From a routine exam and cleaning to full-mouth rehabilitation, our practice is equipped to handle all of your dental needs. To help you understand more about our office, we have included brief descriptions of some of our most common services on this page.

Initial Oral Examination

Your first visit at our office is very important in establishing your oral health baseline. We will perform a complete oral examination which includes an oral cancer screening, periodontal evaluation, an analysis of your occlusion (bite) and a thorough examination of your teeth, their supporting structures and of the oral anatomy.

The Preventive Program

Both natural teeth and teeth with restorations survive best in an oral environment that is clean and where proper oral hygiene is maintained. Our dental hygiene program is designed to help prevent new cavities, preserve teeth that have been restored and manage periodontal disease. At the initial visit with our hygienist, oral hygiene instructions are reviewed and are reinforced at subsequent recall visits.

Dental Fillings

Traditional dental restoratives, or fillings, include gold, amalgam, porcelain, and composite. With the advent of the newest technologies in dental science, today's state-of-the-art restorative materials include ceramic and the latest composite materials. These materials are not only strong and durable, but restore the look of natural teeth and are very aesthetically pleasing.

Extractions

When tooth removal is necessary, we can perform simple and surgical extractions using local anesthesia. If you choose, we can also replace the missing teeth with dental implants.

Root Canal Treatment

Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need of dental implants or bridges. Symptoms of the infection are generally acute dental pain or sensitivity to hot, cold or percussion. If you experience any of these symptoms, your dentist will most likely recommend root canal therapy to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This therapy usually involves local anesthesia and may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 90% of cases.

Crowns & Caps

The terms dental crowns and caps are synonymous. Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth's function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth. Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or 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 needs to be restored to its natural appearance. Crowns are fabricated in a laboratory and are made either of porcelain baked onto a metal substrate, all-porcelain, or many of the new ceramic materials that have been developed.

Dentures

Dr. Janak Patel fabricates custom life-like full dentures using a local lab. He believes the dentures should function well, feel comfortable and look great. He spends five appointments to make a custom denture just for your mouth. He takes a detailed impression of your gums and jaw bone, lets you pick the color of your teeth, and selects the size of the teeth for your specific face form, smile line and lip line. At one appointment, you get to try the denture in to make sure your smile and bite are exactly what they should be. If something is not want you and he want, then he will continue the process until you are satisfied, and then make the final denture. He will explain everything he is doing throughout the fabrication process because he wants you to know the difference between a custom denture and regular denture. Dr Janak Patel does not believe you can make a great set of dentures in one day.

An upper denture usually stay in place very well with suction if custom made and without having to use denture adhesive. A lower denture will be comfortable, but they will not have the suction like the upper denture. Therefore, they can be non-retentive. A cost-effective and easy procedure would be to place mini-implants to help hold the lower denture in place. Mini-implants are like man-made roots shaped like screws which are easily placed in the jaw bone. Once in place, a special cap is placed into the denture which snaps onto the mini-implant. It is a like a "ball and hitch" appliance. The denture can still be removed to keep it clean and to clean the implants.

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Mini-Implants

Dr. Janak Patel has been placing mini-implants since 2003. He was one of the first dentist in Salisbury to place mini-implants. He has placed hundreds of mini-implants and restored them with dentures and crowns.

He started placing mini-implants because the procedure was easy for patients to undergo. There was no cutting or stitching of the gums and the procedure could be done in the dental clinic. There was minimal recovery time. Most patients felt no discomfort within 24 hours after placing the implants. It was great treatment for the elderly who could not tolerate a long procedure as with wide-body implants and who did not want a long healing time. In addition, the cost of mini-implant was half the cost of the traditional wide-body implant. It was more cost effective and attained the same results as with traditional implants. The best reason for mini-implants is the great advantage of holding a lower denture in place without using messy denture paste. After placing the implants, patients reported the lower denture did not move at all and did not come out easily. This allowed them to chew harder foods such as steaks and vegetables which they could not do with their regular denture and denture adhesive. This allowed better nutrition and overall better health.

If mini-implants are placed in the upper jaw, an upper denture can be made where the entire part of the denture in the roof of the mouth can be cut out. Patients reported they felt they had more room in their mouth since the tongue had more space and that they did not have as much of a plastic taste in their mouth. They also reported that their food tasted better since they could feel if the food was hot or cold and rough or smooth. Also, this procedure is great for patients who have a gag-reflex and can not tolerate wearing a full upper denture. By cutting out the denture in the palatal area, the gag reflex is significantly reduce.

More importantly, the patients reported that they felt better about themselves since the denture did not move. They could talk and smile with more confidence and did not have the fear of their denture slipping our or coming loose. Life was better for them which is our primary goal in providing dental treatment.

Dr. Janak Patel, does offer complimentary consultations for anyone who is interested in getting a dental implant.

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Natural Smiles

Being a dentist is not just about fixing teeth, but more importantly, making it look natural. You have to be an artist and perfectionist to give a patient a smile that does not look artificial. Dr. Janak Patel has taken many courses in designing a natural, perfect smile and uses a high-quality lab to complete this task. His goal is give you a smile that you can show to all your friends and family without thinking twice about it. Dr. Janak Patel believes that a great smile improves self-esteem and confidence, and this is our first and foremost philosophy in taking care of our patients.

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Veneers

Gaps, chips, stains, or misshapen teeth can now be treated with wonderful results and very conservatively using porcelain veneers. Veneers are natural in appearance, and are a perfect alternative for patients wanting to make minor adjustments to the look and feel of their smile. Veneers are thin, custom-made shells made from tooth-colored materials (such as porcelain) designed to cover the front side of your teeth.

Zoom! Tooth Whitening

You deserve a bright, confident smile. Professional, in-office teeth whitening with Philips ZOOM is safe, simple, and one of the fastest ways to improve the beauty in your smile.

The ZOOM whitening process uses a the ZOOM Chair-side Light-Activated Gel which greatly accelerates and enhances the whitening process, and delivers the dramatic results you will love. Your teeth can become up to eight shades lighter in just 60 minutes!

The gel and light work together gently to break up stains on your teeth, while leaving the structure of your teeth unchanged. After just four 15-minute applications, the treatment is complete and you leave with a brighter and whiter smile.

Almost anyone can benefit from teeth whitening, though the treatment may not be as effective for some as it is for others. Zoom achieves the greatest success in treating yellow staining from aging, tobacco, dark cola, tea, coffee, or red wine. If your teeth have gray shading from tetracycline or other chemicals, you may still see improved results, though they may be less dramatic. Dr. Janak Patel will be able to determine the ideal level of whitening for your individual smile during you personalized shade assessment.

A beautiful, sparking smile can give you a whole new outlook on life and yourself.

Periodontal Treatment

Periodontal treatment methods depend upon the type and severity of the disease. We will evaluate the extent of your periodontal disease and recommend the appropriate treatment. Periodontal disease progresses as the sulcus (pocket or space) between the tooth and gums gets filled with bacteria, plaque and tartar, causing irritation to the surrounding tissues. When these irritants remain in the pocket space, they can cause damage to the gums and eventually, the bone that supports the teeth. If the disease is caught in the early stages of gingivitis, and no damage has been done, one to two regular cleanings will be recommended. You will also be given instructions on improving your daily oral hygiene habits and having regular dental cleanings. If the disease has progressed to more advanced stages, a special periodontal cleaning called scaling and root planing (deep cleaning) will be recommended. If the pockets do not heal after scaling and root planing, periodontal surgery may be needed to reduce pocket depths, making teeth easier to clean.

Pediatric Dental Care

We take pride in creating and maintaining beautiful and healthy smiles for our younger patients in an environment that is lighthearted and fun. We focus on establishing oral health habits that last a lifetime, with education and prevention as our primary tools.

Invisalign

Invisalign is a form of orthodontic treatment (braces) without the metal bands, metal brackets and metal wires. It is a form of "invisible" braces using clear aligner trays that move your teeth to the desired position to correct different problems you may have with your bite. Invisalign can be used to correct crowded teeth, close spaces in between teeth, deep bite or excessive overbites. It is a series of clear aligners which you wear 22-23 hours per day and remove only when eating, drinking or brushing your teeth. Each and every day, your teeth move slowly until the desired effect is reached. Overall treatment time can vary from 5 months to 18 months. It depends on how much tooth movement needs to be completed to get the desired end result.

Dr. Janak Patel is a certified Invisalign dentist. He would take an x-ray of your teeth, certain photographs of your teeth and face, and special molds of your teeth. These records will then be submitted to Invisalign with a note of what you would like to correct about your teeth. Invisalign would process this information and send back a computer simulation (ClinCheck) of what Invisalign aligners could do to fix your teeth. Dr. Janak Patel would review this ClinCheck with you to make sure it is accomplishing what you want. Once you are happy with the anticipated results, Dr. Janak Patel would order the aligners.

What Dr. Janak Patel likes about Invisalign is that you can easily brush and floss your teeth since you can remove the aligners. Whereas brushing and floss can be harder when you have metal wires and metal brackets. If you don't brush and floss properly, you may get a cavity by the time you have completed orthodontic treatment. This is especially true in younger patients who are not as diligent as adult patients with oral hygiene. An additional benefit for adult patients, is that you can remove the aligners for a couple of hours if you have a social event you need to attend and you don't want anybody to know you are doing braces. This can not be easily accomplished with metal wires and metal brackets.

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Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious and potentially life threatening disorder involving repeated pauses in breathing while asleep. The most common form of this condition is obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when there is an obstruction of an individual’s airway that interferes with the flow of oxygen through nose or mouth during sleep.

In someone afflicted with obstructive sleep apnea, the muscles of the throat and mouth relax during sleep to the point where they fall back into the upper airway to create a blockage that restricts breathing.

The signs and symptoms of this disorder during sleeping hours may include, loud snoring, episodes of breathing cessation, abrupt awakenings, episodes of gasping for air, along with difficulties getting a good night’s sleep. An individual with sleep apnea will exhibit problems during the day as well. Sleep apnea can lead to a morning headache, excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, and irritability.

A sleep study is typically conducted to determine the severity of the disorder. The results of this study along with other medical findings will play a role in determining the recommended therapy. The most common form of therapy is a CPAP machine that is worn when sleeping. This device provides a steady stream of pressurized air into the respiratory system through a mask.

In situations of mild to moderate sleep apnea, a dental appliance may be deemed an appropriate treatment. Worn in a similar fashion to a mouthguard or an orthodontic retainer, it is designed to help keep the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat from collapsing, thereby enabling the airway to stay open during sleep. An oral appliance is easy to wear, easy to care for, comfortable, and portable. Oral appliances are individually fabricated, and customized for both maximum effectiveness and comfort.