Troy D Hallagin | 2703 Hall Street
Hays, KS 67601 | Phone: 785-628-2424
Hours: Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Services/Early Childhood Preventative Care
Amalgam Fillings
These have been used successfully for over 100 years. As patient and staff safety is a concern to all of us, we've researched the topic and found silver amalgam fillings to be safe and effective for most patients. The dental profession has known for years that certain forms of mercury can be harmful. However, the form used in dental practices is kept contained until it is mixed with silver, zinc, nickel, tin, copper, and other metals and made non-hazardous. Amalgam fillings are placed thousands of times each day, worldwide. The important thing to know is that we'll design a treatment plan that is right for you and your family.
Anxiety-Free Dentistry
Imagine not being afraid to go to the dentist. Imagine being able to accomplish all of your dental care in as few appointments as possible. This is what anxiety-free dentistry can do for you. You'll be able to smile with confidence and chew your food without pain. If you've been putting off years of dental work, anxiety-free dentistry can change your life.
Bleaching
At our office, there are two bleaching services that we provide. The first is a system where we use a strong yet harmless bleaching solution, which is applied to your teeth via a custom made bleaching tray that is fitted to your teeth. A small amount of solution is put into the tray that is worn for several hours each day for two to six weeks, or until the desired result is achieved.
Bonding
Bonding is a cosmetic dental procedure, which uses a composite resin to replace discolored and chipped fillings, or to reshape or lengthen natural teeth. The bonding material is sculpted and shaped, and then hardened with a special dental light. Once in place, the bonding material is very strong. The final results can be subtle, or quite dramatic. The procedure is simple and can usually be completed in just one visit.
Bridges
It's important that a tooth always has an opposing tooth or partner to chew with. If it doesn't, the surrounding and opposing teeth will begin to shift out of alignment. In dentistry, the term "bridge" is used for a device that spans the gap after a tooth has been lost due to trauma, decay, periodontal disease or extraction. A bridge restores a natural, stable environment, and helps all teeth to function properly.
Composites or Tooth Colored Fillings
When decay advances through the enamel and into the dentin, a filling is required. At one time, silver or gold fillings were the only option, but today teeth can be restored to health with a natural tooth colored resin material that is virtually undetectable. The average lifespan of a filling is between 3 to 15 years. Your filling may last longer or shorter depending on the location and size of the filling and on the care you give your teeth. These look great and can be completed in just one appointment.
Crowns
Whenever a tooth has decayed, cracked, or chipped beyond a point where there is no longer enough tooth structure left to support a filling, a crown may be necessary. When most people think of a crown, they often think of a large gold nugget on a molar. But with today's modern dental techniques, crowns may also be covered with a natural tooth colored porcelain, and can be made virtually undetectable. Single visit or same day crowns are available.
Dentures
Today's dentistry goes to great lengths to save every tooth possible, but with tooth loss, wearing full or partial dentures is a daily reality to most Americans. A common and potentially harmful misconception is that once you have dentures, visiting the dentist regularly is no longer necessary. Regular dental visits and good home care are essential to keep dentures functioning and looking their best. Since signs of serious diseases, like cancer and diabetes, often first appear in the mouth, an exam twice each year is vitally important.
Extractions
At some time throughout life, just about everyone becomes a candidate for oral surgery. The removal of a single tooth due to trauma, decay, periodontal disease, or to make room for adjacent teeth or prior to orthodontic procedures - any time a tooth must come out - is considered a dental, surgical procedure. Everyone is a candidate for oral surgery. Sounds like a broad statement, but almost everyone has a primary, or permanent tooth, removed at some time in their lives, and this is a surgical procedure. In the teen years, third molars or wisdom teeth may be removed.
Inlays and Onlays
Cosmetic porcelain or resin inlays and onlays are custom crafted in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your tooth.
Lumineers
So what if nature didn't give you a perfect smile? Now you can get the look you've always wanted with Lumineers by Cerinate. The smart, new porcelain technology inside Cerinate means they're contact lens thin and translucent. They can be used to close spaces, lengthen short teeth, and reshape awkward teeth. Best of all, they are applied with a revolutionary new procedure. Just think: no drilling, shots, or pain. No removal of sensitive tooth structure. Permanent, pleasant, and painless!
Periodontal Disease
If a member of your family had periodontal, or gum disease, don't be surprised if you get it too. The genetic components of gum disease are becoming increasingly important in the ability to predict those who are at risk. Dentists are seeing more patients with gum disease because many people are keeping their natural teeth as they age, but periodontal disease remains the major cause of tooth loss in adults.
Sealants
Good dental health for your child begins with a visit to the dentist for a routine cleaning and exam. With the addition of fluoride to our drinking water, many parents are under the mistaken belief that tooth decay in children is a thing of the past, but that is not the case. We must continually protect the tooth surface, and the best way to protect the biting surface of teeth is through the simple and painless application of sealants.
Veneers
Recent advances in dental technology allow a flattering new smile that is also strong and durable. One great way to create a beautiful smile and get dramatic results is through the use of laminate porcelain veneers. Veneers offer a combination of beauty and strength, but are surprisingly delicate. Porcelain veneers, made of extremely durable ceramic materials, custom fit to the front and side surfaces of your teeth. Since they are durable, they can be used to cover broken, discolored, and chipped teeth, and can even be used to lengthen worn and flattened teeth.
Prevent Early Childhood Cavities
Liquids left on your baby's teeth for long periods of time can cause permanent damage. You can prevent early childhood cavities if you:
1. Don't put your child to bed with a bottle of milk, juice, or sugar water.
2. Brush their teeth as soon as they come up through the gums.
3. Give plain water as a drink between meals.
* When your child's first tooth appears, it is time to make an appointment with a pediatric dentist for an exam.
Teething normally occurs from about 6 months to 36 months of age. Once a baby's first tooth erupts, others follow in clusters until all 20 primary teeth are in. During teething, many children become irritable, drool a lot, suck on toys, blankets, or fingers, and / or lose their appetites. While some discomfort is normal, fever, ear tugging, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms are generally NOT caused by teething. If your baby is experiencing any of these symptoms during teething, consult your pediatrician.
You can ease teething discomfort by offering your baby hard, cool teething rings or frequent cool drinks of water.
Does it really matter if a baby tooth gets a cavity?
Yes! A cavity is an infection in the tooth and it can hurt the permanent tooth beneath it if it is not fixed.
Isn't the baby tooth going to fall out anyway?
Baby teeth need to stay in the mouth for a certain amount of time. They are "natural space maintainers" and hold the spaces open for the permanent teeth to come in when it is their time to erupt into the mouth. If a baby tooth is lost too early, the other teeth will shift and move to close the space and block out the permanent tooth that should have erupted to fill in that space. Orthodontics or braces may possibly be needed to re-open that lost space.
Brushing
Brushing with a soft bristle brush should begin as soon as the first teeth erupt. No toothpaste is necessary at first and most children prefer no new flavors at this age.
Later, if your toddler wants to try a flavor, you may try a toothpaste. Toothpaste use should be monitored by parents and your pediatric dentist. Your toddler may want to brush, which is encouraged as long as a parent follows up with a thorough brushing before bedtime.
Flossing
It is time to floss when any teeth touch, regardless of age! We recommend that the parent floss at bedtime after brushing.
