General Dentistry

Your face and smile are one of the first things that people notice. A beautiful smile improves confidence and enhances how others respond to you. As one of White Rock's leading dentist's, Dr. Sandra M. Finch's success lies in her ability to restore your teeth to their natural beauty and strength.

Her practice provides a wide range of dental services, but the emphasis, is first and foremost on preventative care. This care begins with hygiene visits which are customized to your specific needs, regular exams, radiographs and most importantly, a good home oral health routine program.

Creating beautiful Smiles

Dr. Finch offers a wide range of general practice services such as teeth cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants for children, routine tooth-colored composite fillings, crowns, bridges, root canals, dentures, partials, night guards and same-day emergency pain relief.

We prefer to eliminate the cause of problems rather than only treat the symptoms. If you have damaged or missing teeth we can then restore and enhance the natural beauty of your smile.

Our practice can treat:

• Missing teeth, gaps between teeth, general bite problems
• Chipped, cracked or worn teeth
• Unsightly, stained, or washed-out fillings
• Permanently stained or discolored teeth
• Crooked or crowded teeth
• Sport and recreational accidents
• Tooth aches and tooth trauma

Below are brief explanations of some of our common general dentistry treatments:

Sealants

Highly effective in preventing decay on the biting surfaces of your chewing teeth. Sealants are a simple procedure in which a tooth-color acrylic "coating" is painted onto the surface of the tooth. This effectively "seals" the deep grooves where decay is most likely to start.

Fillings

Composite filling is a resin-based, tooth colored filling material used to repair decayed areas of the tooth. Composite fillings serve the same purpose as a silver (amalgam) filling but without the mercury content and without the discoloration.

Extractions

This is the removal of teeth as part of a dental procedure.

Crowns

A crown ("cap") is a tooth-like covering placed over a carefully prepared preexisting tooth. Crowns serve many functions, such as to strengthen, restore or improve the appearance of your natural tooth. For example, a crown can support the tooth when there is no longer sufficient tooth structure left to place a filling. Crowns may also be used to protect the structure of a tooth that is fractured or broken, and can be attached to bridges or dentures.

Bridges

A bridge is a non-removable appliance to replace missing teeth. Same as Crowns, but is aided in the use for replacing missing teeth.

Root Canals

This is a one-time treatment to remove damaged nerves in the tooth canal. Causes for the nerve damage include, but are not limited to, trauma, decay, and fractures.

Dental Implants

This procedure is used to replace missing teeth permanently. An implant is a prosthetic that is surgically imbedded into the jaw bone and integrated with the bone. It is them restored with an implant crown.

Partial Dentures

This is a removable appliance that is used for people that are partially edentulous. It is used to replace missing teeth and help maintain the structure of the face from collapsing, support existing teeth and bite forces.

Dentures

Dentures are removable appliances to replace missing teeth. This appliance is used for fully edentulous patients.

Tooth Whitening or Bleaching

This is a procedure used to whiten or brighten teeth that have been externally discolored by food, coffee and/or cigarette smoking.

Porcelain Veneers

A Porcelain Veneer is a thin porcelain covering on the front of a tooth that allows the doctor to create smiles or correct damage to a tooth such as internally discolored teeth, chips, fractures, and breaks.

Safety Guideline Concerns

Infection controls and universal precautions protect clients and staff alike. Everyone benefits from rigorous infection control - you, your dentist, and the dental team. The cornerstone in a good and safe dental practice is the element of trust. You should feel free to discuss this topic with Dr. Finch.

Dr. Finch and her team follow the procedures recommended by several federal agencies: the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

These measures include:

• Disinfectant hand soap
• Gloves and face masks
• Chemical disinfection of countertops and surfaces
• Sterilization of all equipment before every use
• Disposable materials