At Michigan City Dental, P.C. we are proud to offer a full range of comprehensive dental services to our patients. Regardless of what brings you into our office, we will provide top quality care to treat any current conditions, prevent any future problems, and help you achieve your dental goals.

Some of the services we provide include:

For more information about our services or to schedule an appointment, contact us today at (219) 874-7224.

Adult Dentistry

We love to see patients of all ages! We understand that adults can have very busy schedules, and we will work around your schedule to make sure you have the perfect amount of time set aside for your dental care. We have evening and weekend hours for those who are especially busy. For adults needing a little extra help, we have a wheelchair ramp and a capable, caring staff who can help make sure you are comfortable. We pride ourselves in offering gentle, unhurried dentistry, making sure that all of your questions are answered so that you feel comfortable with your dental treatment plan.

Michigan City Dental _ Teeth Cleaning

Teeth Cleaning

The American Dental Association recommends that people with healthy gums and teeth have their teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months. We have several wonderful hygienists! They sure do love our office! One has been with us for 30 years! A visit with one of them will have your teeth feeling squeaky clean!

Michigan City Dental _ Comprehensive Exams and Oral Cancer Screening

Comprehensive Exams and Oral Cancer Screening

It is important to have an exam with a dentist every 6 months, as recommended by the American Dental Association. During an exam, the dentist checks the health of your teeth and gums. The dentist looks for things like cavities and problem areas that may become cavities. For young patients the dentist checks to make sure baby teeth are healthy, that adult teeth are growing and coming in to the mouth in the right places, and that there will be room for the new teeth. The dentist will also looks for lumps or bumps that may indicate something is abnormal, and needs further diagnostic treatment.

The importance of oral cancer screening

 

Good Explanation

CEREC ® One-Visit Crowns And Restorations

Patients getting their restorations done with Cerec technology are absolutely blown away by the what we can design right in front of their eyes. With Cerec, we are able to make a porcelain restoration to fit your tooth while you sit in our chair and watch. Patients are free to ask questions and supply input so that their restoration is exactly what they image.

With Cerec, we no longer need to take impressions, rather, we use our scanning wand to take hundreds of pictures of the teeth needing dental treatment. Best of all, a scan takes about 20 seconds. The Cerec computer then stitches those pictures into a 3D model, which we use to design a porcelain restoration to fit into whatever tooth structure is missing. We use a milling machine to cut the porcelain in the shape of the missing part of your tooth, and then it is bonded into place. This is all done while you sit in the chair and relax. If you have a particularly colorful tooth, or if we are matching crowns you already have, there is no worry, we match it while you watch. We can hand stain a crown before we glaze it, sealing the colors into the crown, baking it in a kiln in a process that makes the color a permanent part of the crown. We have had patients tell us they were happy they needed a crown because of how great their hand stained tooth looks!cerec

Courtesy of Glidewell Laboraties

Bruxzir High Strength Crowns

Courtesy of Glidewell Laboratories
Bruxzir is the type of porcelain from which the pictured crown is made. This super strong porcelain is 10 times stronger than the porcelain crowns of the past. It is great for people who have experienced broken crowns, or for those who grind their teeth and are wearing them away. The technology that goes into making this porcelain is astounding! Watch the video see that you can take a hammer to a Bruxzir crown and it won’t damage it!

Porcelain Fused to Metal Crown V. Bruxzir Crown

Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatment

Silver Diamine Fluoride is composed of two primary components: silver and fluoride. Silver acts as an anti-microbial agent that simultaneously strengthens the underlying protective layer of your teeth called dentin. Fluoride is the active ingredient that puts a stop to tooth decay and helps prevent additional decay from appearing.

During your visit, it will be applied with a microbrush after your teeth are cleaned of debris and prepared for the treatment. Once the tooth has been treated, we advise our patients not to eat or drink or at least an hour to allow it to cure.

Guards

Guards For Bruxism (Grinding Teeth)

Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is experienced by many people over the course of their lives. Often, it is done while people sleep, so they are unaware of the habit. Sometimes, there are signs, like a sleep partner hearing someone grinding, or the grinder may wake up with a headache or sore jaw. People may also grind or clench their teeth during periods of stress, like driving during a commute, studying for exams, or doing complicated or detailed work. If left untreated, years of clenching and grinding can damage the teeth by causing cracks in the teeth, or wearing away at the protective outer coating, the enamel. Once that is worn, the inner portion of the tooth is much softer and more prone to decay and wear which can eventually cause the tooth to fracture or die. The inner portion of the tooth is also a much darker yellow or brown color, which can be unsightly. To prevent such things from happening it is important to identify clenching and grinding early. We will talk about ways to modify the behavior that causes the grinding, and we will also make a clear guard that slips over the teeth that can be worn during the times when a patient is most likely to grind. This guard helps alleviate jaw pain, and it also protects the teeth from damage.

Tobacco

Tobacco Cessation Counseling

Most people who smoke or use other tobacco products know that it not good for their health. They also notice that it leaves an unsightly stain on their teeth and a scent to their breath. As healthcare professionals we are there to help those who wish to improve their overall health and dental health by quitting the use of these products. Often our patients have found that quitting is easier said than done. We can provide tobacco cessation resources, access to support groups and programs, and other means of helping smokers through the sometimes difficult road to being tobacco free. We will be your greatest support if you will allow us to help you!

Non-Surgical Gum Care

Non-Surgical Gum Care

You may have heard dental commercials talk about gum disease like gingivitis and periodontitis. It isn’t always obvious to a patient when they have one of these conditions. By getting an exam and x-rays, we can diagnose those conditions and treat them quickly with things like a dental prophylaxis (also called a cleaning) or scaling and root planning (also called a deep cleaning). Both procedures are very comfortable for a patient, and patients often feel the difference as their gums become healthier within a few days.

Anti-Snoring and Sleep Apnea Devices

Anti-Snoring and Sleep Apnea Devices

Modern medicine has discovered that changing the way you position you teeth or jaw while you sleep can potentially improve your overall health. Our office makes several different oral appliances that are comfortable to wear and are designed to position your teeth in a specific manner. A change in jaw position can improve or eliminate snoring, improve or eliminate sleep apnea, and it can reduce TMD-related migraines (commonly known as TMJ), earaches, and neck and shoulder pain. Research has indicated that up to 40% of people with high blood pressure have some sort of sleep apnea, and that improving that sleep apnea can in return, lower blood pressure. So much benefit from such a simple solution!

broken denture

Same Day Partial and Denture Repairs

Crack your partial denture or complete set of dentures? We can do most repairs the same day! Don’t be without your smile, call us!

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Treatments for TMJ disorders and Migraines

TMJ disorder, brusxism, and migraines are painful conditions that can occur at various points in life. Located on both sides of the jaw, the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) functions while talking, eating, swallowing, and during other everyday activities. If the TMJ becomes displaced or is overworked through bruxing (teeth grinding), a person may suffer severe tension headaches, as well as pain in the jaw or teeth.

While sometimes these conditions clear up on their own, if they persist it is important for your quality of life, as well as for the health of your teeth to have them evaluated. There are several ways these conditions can be treated. At our office we can make customized removable applicances that can be worn at night or during the day to help relieve bruxism (grinding) and jaw pain. We can also treat specific painful areas with trigger point injections. Finally, at our office we offer several different injections of medications, such as Botox®. Botox® has been approved by the FDA for painful conditions potentially related to TMJ disorder, such as migraines. Botox® relieves jaw tension by relaxing the muscles that engage in the powerful, often unconscious movement of the jaw that produces headaches and pain. Botox® treatment for TMJ disorders and migraines is usually quick, straightforward, and effective. Most patients experience noticeable improvement within a few days.

Special Needs

We are happy to see patients of varying abilities, including those with special needs. Patients with special needs are those who due to physical, medical, developmental, or cognitive conditions require special consideration when receiving dental treatment. This can include people with autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, spinal cord injuries and countless other conditions or injuries that can make standard dental procedures more difficult.

People with special needs often have special dental needs as well. Some are very susceptible to tooth decay, gum disease or oral trauma. Others require medication or a diet detrimental to dental health. Still others have physical difficulty with effective dental habits at home. The good news is, dental disease is preventable. If dental care is started early and followed conscientiously, everyone can enjoy a healthy smile.

Caring for a special needs patient takes compassion and understanding. Our office does not use restraints or pills for sedation, rather, we take a slow, personalized approach. We are happy to take our time with your special patient, but not every patient with special needs can be treated at our office. We do need patients to be able to sit in a chair, to able able to open their mouths when asked, and to be able to follow simple commands. Please alert our staff when scheduling an appointment for a patient who has special needs, so that we may best accommodate them!