Complete Listing of Pearl Dental Services

If you don't find what you are looking for, please call us at
​320-654-9999

• Cleaning  &  Prevention
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Periodontal Health

<

>

Cleaning and Prevention

Dental Exams and Cleanings

Routine dental checkups are vital to good oral hygiene and are the best way to detect problems at their earliest stages. Early detection and treatment saves unnecessary discomfort, time and money.

The Academy of General Dentistry recommends checkups twice a year. Oral hygiene needs change with age and the condition of your teeth and gums. Your dentist may recommend a checkup schedule that is more or less frequent than twice a year.
​

---

Digital X-rays

During your initial exam we will take a full set of digital x-rays. This is an important diagnostic tool that allows us to fully evaluate your teeth and surrounding bone. Using dental x-rays we can locate any areas of decay that may be hiding between your teeth as well as evaluate for periodontal disease and find any areas of infection. Dental x-rays are a crucial part of the examination process. When taking a digital x-ray a small sensor will be placed along side your teeth that looks like a piece of film. After the x-ray is taking, the image instantly appears on the computer screen. 

---

Fluoride Treatment

Fluoride protects teeth in a few different ways. One way is by strengthening the structure of the tooth for small children who are under seven years of age, which is still in the developmental stages for their teeth enamel. If the right amount of fluoride is applied during this period, the actual structure of the enamel is strengthened and becomes more resistant to acids. This means that, as the child grows, they will have teeth that are better protected right from the beginning.

​When plaque builds up on and around teeth, the destructive bacteria within it is in direct contact with the enamel of the teeth. The bacteria slowly eats away at the enamel and weakens it by leaching vital minerals out of it. This process is called demineralization and, while the mouth naturally fixes the weakened enamel through remineralization, the natural process can become ineffective if teeth are not cleaned properly or if too much sugar enters the mouth on a regular basis.

---

Sealants

The most likely location for a cavity to develop in your child's mouth is on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. These surfaces are not smooth, as other areas of your teeth are. Instead, they are filled with tiny grooves referred to as “pits and fissures,” which trap bacteria and food particles. The bristles on a toothbrush can't always reach all the way into these dark, moist little crevices. This creates the perfect conditions for tooth decay.
What's more, a child's newly erupted permanent teeth are not as resistant to decay as adult teeth are. The hard enamel coating that protects the teeth changes as it ages to become stronger. 
Dental sealants are invisible plastic resin coatings that smooth out the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, making them resistant to decay. A sealed tooth is far less likely to develop a cavity, require more expensive dental treatment later on, or, most importantly, cause your child pain.

---

Home Care

The key to healthy teeth and gums is keeping plaque and food decay from building up in your mouth. Plaque and food decay attract harmful bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease and persistent bad breath.
Practice the four-step routine to keep plaque and harmful bacteria from building up in your mouth.
Easy Four-Step Routine
To keep your teeth and gums healthy:

• Brush your teeth and use an antiseptic mouthwash twice daily (after breakfast and before bedtime).
• Use dental floss daily.
• Clean your tongue regularly by using a toothbrush or a tongue scraper.
• See your dentist for routine dental checkups​.

When you practice good oral hygiene, you will:

• Have less plaque to remove during routine dental checkups, so professional cleanings will be faster and more comfortable.
• Minimize your need for dental procedures due to tooth decay or gum disease. 
• Minimize your annual dental budget.
• Feel healthier.
• Enjoy fresher breath.
• Be more confident about your smile.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Teeth Whitening

When it comes to Zoom, you’ll get the most dramatic results with WhiteSpeed. In 45 minutes your teeth could be up to 8 shades whiter, reversing stains from food and drinks, aging, even discoloration from some types of medication. You’ll leave the dentist chair with an instantly brighter, more confident smile.
How to whiten your teeth with Zoom WhiteSpeed
If you choose WhiteSpeed, your treatment starts with your dentist checking your current shade, so you can both see the dramatic difference after your treatment is complete. Once you’re ready, just sit back as your dental professional handles the next steps.

• Your dentist preps your mouth for whitening and applies a layer of advanced whitening gel to your teeth.
• To speed up the whitening process, they’ll shine our WhiteSpeed blue LED lamp onto your teeth. This accelerates the whitening, plus the lamp’s variable settings ensure you’ll get a comfortable experience.
• This is repeated three times - and is completed in just 45 minutes!
• Once you’ve reached your desired shade, your dentist will apply our post-treatment gel to help protect enamel and reduce sensitivity.

Treatment includes customized whitening trays and a take home whitening kit, which is included in the price of your treatment. This way, you can top-up the brightness of your smile whenever you want to. If you chose to not receive the trays, the cost will be reduced.

Invisalign

Your smile is one of the first things that people notice about you, and you should be able to show your bright smile without hesitation. When you are not satisfied with the appearance of your teeth, you smile a whole lot less. With our Invisalign treatment options we can reinvigorate your confidence in your smile.
SMILE WITH CONFIDENCE
We have worked with many patients who once hid their smiles in embarrassment over the appearance of their smile. Braces would work, but they only draw more attention to your smile. Invisalign solves your problem. The realignment process with Invisalign is rather seamless to add to your daily dental regimen. Most importantly, the transformation that occurs with Invisalign teeth straightening treatment is not just physical, but enriching psychologically. The Invisalign system has quickly become so popular due to:    

• Close gaps and correct bite issues
• Straighten crooked teeth with comfortable goals
• Designed for constant wear
• Removable for brushing and flossing and for meals

HOW IT WORKS
The process begins with a comprehensive consultation in our Sauk Rapids office. During this visit, you can discuss the goals and expectations you have for your smile. When the degree of correction meets the capabilities of Invisalign, your road to an amazing smile is only a few simple steps away. We start with digital photographs and impressions of your teeth. Once we make a precise digital animation of your teeth, the animation reveals the projected movements of your teeth so we can create an estimate for completion of treatment. Most Invisalign patients achieve their goals in 6-12 months of regular wear.
​

Contouring and Bonding

Dental bonding is the procedure where we apply a tooth colored plastic material to a patient’s tooth. Using a special light, the material hardens and bonds the material to the tooth.

Dental bonding is used to improve a patient’s smile. It can be used on cracked and decaying teeth. It also can be used for cavities. It can be used to change the shape and size of your teeth so you have a more uniform smile! It is also commonly used for receding gums by protecting the exposed teeth!

Bonding uses tooth-colored materials to replace missing tooth structure or hide cosmetically unappealing minor defects in a tooth — chips, discoloration, and even minor spacing irregularities. Bonding materials are called “composite resins” because they contain a mixture of plastic and glass, which adds strength and translucency. The composite actually bonds, or becomes one, with the rest of the tooth.

Because it does not involve dental laboratory work, tooth bonding can usually be accomplished in a single visit to the dental office. Expect the whole procedure to take 30 minutes to an hour. First, the surface of the tooth to be bonded will be cleaned so it is plaque-free. The surface will then need to be “etched” with an acidic gel that opens up tiny pores in the surface. After the etching gel is rinsed off, the liquid composite resin in a well-matched shade is painted on in a thin layer, filling these tiny pores to create a strong micromechanical bond. A special curing light is used to harden this bonding material. Once the first layer is cured, another layer is painted on and cured. Layers can continue to be built up until the restoration has the necessary thickness. The bonding material is then shaped using a dental drill to give it just the right form. Once the tooth not only looks great but fits in perfectly with your bite, it will receive a final polishing. With proper care, a bonded tooth should stay beautiful for 3 to 10 years.

Composite Fillings

If you have never had a cavity, congratulations! If you have had one, you are not alone. About 78% of us have had at least one cavity by the time we reach age 17, according to a 2000 report by the U.S. Surgeon General. Fortunately there's a time-tested treatment for cavities: the dental filling.

Fillings do just what the name implies — seal a small hole in your tooth, i.e., a cavity, caused by decay. This prevents the decay (a bacteria-induced infection) from spreading further into your tooth and, if untreated, continue on to the sensitive inner pulp (nerve) tissue located in the root canal. Should that happen, you would need root canal treatment. Dental fillings are used to fill cavities and repair cracked or broken teeth. Fillings can be done with porcelain or silver amalgam, but is most commonly done with materials called composite resin fillings that are designed to match the color of your teeth. Additional steps are required for tooth-colored fillings because it requires multiple layers and a special light to dry and harden the area around the filling.

To fill a tooth, a local anesthetic is applied to numb the area around the tooth. A laser or air abrasion instrument will be used to remove the decayed area and your dentist will prepare the space for the filling by cleaning the cavity of bacteria and debris. In some cases, your dentist may apply a liner for your tooth called a glass ionomer to help protect the tooth and nerve before the tooth is filled. After your filling is complete, most dentists will polish the tooth to make it feel smooth and natural.

Porcelain Crowns, Inlays and Onlays

A tooth can lose its normal shape and size for a variety of reasons. A crown covers your tooth to help restore its original shape and size. Crowns can also be used to make teeth stronger and look better.

Crowns have a variety of uses. In some cases that require a large filling, there isn’t enough tooth remaining to keep the filling in place. A crown can strengthen the tooth and hold the filling. Crowns can also protect teeth that are weak, or help fix ones that are broken. Discolored or misshaped teeth can be covered by a crown, as can dental implants.

Your dentist may recommend a crown for any of the reasons, among many others. Crowns play an important role in dental health, and if you are in need of one, please contact our office today.

A dental crown restores a tooth's shape, size, and strength. It fully encases the visible portion of your tooth or dental implant. Once it is permanently bonded in place, only a Dentist or Specialist can remove it.

​With proper care and good oral hygiene, the life of a crown can range from 5 to 15 years.

Porcelain Veneers

What makes a smile beautiful? That's a complex question, but some qualities of a lovely smile are immediately identifiable: good tooth color, shape and alignment are a few of the most important ones. If your teeth could use improvement in any of these categories, porcelain veneers could be just what you're looking for.

You may already know that a veneer is a thin covering over another surface. In dentistry, a veneer is a wafer-thin layer of super-strong porcelain that convincingly substitutes for natural tooth enamel. When bonded to your teeth, veneers can create a natural-looking, beautiful new surface. That's because dental porcelain, like natural tooth enamel, is translucent and tough. But it doesn't stain like tooth enamel does. Recent years have brought remarkable advances in dental porcelain technology. These days, veneers can be made so thin that they can sometimes be bonded directly onto your existing tooth surface. In other cases, a very thin layer of tooth enamel — as thin as the veneer itself — needs to be removed to fit the new porcelain surface and make it look as lifelike as possible. Either way, the results are sure to make you smile.
Versatility of Porcelain Veneers
Veneers can be used to improve any of the following characteristics of your teeth:

• Color — Teeth can become stained by the foods and drinks we like, from smoking, and even normal aging. Veneers are available in numerous shades, from the most natural to the brightest Hollywood white.
• Size & Shape — Teeth can become worn down from grinding habits, or may not have the shape or size you want to begin with. For example, some people consider rounder teeth more feminine and squarer teeth more masculine. Veneers can be shaped and sized in whichever way is most flattering to your face.
• Alignment & Spacing — Veneers can be used to close small gaps between teeth or make slight corrections in alignment while improving tooth color and shape.

Limitations of Porcelain Veneers
There are some situations in which veneers would be inappropriate. For example, if you have significantly misaligned teeth or a large gap, orthodontics might be a more appropriate solution than veneers. And if you have lost a lot of tooth structure from decay or trauma (or a particularly severe grinding habit), it might be better to restore your teeth with porcelain crowns that cover the entire tooth.

---

Porcelain Fixed Bridges

If you have suffered from tooth loss, our dentists offer several options for tooth replacement at Pearl Dental. One of these options is a dental bridge. A bridge is used to replace one or more missing teeth in a row. There are three main types of dental bridges, and the most common is known as the traditional bridge. A traditional dental bridge is composed of a replacement tooth, called a pontic, and two dental crowns. Dr. Mertensotto or Dr. Porwoll will attach the crowns to the teeth or implants that neighbor the gap in order to anchor the pontic in place. Because the crowns are placed on these teeth or dental implants, the bridge is very secure and is non-removable. This provides your smile with stability and ensures that your restoration will not easily come loose or shift
Benefits of Dental Bridges
Dental bridges offer many benefits to your smile. When in place, a bridge can:

•     Prevent the remaining teeth from drifting out of position
•     Enhance your smile’s beauty by filling in the spaces left by missing teeth
•     Replace an unwanted removable partial denture
•     Relieve uneven pressure on your bite
•     Restore your ability to chew and speak as normal

Dental Implants

A dental implant provides a permanent, natural-feeling, and natural-looking replacement for your missing teeth. The implant itself is a small, screw-like post that is implanted directly into your jawbone. This provides a replacement for the lost tooth root, giving your new tooth a strong foundation. After a period of healing, which usually lasts a couple of months, our dentists will place the implant restoration on top of the post. This replaces the crown of the missing tooth; based on how many teeth are missing, we may suggest a dental crown, a partial denture, a dental bridge, or a complete denture as your implant restoration.
Restoring Your Smile
When in place, your dental implant can restore the health, function, and appearance of your smile. You will be able to once again chew, speak, and eat as normal, and your smile’s beauty will be greatly enhanced. For a restoration that is stable, lasting, and beautiful, dental implants are a great choice. 

​Periodontal Health

When periodontal disease affects the bone and supporting tissue, it is termed periodontitis and is characterised by the formation of pockets or spaces between the tooth and gums.
This may progress and cause chronic periodontal destruction leading to loosening or loss of teeth. The dynamics of the disease are such that the individual can experience episodes of rapid periodontal disease activity in a relatively short period of time, followed by periods of remission.
Though the majority of adults are affected by gingivitis, gingivitis fortunately does not always develop into periodontal disease. Progression of gum disease is influenced by a number of factors which include oral hygiene and genetic predisposition. One of the challenges for early detection of periodontal disease is its “silent” nature – the disease does not cause pain and can progress unnoticed. In its early stages, bleeding gums during toothbrushing may be the only sign; as the disease advances and the gums deteriorate, the bleeding may stop and there may be no further obvious sign until the teeth start to feel loose. In most cases, periodontal disease responds to treatment and although the destruction is largely irreversible its progression can be halted.

Scaling & Root Planing

Although routine cleanings are done to prevent periodontal (gum) disease, scaling and root planing is a non-surgical procedure done to treat periodontal disease. In fact, this procedure – sometimes called a deep cleaning – is considered the "gold standard" of treatment for patients with chronic periodontitis, as stated in the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice.
Healthy gum tissue fits tightly around each tooth, and the measurement from the top of the gumline to where it attaches to the tooth should only be 1 to 3 millimeters in depth. But, when bacterial plaque and tartar accumulate around and under the gums, tissues that support your teeth may be affected and periodontal disease can develop causing deeper pockets to form.
When you have more advanced signs of gum disease (bad breath, heavy tartar buildup and unhealthy pocket depths of 4mm or more), your dentist may recommend scaling and root planing as the first procedure necessary to treat the condition.
Scaling and root planing teeth, provided by either your dentist or dental hygienist, may take more than one appointment to complete, and a local anesthetic is often used to minimize any discomfort. The procedure involves thoroughly scaling all plaque, bacterial toxins and tartar deposits from your teeth and root surfaces; and then root planing, which smoothes all rough areas on your roots' surfaces. Smooth root surfaces keep bacteria, plaque and tartar from re-adhering underneath the gumline, allowing your gums to heal and reattach themselves more firmly.
After the Procedure
At a follow-up visit, your dentist will want to check on the healing of your gums and the status of your pockets. The good news is that in most cases, red or swollen gum tissue becomes firm and pink again, bleeding is reduced or eliminated and pockets get smaller. If your gum tissue has responded well and remains stable, you may not need any further treatment.
More advanced periodontal conditions, on the other hand, may require surgical interventions by a periodontist after root planing and scaling to stop the progression of bone loss. However, your scaling and root planing treatment often lessens the amount of surgery you need.

Schedule An
​Appointment Today!

Request Appointment

We're always scheduling new patients and
we can't wait to meet you!