Jackson, Mississippi Practice Providing TMJ, Implant, and Sleep Dentistry Using Advanced Technology

At Family Dental Care, we offer our patients the latest advancements in dental care as soon as they become available. These cutting-edge technologies and techniques help to make our patients’ experiences more comfortable, and effective, so that they can achieve the dazzling new smiles they have always wanted. At our Flowood practice near Jackson, Mississippi, we offer implant and sleep dentistry, TMJ treatment, and advanced dental equipment so that we can bring our patients tomorrow’s dentistry today.

• Implant Dentistry Technology
• TMJ Treatment
• Sleep Dentistry
• Minimally Invasive Dentistry
• State-of-the-Art Dental Equipment
• Sleep Apnea

Implant Dentistry Technology

The technology that makes implant dentistry possible is based on the biocompatible properties of titanium, which were discovered more than 50 years ago. Once the titanium dental implant is surgically placed in the jawbone, the surrounding bone fuses to the titanium in a process called osseointegration. For this reason, the success of the most common type of implant, the root form implant, requires that the jawbone possess significant width and depth for a successful outcome. However, new advancements in implant dentistry now make if possible for patients with bone loss or narrow jaws to have dental implants installed successfully.

Addressing Bone Loss

If bone loss has occurred, a bone graft may be performed to build up the jawbone and encourage successful osseointegration. There are also several new types of implants available that can help overcome this problem. A plate form implant with a flat, elongated shape may be used for patients with narrow jaws, while a subperiosteal implant,which rests on top of the jawbone under the gum, may be an option for patients with shallow and narrow jawbones who are not good candidates for bone grafts.

Quality Dental Implants and Advanced Imaging Technology

At Family Dental Care, we use high-quality implants from Nobel Biocare™, a world leader in implant dentistry technology. We also utilize the latest technology, including digital x-rays and 3D computer imaging, to evaluate each patient’s jawbone and surrounding teeth to determine whether he or she is a good candidate for dental implants. If you are interested in this type of tooth replacement, contact our practice in Mississippi to learn more about implant dentistry and schedule a consultation with Dr. O’Keefe.

TMJ Treatment

When the teeth don’t fit together properly due to a misaligned bite, the excess strain on the temporomandibular joint, also known as the TMJ, can cause a host of problems. If you suffer from migraines, facial pain, or even ringing in the ears, it may be due to a misaligned bite, and TMJ treatment may be able to help.

Diagnosing and Treating TMJ Disorders

At our practice near Jackson, Mississippi, TMJ treatment begins with the proper diagnosis. We utilize the T-Scan system to digitally analyze the bite for a precise diagnosis. We also look for visual signs of wear and cracks on the teeth to determine where the problems might be. Then we create a comprehensive treatment plan for correcting the bite problems and relieving TMJ-related problems.

Bite Therapy Appliances

There are several bite therapy appliances that we use to treat TMJ problems, including night guards, the NTI tension suppression system, the Best-Bite™ Discluder, and the Tanner Bite Appliance. All of these dental appliances help realign the jaws to ease the tension and pressure that is put on the joints when the bite is misaligned.

Through TMJ treatment, we can help eliminate headaches, pain, and bite problems for many patients. Contact Family Dental Care near Jackson, Mississippi to learn more about TMJ treatment and how it can help alleviate your pain and discomfort.

Sleep Dentistry — Dental Treatments While you Sleep

For patients with a high degree of dental anxiety, even routine cleanings and check-ups can be difficult. At our Jackson, Mississippi-area practice, we offer sleep dentistry, also called sedation dentistry, to help our patients relax and even sleep through their dental treatments, after which they wake up with little or no memory of the procedures. At Family Dental Care, we work with a group of anesthesiologists to bring our patients the most complete dental sedation program in the region.

Sedation Options

Our anesthesiologists can administer sedation medication in several ways: as a pill that is taken before treatment, as a gas that is inhaled during treatment, or as an injection that is administered before and during treatment. After these sedative medications enter a patient’s body, they are dispersed through the blood stream, causing feelings of deep relaxation and even sleep.

Advanced Sedation Monitoring

Utilizing technology such as an electrocardiograph to measure heart rate and pulse oximetry to measure respiratory function, an anesthesiologist monitors the patient’s vital signs continuously during treatment to ensure his or her comfort and safety. If needed, our anesthesiologists can adjust the level of sedation so that optimum comfort is maintained.

If anxiety has prevented you or someone you love from receiving dental treatment, contact Family Dental Care in Jackson, Mississippi to learn how sleep dentistry can help.

Minimally Invasive Dentistry

At Family Dental Care, we take a minimally invasive and conservative approach to dentistry so that we preserve as much healthy dental tissue – bone, gum, and tooth – as possible. To make our treatments more precise, we utilize microscopes, and loupes, as well as high-powered fiber optic lighting systems, to help us see small details. We can often detect potential problems early so that they can be treated before they cause major crises.

State-of-the-Art Dental Equipment

Making your dental visits more comfortable and effective, we utilize many pieces of state-of-the-art equipment at our practice to offer you the best in dental care.

Digital X-rays – Our digital X-ray system produces 90 percent less radiation than traditional X-rays and creates sharp images that can be viewed on a computer screen.

Intraoral Camera – Images from our intraoral camera are sent to a computer screen so that you can see what our dentist sees during your examination.

Cancer Screening – The OralCDx® system allows us to find potentially dangerous oral lesions early so that we can treat them before they develop into cancer.

The Wand® –The Wand® computer-controlled injection system offers more comfortable injections of local anesthetic than are possible with a needle, especially for highly sensitive areas of the mouth.

Endodontic Technology – Employed in conjunction with the lasers and microscopes used during endodontic (root canal) therapy, the Root ZX Apex Locator helps us to treat your damaged tooth precisely. In addition, through sleep dentistry, you can sleep through the root canal and wake up with little or no memory of the procedure.

Air Abrasion System – Cavity removal through air abrasion eliminates the heat and vibration of traditional dentists’ drills and allows us to save more healthy tooth structure than was previously possible. With air abrasion, there is little pain and parenteral sedation is seldom needed.

Sleep Apnea

Affecting more than 12 million Americans, sleep apnea is a frustrating and exhausting condition that can lead to a variety of health complications. Translated from Greek, apnea means “without breath”; people with sleep apnea repeatedly stop breathing during the night, sometimes for a minute or longer. Each time the breathing stops, the brain signals for the person to wake up, resulting in fragmented, low-quality sleep. There are three main forms of sleep apnea – obstructive, central, and mixed (a combination of the two) – but obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is by far the most common. OSA is caused by the repetitive blockage of the airway, almost always due to soft tissue along the back of the throat that relaxes and closes while a person sleeps.

Fortunately, many new and effective methods of treating OSA have been developed, including several that involve specialized dental appliances to prevent blockage. If you struggle with sleep apnea, schedule a consultation with Dr. Danny O’Keefe today. During your appointment, Dr. O’Keefe will carefully evaluate your needs and determine whether a custom dental appliance is the right sleep apnea treatment for you.

Contact Us for Tomorrow’s Dentistry Today

To learn more about all of the ways in which we strive to bring you tomorrow’s dentistry today, contact Family Dental Care near Jackson, Mississippi today. Implant and sleep dentistry, TMJ therapy, and instant orthodontics are just some of the treatments and technologies that we offer to help make your visits with us comfortable and rewarding.