Crown Lengthening

A dentist’s first goal is always to save your teeth, which means that dental professionals have developed many dental procedures that help prevent tooth extraction. One such procedure is crown lengthening, which we use at Northland Dental Medicine in cases where decay has decimated a tooth to a point where there is not enough tooth structure left upon which to fix a crown.

If a tooth has broken below the gum line or if decay has developed underneath an existing crown or filling, crown lengthening allows a new crown to be placed rather than extracting the tooth.

While called crown lengthening, this common surgical procedure does not actually lengthen the crown. What it does is lower the gum line, and it does this by removing gum tissue, bone or both to expose more of the tooth and provide a foundation for the crown.

The procedure is performed with a local anesthesia to numb the area. When the area is fully numb, Dr. Michael Corsello will pull the gums away from the teeth and expose the roots and surrounding bone. In some cases, removing a little of the gum tissue will expose enough of the tooth for placing a crown. However, it is more likely that some bone will also have to be removed from around the roots of the teeth. After removing the necessary amount of tissue and bone, the area will be washed and the gums stitched.

Our office works hard to always protect your teeth and to provide the best quality of dental care available. To schedule an appointment at our practice in Pittsburgh, PA, call 412-453-5344. For more information, visit www.northlanddentalmedicine.com.

JUVÉDERM® and BOTOX®

At Northland Dental Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA, we do more than take care of teeth. Our practice also helps patients feel truly confident with their smiles by providing facial rejuvenation procedures with JUVÉDERM® and BOTOX® Cosmetic dermal fillers.

JUVÉDERM® and BOTOX® are medications used in facial aesthetics to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe wrinkles and frown lines. JUVÉDERM® does this by filling in the lines and smoothing away the wrinkles that reside around your mouth and nose, while BOTOX® reduces wrinkles by reducing activity in the muscles that can cause them over time.

Used to rejuvenate multiple problem areas, JUVÉDERM® decreases the appearance of wrinkles and restores youthful contours. Able to remove up to two years off of patients 21 years and older, JUVÉDERM® uses hyaluronic acid, a hydrating substance that occurs naturally in healthy skin. Hyaluronic acid decreases naturally as you age and are exposed to sunlight and other factors. As it decreases, your skin begins to lose structure and volume, which creates facial wrinkles and folds, like those made around your nose and mouth.

The active ingredient in BOTOX® is botulinum toxin type A, which acts on nerve endings in muscles to prevent muscle fibers from contracting. If the muscles’ contractions are minimized, then frown lines can be temporarily reduced. The FDA-approved treatment can be used on patients between 18 and 65 years old and has effects that last for several months. It is most commonly used to treat crow’s feet and wrinkles on the nose, between the eyes, on the forehead and on the chin.

Schedule an appointment with Dr. Michael Corsello by calling 412-453-5344. For more information, visit www.northlanddentalmedicine.com.

Simplant

Whether performing regular cleanings or placing dental implants, at Northland Dental Medicine, we care about providing our patients with the best and most comfortable dental care we can. One of the ways we do this is by using state-of-the-art technology that enhances our procedures. One treatment technology we use is the Simplant system, an interactive, 3D system that determines the position of each dental implant with 100 percent accuracy. With this system, Dr. Michael Corsello is able to place each implant as precisely as possible, eliminating discomfort.

Simplant implant treatment planning software allows Dr. Corsello to access three-dimensional information that helps him coordinate every aspect of implant placement and care. By obtaining accurate information on the width and density of your jawbone, the exact location of neighboring tooth roots and the location of the nerves with Simplant, the dentist can ensure the procedure is more comfortable and more effective at restoring your smile and retaining your oral health.

With the precise information provided by the Simplant system, Dr. Corsello is able to plan the ideal location for your dental implants and achieve the best outcome. He will also be able to show you exactly how your new teeth will look before treatment even begins.

To schedule an appointment at Northland Dental Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA, call 412-453-5344. For more information about our practice and services, visit www.northlanddentalmedicine.com.

Wisdom Teeth Extractions

Your third and final molars to emerge are your wisdom teeth, which usually come in when you are between 17 and 25 years old. While many people do not experience problems with these new teeth, many others find that theirs must be removed. If your mouth does not have enough room for these molars to come in, a wisdom tooth extraction is necessary, and at our office in Pittsburgh, PA, Dr. Michael Corsello can determine whether a wisdom tooth extraction is the best course of action for you.

Wisdom teeth are usually removed because they become impacted, which means that the tooth does not have enough room to come in straight through the gums and instead emerges at an angle. This can cause pain, damage to the jaw and a more crooked smile. Additionally, the site of impaction can become a bacterial hotspot since impacted wisdom teeth are hard to clean.

Wisdom teeth extractions can range from removing a single tooth to removing all four teeth at once. Dr. Corsello will let you know what he thinks is best for you. For the procedure, he will use either a local anesthetic to numb the area or a general anesthetic to sedate you while the teeth are extracted. The tooth will then be accessed through an incision in the gums and wiggled until it is loose enough to be lifted out. If the tooth is too deeply embedded to be removed this way, it will be broken up into pieces before being removed.

Whether you are already feeling pain due to impacted wisdom teeth or have not yet felt them come in, we can determine if your wisdom teeth will cause problems for you. To schedule an appointment at Northland Dental Medicine, call 412-453-5344. For more information, visit www.northlanddentalmedicine.com.

VIP Amenities

When it comes to convenience, our team at Northland Dental Medicine surpasses even the highest expectations. We have even extended our hours on Mondays and Wednesdays because we know how hard it can be to fit your regular dental cleanings into a hectic schedule.  We also strive to make your dental visits as comfortable as possible. We do so by offering heated massage chairs in every room. We want you to feel like a VIP when you come into our office!

 

Our massage chairs provide a gentle massage to the patient’s back, as well as providing soothing massage on other parts of the body, including the calf, foot and neck.

 

While our motivation was to keep our patients feeling physically comfortable throughout their procedure, there are also many mental health benefits as well. Patients that suffer from dental phobia have benefited greatly from our massage chairs. Because they are so relaxed, patients often forget about the procedure being performed and these chairs even improve blood circulation and can improve immune system function.

 

Heated massage chairs are an amenity we offer that not only helps the patient during their dental visit, but provides overall improved health and circulation. Be sure to ask us about our heated massage chairs when you come in for a visit.

CEREC cosmetic crowns in an hour

The dental industry has seen many technological advances over the years, none more important, though, than the Chairside Economical Restoration or Esthetic Ceramics (CEREC) machine. This state-of-the-art technology allows dentist’s to create in-office crowns, inlays/onlays and dental veneers. Dr. Michael Corsello has brought this technology to our Pittsburgh, PA practice in order to restore patient’s smiles more quickly and effectively. With CEREC, Dr. Corsello carries out all the steps, from digital impressions and computer-based construction of the restoration to the milling process, inside our office.

 

Before taking a digital picture of the affected area, Dr. Corsello will thoroughly clean the area, removing any plaque or decay. Once that is complete, the process is quite simple. The area of the restoration will be sprayed with a fine powder which allows the digital camera to take an accurate image. Once taken, the 3D image will appear on chairside screen where Dr. Corsello is able to design the restoration right in front of you. Once the proper adjustments have been made, the system will begin to construct the restoration piece. Patients do not have to wait for their restorative piece to be sent to a dental lab to be produced because it is made while they are waiting. The manufacturing process takes around 15 minutes.

 

Upon completion, Dr. Corsello will touch up the restoration by painting, polishing or glazing it before cementing it into the mouth. Most dental facilities have to send molds out to laboratories and will receive the restoration 1-2 weeks later. Dr. Corsello is now able to treat decayed, cracked or chipped teeth in the same day.  

Intraoral Camera

Correct patient diagnosis and treatment is the most important function of an effective, state-of-the-art dental practice. The intraoral camera is the latest in a long line of technologically advanced equipment that has been introduced to the dental field in recent years. It delivers incredibly sharp, clear images that enhance dentist’s ability to properly diagnose and treat patients. We are now using this technology at Northland Dental Medicine in order to properly diagnose and treat our patients.

 

The innovative imaging software that accompanies the intraoral camera is perfect for viewing the nooks and crannies missed by X-rays. While the camera snaps crystal-clear images throughout the mouth, the software allows the doctors to manipulate the image to see different angles and zoom in on an otherwise static image. The camera also takes videos that can be streamed to a chairside monitor. Patients are able to view their procedure in real-time. Because of this technology, Dr. Corsello is able to clearly explain what the problem is and how we can best treat it together.

 

We have decided to adopt this technology in order to better diagnose and treat our patients. When our Dr. Corsello uses the intraoral camera, he is able to reach places that an X-ray cannot. While X-rays are extremely effective for locating cavities and decay, the doctors are able to see things they would never be able to see through the use of the intraoral camera. Although a traditional visual inspection of the teeth may have sufficed in the past, technology has made it possible for dentists and patients to reap many more benefits from each health exam.