Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes. We will work with your dental insurance and will process your claim for you upon receipt of your co-payment. We offer CareCredit, a low interest rate payment plan and we also accept most major credit cards.

We can almost always get you in the same day to address your problem, and if you are in pain we will always address your pain first and foremost.

Painless dentistry is a means of ensuring your visit and treatment is as stress-free and pain-free as possible. We will discuss treatment options that may require no local anesthetic and whenever possible, alleviate pain by the means most comfortable to you.

If our office is closed and you have a dental (non-life threatening) emergency, please call and select the option for leaving a message for Dr. Burke. The call will be forwarded to him and he will return your call as soon as possible.

During your first visit, one of our staff members will compile your medical and dental history. Then, we will examine your teeth and gums, screen for oral cancer, take X-rays of your teeth as needed and complete a TMJ (temporomandibular or jaw joint) exam. After reviewing your dental profile, we’ll be able to discuss a diagnosis and treatment options with you and refer you to a specialist if necessary. We will also discuss your payment options and help you determine the best plan to fit your needs.

During your regular visits, we will examine your teeth and gums, screen you for oral cancer, clean your teeth and make treatment plans if needed. We will also discuss any pain or problems you may be experiencing and answer any questions you may have.

We have seen teeth in every condition imaginable and are not shocked by anything. We also do not judge AT ALL. We will treat you with compassion and give you your options to make the situation better. Quite often we will take care of the most pressing problems first, then patients return later to get a complete exam.

The American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines recommend visiting a dentist at least twice a year for a check-up and professional cleaning. We also recommend a minimum of two visits per year.

There are several methods available for bleaching the teeth: in-office, overnight or daily. One session of in-office bleaching generally lasts one and a half to two hours, and you can read or relax during the treatment. For overnight bleaching, we make an impression of your teeth and create a mouthguard that fits your bite. Each day you fill the mouthguard with a small amount of bleaching gel and wear it overnight or for a few hours during the day. The overnight bleaching process takes approximately two weeks.

Other over-the-counter daily bleaching products are available, but it is important to use any bleaching product only under the supervision of a dentist. If you are interested in whitening your teeth, the ADA recommends that you seek the professional advice of a dentist, including examination and diagnosis of the cause of tooth discoloration, before you begin any bleaching program.

We have many different procedures that can help these problems. Porcelain veneers are designed to look like your natural teeth and are individually and permanently attached to the fronts of your existing teeth. Veneers can be positioned to close gaps. Bonding utilizes a composite material made of plastic to fill in areas of your teeth and correct chipping and shape problems. Both porcelain veneers and bonding are color-matched to the rest of your teeth.

This is a very nuanced question and will depend on each person’s dental situation. Implants have made bridges less commonly done, however we still do bridges in some situations. A bridge may be a better value if the adjacent teeth are already in need of crowns. It may also be done if the patient is not a good candidate for an implant.

No, some people get this confused with the common recommendation that every root canal should have a crown done after. Most crowns do not need a root canal after however.

A bridge is made to replace a missing tooth. It is made of a crown on each of the adjacent teeth and a fake tooth in the middle, which are all connected as one piece. It is then cemented on the adjacent teeth. Bridges are made of the same materials as crowns.

A crown is a protective cap that covers the entire tooth. It can be made of porcelain, gold, porcelain over gold, or a newer material called zirconia.

A crown may be needed if a tooth is broken, lost a filling, has cracks, has a large cavity, or some combination of these problems.

Implants have a very distinct advantage of being easier to clean since you can floss between all teeth still. A bridge requires you to thread floss under the fake tooth, which some people find difficult. Another significant advantage is that you do not need to crown the adjacent teeth. When a bridge fails it is at minimum a 3 tooth problem. Sometimes when the bridge fails one of the teeth supporting it must be pulled. An implant and two adjacent teeth keeps your teeth (and potential problems) separate.

The best way is to see your dentist for a thorough check-up and evaluation and get any problems addressed before they become more urgent. While the unexpected can happen to anyone, our routine patients who see us regularly for cleanings and checkups have much fewer unexpected problems, and the problems that do come up are usually less severe.

We can almost always get you in the same day to address your problem, and if you are in pain we will always address your pain first and foremost.

There are good products available over the counter that will help relieve tooth pain. If the pain is severe and lasts more than a day or two it is better to see us so that we can check it out. Sometimes even if the pain goes away, it may be that the nerve has died and is at risk of infection. Sometimes the pain is temporary and goes away on its own too. If you have any doubts, it is better to have it checked.

Please call our office as soon as you determine that you have a dental emergency. We will be glad to work you in to our schedule during regular business hours. After hours, over the weekend and during holidays, please call our office for the doctor’s emergency contact number.

If our office is closed and you have a dental (non-life threatening) emergency, please call and select the option for leaving a message for Dr. Burke. The call will be forwarded to him and he will return your call as soon as possible.

We do everything from a simple check of something that is concerning a patient to treatment of severe pain and swelling. Treatments may involve extractions (pulling a tooth), root canals, replacing a missing filling, replacing a front tooth, adjusting a bite, applying a desensitizer, removing a popcorn husk from the gums, and just about anything else that might pop up. If you are worried about it, just call us and we will check it out!

We have seen teeth in every condition imaginable and are not shocked by anything. We also do not judge AT ALL. We will treat you with compassion and give you your options to make the situation better. Quite often we will take care of the most pressing problems first, then patients return later to get a complete exam.

No, some people get this confused with the common recommendation that every root canal should have a crown done after. Most crowns do not need a root canal after however.

A small hole is made in the top of the tooth to access the center of the tooth where the nerve is (after numbing of course). The insides of the roots are then shaped and disinfected, removing any nerve tissue in the process. This accomplishes two things, removing the painful nerve, and disinfecting the infected tooth. The roots are then filled. The roots are NOT removed during the procedure, so you still have roots to anchor the tooth in your jaw.

The vast majority of back teeth will require a crown after a root canal. This is because usually, the tooth has had a large filling or a large cavity that has already weakened the tooth. The crown will protect the tooth from fracturing. We will discuss with you your options prior to starting the root canal.

Each root has a canal or tunnel that runs through it which carries the nerve and tiny blood vessels. The full term is root canal therapy which means treatment of the root canal system. The other term you may hear is endodontic treatment or sometimes just “endo” for short. Endodontists are the dentists that specialize in “endo” or root canal therapy.

No! This is the #1 procedure that causes my patients to fall asleep. A small percentage of patients may need additional numbing during the process and this usually takes care of any pain.

A rubber dam is a thin sheet of latex that creates a barrier between the working field and the rest of the mouth. We punch holes in it for the teeth to slip through.

This has an incredible number of advantages to the dentist, the dental assistant, and most importantly, the patient. I will review some of these advantages here:

1. Prevents contamination of the cavity with saliva or blood when bonding your filling. The number one cause of sensitivity after a white filling is contamination during the bonding. Not only does this make your tooth hurt for weeks, but it also decreases the longevity of the filling. Poorly bonded fillings break down at the margins, allowing them to leak. Plus, when this occurs, decay then has an easy path under the filling.
2. Protects the lips, tongue, and cheek from harm from the drill. The rubber dam retracts and protects lips, cheeks, tongue, and even the gums. 
3. Retraction of soft tissue for better visibility. This also allows the dentist and assistant to focus more of their attention on your tooth and the procedure. The contrast in color from the rubber dam and the tooth also makes visibility better. Every step in a dental procedure requires a great level of attention to detail; the dam enables this.
4. Protection of the gum tissue. With the dam in place, we usually place a wedge between the teeth. In combination with the dam, this prevents damage to the gums. It also allows a clean working field. 
5. Prevents swallowing foreign materials. We use a lot of small tools, which can be dropped. It is very comforting for patient and doctor to have the dam as a safety net.
6. Keeps bad tastes out. Many dental products we use taste pretty bad, the dam will allow these products to be rinsed without touching any soft tissues. 
7. Keeps vapor from your breath out of the working field. Not only does this fog up our mirrors, making it hard to see, there is enough water in your breath to contaminate your filling.
8. Catches amalgam scraps. While it is not as critical to have a dry field for a silver filling, we still use the rubber dam for the above reasons and also to catch any scraps that fall off as we carve your filling. The dam also catches any pieces of fillings or crowns that are removed when drilling. 
9. Keeps bacteria from saliva out of the tooth during root canals. Root canal is the procedure that has been most associated with rubber dams; in fact, many dentists will only use the rubber dam for this procedure. It is used for good reason, as we use small files and caustic irrigating solutions that we do not want in your mouth.
10. Allows patients to relax. When first using the rubber dam, I anticipated a lot of negative reaction to it from patients. Surprisingly, the feedback I got was almost completely positive. Many patients found it comforting to have the protection in place and also not have to worry about what to do with their tongue.