Visit Our Dental Office to Replace Missing Teeth

In our dental office, we know that tooth loss and dentures are not something any of us think about every day. Very few people actually consider that they might someday need to wear dentures. Recent studies have shown that, among adults, more than 60% have never given any serious thought to the idea that they might someday need a dental prosthetic device for lost teeth. It is not because our teeth are getting stronger, or that the improved technology is helping people keep their teeth longer. Rather it is because tooth loss is seen as a problem for tomorrow, never really thought of today.

Ironically the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry found that by the year 2020, over 37.6 million Americans will probably be wearing a full set of dentures. This did not look at partial dentures. Those are impressive numbers when you consider that just 15 years ago only 33.6 million people were in need of a full set of dentures. With an aging population and the same problems that have always existed, dentures are very much a reality for many of our futures. When you consider that among women of the age of 40 or older, 19% are already wearing dentures, the future may not be quite as far off as one would like to imagine.

In our dental office, dentures and implants are directly related to tooth loss. This means that you have a better chance of avoiding needing dentures if you take good care of your teeth, and if you make it a habit to visit the dentist at least twice per year. Neither one of these is guaranteed since there are two main causes of tooth loss, which leads to needing dentures.

The first is gum disease. Gum disease gives you plenty of forewarning, making it easier for you to get the treatment you need. Typically, however, there is a short window in which to seek treatment before the disease damages the teeth and leads to tooth loss. If you are part of the 53% of Americans that are currently visiting the dentist twice a year, chances are we will catch any infections early, and address them. If you are part of the 47% that does not visit the dentist regularly, you should consider switching sides.

Another important way to avoid dentures is to brush your teeth twice per day, carefully removing any plaque buildup. Currently, only around 69% of us are brushing our teeth twice a day; the rest are taking a risk with tooth loss. Great hygiene, visiting the dentist and being careful what you eat are great ways to start offsetting the likelihood that you will need dentures later in life.

There are numerous small things that can happen that should lead you to be concerned about tooth loss. Diseases like gingivitis can cause you to lose your teeth and require you to get dentures or some other prosthetic replacement. One of the leading signs of gingivitis is bleeding from the gums. However, gum bleeding is experienced by 70% of all people at some point during their life so it is hard to know the difference, and you should visit our dental office so that we can determine if you have gum disease.  Our goal is to keep you in excellent oral health but if you do lose any teeth, we can replace them with dentures or dental implants in order to give you a natural looking smile again.

Dental Implants  >  Sedation Dentist

The Difference Between a Sedation Dentist and Traditional Dentistry

The difference between a sedation dentist and traditional dentistry could result in a far better dental experience for you. Everyone knows what traditional dentistry involves, including visits that can often end up in physical discomfort for the patient. Discomfort is the main reason that so many people let important dentist visits fall to the back burner. Discomfort can cause anxiety, fear, and general unrest when the thought of visiting a traditional dentist comes up. This is often referred to as dental phobia. You don't have to let yourself fall prey to uncomfortable dentist visits or no dental care at all. With a sedation dentist, you will see a huge turn around in your attitude toward visiting the dentist and your comfort level during the appointment. We can help relieve your worries and fears with sedation dentistry. 

Get ready to relax.
Sedation dentistry uses different forms of anesthesia to cause relaxation and contentment during your visit. No matter your level of anxiety or pain, we can provide an effective remedy. Through our calming sedation techniques, you will achieve more confidence and overall happiness during your dental appointments.

Our controlled outcomes of sedation range from light to deep. We help you attain a tranquil mindset with a few different simple techniques, whereas traditional dentistry does not offer any way to ease your nerves. For a light sedation, we can administer Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas, through a mask that covers your nose. This will ease you into a relaxed, peaceful level of sedation while also allowing you to be aware of your surroundings in a less apprehensive way. Oral benzodiazepines are other forms of light or medium sedation. These will be provided to you before your appointment. You will normally take them 20 minutes to one hour before you sit down in our dentist chair. They provide a peaceful environment that will allow you to be aware of what is going on. If your anxiety needs are great, we can offer you a deeper level of sedation through an IV. This is normally reserved for serious anxiety cases or oral surgery. All of our techniques provide you with a peace of mind, and they have very little to zero side effects. The most common side effect is a slight memory loss from your time in the dentist chair, which many people view as a perk.

We can ensure your safety during any sedation practice. As a sedation dentist, we can offer you a worry-free dental visit. Take advantage of these amazing anxiety relievers; doing so will result in better overall health of your teeth and gums. We can get your teeth in tip-top shape, meaning you won't have to visit the dentist as often. We still encourage bi-annual or annual visits to keep your teeth clean and healthy. Let us, as a sedation dentist, provide you with what traditional dentistry can't, the calming and effective dental experience you deserve. To get started, call and schedule your dental exam today.

Dental Implants  >  Family Dentist

Call Our Family Dentist Office If You Have Bad Breath

At our family dentist office, we want to hear from you if you are suffering from bad breath.  This can be a sign of a greater health condition so while it may be easy to blame your morning latte, we want to get to the bottom of what is causing the odor protruding from your mouth.  Yes, there are times where breath stinks as a direct result of what you have eaten.  This, however, is easy to identify and after brushing your teeth, your breath will typically smell better.  What concerns us, is breath that continues to smell bad even after you brush your teeth or is persistently getting worse.  If you aren't sure, ask your family since they are likely to be honest with you.

One of the common causes for bad breath is teeth that haven't been professionally cleaned for a long time.  There are certain areas within every mouth that are difficult to reach with at-home care.  Even those that are fastidious about brushing and flossing, may be unable to reach every area, and this is where we come in.  We can clean your teeth and remove the plaque and bacteria from hard to reach places.  This is good for your health and may also improve how your breath smells.

During these teeth cleanings and dental exams, we will also look for signs of an infection.  An infected tooth can cause irritation and sensitivity when you bite down but in many cases, you may not notice it until the infection requires immediate care.  We prefer, however, to treat the tooth before it reaches this point.  Your breath can be an early sign of the infection so if you come in right away, we can remove the infection and restore the tooth before you are bothered by it.  Depending on the severity of the infection, we may need to perform a root canal.  Given modern dental technology, this can be done while you remain completely comfortable in our family dentist office.

Another condition that we will look for is gum disease.  In its most extreme state, gum disease can cause  your gums to recede and pockets to form in the gum tissue.  This can lead to bone loss and future tooth loss.  However, if we catch the condition early enough you may not even know that you have it.  Gingivitis can make your gums red and swollen but the irritation is minor, and we can treat the gums by simply removing the plaque and tartar from under the surface of the gum tissue.  Once done, the gums will begin to return to good health.  Early detection allows us to prevent damage to your teeth and helps you to avoid discomfort.

In our family dentist office, we want to know about changes in your breath due to these primary health concerns.  It is our goal to help our patients avoid discomfort, and early detection and treatment makes this possible.  Therefore, if you notice that your breath stinks even after brushing, give us a call.

General Dentist  >  Dental

Get Questions Answered About Side Effects From a Sedation Dentist

As a sedation dentist, we are pleased to make it possible for people to receive the dental care that they need.  Given that millions of people suffer from mild to severe dental anxiety, we know that a lot of people skip out on important dental care due to their own fears.  This can only exasperate the problem and very often causes dental issues to become worse.  By offering sedation, we can eliminate these anxieties so that you can receive the care that you need.

During the initial exam and consultation, we will determine what your oral health challenges are and discuss the best way of treating them. We will also discuss your options for sedation.  There are several ways to help you to relax and discussing them in detail allows you to make an informed decision as to how to proceed. One of the questions we are regularly asked during these consultations is whether or not there are any real side effects associated with sedation.

Whenever you have dental work done or any type of procedure, you need to let your doctor know if you have any other health issues.  We want to know, for example, if you are a diabetic and if you have had a recent diabetic episode. This can make it difficult to recover from any type of procedure and may influence our recommendation for when you should receive treatment.  As a sedation dentist, we also need to know about any medications that you are taking before determining which type of sedation to give you.

You can expect to feel tired after experiencing sedation dentistry.  If you have only received nitrous oxide, this may be minor, and many people can bounce back immediately. If, however, you have been put to sleep or had deeper sedation, you will probably feel very tired afterwards.  Since being drowsy can be dangerous when driving, we recommend that you have someone else drive you home.  The risk of getting into a car wreck is high if you are drowsy so don't take the chance.   When you do get home, we recommend that you rest for twelve hours.  This can be sleeping, watching movies, reading a book, etc. Just take it easy and rest so that you can recover faster and so that your drowsiness wears away.

As a sedation dentist, we have also found that our patients tend to be extraordinarily thirsty after sedation.  This is an easy fix, simply buy a nice water bottle with a straw and drink plenty of water that day and the next.  Staying hydrated is good for you anyway so drinking water can be important, regardless of what you have going on.

If you have more questions about sedation and how it can be used to improve your dental experience, we invite you to schedule a consultation with our office.  We will be happy to answer any questions that you have.

Dentist  >  Dental Implants

How a TMJ Dentist Treats Jaw Pain and How The OPPERA Findings Relate

As a TMJ dentist, we are asked on a frequent basis what causes TMJ.  In our experience, patients that are going through a stressful situation are more likely to experience the condition as are those that regularly eat things that are difficult to chew.  In the case of high stress, people tend to clench their jaw and grind their teeth while sleeping.  This puts enormous amounts of pressure on the temporomandibular joint, resulting in irritation or pain in the morning.  In its most basic instances, this may cause a headache or sore jaw but as the condition worsens some people are not able to open their mouth in the morning.  Since TMJ doesn’t happen overnight, there are clear warning signs so if you are aware of basic discomfort, we recommend visiting our office for early treatment.

Medical science has been unable to identify all of the causes of TMJ and, as a result, a study is ongoing titled OPPERA.  The study was launched in 2006 by Dr. William Maixner and Dr. Gary Slade and has followed 2,737 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 44.  In this study, they have followed up with participants to monitor how many have since experienced the condition.  The results have found an average of four percent of participants start experiencing TMJ on an annual basis.  This ranges from mild to severe cases, and they have found that those with mild TMJ don’t necessary go on to experience acute levels.   As a TMJ dentist, we prefer to treat the condition immediately because we have seen how clearly it works in preventing escalation.

Researchers are still looking into what all of the causes of TMJ are and one interesting finding is that those with heightened somatic awareness are more likely to suffer from the condition.  Somatic awareness is what scientist have labeled as an awareness of both internal and external factors.  For example, those that are more aware of smells, hot, cold, wind, etc. may have a heightened somatic awareness. This also applies to people that are more aware of internal irritations like a stomach ache or joint pain, in general.  Dr. Slade stated that it "is probably capturing some basic survival sensations.”  As a TMJ dentist, this was intriguing to us because it provides some information that our patients can take action on.  If, for example, you are more sensitive to environmental factors or find that a regular headache is more intense for you than a family member – you should visit us on the first onset of jaw pain.  Since those with heightened somatic awareness appear to be more aware of everything, failing to treat TMJ early may result in unnecessary discomfort.

If you do have TMJ, we will treat it by making an impression of your mouth and having a removable oral appliance created in a dental lab.  This device will surround both the upper and lower teeth, connecting them and preventing grinding and clenching at night.  This provides relief from pressure that can in turn reduce or eliminate your symptoms.

Dentist  >  Cosmetic Dentist

As a Veneers Dentist, We Love Porcelain Veneers!

As a veneers dentist, we look for solutions that are simple and efficient - dental veneers meet both of these criteria. Made of the finest, thinnest strip of porcelain the veneers fit onto the teeth, or over the teeth, as a replacement to enamel that has been worn away, chipped, or broken. Often a small fraction of the enamel will need to be stripped away in order to make room for the dental veneer to fit flush with the rest of the teeth. Since the dental veneer has to take the place of enamel, the thin strip of porcelain has to have many of the same qualities as the enamel itself. As such, the veneer is extremely hard. This allows it to withstand the rigors of a eating a regular diet. At the same time, like enamel, the porcelain is brittle and is not designed to do things like opening bottles which can crack the veneer in much the same way as it can damage a natural tooth.

Not only do dental veneers have some of the qualities of enamel, but the veneer is also designed to serve a very important duality of functions. First they look and feel like the real thing, meaning you will never have a tooth that is different from the surrounding teeth. This is very important for the esthetic appeal of the teeth. Secondly dental veneers can give the tooth protection. This is especially important when there is some level of decay, and the tooth needs to be bolstered against further infection. The veneer takes the place of the enamel in blocking the damage from spreading further and in many cases can actually help to save the tooth itself.

Dental veneers can have a very long lifecycle. With the proper care and maintenance, the dental veneers can last anywhere from seven to thirty years. Naturally there is no real way to predict how long one of these devices will last with any sense of certainty. Each mouth is different, and additionally each person will take care of their mouth, and by extension their veneers, differently. As the mouth changes, and faced with additional complications like diseases, there is always a possibility that your veneers may need replacing. However, like teeth, veneers can last longer if you have regular checkups with a veneers dentist.

It is important to note that dental veneers won't really impact your overall quality of life. This is because they are designed specifically to ensure that they blend in and behave like a natural tooth. The veneers fit snugly into the tooth itself, so they do not stand out. Maintenance of the veneers is no different from keeping you regular teeth clean and as long as you follow a routine of brushing, flossing, and seeing the dentist for regular professional cleanings, the veneers require no additional care. The only area where we advise a difference in your lifestyle is in the things that you eat and drink. Veneers do not stain, but the teeth around them do. Eating and drinking foods that could stain your teeth could result in your veneers being whiter than the teeth around them. If, however, you need to whiten your natural teeth, we can perform a whitening procedure in our veneers dentist office.

Teeth Whitening  >  Cosmetic Dentist

A Kids' Dentist Can Be Your Partner in Oral Health

Being a kids' dentist can be greatly rewarding. It also comes with its own unique set of challenges, mostly springing from the fact that a children’s dentist works with young, wiggly patients. Though often more compliant than their adult counterparts, children have an intrinsic fear of the things they do not understand, making it even more important that we take the time to explain each step of the process to them. Additionally, parents can be overly frightened of having their children's teeth worked on, making for a sometimes tense situation. All of this is challenging enough but is made even more complex by the fact that children’s teeth are unique from a biological perspective. Children are still growing and developing, which includes their teeth. As such, it takes special attention and care to help the teeth while being aware that the jaw bone is yet to solidify fully. In a sense, we have a special opportunity, with children’s dentistry, to make an impact while the mouth is still developing. 

A children’s dentist is not just a practitioner who specializes in small teeth. The largest part of our job is to educate the children and parents with regard to great oral health and habits. As difficult as it may be for some people to believe, we would actually prefer to see you less. If, as your child’s dentist, we could only have the pleasure of seeing you twice a year for teeth cleanings, we would consider it a job well done. In order to get there, however, we need to help you create healthy habits in your children. These habits, once developed, will carry over into adulthood and ensure that your child has extremely healthy teeth for the rest of their life. 

Of all the habits we discuss, perhaps the most difficult to change are eating habits. Recently a comprehensive study was performed that found some alarming statistics when it comes to children’s access to sugar. Most children love sugar and left to their own devices would consume far too many snacks with a high sugar content. This is why parental supervision is so important. This study found that only 25% of parents follow the recommendation dietary limits on sugary snacks. These parents followed the guidelines of not allowing their children high sugar content snacks more than twice a week. On the opposite end of the spectrum, at around 14%, were parents who allowed their children to snack on these kinds of snacks three or four times in a given day. The majority of parents, around 60%, were in the middle by allowing this kind of snacking at least once per day.  As a kids dentist, we can help you by providing ideas for how to replace sugary snacks with healthy ones. 

We know that working together can produce positive results and that you as a parent, have your child’s best interest at heart. As a kids' dentist, we have seen dentist/parent partnerships work in the past and believe that this is the best solution for addressing the snacking challenge.  Given that over 93% of parents, according to the study, brush their children’s teeth at least once per day, we have a lot of encouragement that new habits can be formed and children can start eating healthier foods again.