Wm. Donald Tabor Jr., DDS PLC

108 West 20^th Street

(W. 20^th & Granby)

Norfolk, VA 23517

(757) 622-7544

mailto:WDTaborDDS@aol.COM

General Dental Services

Preventive Dentistry

In many ways, nearly all dentistry is preventive. There are three recognized levels of dental prevention:

  Primary prevention includes those actions taken to stop disease before it starts and to maintain an already healthy condition. In dentistry this includes regular professional cleaning, proper nutrition , the use of fluorides and sealants when indicated, and above all else, the patient’s efforts to remove plaque daily through proper home care .

  Secondary prevention refers to the detection and correction of disease processes at their earliest possible stage while it is still possible to restore full health and function. Secondary dental prevention includes regular dental checkups to detect disease, primarily dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) disease, and the measures used to stop them; restorations (fillings) to stop the spread of decay and removal of tartar and home care instruction to stop periodontal disease.

  Tertiary prevention occurs when it is no longer possible to prevent permanent damage and some loss of function, but it is still possible to keep the existing damage from contributing to further deterioration. An example would be replacing a lost tooth with a bridge or partial denture to prevent the remaining teeth from tilting and drifting, which would make them more susceptible to further disease.

Modern Restorative Treatment

New materials and methods are rapidly changing the way dental problems are corrected. Today’s materials are so much more durable than those available fifteen to twenty years ago, that when considered on the basis of cost per year of use, dental treatment costs less than ever before and quality is better than ever. Treatment of Teeth Damaged by Decay or Accident may be accomplished using silver amalgam or tooth colored filling materials or, if the damage is extensive, crowns or cast gold or ceramic inlays.

Periodontics

Treatment of Periodontal (Gum) Disease remains a shared responsibility of the dentist and the patient. Success relies on the patient thoroughly cleaning the teeth on a daily basis as we will instruct you. Treatment by the dentist might include removal of hardened deposits of tartar from above and below the gum line. When periodontal disease has altered the anatomy of the gums and created difficult to clean areas called pockets, periodontal surgery might become necessary.

Endodontics

Treatment of Infected Dental Pulps (Endodontics) requires the much maligned root canal filling. Using modern techniques, this staple of television comedians can be no more painful than any other type of filling.

Prosthetics

Treatment to Replace Missing Teeth (Prosthetics) may be accomplished using either removable partial or full dentures, fixed bridges, or more recently, implants. Implants are not the panacea many people consider them to be and should be considered only when other less extreme and less costly methods are unsuccessful.

Orthodontics

Treatment to Straighten Poorly Aligned Teeth, or Orthodontics, is usually performed by specialists, but many dentists provide minor tooth movement in limited cases.

TMJ

Treatment of MyoFacial Pain Often referred to a ‘TMJ’ for Temporo-Mandibular Joint syndrome or Myo-Facial Pain Dysfunction, this disorder is the cause of many chronic headaches that are often misdiagnosed as having other causes. For many patients, correction of the triggering bite problem is all that is needed. Others may need occlusal splints, physical therapy, stress reduction therapy, or Orthodontic treatment.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic Dentistry is not really a specialty of dentistry. Dentists have strived to improve their patients dental appearance for decades before the term was invented, but recent improvements to dental materials and adhesives have given us new tools for that task.  Cosmetic Dentistry includes bleaching of stained teeth, recontouring and reshaping, minor tooth movement, veneers, and crowns placed primarily to improve the esthetics of the teeth.