Get the Facts About Dental Veneers and How They Are Used

What are dental veneers?

Dental veneers are some of the most versatile tools we have when it comes to correcting defects in your teeth. Dental veneers, also known as ceramic or porcelain veneers, are extremely thin pieces of porcelain that we use to replace the damaged enamel on your teeth. The reason dental veneers are so effective is their thinness. Being paper thin, these veneers take on many of the same qualities as naturally occurring enamel. They are extremely hard, which gives you a long-term solution when your enamel has become damaged. They are also extremely brittle, just like enamel, and so you will need to protect your teeth the same way you would protect natural teeth. Being extremely malleable, veneers can be molded to fix a variety of problems with the teeth.

Do dental veneers work for everyone?
Dental veneers are an extremely versatile solution, and in most cases can be used by anyone. For us to make sure that you are an excellent candidate for dental veneers, we will schedule an initial consultation and also a first examination. During your examination, we will make sure that your mouth is in excellent condition and primed to replace your enamel with the veneers. If we find any issues that might become a problem later on in the process, we will work on solutions so that your dental veneers placement is seamless. On rare occasions, during this initial examination, we will find that there are people who cannot get dental veneers and for them we will explore other potential solutions to damaged teeth.

How are dental veneers attached?
As soon as we know that you are an excellent candidate to receive dental veneers, we can proceed to the next step. This step involves selecting the color and shade that you want for your veneers. We will have your veneers custom made to fit your needs, including the shade that you choose from.  That information will along with an impression of your teeth will be sent to a dental lab for the final veneers to be created.  In the meantime, we will prepare your tooth by removing a portion of your enamel to make sure that the veneers fit flat against the rest of your tooth. Typically this is only a few millimeters but it allows the veneer to fit flush with the tooth.  We will then place a temporary veneer on top of it.

Once we have the permanent veneers, we will fit them to your tooth. After making sure that the color is right, we will make any slight adjustments so that the veneer fits the tooth perfectly. We will also check to make sure that your bite is not affected, and once all the elements are perfectly in sync we will cement the dental veneers to your teeth.

What problems do dental veneers fix?
Dental veneers can fix a whole range of challenges. They are an extremely durable and versatile solution. We use them extensively to fix minor breaks, cracks, and chips in teeth. It is often preferable to use veneers over other procedures like dental crowns because veneers only require a small portion of your enamel to be removed. Veneers are also used for cosmetic fixes like making your teeth whiter, straightening them, and correcting minor bite and placement issues.

Teeth Whitening Service  >  Dental Implants

Dental Implants Are a Popular Solution for Tooth Loss

More people are getting dental implants than ever before.  This is because people around the country have discovered that they do not have to live with the stigma of tooth loss. Tooth loss can be extremely traumatic for some people, especially when the tooth loss happens at a young age. Dealing with the embarrassment is compounded by the fact that tooth loss forces people to make lifestyle changes, including how they eat and speak. With dental implants, you do not have to deal with those kinds of changes.

There are numerous technologies and methods for dealing with tooth loss. However, none are as advanced as dental implants. While dentures and bridges address the fundamental problem, which is a missing tooth, they do nothing to brace the tooth or to address the root of the problem. This means that these solutions have to be adhered to the surface of the mouth somehow, typically with wires or dental cement. On the other hand, dental implants focus their attention on the root. In fact, a dental implant is a tiny titanium screw that is placed into the jawbone, taking the place of a natural tooth's root. This provides a strong and stable platform under the gum line, which then allows us to place a dental crown, or tooth, on top of the abutment.

Getting dental implants is a lot simpler than it used to be a few years ago.  Simultaneously, science continues to dispel some of the popular myths that surround dental implants. For the longest time people have been looking at dental implants, and elsewhere around the country, as a purely aesthetic endeavor. This is an understandable misconception. When you get a dental implant, you are going to be getting a perfect tooth that is almost an identical replica of your original one. There are no wires holding it in place, so all you have is a new tooth. In fact, we can give you a tooth, or teeth, that look far better than your original ones.  Naturally this perfection has led to the idea that all we care about is the aesthetics. Nothing could be further from the truth, and science is starting to show this. We know, for example, that when you use a dental implant to replace a lost tooth, the implants acts like a naturally occurring root. It creates a symbiotic relationship with the jawbone, which in turn allows the jawbone to receive stimulation from the prosthetic. This helps the jaw to avoid resorption and also keeps the facial structure from a potential collapse.

There are already 3 million people across the nation that have gotten dental implants. What we know is that the rate of dental implants is increasing annually, but that there are a lot of people still using antiquated technology. In our dentist office, we encourage every one of the 15 million Americans that are using bridges or dentures to consider switching to get the best looking, most effective, longest lasting tooth replacement available today.

Teeth Whitening Service  >  Dental Veneers

Your Holiday Pictures Will Sparkle With Help From Our Teeth Whitening Procedure

As the holidays are approaching, call our office to schedule a teeth whitening procedure. This is one of the easiest ways to improve the appearance of your smile. It can turn your dull teeth into spectacular ones, restore your youthful appearance, and get you ready to smile for hours of family photos. If you are like most families, there's always that one family member capturing every moment. Each of these pictures and moments will be special, so it is important to look and feel your very best. After all, these are the images that will grace your hallway and photo albums for decades to come.
For most people, preparing for the holidays involves finding the right sweater or dress, finding that old family recipe, getting their hair done, and preparing for all of those interesting holiday moments. Taking care of your teeth should also be at the top of your list because your teeth make a major impact in your appearance. We suggest that you visit us for a teeth cleaning and dental exam so we can remove the plaque making your teeth appear dirty or stained. We can also ensure that you do not have any cavities or infections and treat them if you do. Afterward, we can whiten your teeth so the stains are removed, and they are transformed from a dull shade of yellow to brilliant white.

Our teeth whitening procedure is better than what you can buy in the store.

Once you decide to whiten your teeth, you should take steps to ensure the procedure is successful. While it is easy to walk down the drugstore aisle and select a whitening kit, there are risks involved with this. To start, this portion of the industry is unregulated. That means there is no set consistency among the products you can buy. You could try a whitening kit that barely brightens your teeth, one that works decently, or one that works well. The problem is, you may not know how it will work before you buy it. As a dentist, we are trained medical professionals, and all of our teeth whitening procedures produce dramatic results. There is no guesswork involved when visiting our office, and with limited time to prepare for the holidays, you can rest assured that your smile will be beautiful.
Another reason our procedure works better is because our solution is professional-grade. It is designed to penetrate the enamel so the process of oxidization begins. This is where the molecules inside of your teeth change to reflect less light and appear colorless. As a result, your smile will look bright and white. What you buy in the store will not work as well, because it is typically designed to remove surface stains only. This can help, but your teeth may still look yellow.

We can help you look amazing in time for the holidays, so call and schedule your teeth whitening today.

Dental Implants  >  Dental Veneers

General Dentistry Visits Are Helpful for Your Oral Health: Learn Why

Visits to our general dentistry office are the one that we often describe as routine visits. Typically these are scheduled six months apart so that we can keep a careful watch on your oral health and ensure that you do not have any unforeseen problems with your mouth. Luckily there is a growing segment of educated patients that see the importance of these visits, and we can get them scheduled easily. The question about why these visits are so important is actually an easy one to answer. Your mouth, teeth, and gums should be inspected every six months because they are the first step in your digestive process. Everything that goes in the mouth, or occurs naturally in the mouth, ultimately will end up in your digestive system and could, therefore, end up causing other health problems if an oral infection exists. Keeping your teeth and gums in perfect health is a good way to ensure that the rest of your body also has limited exposure to risks like oral infections.

Ironically the routine that we put you through when you come in for these visits are the very things that cause some patients to question if they really need to see their general dentist once every six months. From an outside perspective, we always seem to do the same things but there are important reasons why. First we will clean your teeth, which includes a polishing so that they are gleaming white. During the cleaning process, we will remove excess plaque from the teeth and the gums themselves. This helps to reduce the potential of erosion and decay. Next you may receive a fluoride treatment if necessary. Then the dentist will perform an oral examination. During this examination, we are looking for soft spots that may become cavities in the future and also active cavities that need to be filled. Sometimes x-rays may be in order to check on the inside of the tooth, the root, and the jawbone.
Finally, we will send you home with a brand new toothbrush and floss. Handing you, a toothbrush and floss is one of those subtle things that we do to keep your oral health in good condition. We know that most people forget to change their toothbrush once every six months, as is recommended. So when you come to our general dentistry office to get an examination we hand you a toothbrush as a reminder that the time has come to throw away the old one and replace it. We do not expect you to, necessarily, use the one we provide as long as you replace the old toothbrush at home.
Another thing we do but do not talk about, is give you a screening for oral cancer when we are examining your mouth. Oral cancer is a deadly disease that can, at times, go unnoticed. In order to combat this, we have made it a practice to examine your mouth, looking for signs of oral cancer every time you come in for a routine well visit. While your physician may be able to give you similar exam, when you visit our general dentistry office once every six months it is easier because nobody knows your teeth better than we do.

Dental Office  >  Family Dentist

Your Gorgeous Dental Veneers Can Last for Years to Come

Dental veneers have made their mark on the world of cosmetic dentistry by providing patients with a great way to replace tooth enamel that has become damaged, discolored, or otherwise unattractive. For many people, this is a long-term solution since the veneer will be cemented in place and hence is not something that can be removed very easily. As a result, many of our patients want to know how long dental veneers typically last without needing to be repaired or replaced. The answer to this question is usually at least 10 years, but there are a sufficient number of factors that come in to play, which can influence that number in either direction. There have been numerous studies on this exact issue as many cosmetic and other dentists want a clear answer on how long their patients can expect dental veneers to last. One study conducted on the longevity of dental veneers found the following. In 96 percent of the participants, we found the veneers lasted a minimum of five to six years. This group was overlapped with a second group of 93 percent, whose dental veneers lasted between 10 and 11 years. A third significant group found that their dental veneers lasted between 12 and 13 years, accounting for 91 percent of the studied population. After 13 years, we found a small drop off in longevity, with only 71 percent of the participants reporting that their dental veneers lasted between 15 and 16 years. Even with these kinds of odds, it is relatively safe to say that your dental veneers will last at least 10 years as long as you take good care of them.

When considering dental veneers, in terms of longevity, it is important to look at the whole picture. This means that you have to be willing to understand that there is a great deal of human interference that can cause the veneers to fail earlier than they should. The two leading causes of failure, as recorded in studies, have a direct correlation with how people treat their teeth. Teeth are not tools and should not be used as such, since treating them in this calloused manner can damage the enamel and cause the dental veneer to fracture or crack. We have found that in more than 45 percent of cases where the dental veneer failed, there was a fracture involved. This means that the person was doing something with their teeth that they should not have been or were placing undue pressure on the tooth. Additionally, there is 28 percent of dental veneers that failed because they had a crack, again a manifestation of some kind of physical trauma placed on the veneers. It is up to you, as the user, to ensure that you are not putting undue pressure on either your teeth or your dental veneers.

The other area where you can impact how long your dental veneers last is by making sure that you have great oral hygiene. In up to 20 percent of cases, we find that bad oral hygiene leads to veneer loss.

Teeth Whitening Service  >  Cosmetic Dentist

Dental Implants vs. Dental Bridges

We can provide you with dental implants or dental bridges to replace your missing teeth. While we provide preventative dental care to help reduce the risk of tooth loss, this is still an issue that many adults deal with on some level. If you have lost a tooth due to age, infection, or an accident, we recommend you take the time to consider all your options. As a cosmetic dentist, there are many ways to replace missing teeth, and it is important to select the option that is right for you. The best way to find out is to schedule a consultation. In the meantime, here is what you need to know:

Dental implants. The most secure and natural-looking solution for tooth loss is dental implants. Unlike a bridge that requires other natural teeth, implants are surgically placed beneath the gums and secured to the jawbone. As a result, no other teeth are required or impacted by the procedure. The new tooth is simultaneously more secure because of the process of osseointegration. This is where the titanium post and jawbone fuse together to create a new root system that will support your new tooth. This makes it possible to eat all your favorite foods and engage in normal activities without restriction. The only drawback to this when compared with a bridge is that since it is surgical, you can expect a longer recovery time. Simultaneously, osseointegration, while important, takes a few months to complete.

Dental bridges. If you want a solution that is more secure and durable than dentures, dental bridges is a good option. A bridge is used for partial tooth loss when there are natural teeth that are strong enough to support it. To complete the procedure, we make an impression of your mouth and take measurements so the dental lab can make your bridge. To secure it in place, a crown will be placed on the two teeth surrounding your missing one, and these crowns will serve as anchors to secure the bridge. As a result, you will have a semi-permanent tooth replacement that looks natural and functions like a natural tooth.

If you are interested in either dental implants or dental bridges, we are an ideal dentist office to visit. As a cosmetic dentist, we can provide you with both solutions and complete the procedure in a way that restores the form and function of your smile. Both of these solutions will look like natural teeth when we are done. This is not always the case with a dental bridge, so it is important to visit a cosmetic dentist who has the skill to create high-quality prosthetics. Both options will also allow you to eat your favorite foods, etc. The main difference is that implants not only replace your teeth, they improve the health of your jawbone by providing it with much-needed stimulation. To learn more, schedule an appointment.

Dental Veneers Are A Popular Tool For The Cosmetic Dentist

As a cosmetic dentist, we have many tools, tricks, and treatment options that we can choose from when it comes to giving you better-looking teeth. Of the many options we offer, there is one that has made a tremendous impact with its versatility, affordability, and ease, which your cosmetic dentist can use to implement a treatment strategy. These are dental veneers. Dental veneers have become one of the most frequently used and powerful tools that a cosmetic dentist has in their repertoire. Despite being in a market where there is an amazing array of highly successful tools, dental veneers have become a primary choice for patients and cosmetic dentists everywhere. From our perspective, dental veneers have an inherent advantage because they enhance, not replace, your regular teeth, so there is less time wasted and less need for a procedure. Any time that you are looking to enhance or replace your teeth so you have a better smile, you will need to remove some level of enamel. The question is, how much of the natural enamel will be removed?

When you think of a device like a dental implant, the answer is that we will need to remove the entire tooth along with its root to make room for the new implant. Other devices do not remove quite so much, but they do get very close. Dental crowns, for example, are used to repair teeth that have extensive damage because of trauma or decay. To properly fit a dental crown, the original teeth will be shaved down to nothing more than mere nubs, enough to hold the new crown but not enough to affect their aesthetic value or functionality. Comparatively, dental veneers only remove a fraction of the natural enamel, fitting over the top of the tooth. This means that most of your natural enamel will stay intact. Saving the majority of your original tooth is a huge advantage to using dental veneers, one well recognized by the cosmetic dentist, but by no means is it the only one.

For the cosmetic dentist, one of our goals is to ensure that you have the shortest possible recovery and treatment times possible. With dental veneers, this is reduced significantly. In the majority of cases, your dental veneers will be fitted by your cosmetic dentist on the second visit to the office. Recovery time is typically a few hours, so you will be using your teeth as soon as the next day with virtually no restrictions. Compare this to the recovery time for dental implants, which can require several weeks of recovery time and places limitations on what you can eat and drink. Or, you can compare the treatment time of dental veneers to that of braces and Invisalign®, which are used to straighten teeth. As a function, dental veneers are used by the cosmetic dentist to visually correct mildly crooked teeth. Braces, however, will take a year of regular visits and wearing metal across your teeth to achieve similar looking results.

Why You Should Visit a Family Dentist For Your Children’s Care

In our family dentist office, we are focused on providing the highest quality of care for your family.  This means focusing on prevention and as a children's dentist we take that aspect of our job very seriously. We understand that if we can educate and empower our patients to make healthy decisions, regardless of how old they are, it will help them to maintain healthy teeth for a lifetime.  This is the power of family dentistry – the habits that you establish now will impact your children for the rest of their life.

What we can do for your child:

Educate.  As a family dentist, part of our job is to inform your children as to what they should and should not eat or drink to keep their teeth healthy.  For example, they should drink milk and eat a diet that contains lean protein, nuts, dairy and vegetables.  Simultaneously, they need to avoid drinking or eating anything that is overly acidic.  Everything has a pH level.  Water has a level of 7, meaning that it is neutral.  Battery acid has a pH level of zero and phosphoric acid has a level of 2.  Dentin begins to dissolve when anything below a 5.5 pH level comes in contact with the teeth.  With that in mind, we warn children to stay away from soda which can have a pH level of 2.5 or lower and juice which can have a pH level in the 3's.  Drinking water and milk, while simple, can make the difference between a life of strong and healthy teeth or a life full of brittle, decayed and damaged ones.

Cleanings.  Part of our children's dentist services is to clean teeth on a regular basis.  We recommend that children have their teeth cleaned twice a year so that we can remove the plaque and bacteria that has built up on them.  Even if your child brushes and flosses every day, there are some areas that are difficult to reach.  As a family dentist, we can use dental tools to reach these places and prevent cavities in the process.  These appointments can be completed fairly quickly and comfortably so that your child can actually enjoy receiving dental care.

Restorations.  As a family dentist, we know how common it is for a child to crack or chip a tooth.  It happens on the playground, when eating, wrestling with friends or playing sports.  While common, it is important to have the option of getting it restored quickly.  Our children's dentistry services include dental bonding since bonding material is a non-invasive and immediate way to restore a tooth.  As a result, it is a comfortable option for children that can restore their appearance and functionality.

Prevention.  We can provide your child with dental sealants to help prevent cavities.  By brushing the sealant onto their teeth, nothing can touch the chewing surfaces of them. This way, plaque cannot gather here and they will experience fewer cavities.

To learn more about our services as a family dentist, call and schedule an appointment.

Children's Dentist  >  Dental Implants

Children’s Dentistry And That Critical First Visit

Children's dentistry has its own unique set of challenges and joys. With challenges come the ability to overcome those challenges and share helpful hints, tips, and inside tricks that work to ensure your children have a very pleasant experience at their dentist appointments. One lesson every professional in the field of children's dentistry will tell you is that the first visit a child can remember will set the stage for years, even a lifetime, of relationships with a dentist, good or bad. In fact, recent studies have proven what those who practice children's dentistry have known for a very long time. Roughly 45 percent of the American public does not visit the dentist with any regularity. Of that, a very large percentage can trace their refusal to go to the dentist to an experience or an unaddressed fear that stems from their childhood. Our goal is to make sure your child has a strong and healthy relationship with all fields of medicine, particularly dentistry, so they have great teeth and good oral health. To do this, we focus a great deal of attention on making sure children have good memories of our offices and their own dentist.

A child's memory of children's dentistry will not begin when they walk in the door of the clinic; rather, it will begin when they start asking questions about their first visit. We know that only about 1.5 percent of parents follow our advice and bring in their children as soon as the child cuts their first tooth or turns one-year-old. For the remainder 98 percent, the first foray into children's dentistry only happens when the parent perceives a need for medical attention in the mouth. At this point, the child is typically older, and may be in discomfort. We strongly encourage parents to have a pre-visit conversation with the child, as this is your opportunity to paint a positive picture, get the child truly excited about the idea of seeing their own doctor, and finally create a sense of learning and education within the child. We do ask that parents avoid going into details, as much of what we do needs to be explained in non-threatening language, something we have worked on perfecting.

During the visit itself, it is critical that you do not demonstrate your own dental anxieties. Children are very good at sensing and then replicating their parent's emotions. If you feel very strongly about the dentist and are affected by anxiety, you should consider allowing the other parent to bring the child in. At the very least, you should discuss things with your dentist, so we know to prepare, just in case. A child who sees their parent calm, collected, and fully trusting the children's dentistry specialists is also going to react the same way. Ironically, the more relaxed the child, the faster we will be done and the happier the visit will be. On the other hand, a crying, upset, or jumpy child can make it harder to diagnose and treat whatever the problem is.

Dental Office  >  Family Dentist

These Bad Habits Can Cause You to Need an Emergency Dentist

As an emergency dentist, we get calls for all sorts of reasons. We know better than most how easy it is to damage the teeth. Simple activities that may seem innocent are often what leads to a tooth becoming cracked, chipped, or even being knocked out. While it would be convenient to think that teeth are only damaged in severe accidents like a car wreck, this is simply untrue, so it is important to change your habits and decrease your risk.

Here are a few habits that frequently lead to emergency calls:

Opening things with teeth. We are not sure where this idea started, but people of all ages tend to use their teeth like scissors. This is all well and good until your tooth breaks. Your teeth should only be used for eating food because the time you save opening a package with your teeth is not worth the risk of you breaking one and needing emergency dental care.

Piercing your tongue. A tongue piercing is particularly dangerous because it is placing a hard metal object inside your mouth. As an emergency dentist, we know this can lead to teeth becoming cracked or chipped when they come in contact with the piercing. Sometimes this happens while you sleep because there is no way to prevent what happens all the time, making it best to avoid the situation.

Not brushing your teeth. Let's face it, while most people know that they should brush their teeth, it is rare to find someone who brushes or rinses throughout the day. The morning and evening routine may be good enough if you eat a healthy diet low in sugar and starch. If, however, you drink a lot of coffee or sports drinks and eat candy or snack on chips, you are placing things on your teeth that can lead to cavities. This makes it important to at least rinse your mouth after eating or drinking something.

Grinding your teeth. If you grind your teeth at night, it can cause damage to them. Grinding is particularly bad for you because it can cause your teeth to chip and restorations to become dislodged. You can also wake up with TMJ-like symptoms, which include jaw, face, and neck pain. To solve this problem and prevent emergencies, we recommend wearing a night guard while you sleep.

Not wearing a mouthguard. If you or your kids play sports, you need to wear a mouthguard. These simple devices are necessary for ensuring that your teeth do not become chipped, cracked, or knocked out due to a sudden elbow jab or flying baseball.

As an emergency dentist, we know these are only a few things that can lead to dental damage and the need for an emergency dentist. The best thing you can do is to eliminate any bad habits from your daily routine and practice good oral care. This includes brushing and flossing throughout the day, visiting our office twice a year for a teeth cleaning, and eating a mouth healthy diet.

General Dentistry  >  Cosmetic Dentist

A Cosmetic Dentist Can Fix Your Gapped Teeth

If you suffer from diastema, also known as gapped teeth, a cosmetic dentist can help. Diastema occurs when certain teeth have grown in but do not match up, or the jaw has extra space that the teeth cannot fill. Usually, gapped teeth are genetic, but it can often be caused by a missing tooth, tongue thrusting, or periodontal disease. If you have diastema due to periodontal disease, you should have the infection treated before pursuing cosmetic improvements. If you have naturally gapped teeth, but do not want a straightening treatment, we can provide you with a few cosmetic dentistry options that can improve your teeth, which will help you feel more comfortable with your smile.

• Dental Bonding: If gaps are not severe, tooth bonding, or dental bonding, is usually the first cosmetic dentist treatment we suggest. During this procedure, dental resin in a pliable form will be applied to the sides of your teeth to create a shapely appearance that will fill in gaps. The bonding is tooth-colored to blends in with your teeth, providing a natural appearance. Dental bonding looks best when used on smaller gaps. Once the bonding is applied, the cosmetic dentist will harden the substance and buff it into a realistic-looking state.
• Dental Veneers: For larger gaps between teeth or for several gaps that need to be corrected, dental veneers are our second most commonly used option. Veneers are custom-created, thin shells of porcelain cemented to the fronts of your teeth. Those placed by the cosmetic dentist will fill in gaps and give you a fuller-looking smile. Veneers are tooth-colored and finished with a material that provides a similar sheen to that of your natural enamel.
• Dental Crowns: If you have a gap every few teeth, another viable option would be our dental crowns. These natural-colored crowns will encase your entire tooth, giving it a fuller shape that will properly occupy any gap space. If you have gaps due to missing teeth, we can apply a tooth-colored crown to a replacement option like a dental bridge or implant. These structures will attach to surrounding teeth or directly to your jaw bone to provide a permanent replacement for missing teeth. We will cover your bridge or implant with a crown to give it a proper, natural-looking dental prosthetic.

We can discuss our dental replacement options more fully when you come in for an appointment. Whichever replacement you choose will be dependent on the soundness of your dental structure and what durability and use you desire from your replacement.

Our cosmetic dentist corrective treatments will fill in your gaps as naturally as possible. These are minimally invasive procedures that do not require much chair time unless you desire a replacement option. Dental replacements take more time but provide permanent results. With most of these treatments, very little anesthetics are necessary, but we will offer them to make you as comfortable as possible. Our materials are long-lasting, stain-resilient, and durable against wear and damage.

Our General Dentistry Office Sheds Light on Common Health Myths

As a general dentistry office, we treat patients who are dealing with a wide variety of oral health challenges. We begin by determining what the issue is, treating it, and then discussing ways to prevent the problem from repeating itself. These conversations can be enlightening, and one thing we regularly hear are questions based on dental myths. For example, there is a myth that diet soda is okay for the teeth because it is sugar-free. Patients who are heavy soda drinkers can sometimes be surprised that they have cavities and that their soda habit could have contributed to the problem. Getting accurate information is important to maintain a healthy smile, both now and in the future. For this reason, we have compiled a list of the myths we hear on a regular basis and our response to them. 

Myth – Raw diets are good for your teeth.

The truth is that any extreme diet has some drawbacks. The biggest challenge with the raw diet is that much of the food is highly acidic. When acid comes in contact with your teeth, it can begin the process of erosion. You only have a limited amount of enamel on your teeth, so when it starts to erode, your teeth could become sensitive. If you are on the raw diet, be sure to rinse your mouth after eating and drinking, and brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste that can help strengthen them. We invite you to visit our general dentistry office any time you are trying a new diet and want to know if it is good for your teeth.

Myth – Adults do not get cavities on a regular basis.

Everyone is susceptible to getting cavities. It does not matter how old you are. If you have teeth, they can experience decay. We encourage all of our patients to have their teeth cleaned at our general dentistry office twice a year, so we can reduce the risk of cavities forming in the first place.

Myth – Flossing is optional.

Flossing is one of the most important things you can do for your oral health, and it is the best thing you can do to prevent gum disease. Every time you eat, food particles can become trapped in between your teeth, and plaque can also build up in these spaces. Flossing allows you to remove food and plaque, preventing it from leading to cavities or from becoming trapped underneath your gum tissue. Leaving it there can lead to inflamed and irritated gums in addition to infections. If you do not like to floss, purchase a flossing tool, since these are easy to hold and make it faster to get the job done. 

Myth – Only older people get oral cancer.

This is certainly not the case. While men over the age of fifty are at the greatest risk for developing cancer, anyone can get it. The HPV virus has been known to cause oral cancer, and if you have been diagnosed with it, smoke, drink a lot, or use chewing tobacco, you are at an increased risk. We recommend being screened on an annual basis. 

To learn more about oral health or to ask questions, call and schedule an examination.

Dental Veneers are a Versatile Solution

Dental Veneers are small pieces of porcelain that are used to restore the natural looking beauty of your teeth. They are placed after removing a tiny portion of the tooth enamel, usually not more than a few millimeters and cemented into place so that they are stable. The fact that we do not have to remove a great deal of enamel makes the veneers a much better solution for some kinds of dental problems. Typically dental veneers are used to fix minor problems with your teeth. This can include chips, cracks, and small breaks. They can also be used to correct minor bite related problems and for teeth that have not responded to teeth whitening so that you can have straighter and whiter teeth. With new technology, it is possible to make veneers that are extremely natural looking, doing away with the blocks of fake looking white teeth and replacing them with veneer covered teeth that look extremely realistic. The results are natural looking, dramatic, and beautiful.  Once placed, the best thing about veneers is that they are easy to maintain. You simply need to brush your teeth, as long as you avoid toothpaste isn't excessively abrasive.

Dental veneers are a superior method of correcting minor problems. Some of the reasons for this assessment are well known while other are mostly known by dentists.

Here is why we like dental veneers as a treatment option -
Dental veneers are versatile meaning that they can fix a large number of problems. For example, a number of people use dental veneers to correct the coloring of their teeth. Few of these patients realize that dental veneers can also be used to broaden the smile, and remove wrinkles induced by worn out teeth. When teeth get worn, they lead to sagging in the mouth which creates tiny folds around the nose and in the corners of the mouth. These wrinkles can be easily removed with the help of dental veneers. What we can do is broaden your smile, using bonded porcelain while also lengthening your teeth. This can cause the mouth to be properly stretched over the teeth, and the aging wrinkles to disappear.

Dental veneers are natural in look and feel. Dental veneers have many of the same qualities that the enamel does. It is incredibly hard and incredibly brittle. For a person with veneers what this means is that you will not need to change the foods you eat. You will, however, need to take a few additional precautions when eating food like apples, which are hard to bite into. Taking the time to dice the apples will not only ensure that your veneers do not become broken or fall off, but will also make sure that your teeth do not sustain damage. One common warning we give all our patients is never to use your teeth as a tool. The teeth, with or without dental veneers, are not designed for bottle opening, chip bag tearing, or nail biting. Such activity can and will result in broken teeth and broken veneers. With proper care veneers have been known to last up to 30 years, though the average is around 12.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Teeth Whitening Service

Visiting a Family Dentist Should be Part of Your Routine

As a family dentist, we want to be part of your annual routine. We understand how important your teeth are to your daily enjoyment of life.  While you may only think about them when you are brushing and flossing your teeth, they are part of your normal life, far more than it may seem.  For example, if you have dinner with your mother, you need your teeth to smile when you see her, chat about the family and to eat your steak salad.  Without your teeth, these basic activities would be difficult, if not impossible, to do. The challenge is that you only get one set of permanent teeth.  Taking care of them is critical to being able to live a full life, without restriction, as you age.

In our dental office, we want to see you twice a year so that we can clean your teeth and remove plaque and bacteria.  This way, your mouth can remain healthy, and the chance of you developing irreversible health conditions will be minimal. Simultaneously, if you develop a cavity or gum disease, we can treat the conditions right away before they cause you any discomfort.
Why you need a family dentist.

You never know when you or one of your children will have a dental emergency.  A toothache may develop, or someone may crack a tooth.  This is all possible during the course of normal life, and it is important that you have a dentist who can help you quickly.  We can, and we welcome your phone calls.  We offer restorative dentistry so regardless of what happens to your teeth, we have you covered.  Simultaneously, we hope that you visit our dental office for preventative care first so that we can prevent many of these oral health problems from developing in the first place.
The solutions we offer in our family dentist office.

The procedures we offer are as diverse as our patients' needs.  We begin by providing preventative care to keep your teeth healthy.  Next, we offer restorative solutions should your teeth become infected.  For example, we can perform a root canal in order to remove the infected area so that the tooth can be saved.  Once the infection has been removed, we may use a dental crown to protect the tooth and prevent any further damage.  This same solution, a dental crown, can also be used to save a tooth that has been cracked or chipped because it is a cap that surrounds it completely.  Since a crown can be created in a tooth-colored material, we can also use this solution to cover darks stains in your teeth and even change their overall shape or size.  Many of our solutions work exactly like this.  They can be used for restorative care and also as a cosmetic solution.

Some of the other procedures we perform include dental implants and dental bridges to replace teeth that have been lost and teeth whitening to improve the overall appearance of teeth.  Regardless of what your needs are, we can help.

Children's Dentist  >  Dental Office

Signs You Should Visit a General Dentistry Office

There are times where you may need to visit our general dentistry office for your oral health needs. Yes, it is important to keep your teeth beautiful and to retain an attractive appearance, but your teeth offer even more important benefits than the aesthetic attributes. Your oral health is a huge part of your overall health. If you have tooth problems, they can get worse quickly. Therefore, you should visit our office if you have any of these symptoms or other unknown problems.

Q. Why do I have bad breath and an unappealing taste in my mouth?
A.    Many people have perpetual bad breath, so they think it is just a way of life. Don't give into this dangerous belief. Bad bread and unpleasant tastes in your mouth often are signs of periodontal disease and tartar growth under your gum lines. If you haven't had your teeth professionally cleaned by our general dentistry office lately, you haven't been brushing like you should, or you have a genetic disposition to bad cavities, you may be at risk for this disease. Your bad breath may also be the result of dry mouth. Dry mouth can be a side effect of some medications, but it can also lead to more bacterial development in your mouth and decay in your teeth. If you are experiencing these problems, you should visit our general dentistry office.

Q. My gums are swollen, and they bleed when I brush, what should I do?
A.    If you are experiencing discomfort, bleeding, or inflammation of your gums, you should visit our general dentistry office immediately. These distressing symptoms are called gingivitis and may also be the result of periodontal disease or infection. These symptoms could also lead to these conditions. A general dentistry office can help you get rid of these bothersome issues and save your teeth from further damage.

Q. I am a tobacco user. Is tobacco really as bad for your mouth as people say it is? 
A.    Yes. Tobacco can be incredibly harmful to your oral health. Exposing your mouth to the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco can lead to chronic bad breath, infections, and even cancer. Use tobacco with caution, and visit our general dentistry office regularly so that we can check for areas that have the capacity to be malignant.

Q. Do I really need to brush twice a day? 
A.    Brushing thoroughly twice a day should be a minimum standard for good oral hygiene. If you eat sugary foods or drink acidic sodas, you should be brushing even more than that or at least washing your mouth out after consumption to prevent enamel wear and cavities. Additionally, replace your toothbrush every few months and use a Fluoride toothpaste. You should be flossing regularly as well.

These are just a few of the questions our general dentistry office regularly receives. Get educated, protect your natural teeth, and visit our office twice per year to start making your oral health a priority.

Dentist  >  Dental Office

Tips From a Children's Dentist For Getting Kids Excited to Brush

When you visit our children's dentist office, you are going to hear a lot about teeth brushing.  We can't help it – brushing teeth is that important!  Still, we understand that for parents the idea or concept of getting their kids to brush makes 100 percent sense.  Implementation, however, can be incredibly difficult, especially with a child that is absolutely uninterested.  Regardless of whether you have a toddler at home or a teen, brushing teeth will often take a backseat to playing, watching a show, running around, etc.  Our goal is to help you to change the tide and make brushing teeth a fun and interesting activity.

Yes – it is possible.

The first thing we suggest is to put away the old timers and stopwatches.  If you have been timing your kids while they brush, that is a good thing.  How you do it, however, can make the difference between teeth brushing being something to dread and a fun activity.  Instead of using a timer, start to have fun with it by playing their favorite song for two minutes at a time.  If you have several kids, let them take turns picking to change things up a bit.  This works really well in the morning if you play an upbeat song that they can sing and dance to.  This is not the time to play your personal favorites, but let them make the song selection.  The ultimate goal, after all, is for the to start having fun while brushing their teeth.

As a children's dentist office, we also suggest that you visit the American Dental Association website and use the tools that they have available for kids and parents.  They have a rewards chart that you can use to start encouraging your kids to brush.  This works really well for younger kids, but you can use the same concept without the chart.  For example, if your teen wants to go out with friends on Friday, make brushing their teeth twice a day, every day, the criteria for doing so.  It's simple, but it creates a positive association.  With your younger kids, you can offer a reward of staying up fifteen minutes later if they brush their teeth without being told.  Once again, you are offering a simple reward that costs nothing but will show them how healthy habits can positively influence their life.

The ADA also has a section on their website that features two minute videos.  These are popular cartoons like Adventure Time and sing-alongs for the younger kids.  Each video is only two minutes long so that you can grab your tablet and play it while they brush.  Once the video is over, they can stop brushing, and you will know that they did it for a long enough period of time to be successful at it.  If you have kids, that hate to brush teeth, letting them watch their favorite show is a simple and easy way to get them to change their mind.  When you visit our children's dentist office, we will reinforce what you are doing at home and further encourage them to keep up with their good, healthy habits.

Family Dentist  >  Dentist

Visit Our Dental Office to Have Your Bad Breath Treated

In our dental office, a lot of patients ask us about bad breath and what they can do to eliminate it.  We understand that this is an inconvenient problem to have.  Foul-smelling breath can make it difficult to have social interactions or meetings at work since it can make those around you uncomfortable.  The more severe cases of bad breath (halitosis) can be so dramatic that the smell can literally stink up a confined space.  Fortunately, we can help before it ever reaches this level, and we recommend that you schedule an appointment at the first sign of bad breath.

Why do I need help treating bad breath?

It is important to note that bad breath isn't always caused by what you had for dinner.  Very often, it is a sign of an infection and the body's way of letting you know that there is something wrong. This is why we want you to call and schedule an appointment if your breath is consistently smelling foul or is progressively getting worse.  One of the things we will look for is an infected tooth.  If a tooth is infected, or starting to have severe decay, it can emit a strong smelling odor.  By identifying the problem, we can treat the tooth, eliminate the infection, and restore it to optimum health.  As a result, your breath will start to smell better.

Another cause of bad breath is gum disease.  This is a condition that impacts most adults at some point in their lifetime.  In its earliest stage, gum disease, also known as gingivitis, will make the gums red, swollen, and may cause some bleeding.  It is uncomfortable but shouldn't disrupt life too significantly.  However, if the condition is left untreated it can cause the gums to recede, and as they pull away from the tooth structure, the risk of an infection only increases.  Gum recession can create pockets in the gum tissue where bacteria are prone to gather, leading to bone loss and even tooth loss.  When you visit our dental office with bad breath, we will identify any gum disease and treat the condition.  This level of care can often prevent tooth loss in the future.

In our dental office, we will also conduct a thorough teeth cleaning so that we can remove any plaque or bacteria that has gathered in between your teeth or other hard to reach spaces.  Food or plaque that is stuck may be what is causing your bad breath, and a simple teeth cleaning can help your breath to smell better.  We can also clean your tongue since bacteria gather here as well.

What you can do at home.

We recommend that you brush your teeth three times a day using a soft toothbrush and a fluoride toothpaste.  This will help your teeth and gums to stay clean while also improving your breath.  Be sure to floss at least once a day as well, since this is where a lot of bad breath comes from.  You can also use an antiseptic mouthwash to kill lingering bacteria and use a tongue scraper to remove bacteria from your tongue.  If you are otherwise healthy, this should help to control your bad breath.

Family Dentist  >  Dentist

Here’s Why We Use Fluoride in Our Family Dentist Office

In our family dentist office, our goal is to help our patients to stay in excellent oral health.  With that in mind, we are passionate about preventative care.  We encourage you to come to our office and have your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year so that we can remove plaque and bacteria before cavities and gum disease occur.  In addition, we may talk to you about fluoride or even recommend a fluoride treatment.  While most of our patients have heard of the substance, few are familiar with exactly how it works.  Here are some of the questions we are commonly asked in our dental office.

Where can I find fluoride?

Fluoride is derived from fluorine, a naturally occurring ion that can be found in the dirt, air, and even food.  In these quantities, it doesn't benefit your teeth, so it has been placed in public water.  Through a massive public health initiative, fluoride has been added to the water supply of over 10,000 communities across the United States.  Simultaneously, we apply fluoride treatments in our dental office by placing a varnish on the teeth. The varnish is virtually odorless and tasteless, so it doesn't bother young children.  Within four minutes, it will be fully absorbed, so the treatment is incredibly convenient.  If you want to use fluoride at home, we recommend brushing with toothpaste that contains it.  There are additional products you can buy like fluoridated milk, but the science is unclear as to how much it will help you.

Why is using fluoride important?

As a family dentist, we turn to what the Center for Disease Control said.  According to the CDC, tooth decay is the most commonly occurring infectious disease in children.  This is alarming and as a dentist, we do our part to help prevent tooth decay and cavities.  The use of fluoride can decrease the risk of tooth decay by thirty percent, making it an important tool for helping us to fight the problem. In essence, it can help to keep teeth strong in between dental visits so that there is less of a chance that a cavity will exist or become large by the time you come in for your next appointment.
Who should use fluoride?

We specifically recommend that children and teens have a fluoride treatment on an annual basis in order to reduce their risk for cavities.  Adults can also benefit from fluoride though most get it in their drinking water and by using a fluoride toothpaste. We recommend always brushing with a fluoride toothpaste since this is the easiest way to strengthen your teeth and fight tooth decay at home.
Is it safe?

As a family dentist, we are frequently asked this question, and the answer is yes.  Like all things, fluoride most be used in moderation, so the EPA regulates how much of it is put into drinking water.  In our office, we apply the correct dosage through the varnish and the toothpaste is also regulated, making it perfectly safe for your family.

Children's Dentist  >  Dentist

Learn More About Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are a thin layer of material which are placed over the outer surface of a tooth to either improve the esthetic quality of the tooth itself or to help protect the tooth's surface from damage. The veneers, which are adhered to the surface of the tooth using high-quality dental cement, are shaped and sculpted to form a perfect replica of the tooth, which creates the illusion of a faultless tooth. With the advancement in technology and the improvement of the quality of veneers, veneers will last decades and are strong enough to withstand the normal rigors placed on a regular tooth. While there are cases of them having to be replaced earlier, typically with proper care, dental veneers are a long term solution to many tooth problems.

Dental veneers come in two forms. The first is a composite dental veneer and the second is made of dental porcelain. The differences between the two are not profound, and it is often a matter of preference as to which method we select for your mouth. Dental porcelain veneers are always sent out to the laboratory for fabrication by a skilled dental technician. Like with all things, many of our patients have questions about dental veneers and here are some of the more commonly asked questions...

Do you know how long dental veneers will last? 

This is very much a relative question. Typically dental veneers will last anywhere from seven to thirty years. This is such a broad spectrum because it depends on a number of factors. First dental veneers are like anything else, the better you take care of them the longer they will last. Second dental veneers themselves are inanimate, but they are part of your mouth which is anything but. As your mouth changes you may need different veneers but they will typically last at least a decade.

How does having dental veneers affect my oral health routines?

Dental veneers are no different from having regular, naturally occurring, enamel teeth. They require the same kind of care, and since your other teeth are normal teeth anyway we encourage you to follow a regular routine of brushing twice a day, flossing, and rinsing. We do recommend a change in consumption habits if you have teeth that stain easily, however. This is because products like coke, tea, and coffee tend to stain teeth relatively easily and could alter the color of your natural teeth and remember that porcelain veneers do not stain. This means that if your other teeth stain, you will have a mismatched set.

Do dental veneers cause cavities? 
There is no evidence to show that dental veneers affect decay in any way. Veneers should be taken care of like regular teeth, to reduce the risk of one of your other teeth decaying.
If you have questions about dental veneers and how they can improve the appearance of your teeth, call and schedule a dental exam.  We can use this solution to close gaps in between your teeth, change their shape and size, and even make them appear straighter.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  General Dentistry