Family Dentistry in Durham, NC
Gain access to conservative, innovative, and comprehensive dental care.
Preventative Dental Care
Creating a foundation to build your oral health.
From our comprehensive services to our calming atmosphere, everything is in place so you can enjoy premium dental care. Our gentle and kind team offer the following to keep your smile healthy:
Dental Services for All Ages
Experience comfortable dental care in our calming environment.
By visiting us for regular dental exams, you are greatly reducing the risk of future dental issues. Dr. Stead Willis will carefully examine your teeth and gums to identify any issues in their earliest form. He’ll also provide insight into how to prevent problems from arising and how to improve your at-home routine. During your regular check-up, Dr. Stead Willis’ exam consists of:
- An evaluation of your teeth and gums
- Capturing digital x-rays (as needed)
- DEXIS imaging (cavity checks)
- A discussion about any concerns
- Ideas on how to improve your hygiene routine
In addition, your doctor may recommend regular hygiene cleanings with our talented dental hygienists. Be proactive and protect your smile from potential dental problems. It could save you both time and money!
Our hygienists can also recognize when your gum health has been compromised and will work with Dr. Stead Willis to keep your soft tissue healthy. This may include more regular cleanings or even deeper cleanings known as scaling and root planing.
Our team is determined to keep your family healthy in the most conservative and gentle way possible.
Dental sealants are applied as a gel, which is painted onto your teeth. The transparent gel fills the grooves and fissures on the surface of your tooth. This prevents small bits of food debris becoming trapped and encouraging plaque build-up, which can lead to cavities.
The treatment is beneficial for our younger patients who find it more difficult to reach their back teeth. With sealants, the tooth surface becomes smooth, so it is much easier to care for your teeth and brush away any debris.
All patients are eligible for sealants subject to an exam from Dr. Stead Willis.
- Lumps and lesions
- Red or white patches
- Bleeding gums
- Sensitivity
If we suspect there may be an issue then, we’ll work with your primary care physician to make a proper diagnosis. Should cancer be present, then rest assured, our team is by your side and will help you during your treatment.
Millions suffer from oral cancer with survival rates spiking when the cancer is caught in its earliest form. Make sure you book regular exams every six months so we can help monitor your oral health.
Night Guards: These comfortable mouthguards are made to prevent tooth grinding while you sleep or to hold your jaw in a better position. Custom-designed to fit your teeth, the night guards come with specific instructions and have proven to be very effective.
Sports Guards: When playing sports, it is imperative to keep your teeth and jaw safe. Our sports guards can be created for smiles both big and small, and in a variety of colors.
Mouthguards can be an excellent preventive tool that keeps your smile beautiful and healthy.
Dr. Willis has such a calm, friendly manner. He was great at reassuring my son about the multiple injections that were necessary. He explained why and how it would not hurt. My son was nervous, but Dr. Willis and his assistant talked him through the whole thing and my son was thrilled that nothing hurt at all!
Charlotte P. (Stead Willis DMD)
Restorative Dentistry
We provide you with the joy of a fully functioning and aesthetically pleasing smile.
If you do require a filling or perhaps you have some unsightly silver fillings, then Dr. Stead Willis is the dentist for you! Our restorative dentist only uses top-quality materials to fix your teeth, which includes composite, metal-free fillings. Unlike traditional silver fillings, the composite material matches the color of your natural tooth and bonds to the tooth. The more stable restoration prevents plaque build-up under the filling and restores the function of your tooth.
Metal-free fillings can be placed in a single visit and are cared for as you would your natural, healthy teeth.
CEREC® is an advanced piece of 3D computer design software. It enables Dr. Stead Willis to capture digital impressions of your teeth and design your new restoration in our office. Using CAD/CAM technology, an accurate and custom restoration is then created in our on-site milling machine.
Our doctor can fit, adjust, and place the restoration during the same appointment! Despite this all taking place in one day, there is no sacrifice on quality and world-class materials such as Zirconia and Emax can be used.
So, if you have damaged your tooth and need a crown replacement, then CEREC® can help. If you have knocked out a tooth and need a bridge replacement, then CEREC® can also help! What’s more, this innovative technology eliminates goopy impressions and multiple appointments. You can have a new smile in just a single visit.
Our experienced dentist in Durham, NC offers both partial and complete dentures designed to fit into your mouth comfortably. More impressively, these dentures restore the function of your smile and are created to feel like your natural teeth.
Our partial dentures fill gaps vacated by multiple teeth, whereas, our complete dentures are a full set of new teeth. Both styles are removable and are custom-made to your specifications. This means we can adjust the style, shade, and shape of the teeth so you can enjoy a unique smile.
After your dentures are fitted, Dr. Stead Willis spends some time discussing how to maintain them and how to get the most from your new teeth.
At our dental office in Durham, NC, both inlays and onlays can be created using CEREC® technology and natural-looking materials. This means you can enjoy both a fully functional and aesthetically pleasing smile in just one day. But how do you know if you need an inlay or an onlay?
Inlays: The ideal replacement when your tooth damage is within the cusp of your tooth (similar to a filling).
Onlays: When the damage goes over the cusp and biting surface of the tooth, a dental onlay is the best option.
Inlays and onlays are prepared by our Durham dentist and are bonded to the remaining tooth structure. This conservative procedure yields excellent results and can last a long time if cared for correctly.
The good news is Dr. Stead Willis has performed many extractions and uses modern techniques to make it a comfortable procedure.
During a typical extraction, Dr. Stead Willis begins by explaining why it is necessary to proceed and how the procedure works. When you give the green light, he will clean and numb the area around your tooth. The tooth is gently rocked and extracted with the area kept clean post-procedure.
Our knowledgeable team will outline your options moving forward, which may include dental implants, a dental bridge, or a similar restoration.