Dr. Sims received extensive education in oral surgical techniques during his hospital residency, and has performed countless successful oral surgical procedures.  We are particularly proud of our ability to plan patients’ treatment in a way that can combine simple or moderately complex tooth removal with other procedures done concurrently.

For example, a patient needing periodontal scaling may have one or two teeth in the same region which need to be removed.  These procedures can be done at the same appointment, saving a patient considerable chair time, and shortening his or her healing time.  Another scenario would be the removal of a diseased tooth, and its immediate replacement with a provisional bridge.  This combination would allow a patient to continue functioning normally, as there would never be any “empty space” following the tooth removal.  The final, or “permanent”, bridge would be placed after healing of the tooth removal site.

Similarly, endodontic (“root canal”) procedures have been done successfully by Dr. Sims for over 23 years; these can also be combined with other procedures done at the same appointment. Sometimes, a tooth can be completely treated with endodontic therapy; a supporting post; and a provisional crown at the same visit. The final, or “permanent” crown, would be fabricated by a dental laboratory and cemented at an upcoming visit.

Certainly, it is often our recommendation that a dental specialist handle more challenging surgical or endodontic procedures. Sometimes, the specialty treatment alone is insufficient to truly stabilize the patient’s condition; under these circumstances, we will schedule the patient for minor, augmentative treatment in our office immediately after the specialty treatment. 

This type of planning is a great source of pride for our practice, and has created excellent relationships with our specialist partners.