Services | Charles Elliott Friedman, DDS, MS Beaufort, SC 29902

Diagnostic

Restorative

Fillings
Crowns
Eating or drinking is not usually a problem after the appointment. However, the tooth may be sore, or if it is a posterior tooth, it may be weakened until your dentist restores it with a crown, so in those situations, avoid heavy chewing on the tooth.
Bridges

Endodontics

Root Canal Treatment
Endodontics, a dental specialty recognized by the American Dental Association, concentrates on treatment of the pulp (root canal) and surrounding tissue of the tooth. In addition to dental training, an endodontist receives two years of postgraduate training in performing root canal therapy and other procedures involving the pulp – the soft inner tissue of the tooth.
Apicoectomy
Generally, a root canal treatment is all that is needed to save teeth with an injured pulp from extraction. Occasionally, this non-surgical procedure will not be sufficient to heal the tooth and Dr. Heitman will recommend surgery. Endodontic surgery can be used to locate root fractures or hidden canals that do not appear on x-rays, but can account for pain in the tooth. Damaged root surfaces or the surrounding bone may also be treated during this procedure. The most common surgery used to save damaged teeth is an apicoectomy or root-end resection.

Implants

Dental Implants
Extraction of the tooth is the only alternative. When a tooth is extracted, the missing tooth should be replaced or adjacent, and opposing teeth will move into the empty space. This can lead to periodontal (gum) problems in the area, malocclusion (bad bite) and loss of support of the facial contour. Replacement of the tooth is usually with a fixed, cemented bridge or, in some circumstances, an implant. Bridge placement requires shaping the teeth on each side of the space and then cementing the bridge, with the false tooth, onto these teeth. This can injure adjacent teeth. In addition, the bridge is weaker and is more difficult to keep clean than your natural teeth. Extraction of the tooth and replacement with a bridge also cost more than endodontic treatment and a follow-up restoration.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

General