General and Family Dentist in Fargo, ND

Tooth Fillings

At Blake Ristvedt Dental, we're a mercury-free practice. However, many people still have silver/mercury fillings in their mouths from years past. These fillings aren't particularly pleasing to the eye, and we know that by unavoidable design, silver/mercury fillings ultimately result in a weaker tooth structure. Porcelain inlays and tooth-colored restorations (onlays) create fillings that aren't only beautiful (or unnoticeable) but also add strength to weakened teeth. When you come to the family dentist in Fargo, ND that residents depend on, we can give you these restorations that are aesthetically pleasing and very strong thanks to new bonding technologies.

Disadvantages of Silver Fillings

Silver fillings have many drawbacks. The edges of the silver filling can wear down, become weak, or break. This results in the tooth not being protected and lets cavities get started once again. With age, the metal of a silver filling expands, contracts, and can split.

Silver fillings contain 50% mercury. They can corrode, leak, and cause stains on your teeth and gums.

Fortunately, silver fillings can safely be replaced with tooth-colored restorations by an experienced family dentist in Fargo, ND that residents know and place their trust in: Blake Ristvedt Dental.

Advantages of Tooth-Colored Restorations

There are many advantages to tooth-colored restorations with help from a family dentist in Fargo, ND. Resin inlays are bonded to the teeth, creating a tight, superior fit to the natural tooth. Such restorations can be used in instances where much of the tooth structure has been lost. The tooth remains intact and stronger.

Since the resin used in tooth-colored restorations ;contains fluoride, this can help prevent decay. The resin wears like natural teeth and doesn't require placement at the gum line, which is healthier for your gums!

The result is a beautiful smile!

Dental Amalgam

Dental amalgam is a filling material that has been used by dentists for over 150 years. A mixture of metals that typically includes silver, copper, and tin, dental amalgam fillings (commonly referred to as "silver fillings") also contain mercury, which has raised safety concerns among patients from time to time.

In response to those concerns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), American Dental Association (ADA) and other organizations have conducted numerous studies over several decades and have repeatedly found that the small amount of mercury released during placement and removal of amalgam fillings doesn't cause adverse health effects.



Amalgam fillings remain a safe, cost-effective, and durable choice when it comes to the restoration of decayed teeth. Ask the family dentist in Fargo, ND that residents know they can count on for quality dental care about amalgam fillings today at Blake Ristvedt Dental.

Dental Sealants

Highly effective in preventing decay on the biting surfaces of your chewing teeth, dental sealants are a simple procedure in which a tooth-colored acrylic "coating" is painted onto the surface of the tooth. Dental sealants protect the depressions and grooves of your teeth from food particles and plaque that brushing and flossing can't reach.



Easy to apply, dental sealants take only a few minutes to seal each tooth. Sealants hold up well under the force of normal chewing and can last several years before a reapplication is needed. Children and adults can benefit from dental sealants in the fight against tooth decay. Ask your family dentist in Fargo, ND about dental sealants at Blake Ristvedt Dental today.

Dental Bridges

All of your teeth play an important role in speaking, chewing, and maintaining proper alignment of other teeth. Tooth loss doesn't necessarily have to occur as you age, but if you do lose teeth, they must be replaced to maintain proper function of your mouth. Fortunately, there are options for correcting tooth loss.

A dental bridge attaches artificial teeth to adjacent natural teeth, called abutment teeth. Bridges are either permanently attached (fixed bridges), or they can be removable.

Fixed bridges are applied by either placing crowns on the abutment teeth or by bonding the artificial teeth directly to the abutment teeth. Removable bridges are attached to the teeth with metal clasps or by precision attachments.



If you're missing one or more teeth, you may be aware of their importance to your appearance and dental health. Your teeth work together for many daily functions from eating to speaking. With missing teeth, it's difficult to do these things. Missing teeth can and should be replaced. Fixed bridges are a great way to restore your dental health and appearance.

Dental Crowns

Where damage to a person's teeth is extreme and apparently beyond repair, we can use porcelain or porcelain "pasted on gold" crowns to make the smile appear "as new." This is an extremely reliable technique for repairing the most severe of dental problems, even permanently replacing missing teeth to offer a complete smile and a functional bite. These treatments are used for a long-lasting correction of major dental problems.



Many people have unexplained pain from filled back teeth, which is usually due to hairline cracks in the chewing part of the tooth. Placing crowns on these teeth relieves the pain and allows a return of full dental function for these teeth. In front teeth, older fillings can both weaken the teeth and cause "appearance" problems due to staining or chipping. Porcelain crowns and bridges are suitable in cases where porcelain veneers are not. In teeth with root canal fillings, crowns can prevent breakage.

Tooth Extractions

You and Dr. Ristvedt at your dependable family dentist in Fargo, ND may determine that you need a tooth extraction for any number of reasons. Some teeth are extracted because they're severely decayed; others may have advanced periodontal disease or have broken in a way that can't be repaired. Other teeth may need removal because they're poorly positioned in the mouth (such as impacted teeth) or in preparation for orthodontic treatment.

The removal of a single tooth can lead to problems related to your chewing ability, problems with your jaw joint, and shifting teeth, which can have a major impact on your dental health.

The Extraction Process

At the time of extraction, the doctor will need to numb your tooth, jawbone, and gums that surround the area with a local anesthetic. During the extraction process, you feel pressure without pain as the anesthetic has numbed the nerves, stopping the transference of pain, yet the nerves that transmit pressure aren't profoundly affected. If you do feel pain at any time during the extraction, please let us know right away.

Sectioning a Tooth

Some teeth require sectioning. This is a very common procedure done when a tooth is so firmly anchored in its socket or the root is curved and the socket can't expand enough to remove it. The doctor simply cuts the tooth into sections and then removes each section one at a time.

Non-Surgical Root Canal

A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures performed, with well over 14 million completed every year. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need for dental implants or bridges. When you visit a family dentist in Fargo, ND, they'll explain that at the center of your tooth is the pulp.

Pulp is a collection of blood vessels that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of the infection can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature, or pain in the tooth and gums.