Big Smiles

Pediatric Dentistry

Big Smiles is a Pediatric Dentistry practice in Milford, CT with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in preventing, diagnosing, and treating tooth, gum, and jaw disorders and injuries in children. Pediatric Dentists at Big Smiles perform oral health exams, preventative dental health education, wisdom teeth extraction, orthodontics, implant and crown placement, cavity repair, gum disease treatment, and dental injury care. Pediatric Dentistry is a dental specialty centered on promoting the oral health of young patients from infancy through their teen years. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Pediatric Dentistry practices include dental cavities, wisdom tooth impaction, bruxism (tooth grinding), improper bite and jaw alignment, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, gum disease, oral cancer, and injuries to the teeth, mouth, and gums. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Pediatric Dentistry practices include diagnostic imaging, oral hygiene education, cavity repair, orthodontics, placing tooth implants, crowns, and orthodontics, diagnosing and treating tooth grinding, addressing gum disease, extracting impacted wisdom teeth, and treating tooth, tongue, and gum injury or infection.

An age-defined specialty that provides both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs.

General Practice Dentistry

Big Smiles is a General Practice Dentistry practice in Milford, CT with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in preventing, diagnosing and treating dieases of the mouth, gums, and teeth. General Practice Dentists at Big Smiles perform oral health preventative procedures, diagnostics, and treatments. General Practice Dentistry is a medical specialty focused on dental and oral healthcare. Significant diseases and conditions treated at General Practice Dentistry practices include plaque buildup on the gums and teeth, cavities, tooth decay, and mouth trauma. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by General Practice Dentistry practices include routine teeth cleanings, oral hygiene education, mouth x-rays, restoration procedures (like root canals, fillings, and crowns) as well as implant and denture delivery and maintenance.

A general dentist is the primary dental care provider for patients of all ages. The general dentist is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patients' oral health needs.

Dentistry

Big Smiles is a Dentistry practice in Milford, CT with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in diagnosis and treatment of problems with patients' teeth, gums, lips, and jaw. Dentists at Big Smiles perform dental procedures focused on prevention of oral diseases such as tooth decay and periodontal disease. Dentistry is a branch of medicine concerned with study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases affecting the oral cavity. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Dentistry practices include tooth cavities, gum disease, bad breath, tooth sensitivity, mouth sores, tooth erosion, and dental emergencies. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Dentistry practices include dental examinations, filling cavities, removing tooth decay, repairing cracked teeth, performing root canals, and removing teeth.

A dentist is a person qualified by a doctorate in dental surgery (D.D.S.) or dental medicine (D.M.D.), licensed by the state to practice dentistry, and practicing within the scope of that license. There is no difference between the two degrees: dentists who have a DMD or DDS have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school is required to graduate and become a general dentist. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist.

Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics

Big Smiles is an Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics practice in Milford, CT with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in the diagnosis, prevention, interception, and correction of malocclusion and other abnormalities of the developing or mature orofacial structures. Orthodontist and Dentofacial Orthopedists at Big Smiles perform provides procedures to fix conditions such as dental overbites, underbites, and crowded or misaligned teeth by slowly applying pressure on specific teeth to coax them into place without surgery. Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics is a specialty within the dental profession that detects tooth positioning issues and corrects them. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics practices include malocclusions, underbites, overbites, oral cavity anomalies. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics practices include designing and fabricating appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.

That area of dentistry concerned with the supervision, guidance and correction of the growing or mature dentofacial structures, including those conditions that require movement of teeth or correction of malrelationships and malformations of their related structures and the adjustment of relationships between and among teeth and facial bones by the application of forces and/or the stimulation and redirection of functional forces within the craniofacial complex. Major responsibilities of orthodontic practice include the diagnosis, prevention, interception and treatment of all forms of malocclusion of the teeth and associated alterations in their surrounding structures; the design, application and control of functional and corrective appliances; and the guidance of the dentition and its supporting structures to attain and maintain optimum occlusal relations in physiologic and esthetic harmony among facial and cranial structures.