General Dentistry

At Allegheny Health Network (AHN), we offer more of the services you need in one program — including dental care. If you receive care at AHN, you have access to dental services from the same network of medical providers you already know and trust.

Our team includes some of the Pittsburgh area’s leading dentists. Their genuine concern for your well-being helps you feel at ease while getting the personalized care you deserve.

General dentistry at AHN: Why choose us?

People from across the tri-state area look to us to meet their dental care needs. We offer the complete range of general dentistry services, including teeth cleanings, fillings, and sedation dentistry. And our general dentists maintain high care standards and a track record for good results.

Highlights of our program include:

• Highly skilled dentists: All of our general dentists completed additional training after dental school through a dental residency. Our team also includes specialists with years of additional training in areas such as orthodontics and gum disease. Their level of training helps you receive exceptional care.
• Pediatric dental services: Our team includes a dentist who completed additional training in meeting the unique dental needs of children. Bringing your children to our specialist from an early age can help them have healthy teeth and gums for life. Read more about pediatric dentistry.
• Coordinated care: If you need to see one of our specialists, we often speak with them about your situation before your first appointment. This extra step — which goes above and beyond what’s typically done — helps personalize your treatments right from the start.

Emergency dental care

We deliver emergency dental care any time, day or night at Allegheny General Hospital. Dental emergencies include severe toothaches, infection and swelling or adult (permanent) teeth that fall out.

For emergencies that occur:

• During regular business hours: We see you in our office the same day.
• In the evening or on weekends: We have dentists on call 24 hours a day to assess your dental needs/emergencies.

Call (412) 359-3685  to request an appointment or to speak with on-call dentist.

Preventive dental care

Preventive care keeps your teeth and gums healthy. During your first visit, we take time to get to know you. We ask about your health history and any concerns you have about your teeth. This information allows us to tailor dental services to meet your needs.

General dentists offer the full range of preventive services, including:

• Dental exams: We examine your mouth for problems such as gum disease and cavities. X-ray tests help us see the roots of your teeth and their positioning in your mouth.
• Teeth cleanings: We remove buildups of sugar and bacteria (plaque) from your teeth. Regular cleanings can help you avoid dental problems.
• Mouth (oral) cancer screening: We examine your mouth, including your gums and under your tongue, for abnormal growths. If we see anything suspicious, we refer you to a surgeon for additional testing. Read more about oral and maxillofacial surgery.

General dentistry treatments

Our dentists perform procedures that restore healthy, natural-looking smiles. Before any procedure, your dental team explains how the treatment works. They also give you medication to lessen discomfort.

If you need care for many teeth or in hard-to-reach areas, we may refer you to our dental specialists. We may also send you to a specialist if there are problems with the structures in your mouth.

Our general dentists regularly deliver treatments such as:

• Crowns: This treatment corrects problems with the appearance of your tooth, including chips, cracks, or discoloring. Crowns are custom devices that fit over the top of your tooth. We can make crowns out of a material (porcelain) that looks and feels like your natural tooth. We also offer gold alloy crowns (made of a combination of gold and other materials) that last for decades.
• Bridges: If you are missing a tooth, this treatment uses nearby teeth to hold a replacement tooth in place. We put crowns on the two teeth that surround the missing one. We then use dental glue to secure the artificial tooth to the tops of the crowns.
• Dental implants: We replace missing teeth with artificial ones that attach to your jawbone. We insert dental implants during a surgical procedure. The implants may wear down over time. If this happens, our general dentists replace them with new implants.
• Dentures: This treatment replaces missing teeth with artificial ones that rest on top of your gums. A special cream may help the dentures stay in place.
• Extractions: If you have tooth decay and treatments are not successful, we may need to remove (extract) the tooth. For complex extractions, including teeth in hard-to-reach areas, we may refer you to an oral surgeon.
• Fillings: You may need a filling if tooth decay causes a hole in your tooth (cavity). We use a dental drill to get rid of the decay. We then fill the space with a material that hardens and feels like your natural tooth.
• Root canals: A root canal replaces infected soft tissues inside your tooth with a rubber-like substance. If you experience pain after recovering from a root canal, we refer you to a specialist (endodontist). Read more about endodontic care and root canals.

Sedation dentistry

Sedation dentistry involves getting medication to help you relax or fall asleep before a procedure. It helps you to receive dental care with less worry.

Many of our general dentists have additional training and certification in techniques such as nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Sedation dentistry may be right for you if you:

• Have a low pain threshold, which means you are unusually sensitive to pain
• Gag severely when something touches the back of your mouth
• Experience severe anxiety during dental procedures
• Do not get results with numbing medications, meaning you experience unpleasant sensations
• Have behavioral or medical problems that make it difficult or unsafe to receive dental care without sedation

Getting dental clearance for medical treatments

If you are having certain medical treatments, you may first need a dental exam to check for an infection. Having a dentist confirm your mouth is infection-free (dental clearance) lowers your risk for complications after treatment.

Medical treatments that need dental clearance include:

Knee replacement surgery: Surgeons replace worn-out knee joints with artificial devices. Dental clearance helps you avoid infections so your replacement joints last for years. Read more about knee replacement surgery.
Radiation therapy for cancer: If you have oral cancer or any form of head and neck cancer, radiation therapy stops cancer cells from growing. Dental clearance helps you avoid complications affecting your jawbone. Learn more about head and neck cancer.

Contact us

Call (412) 359-3685 or request an appointment to learn more about AHN dental medicine services.