General Dentistry Procedures

At the dental office of cosmetic dentist Lawrence T. Fox, DDS, we provide a full range of dental services for adult patients, including dental implants and teeth whitening. A complete exam will be done under magnification to tell us the condition of your teeth, gums, and underlying bone. The use of our intraoral camera will allow you to see and understand your dental condition and participate with us in developing a lifetime strategy for good dental health.

We offer the following general dentistry procedures and services to enhance the health of your smile and to reinforce and strengthen weakened teeth:

Captek® Crowns
Dental Bonding
Porcelain Onlays
Tooth-colored Fillings
Dental Bridges
Root Canals
Dental Cleaning
Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy

General Dentistry Technology:

VibraJect® for Pain-Free Injections
Digital X-Rays
Optical Magnification
Vizilite® Oral Cancer Exam
Intraoral Camera

Captek® Crowns

When a tooth is badly decayed, cracked, or damaged in any way, a crown may be necessary to restore the tooth. A Captek® crown is a very natural looking and long lasting restoration. These crowns match the natural color of your teeth and combine beauty with durability.

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is a conservative restorative dentistry technique in which a safe, durable, tooth-colored filling is adhered to natural teeth. Dental bonding is usually done to close spaces or gaps and to reshape front teeth.

Porcelain Onlays

Porcelain onlays are used to replace old, corroded, metal amalgam fillings. A more conservative restorative dentistry technique than crowns, porcelain onlays provide strong reinforcement for weakened teeth. Once placed, they "disappear" into the tooth, virtually undetectable in the mouth. They conserve much of your natural tooth structure.

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Tooth-colored Fillings

Metal-free white fillings are made of a special, durable resin and are designed to match your natural tooth color. Dr. Fox has not used silver-mercury fillings for many years. Silver darkens the teeth and since it is a metal in a wet environment, it corrodes over time. Tooth-colored fillings not only improve aesthetics, they also restore your tooth's natural strength.

Dental Bridges

A bridge is a permanent replacement for missing teeth. Dental bridges are not removable like a partial denture. They provide long lasting support to the teeth and function like natural teeth.

Root Canals

Believe it or not, root canal therapy is typically a painless procedure. A root canal is the removal of a defective nerve inside an infected tooth. Dr. Fox has had extensive training in this procedure and has all of the latest technology to make this procedure fast and painless.

Dental Cleaning

The health of your teeth is always our primary concern. Regular dental cleanings will keep your smile healthy and strong, and will allow Dr. Fox to catch problems before they become serious. We cannot understate the importance of regular dental cleanings.

Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy

Our hygienists have advanced training in non-surgical gum treatment. With the use of powerful topical anesthetics and special antibiotics that are placed directly into periodontal "pockets," treating periodontal disease is less painful and more effective today.

GENERAL DENTISTRY TECHNOLOGY

Our Burke, Virginia office - serving the Springfield, Fairfax, and Annandale areas - has invested in the latest, state-of-the-art technology for your safety and comfort. Some of these revolutionary advances include:

Pain-free Injections

On a statistical basis, only 60 percent of people visit the dentist in any given year. One of the reasons is the fear of the dental experience. The procedure that creates the most anxiety is the dental injection, or shot. Dental injection techniques have remained virtually unchanged for many years. Recently, a new device called VibraJect® has become available to alleviate the pain associated with dental injections.

VibraJect®

Vibraject® is a small device that clips on to a standard dental syringe. It works by emitting a sonic vibration into the syringe system. Based on the Gate Control Theory of Pain, this idea suggests that once nerves sense vibration their ability to transmit pain is drastically reduced. In other words, dental nerves are only able to receive one stimulus at a time. At the point of injection, the patient feels a vibration instead of the usual surge of pain, thus providing injections that are virtually pain free.

Digital X-Rays

These are computerized X-Rays that transmit 90 percent less radiation than traditional dental X-Rays. Along with our digital Panorex, we are able to get clear, accurate images that will help us make our diagnosis and provide the safest possible treatment to our patients

Optical Magnification

Dr. Fox, our hygienists, and our assistants wear loupes (optical magnification devices) to magnify our patients teeth and gums. By seeing everything in greater detail, we can offer more precise, higher-quality dental care.

Vizilite® Oral Cancer Exam

Oral cancer is one of the most curable diseases when caught early. That's why the Vizilite® Plus exam has been developed. Vizilite® uses technology that has been proven successful in identifying soft tissue abnormalities in other areas of the body. A Vizilite® exam is particularly important if you are at increased risk for developing oral cancer.

Intraoral Camera

The intraoral camera is a revolutionary diagnostic dental tool allowing us to more clearly identify potential dental problems early on. The tiny camera takes pictures of the teeth and displays the magnified images on a computer screen. The camera makes problems easily visible to both patient and doctor.

To learn more about our general dentistry options or to schedule a consultation, contact the office of Dr. Lawrence T. Fox, DDS today.