Frequently Asked Questions

When dental care goes beyond a standard exam, cleaning or filling, you can be referred to a dental specialist, who has received additional, specialized training after dental school. Unlike a general practitioner, there are different types of dental specialists who specialize in specific areas of dentistry. That can include an Endodontist, which is a root canal specialist; an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, or Oral surgery specialist; an Orthodontist, or an Alignment specialist; a Pediatric Dentist, who specializes in treating children; a Periodontist, or gum and implant specialist; and a Prosthodontist, or Replacement specialist.

At Rockland Dental Specialists, we specialize in a range of periodontics, implants, and endodontics that includes periodontal surgery, dental implants, sinus lifts, bone grafting, and laser surgery. We can meet all your dental needs through Periodontics (Periodontal Osseous Surgery, Gingival Gum Grafting), implant placements, laser gum surgery for teeth or implants, LANAP, Endodontics (Root Canal Therapy, Retreats), oral surgery (extractions, wisdom teeth, biopsies, and Oral Pathology) and hygiene (General Cleanings, deep cleaning with Scaling & Root Planing, and Periodontal Charting).

At Rockland Dental Services, we accept cash, checks, credit or debit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express.) We also have a financial coordinator to assist you in the application process or provide more information. If you have dental insurance, we can help you determine your level of coverage for the procedures you receive, and submit the necessary and appropriate forms to your insurance carrier for the best reimbursement for your treatment.

The Rockland Dental Specialists office is at 873 Route 45, Suite 201, in New City, located in Rockland County, a suburb of the New York City metropolitan area. Call us 845-259-2500 if you need directions.

For some patients, bridges and dentures don’t feel comfortable to use or don’t work properly, so dental implants become a better option than a bridge. Dental implants are titanium posts or frames that get surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums, allowing your dentist to mount replacement teeth onto them. An advantage to them is that adjacent teeth don’t need to be prepared or ground down to hold your new replacement teeth in place. Since implants are fused to your jawbone, they offer stable support for artificial teeth.

Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth, including ones that have rotted away or got broken in an accident, or lost due to periodontal disease. Implants are an alternative to bridges as well as removable dentures, and they’re permanent. They’re often chosen by patients who can’t or don’t want to wear dentures, and are popular because they have a natural look and comfortable fit, are long-lasting and reliable, have a high success rate, and provide an improved ability to eat and chew. The dental surgeon will ensure that implants are fitting properly and won’t harm any existing nerves and often use special 3-D imaging programs to get an overview of the patient’s skull , jawline, and sinus to help them visualize where the implants should be placed.

Well planned and cared for dental implants have higher survival rates than other teeth replacement options, and implant technology and techniques have continued to improve. Today, dental implants have a success rate of up to 98%, depending on where in the jaw the implants are placed. Patients who take proper care of their implants find they can last a lifetime. Despite that high success rate, some patients do experience dental implant failure, and estimates are between 5 to 10 percent of dental implants fail, either right after the procedure or months later.

Dental implants that have been carefully planned by your dental specialist and are properly taken care of can last a lifetime, and have been shown to have higher survival rates than other teeth replacement options. Like teeth, nothing lasts forever. Implants can get gum disease if not brushed/ flossed 2-3 times per day and cleaned professionally 2-4 times a year. This procedure is getting better as implant technology and techniques continue to improve.

Periodontics is a dental specialty that focuses on the inflammatory disease that destroys the gums. A periodontist specializes in the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease, and they’re experts in the latest technology for diagnosing and treating it. In addition to this, Periodontists can perform surgical procedures for patients with severe gum disease and can also handle the placement and maintenance of dental implants.

Periodontal diseases are infections of the structures around the teeth or implants. That can include the gums, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. In the early stages of periodontal disease, an infection called gingivitis will affects the gums. While Periodontitis can be common, it’s also preventable since the main cause is usually poor oral hygiene. Untreated, Periodontitis can not only lead to tooth loss, but also become a risk factor for heart and lung diseases. Treatment includes professionally cleaning the pockets around teeth or implants to prevent damage to the surrounding bone.

Plaque and calculus are often thought to be the same thing, but they’re not. Knowing the difference between the two can help you perform better oral hygiene and care. Plaque is the sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth, and if plaque doesn’t get removed regularly by tooth brushing and flossing, it hardens and creates calculus, which is also known as tartar. While brushing helps with plaque, calculus can’t be removed with a toothbrush and needs to be treated by a dental professional during an oral cleaning.

Dentists and researchers have started examining the link between oral health and overall health, and in particular, heart disease. Some recent research has shown a link between gum disease and heart disease, showing that people who had gotten standard care for their gum disease had lower costs for cardiovascular treatment than people who didn’t get proper oral care. It’s now believed that gum health can affect heart health. The research indicates that gum disease can increase a person’s risk of heart disease by 20 percent. Gum disease may increase the risk of heart disease because inflammation in the gums and bacteria from disease enters the body and could lead to the narrowing of important arteries.

Think of an endodontist as a specialized dentist who can help save your tooth so you can continue eating your favorite foods. Endodontists perform endodontic procedures, including root canal treatment, endodontic surgery and special procedures to save teeth after a traumatic injury. Endodontics involves dental pulp and tissues surrounding the roots of a tooth. Endodontists are experts at managing more complex root canals. Endodontists, unlike most general practitioners, use microscopes to allow better visibility and improved success.

Inside your tooth, beneath the white enamel, is a soft tissue called pulp, which contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue that helps grow the root of your tooth during its development. A Root Canal is intended to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal and prevent reinfection of the tooth. During a root canal, the inflamed or infected pulp gets removed, while the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned and disinfected, then filled and sealed. This has become a common procedure and millions of teeth are treated and saved this way. A root canal can also relieve pain and make teeth healthy again. A root canal is similar to a routine filling, can be completed in one or two appointments, and is relatively painless and highly effective.

Root canals are performed when the nerve or pulp of the tooth becomes infected and inflamed. That can be caused by dental decay, a cracked or broken tooth or an injury to the tooth. Only a dental specialist known as an endodontist can determine whether a root canal is the right treatment for your problem. General symptoms can include tooth pain, with the intensity of the pain ranging from mild to severe. Some patients also experience sensitivity to hot foods or liquids, and their gums may feel tender and swollen near the problem area, or wake up in the middle of the night with pain.

It’s a myth that a root canal treatment will be painful. Modern technology and anesthetics ensure there won’t be any more pain for the patient than if you were having a cavity filled. In fact, the pain from a severe toothache, which can be caused by damaged tissues in the tooth, will be far worse to endure than a root canal. An endodontist can remove the damaged tissue through root canal treatment, and endodontists are experts in pain management.