longest usable life.   

Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth's function and appearance following a restorative procedure or when decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed.

Crowns are also used to attach bridges (replace a missing tooth), cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or if an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth nee ds to be restored to its natural appearance, if a conventional tooth-colored filling is not adequate.

Caring for your Crowns

With proper care, a good quality crown could last eight years or longer. It is very important to floss in the area of the crown to avoid excess plaque or collection of debris around the restoration.

Certain behaviors such as jaw clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding) significantly shorten the life of a crown. Moreover, eating brittle foods, ice or hard candy can compromise the adhesion of the crown, or even damage the crown.

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Dental Implants/Restorations
Dental implants can be used to replace a missing single tooth, missing multiple teeth, or replace a removable appliance.  The options are endless.  Implants are the best dental restoration a patient can have. Dr. Bailey works closely with hand chosen Specialists to place the fixture portion of the implant.  Once the healing process is complete, Dr Bailey will restore and place the new crown.

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Extractions
When restoration procedures such as root canal therapy, crowns, or fillings are not enough to save a tooth, it may need to be pulled, or extracted.

Tooth extraction procedures today are far less painful than ever before, thanks to powerful anesthetics and sedatives. In many cases, a patient who has tooth pulled experiences little or no discomfort, and only minor bleeding.

Before a tooth is extracted, the area surrounding the tooth is numbed with a topical/and or injectable anesthetic.

Patients with extracted teeth sometimes need to take an antibiotic, and at the very least, take precautions following the procedure to ensure that infection doesn't occur.

Smoking, vigorous brushing and rinsing, and drinking liquids through straws are discouraged during the post-operative period because they hinder healing and may cause the wound to open. Cold compresses applied to the outside cheek near the extraction area can help reduce any swelling and promote faster healing.

Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars that erupt in the back corners of the upper and lower normal adult mouth. Unfortunately, most people experience problems from wisdom teeth; in most cases, this is because the teeth erupt too close to existing permanent teeth, causing crowding, improper bites, and other problems.

If wisdom teeth are causing a problem and are not pulled, they can sometimes become impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth can be extremely painful, as well as harmful to your oral health. Symptoms are easy to spot: severe discomfort, inflammation, and some kinds of infections.

Many people need to have their wisdom teeth extracted to avoid future serious problems. In general, the lack of the four wisdom teeth does not hamper one's ability to properly bite down, speak or eat. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may have an impacted wisdom tooth:
• Facial swelling
• Infection
• Pain
• Gum swelling

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Periodontal Treatment: Scaling and Root Planing
Advanced gum disease sometime requires the dentist or registered Dental Hygeinist to clean below the gum line to remove stubborn, crusty deposits called tartar or calculus. This is done to prevent further damage to the bone – this is essential to stabilizing the tooth

For some patients, a local anesthetic is administered to the affected area. Then, a small scaling instrument and/or ultrasonic cleaning device is used to remove the deposits.

After cleaning, the root may need to be smoothed, or planed, to restore it as much as possible to its original shape. Planing also allows your gum tissue to better attach itself and heal properly.

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Periodontal Maintenance

Following periodontal therapy, a procedure known as periodontal maintenance is required to help the patient keep the area below the gum line clean.  Although bone will not grow back, it is our goal to stop the continual loss of the support bone.  In order to keep up on this task, we will see you every 2 - 4  months to accomplish this goal.

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Root Canal Therapy
Root canals are tiny passageways that branch off from beneath the top of the tooth, coursing their way vertically downward, until they reach the tip of the root. All teeth have between one and four root canals.

Many tooth problems involve infections that spread to the pulp, which is the inner chamber of the tooth containing blood vessels, nerves and other tissues. When the infection becomes worse, it can begin affecting the roots. A traumatic injury to a tooth can also compromise the pulp, leading to similar problems.

A diseased inner tooth brings a host of problems; pain and sensitivity are some of the first indications of a problem; but inside, a spreading infection can cause small pockets of pus to develop, leading to an abscess.

Root canal therapy is a remarkable treatment with a very high rate of success, and involves removing the diseased tissue, halting the spread of infection and restoring the healthy portion of the tooth. In fact, root canal therapy is designed to save a problem tooth; before the procedure was developed and gained acceptance, the only alternative for treating a diseased tooth was extraction.

The root-canal treated tooth will require a tooth-colored composite filling to seal up the small hole made in the tooth.  If the tooth in question is a pre-molar or molar, a crown is required to insure long-term stability of the tooth.

What is Involved

A tooth must be reduced in size to accommodate the new crown. An impression is made of the newly prepared tooth.  The impression is sent to a special lab, which manufactures a custom-designed crown. A temporary crown is applied with a temporary cement until the permanent crown is ready. The final crown is permanently cemented in place.

Crowns are sometimes confused with veneers, but they are quite different. Veneers are typically applied only to relatively small areas.

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Sealants
The pits and grooves of your teeth are prime areas for opportunistic decay. Even regular brushing sometimes misses some of these intricate structures on the chewing surfaces of your teeth.

Sealants, which are, thin coatings applied to the chewing surfaces, designed to prevent the intrusion of bacteria and other debris into the deep crevices on the tops of your teeth once the decay has been removed.

Sealants have become widely popular and effective; young children are great candidates for preventative measures like sealants because in many cases, decay has not set in. Even on teeth where decay is present, sealants have been shown to fight additional damage.

Sealants are applied by first cleaning the tooth surface. The procedure is followed by "etching" the tooth with a cleaner, which allows the sealant to better adhere. After the sealant is applied, a light source is directed to the site to promote faster curing. Sealants usually need re-application every five to 10 years.

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TMJ Treatment
People who grind their teeth can sometimes develop a serious problem with their jaw, which left untreated, can adversely affect the teeth, gums and bone structures of the mouth.

One of the most common jaw disorders is related to a problem with the temporomandibular joint, the joint that connects your lower jaw to your skull, and allows your upper and lower jaw to open and close and facilitates chewing and speaking.

People with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) often have a clicking or popping sound when opening and closing their mouths. Such disorders are often accompanied by frequent headaches, neck aches, and in some cases, tooth sensitivity.

Some treatments for TMD include muscle relaxants, aspirin, biofeedback, or wearing a small plastic appliance in the mouth during sleep.

Minor cases of TMD involve discomfort or pain in the jaw muscles. More serious conditions involve improperly aligned joints or dislocated jaws. The most extreme form of TMD involves an arthritic condition of the jaw joint. Traumatic injuries also can cause jaw dislocation.

In these cases, jaw surgery, may be required to correct the condition. Some jaw surgery can be performed arthroscopically.

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Botox
Botox is not only an aestetic option - there are also many dental uses for it, and pain management uses. Dr Bailey is certified to provide Botox for all of these uses.

Aesthetics: Botox can be used to correct uneven smile lines, smooth facial wrinkles, smooth lip lines/marionette lines and eliminate "smokers" lines.

Dental Treatment: Botox can be used to treat TMJ, bruxism, high lip lines, creating ideal occlution and can help with denture cases.

Pain Management: Botox has help to successfully treat TMJ pain and Migrain pain. 

Dermal Fillers
Dermal Fillers are an upcoming procedure in the dental field. If you want the perfect smile, sometimes it's not just the teeth that need to be changed. Dermal fillers can be used to provide lip augmentation, enhancing the "cupid's bow" to create a beautiful lip, volumizing the naso-labial folds and lifting the corners of the mouth.

For More Information:

American Dental Association
Academy of General Dentistry
American Association of Public Health Dentistry
Federation of Special Care Organizations in Dentistry
Centers for Disease Control/Oral Health Resources
Colorado Dental Association
Healthfinder.gov
Invisalign
KidsHealth
National Health Information Center

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