Questions for a Cosmetic Dentist Regarding Dental Implants

As a cosmetic dentist, we can replace your missing teeth with implants.  Here are questions we are asked about dental implants and our answers to them -

Can you restore my existing dental implant if the crown is damaged?

If you already have dental implants but have damaged the crown (tooth portion) of one of them, you may qualify to have your cosmetic dentist perform a dental restoration that leaves the implanted portion alone. This is the most convenient and affordable way to address the problem. Therefore, find out if a dentist offers restorative solutions before starting the procedure.

What are the requirements to qualify for a dental implants procedure?

We place dental implants in patients for a variety of reasons. If you have any other oral health problems, these will need to be addressed first.  Since this is a surgical procedure, it is important to start the process with healthy teeth and gums.  The other qualify factor is bone density.  We will take x-rays in office to determine if your bone is dense enough for the implant to be securely placed.  If it is not, we can discuss other options such as bone grafts.

How long does the process take?

That depends on how many implants you are having placed by your cosmetic dentist.  It can take up to an hour to place each metal implant.  This is why if you are having a lot of teeth replaced, you may need to visit us several times.  Once the titanium post has been implanted, you will need to wait a couple of months for the process of osseointegration to take place.  This is where the metal and bone fuse together to provide a sturdy, synthetic root system for your new tooth.  You will not feel anything while this is taking place but waiting is important to ensure that your final tooth is as durable as a natural one would be.  When ready, we will attach the new crown (tooth) to an abutment that is secured to your implant.  This appointment will be much shorter.

What is the recovery like?

As your cosmetic dentist, we recommend that you prepare for recovery by putting soft ice packs in the freezer, buying ibuprofen, and soft foods that you can eat.  For a few days, your gums will be sore so the ice and ibuprofen will help to reduce any swelling while eating soft foods will help to prevent discomfort.   After a few days, you should begin to feel better and start to eat regular foods though you should still avoid anything sharp.  Since there is a delay between when the metal implant is placed and when the new tooth is attached, we often provide our %city% patients with a temporary denture to wear so that their smile appears intact while waiting for the procedure to be completed.

From the perspective of a cosmetic dentist are the final results like a bridge or dentures?

Be sure to ask about the final results and what you can expect for your particular situation.  Scientifically, an implant is the most secure and durable tooth replacement solution that you can find because it derives strength from the jawbone.  By comparison, a bridge relies on your other teeth to hold the bridge in place and dentures are removable which means that they can come loose. Dental implants, being permanent also look much better which is why cosmetic dentists prefer this solution.

Learn How a Sleep Dentist Can Improve Your Health

A sleep dentist can help you feel less uneasy about going to the dentist. Millions of people feel so nervous about visiting the dentist, they avoid it altogether, which leads to larger bills in the future, poor dental health, and potentially a poor overall health. Fortunately, we can help calm your nerves so you can get through your dental appointment without a problem. A sleep dentist provides conscious sedation methods that allow you to be awake during your appointment without feeling fearful or unsettled.

Sleep Dentistry

A sleep dentist provides popular mild sedatives to help patients cope with dental anxiety. A sleep dentist doesn’t actually put patients completely to sleep but instead puts you into a relaxed, calm, and agreeable state. When under the influence of these mild sedatives, you will feel happy, and you also won’t feel discomfort. In addition to mild sedatives, a sleep dentist will offer local anesthetics to prevent the site of treatment from feeling discomfort. Being sedated during an appointment will help you feel less anxious, since you will be generally happier and most likely not notice the scary noises, like drilling, or the sharp tools that you normally do.

What Sedation Calms

A sedative provided by a licensed and experienced sleep dentist can help:

• Keep you calm and relax your nerves
• Allow you to feel more confident
• Keep you comfortable for long periods in the dental chair
• Help you avoid feeling restless if you have nervous energy
• Control a sensitive gag reflex
• Keep children from feeling scared, and allow them to sit still for a long time

The goal of these sedation methods is to minimize pain, fear, and discomfort during a dentist visit. During your sedation, you will be conscious enough to respond to voice commands, so you will be able to communicate with the dentist about your feelings and if you experience mild discomfort. You will still be in control of the situation; you will just be more confident about it.

Types of Sedation

A sleep dentist can provide you with a variety of options for your sedative means. The most commonly used methods are inhalation, oral, and intravenous (IV).

Inhalation: Inhalation sedation is the mildest form, and it is administered through a mask that is placed over the nose. It is often called laughing gas, but the technical term for it is nitrous oxide.

Oral: Oral sedatives are administered through a pill or syrup. Oral sedatives are used when kids or adults are too nervous to even show up at the dentist without feeling anxious. They are also used when patients are uncomfortable with the appearance of the mask used in inhalation sedation. These medications are prescribed to be taken the night before or right before your treatment or appointment.

IV: Intravenous sedation is used the least commonly for mild cases of dental phobia. This type of sedation is administered through your veins into your bloodstream.

If you are fearful about a dentist appointment, you no longer have to be. A sleep dentist can give you more confidence and contentment during your next dentist visit.

What You Should Know About Implant Dentistry

As a provider of implant dentistry, we provide patients throughout the area with the ability to regain the appearance and functionality of their smile.  Losing teeth can be ridiculously challenging.  Most people never realize how important their teeth are to daily life until they lose one or several.  All of a sudden, smiling and speaking becomes embarrassing.  Speech sounds different than it used to, eating becomes a challenge, etc.  The entire ordeal can leave people stressed out and unsure of what to do.  If you are in this situation, we encourage you to call for a consultation so that we can examine you and present you with solutions to address your tooth loss.

Why we recommend implant dentistry –
If you have lost one or several teeth, we recommend implant dentistry as the best way to replace them. The reason is simple – osseointegration.  This is the only option for tooth loss that is surgically placed in your mouth.  In this procedure, a titanium post is inserted under your gums and secured to the jawbone.  This is done surgically under anesthesia and it takes a week or so to fully recover from the procedure.  Over the course of several months, the jawbone and titanium post will fuse together through the process of osseointegration and this is what makes an implant so strong and so durable.  The jawbone essentially provides the same level of stability to the implant that it did to the natural tooth.  In turn, the implant provides stimulation to the jawbone which serves to prevent resorption.  As a result, a dental implant is the most natural way to replace teeth and it can improve your health while restoring your smile.

The process of implant dentistry –
Before we can place the implants, we will need to examine you physically to ensure that you are in good oral health.  If you show any signs of gum disease or infections, we will have those corrected prior to getting started.  On the day of surgery, you will be given anesthesia and will most likely fall asleep.  How long the actual procedure takes will depend on how many implants are being placed in your mouth.  To stay comfortable afterwards, we recommend that you take ibuprofen, use an icepack and are careful with what and how you eat for several days.  Your gums will heal before you know it and once they do, you will just need to wait for osseointegration.  During this time, we will be preparing your new tooth or teeth (dental crowns).  This is done by taking measurements and an impression of your mouth.  The dental lab will create new teeth that look so natural, they blend in with any of your remaining ones.  The results are so perfect, so natural looking, that most people cannot tell the difference after they are placed.  We will have you come in for that appointment within a couple months of the initial procedure.  In the meantime, many people will wear a temporary denture to keep their smile intact.

To learn more about implant dentistry and to find out if you are a good candidate, call to schedule an appointment.  We are confident that this solution will impress you as it is the most natural looking and durable of all tooth replacement solutions.

Implant Dentist  >  Cosmetic Dentist

What Is Gum Recession and Why You Should Treat It Quickly

We can treat your gum recession and restore your gum health in the process. If you want healthy and beautiful-looking gums, it is important to take care of them. You can do so using ongoing, preventative care and having your teeth cleaned twice a year. This will help to prevent plaque from building up on your teeth, becoming trapped, and causing gum disease. However, if you go for too long in between teeth cleanings or do not practice good oral hygiene at home, you can fall victim to periodontal disease and gum recession.

What is gum recession?
When your gum tissue begins to pull away from your tooth structure, you have gum recession. It looks like your gums are shrinking or becoming smaller, and as a result, your teeth will look longer.

What causes gum recession?
Plaque and tartar building up under your gums will start to cause irritation. If the plaque is not removed, you can suffer from gum disease and your gums may begin to recede.

How is it treated?
We will start by removing any plaque and tartar from your teeth and on, under, and around your gums. This is the first step in making sure that anything irritating your gums is eliminated. If you have an infection of any kind, you may also need a treatment of antibiotics. Once this is done, we can begin to address the actual recession and start to secure your gums around your teeth.
We can restore the position of your gums using a gum grafting procedure. In this scenario, you are given anesthesia before the tissue is removed from the roof of your mouth and sutured to your gums. The procedure is effective but also invasive and does require a recovery time where you will want to be home and away from work. For this reason, many people do not have time to schedule this procedure to truly restore their gum health.

Fortunately, we have a non-invasive alternative. We use the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique™ to restore gums to full health. This is a far more comfortable procedure for you, our patient. It is a scalpel- and suture-free procedure, which means we do not need to cut into your gums or your mouth and we do not need to suture or stitch your gums back together. Instead, we are using innovative methods to stimulate gum growth and position the gums back around the teeth. By creating small pinholes with a needle, we can get into the tissue to stimulate and position the gums without actually cutting them. Since the procedure itself is non-invasive, your gums will not swell or bleed like they would with a surgical gum grafting procedure. While there may be slight discomfort for a day or two, it will go away quickly and can easily be controlled using an ice pack and ibuprofen. We have found that our patients appreciate how convenient the procedure and the recovery process is by comparison.
To learn more about the treatments we offer for gum recession, call and schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Periodontist  >  Lanap Laser Dentistry Palo Alto CA

Oral Surgery is Nothing to Fear With the Right Dentist

Many people avoid having severe problems treated because they are fearful of oral surgery. This is a dangerous game because these problems will only worsen and cause more discomfort and irreversible damage. Oral surgery has been described by many as a scary experience that cause discomfort and anxiety, but in our office, we make oral surgery a pleasant, simple experience. Do not let the poor work performed by some unqualified or hurried surgeons deter you from seeking out the help you need from our office. We can provide you with whatever oral surgery procedure you need while also making it an experience you are pleased with.

Which Conditions are Treated by Oral Surgery

There are many conditions we can treat with oral surgery, some of which are:

• Impacted Teeth: Wisdom teeth or other teeth that have grown into a crowded area and are causing discomfort or poor function are referred to as impacted teeth. When the jawbone does not provide enough space for these teeth to grow in, they grow into improper alignment and may not even fully erupt through the gum line. When this occurs, it is called impaction, because the teeth become trapped between the gum tissue and bone. When this problem is not treated with the proper oral surgery, it can cause infection, bleeding, pain, misaligned teeth, and even tooth loss.
• Tooth Replacement: Some tooth replacement options like dental implants require oral surgery. When you are receiving a dental implant, a prosthetic, titanium post will be surgically inserted into your jawbone to act as a strong tooth root for an artificial tooth.
• Orthodontics: In severe cases of tooth or jaw misalignment, it may be suggested that you undergo oral surgery to have excess teeth that are growing in incorrectly removed. If these teeth are not removed, they could damage nearby teeth or inhibit jaw shape and function.
• Facial Injury: If your face or dental structure is injured in a sports accident, car accident, or other collision, we can provide the needed oral surgery to fix these problems and improve the appearance of your face.

How We Make Oral Surgery a Pleasant Experience

Our staff is courteous, polite, and experienced so we know how to approach each unique procedure that is needed for each individual patient. We provide you with care you will trust, and with a comfortable office experience every time. For each procedure, we will administer the necessary anesthetics or sedation so you can avoid anxiety or dental phobia throughout your visits. We will work with you to determine what type of sedation is best for you or if it is even necessary. We guarantee you will not experience discomfort during your procedure because we offer adequate numbing during surgery and needed pain relievers following invasive procedures. If you are experiencing any slight discomfort or you are nervous, let us know, and we will help deter these feelings.

When you need oral surgery, do not hesitate to contact our office to learn more. You will not need to feel worried or scared because you will know you can trust our services as soon as you speak with our staff.

Dental Implants  >  Gum Recession

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.

Periodontist  >  Oral Surgery

The Benefits of Visiting a Sleep Dentist

As a sleep dentist, we can make it possible for you to enjoy receiving dental care. It is entirely possible to have a pleasant dental experience. While this may seem farfetched, consider what you do not like about receiving dental care in the first place. Is it the noise that a drill makes, the pressure you feel, the smells, sights, or discomfort? Regardless of what your specific fear or anxiety is, this is what makes visiting the dentist a traumatic experience for many people. Fortunately, there are solutions by way of sedation or sleep dentistry.

Sedation vs. Sleep Dentistry
These two options are both effective but work differently. Sedation is often given in pill form and helps to calm your nerves and eliminate your anxiety. For shorter procedures, this is often the best solution, because you will be calm enough to get through the procedure while remaining completely relaxed. Sedation does not actually address any pain, but in many cases, the procedure is not painful. Sedation can also be given in combination with a local anesthesia to numb the area being worked on. While sedated, you will be relaxed and maybe sleep, but you will have full control over your body and be able to respond to commands without a problem.

Sleep dentistry works differently in that you actually go to sleep. As a sleep dentist, we are one of the few providers that offer this solution (most only offer pain medication). We can actually put you to sleep so you are not aware of what is happening, do not feel anything, and will have no memory of the actual procedure. If you are having significant cosmetic dentistry work completed, oral surgery, or periodontics treatments, you may want to consider this option. Going to sleep makes it possible for you to have a pleasant dental experience, regardless of how much anxiety you have at the thought of visiting the dentist. It also means that when you do wake up, you will have no lingering bad memories associated with the procedure itself. This can often promote a greater sense of well-being that is important for a fast recovery process.

As a sleep dentist, we do want to warn you that not everyone will qualify for sleep dentistry. You need to be in fairly good health, and we will want to examine you and discuss your health history prior to making an appointment for your procedure. This is important for ensuring there are no complications arising out of putting you under anesthesia. Also, since you are going to sleep, you will not be able to respond to commands or walk around on your own, so time will be needed to fully wake up and become alert again once the procedure has been completed. We typically recommend having someone on hand to drive you home, so you can rest before naturally feeling alert again.
When you visit our sleep dentist office, we can discuss all this with you in further detail so you can make an informed decision regarding how you want to proceed.

Oral Surgery  >  Cosmetic Dentist

Visit a Cosmetic Dentist for Implant Dentistry to Replace Your Loose Dentures

Visit our cosmetic dentist office to get rid of your old dentures by replacing them with implant dentistry. If you are tired of worrying about dentures coming loose or feeling restricted to eating only certain foods, now is the time for a change. As an implant dentist, we can give you back the freedom to live life and eat all the foods you love, without thinking about your teeth. Here is how:

Oral Surgery

Dental implants and implant dentistry are the only tooth replacement solution that is surgically placed. Traditional dentures are secured on the outside of your gums, either by surrounding them or using metal hooks and clasps. A dental bridge is also secured in place on the outside of your gums, using two other teeth as anchors. While both cosmetic dentist solutions are practical and effective, they do not replace your missing root structure – an implant does. To start the procedure, we surgically implant a titanium post under your gums and secure it to your jawbone. This is done in each space you are missing a tooth, though, in some cases, we can use a few implants to support dentures.

What makes the process of implant dentistry unique is that the body responds to titanium like it would naturally occurring matter. Instead of thinking you have a foreign object in your mouth, the body accepts titanium, which means your jawbone and the post will fuse together through the process of osseointegration. As a result, your jawbone will provide the same level of stability to an implant as it would to a naturally occurring root. This relationship is beneficial for your new tooth and what makes dental implants the best form of tooth replacement. It is also beneficial for your jawbone because it provides the jaw with the stimulation it needs to prevent resorption. Without stimulation, the body will leach calcium from your jaw for distribution to other areas. This is what gives people a sunken and aged appearance after tooth loss. In this way, replacing dentures with implants is good for the functionality and appearance of your smile, but also your facial structure as a whole.

The process of getting dental implants takes a couple of months because we must first implant the posts, but then we need to wait for osseointegration to take place. Once done, we will have you come back to our cosmetic dentist office so an abutment can be secured to your implant at the surface of the gums. Your new tooth (dental crown) will be secured to this piece for a durable tooth replacement. Since we are a cosmetic dentist office, we will ensure your new tooth looks like a natural one and blends in completely. This is done by making an impression of your mouth and taking measurements, so the dental lab has the information they need to create the crown.

The benefits of implant dentistry by a cosmetic dentist are high. Once they are in place, you do not need to take any additional steps to care for them. Simply brush and floss like normal and schedule regular dental visits. Otherwise, you can go about your daily activities with a secure set of teeth you never have to think about.

Implant Dentist  >  Periodontist

Conditions That Can Be Treated With Our Oral Surgery

Many dental conditions can easily be treated with oral surgery. Modern oral surgery is faster and safer than ever before. Now, you can undergo oral surgery without any lingering side effects and with a fast recovery time. If you need oral surgery for any reason, don't put it off. Oral surgery can benefit your teeth and your gums, providing you with a better overall oral health. Below are a few of the conditions we frequently treat with oral surgery. For a full list, visit our office.

Wisdom Teeth

Many people have the need for wisdom teeth removal. Wisdom teeth are a set of molars, called third molars, that are normally the last to develop and the most unnecessary. Normally, developing wisdom teeth only cause more problems for patients because most jaws are not large enough to contain them, and other teeth become harmed or crowded due to the new growth.

When wisdom teeth begin to emerge, more often than not, they cause alignment issues or fail to erupt through the gums correctly. When this happens, wisdom teeth can become trapped between the jawbone and gum tissue, causing irritation and swelling. If wisdom teeth are left in this position, an infection can occur and can lead to tooth loss and permanent gum or jaw damage. Wisdom teeth removal is one of the most common oral surgery procedures we and many other oral surgeons perform, with over five million people having wisdom teeth removed every year.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are another common reason for oral surgery. If you have missing teeth, dental implants are the most permanent and long-lasting replacement option you can receive. A dental implant is a fabricated tooth root structure surgically implanted into your jawbone. The material these implants are made up of is titanium, which can actually fuse with your jawbone to create a permanency similar to a natural tooth root, if not stronger. Once a dental implant becomes fully fused with your bone after oral surgery, a realistic, tooth-colored prosthetic tooth will be placed on the implant device to fill in the area where your tooth had been and to provide functionality for eating and speaking.

Periodontal Disease Treatment

There are several forms of oral surgery performed to treat periodontal disease. Periodontal disease, also known as severe gum disease, is infection and bacteria under your gum line. When periodontal disease is left untreated, it becomes worse and can kill off healthy gums and teeth. There are nonsurgical periodontal disease treatments that should be considered before oral surgery. If the need for oral surgery arises, we can perform soft tissue and bone grafts, flap surgery to reduce periodontal pockets, and even bone surgery to reshape damaged bone to reduce craters.

These are three of the most common oral surgery treatments we perform. In addition to these, we provide a wide array of surgical options to provide a better dental health. All of our surgeries include proper anesthetics to eliminate any form of discomfort and instructions to help you heal quickly and fully following your procedure.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Gum Recession

Modern Tooth Replacement: Implant Dentistry

Implant dentistry has taken the idea of tooth replacement to an entirely new level. We are so confident in what our dental implants can do for you, we have no trouble stating that implant dentistry is changing the entire conversation about tooth loss. You might be asking yourself who exactly has a conversation about tooth loss and implant dentistry. The truth is, not very many people consider the potential that they might need an implant or that they might lose a tooth before they are old. Of course, from an implant dentist perspective, old is relative. In a recent study, it was found that 69 percent of people over the age of 35 have lost at least one tooth and are in need of implant dentistry. Thirty-five is not old by any means, and certainly not old enough to live with tooth loss. Nobody should live with tooth loss in today's day and age. Tooth loss can be quite a devastating event in the lives of people who have to deal with it.

We rely on our teeth for a vast number of things, which is why implant dentistry is so critical to restoring lost teeth. We use our teeth to start the digestive process by chewing our foods. We also use our teeth to enunciate words, which are critical to our ability to communicate clearly and concisely. Believe it or not, your teeth play a very prominent role in your social skills as well, something most people do not realize until they are embarrassed to smile because of a lost tooth. Implant dentistry has taken an ancient art, completely modernized it, and has given you a reason to smile. When we say that implant dentistry is an ancient art, we mean it is more of a science that developed. Ancient Mayans would hammer pieces of bone or shell into patients' gums to replace lost teeth. Luckily, we have long since moved on from the hammer. Today's implants are made of space-age material and placed with revolutionary methods.

The primary material used in the manufacturing of dental implants is titanium, also used by NASA to manufacture spacecraft and other objects that have to withstand tough environments. This makes your implants extremely durable, since titanium is one of the hardest and strongest substances known to man. In addition to being strong, the way we place the implants plays a critical role in supporting the jaw bone. Often, when you lose a tooth, the jawbone loses a critical support structure in the root. The root provides stimulation to the jawbone, which in turn translates to the body as a reason to support the bone itself. When the stimulation stops, the body will stop supporting the jaw, and more often than not, this will result in bone density loss. The implants we place recreate the stimulation of the natural root, bringing back the support for the bone and ensuring its viability.

Pinhole Surgical Rejuvenation  >  Lanap Laser Dentistry Palo Alto CA

Visit a Cosmetic Dentist If Your Dental Crown Is Loose or Broken

As a cosmetic dentist, we treat patients who are struggling with a variety of oral health issues. Restorations can make it possible to save a tooth that has been infected or damaged, and dental crowns are one of the best restorative options available. Still, they are not immune from becoming damaged, nor is the tooth underneath. While a well-made crown can last 15 years or longer, there are times where a crown or the tooth underneath may become damaged, creating the need for another dental appointment.

If you run your tongue along your teeth and notice that your dental crown feels broken or chipped, you should seek immediate dental care, but remain calm. Typically, this is cause for an appointment, though not an emergency one unless you are also in severe discomfort. You can start by calling our office to schedule an appointment and then place a cold compress on your face for 15 minutes to reduce any swelling. You can also take ibuprofen to reduce any discomfort you may have. Until you can get to our office, be careful with what you eat and stick with foods that are soft and not too hot or too cold. Otherwise, you could create further irritation and damage.

As a cosmetic dentist, we also recommend that you feel how loose the dental crown is. If it feels like it may fall off, there is a risk that it could indeed do so and be swallowed. In this case, you should visit us right away. While scheduling your appointment, let us know how loose the crown is, and we will make recommendations regarding whether or not you should try to remove it on your own. Do not try this without our guidance.

When you visit our cosmetic dentist office, we will examine your damaged or loose crown and your teeth. We will need to determine whether the damage is to the crown, the tooth, or both. Next, we will create a treatment plan to address whatever issue there may be. In some cases, a damaged crown can be smoothed and repaired, while, in others, it must be removed entirely. In this situation, we will either recommend replacing the crown with a new one or replacing the tooth with a dental implant. This is particularly relevant if the tooth underneath is damaged and unable to be restored with a new crown. We are experts at this procedure, so if you do need a dental implant, we can give you a permanent replacement tooth that will function like a natural one, be beautiful, and blend in completely. There is no way to know for certain what the condition of your tooth or crown will be until you visit us for an examination, so delaying is not in your best interest.

While waiting for your cosmetic dentist appointment, be careful with all of your teeth, engage in low-impact activities, and eat soft foods until we can examine and correct the problem.

Implant Dentist  >  Dental Implants

Find Out if Dental Implants Are Right For You

From a technological standpoint, dental implants have completely changed the way we all look at tooth loss. There was time, not so long ago when the loss of a tooth meant the prospect of having to deal with things like dentures or even dental bridges. By creating a system that not only replaces the surface tooth, also known as the crown but also the lost root itself, dental implants have brought stability and longevity to tooth replacement. As with any technological advancement, the rise of dental implants in popularity has also given rise to questions from patients. Everybody wants to know if they work (yes), what the procedure is to get them, and if you as an individual qualify to get dental implants. The answer to the final question is also yes, but there are certain requirements you will need to meet in order to ensure you are healthy enough to sustain an implant. To make sure that you are indeed healthy enough and that your mouth can support an implant, we will do an extensive examination. There are a few conditions that may preclude you temporarily or permanently from getting a dental implant. Some of these are found in people with out-of-control diabetes, patients who have cancer and are seeking active radiation treatment, dental patients with untreated periodontal disease, and even patients who have a severe addiction to cigarettes or alcohol. All of these make it so there is an increased risk of the implant not taking, that the body will not adhere to the implant, and thus, the operation will not be as successful as it should be.

Dental implants are successful. There is no question about that, with some studies even placing the success rate of dental implants around 98 percent, though we prefer a more conservative estimate of 94 percent. The reason why implants are so wildly effective is the care we take before we ever start you down the road to getting implants. For every patient who comes in wanting implants, we will start by making sure your jaw has the capacity to withstand and even sustain these implants. To do this, we will begin with a full examination that includes x-rays and a CT scan. This use of dental imaging gives us a clear understanding of the capacity of your jaw and whether or not you need a bone graft to stabilize the jawbone for the implant.

For some patients who have the required density, we can proceed directly to the implant phase, which is known as immediate implant placement. For others, the process may take a little longer, as we will need to perform an alveolar bone graft that targets the upper portion of the jawbone where the teeth are typically located. Using an onlay bone graft, we are able to create a block of bone into which the implant is placed, giving the implant the stability it needs from the bone itself. Healing time is usually around six months between the graft and the date when we can start with the actual implant procedure.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Oral Surgery

Our Laser Gum Recession Treatment is Superior to Traditional Methods

When it comes to gum recession treatment, our laser treatment options have surpassed traditional methods in many ways. Before you undergo treatment for gum recession, it is important to know your options. Don’t settle for a treatment that will leave you experiencing discomfort. Some traditional methods can leave you in a long recovery period before your gums are completely healed. Continue reading to learn more about the major differences between traditional treatment methods and a laser gum recession treatment.

Traditional Methods

Traditionally, surgery to treat gum recession involved the use of a scalpel and other dental tools to peel back gum tissues in order to access the periodontal pocket (the destroyed area of tissues and bones that is loosened). Once the periodontal pocket and loose tissues are accessed, a dentist will cut these and suture other gum tissue in the area to reduce pocket length. Bone and tissue grafting may additionally be used to reattach gums to the tooth’s surface and to add more tissue to the area. To perform your gum graft tissue will be taken with a scalpel from the roof of your mouth. This sensitive area takes time to heal from an invasive method of removal.
The traditional methods of gum recession treatment do work, but they can also have a long recovery period. Patients may also experience discomfort during treatment even when the area has received an anesthetic. When you take the time to learn about the simple process of laser gum recession treatment as opposed to traditional methods, you may save yourself from unnecessary cutting and have a faster recovery.

Laser Gum Recession Treatment

Our laser gum recession treatment does not require the use of a variety of sharp dental tools like scalpels. For many patients, this cuts down on anxiety and nervousness when facing an oral surgery or gum grafting. With our laser treatment, we will perform a minimally invasive procedure to correct gum recession. Laser treatments do not normally cause pain or discomfort during the procedure and can easily determine which gum tissues are diseased or damaged and which are healthy. This speeds up the procedure and allows us to leave the healthy tissues unaffected. Your gum recession treatment time will be shortened by the use of lasers, and your recovery time will be much shorter. Our laser treatment easily and safely removes unwanted tissues and bacteria that could injure your remaining healthy gums and teeth. Laser treatment also reduces the possibility of inflammation, leading to a more comfortable recovery period.

If you are pursuing treatment for your gum recession, consider the benefits of our laser gum recession treatment. You can significantly cut down on your surgery and recovery time while still receiving amazing results. Our laser treatment accelerates results without compromising quality. Discomfort and the chance of other negative side effects are greatly reduced so visit our office to learn more about our treatment solution and if it is the right one for you.

A Sleep Dentist Can Help You After an Accident

As a sleep dentist, we help a lot of people that have been injured in an accident.  Many people do not think about whether or not they will ever be in a car wreck or other type of accident, if their teeth will ever be damaged or what they would do if it happened to them.  This is understandable, but it often leads people to seek care in the wrong place – the emergency room of a local hospital.  If your tooth was knocked out, visiting the ER will allow you to receive medication, but it will not do anything for your missing tooth or the health of your mouth and jawbone.

Visiting our office will.

If you think that you will never have the challenge of dealing with a lost tooth, here are some facts to consider.  Every year, one in three people over the age of 65 are injured in a slip and fall accident.  These types of accidents are not just reserved for seniors.  They impact men and women of all ages and represent 9 million trips to the ER every year.  For those who play sports, in children alone, there are over 5 million sports injuries annually and that does not even consider how many adults become injured while playing a game of basketball at the gym.  Even driving a car is not safe since around 5.4 million car wrecks happen annually.  With these statistics in mind, it is more of a question of when will you get into an accident and not if you will.  Simultaneously, you never know if your teeth will become damaged in the process.  If they are, be sure to give us a call.  We specialize in oral surgery and can replace any teeth that have been knocked out or correct a jaw that has been damaged.
The benefits of visiting a sleep dentist –

Getting into an accident is traumatic enough. When you have subsequent injuries, it can be difficult to then think about visiting the dentist.  We understand that the thought of receiving dental care is stressful for some people, even if it does not actually cause discomfort.  While recovering from another trauma people tend to avoid anything that could cause them anxiety.  Fortunately, this is unnecessary when you visit our dental office.  As a sleep dentist, we can provide you with the dental care that you need without the anxiety that it brings. We can place you under a light sleep so that the dental work is performed without you being consciously aware of it.  This way your experience will be relaxing and when you wake up, your dental restorations or surgery will have been completed.
As a sleep dentist, one of the most common procedures that we perform is the placing of dental implants.  If your tooth was knocked out in an accident or you lost it due to an infection or gum disease, we can typically replace it with an implant.  This is a permanent solution that works by placing a metal post under the gums and securing it to the jawbone.  The bone and metal will fuse together through the process of osseointegration to form a new root system that your new tooth can be attached to.  All of this can be completed while you are fast asleep.

Are You Healthy Enough for Traditional Oral Surgery?

Oral surgery should never be taken lightly. If you need it, you should receive it soon before more long term damage is done to your oral health. Traditional oral surgery may not be for everybody though. If your health is at stake, it is important to seriously ask yourself if you are well enough for traditional oral surgery. It can be a more invasive procedure and a potentially harmful procedure for people who have had recent illnesses or have current serious health problems that make them more vulnerable. If you are concerned that you are not healthy enough, or you do not want to endure the long recovery period that comes with some surgeries like gum grafting, visit our office for an alternative option that works wonders. 

Traditional oral surgery still works excellently and is advised for many patients, but if your health puts you in an at-risk category, our laser therapy might be the best option for you. Our laser surgery uses an intense beam of light to correct dental flaws. Unwanted or unneeded tissue is easily vaporized with the laser energy. Lasers can also be a wonderful alternative to classic root planing and scaling. Our dental lasers gently remove bacteria and infection as they cleanse your gums and teeth. These lasers are often used to clean infected areas prior to another laser surgery like a gum graft. The pros of laser oral surgery are unlimited, but a few of the main uses and desirous qualities are listed following.

The Pros of Laser Oral Surgery:
Dental laser oral surgery is quicker and more efficient than traditional methods.
The use of lasers can detect early decay in your teeth.
Lasers remove bacteria more quickly than traditional dental tools.
Laser therapy is a less invasive way to remove the infection below the gum line if you have periodontal disease.
Lasers can reshape your gums after periodontal disease as an alternative to gum grafting.
Laser surgery cuts down on recovery time because it is so minimally invasive. The laser heat can jumpstart healing.
Laser heat seals blood vessels and minimizes the need for sutures after a procedure.
Our dental lasers can cut through and drain a tooth abscess for fast relief.
We can use our lasers to gently remove small potentially cancerous bits of oral tissue to send it in for a biopsy.
Dental lasers can be used to remove lesions or sores that might be causing discomfort.
With dental lasers, you don't have to fear the ominous sound of a dental drill. This can be helpful for people who suffer from dental phobia.

Our laser oral surgery minimizes discomfort, and the potential for swelling following a procedure is reduced.
Although the pros of dental laser oral surgery far outweigh the cons, there is sometimes still a need for traditional oral surgery. In cases where your immune system is already compromised, we definitely encourage you to pursue a laser oral surgery first as it will more easily maintain your oral health as your immune system continues to heal.

Laser Dentistry  >  Oral Surgery

How Implant Dentistry Can Benefit You

The primary focus of implant dentistry is to provide you with a strong, stable, and great looking replacement when you have lost a tooth. For your natural teeth, the job of stability and strength falls to the root. The root also has a symbiotic relationship with the jawbone that helps it to provide additional support for your tooth. In order to replicate the work done by the root, we use a tiny titanium screw that is placed directly into your jawbone, in most cases, which not only gives your new tooth the security it needs but also imitates the relationship with the jawbone. There are numerous reasons we can give you as to why you should consider using implant dentistry to replace a lost tooth. The most popular reason we have heard from our patients is the convenience. Since the dental implant is virtually the same as a tooth, in many aspects, it requires no additional maintenance and places no further limitations on what you can and cannot eat. For many people this ability to carry one with their lifestyle, despite having lost a tooth, is the critical component to choosing implant dentistry over some of the other alternatives.

As implant dentistry continues to make great stride in improving the quality of people's lives after they have lost teeth, there is more information available about them and more patients who actually come in with some information about implants. This is good because it then allows us to work with you on understanding the process even better and explaining some of the nuances. It also allows us to create a plan that will help you reach your goals with implant dentistry. For example, most people know about implant dentistry using a tiny titanium screw that is placed directly into the jawbone. This is known as an Endosteal Implant, and is definitely the most common type of implant that we use. However, we base the type of implant we use on the amount of bone density available and if the jaw bone can actually sustain an implant. If we find that your jaw cannot sustain a regular implant, we have the option of doing what is known as a Subperiosteal implant. A Subperiosteal implant is placed in the gum but slightly above the jawbone, or resting on the jawbone so that there is no added pressure placed on the already weakened bone structure.

Another small nugget that we like to sometimes share with patients is that there are two schools of thought when it comes to the healing process after the implant has been placed. One group favors a one-step approach. This approach completes the implant surgery by covering the implant with tissue and then leaving it to heal naturally. The bone and the gum tissue heal over a period of 4 to 6 weeks. The other school of thought is to use a two-step approach. In this method, the dentist places a small device known as a dental abutment over the implant, allowing for the bone and tissue to heal around it. The healing takes exactly the same amount of time as the one-step approach though the abutment does provide some additional protection.

Cosmetic Dentist  >  Gum Recession

What is Laser Dentistry, How Does it Work, and How Can it Help Me?

 Laser dentistry is the way of the future.  Based in modern medical science, a laser is a device that emits a narrow and very intense beam of light that neither diffuses nor spreads out. When focused at close range, these beams act on tissue. Laser dentistry employs this beam to shape or even remove soft or hard tissue. While this may sound bizarre or even painful, in certain procedures, lasers have several distinct advantages over more conventional forms of dentistry.

1) Lasers are Precise: Because lasers are precision instruments, a laser dentist can, with great accuracy, remove unhealthy tissue, without doing any damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. Some procedures may not even require sutures.

2) Minimize Bleeding: The high-energy light helps to coagulate blood, thus reducing bleeding.

3) Lasers Speed Up Healing Time: because the high-energy beam sterilizes the area, the risk of bacterial infection is reduced which speeds up the healing.  This is one of the main benefits of laser dentistry since it allows you to feel normal, faster.

4) Lasers Reduce The Need For Anesthesia: A laser dentist has much less need to use anesthesia because lasers can often be used in place of painful drilling and incisions.

5) Lasers are Quiet: While this may not sound like a technologically important point, the sound of a conventional  drill often makes patients very uncomfortable and anxious.  When using lasers, our patients are more relaxed and comfortable in general.

Lasers and Gum Disease

Lasers were approved by the FDA in the early 90's and are fast becoming the instrument of choice in a number of dental procedures. Laser dentistry is especially effective in treating gum disease, most notably Gingivitis and Periodontitis.  Since we specialize in using lasers to treat gum disease, many people visit our office that are under the care of a general dentist, but are interested in a faster and more comfortable treatment.

What you should know about gum disease.

Gingivitis happens when there is an inflammation of the gums, caused by bacteria and plaque buildup. Typically the gums are red,  inflamed and bleed during tooth brushing. While,  characterized by redness and swelling, chronic and untreated gingivitis leads to Periodontitis, which is a far more serious condition.

Periodontitis is when the gum recedes from the teeth, forming pockets that collect debris. Plaque spreads below the gum line, and as the pockets become infected, the bacteria begin to destroy the connective tissue that holds the teeth in place. The teeth get loose and eventually fall out. Periodontitis is the primary cause of tooth loss in adults.

Gum disease is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene that leads to the buildup of plaque. However, are a number of other factors, including hormonal changes that can occur during pregnancy and puberty, etc. can cause gum disease. Also included are certain medications, illnesses that affect the immune system, and a family history of gum disease.

Prior to laser technology, treating periodontal or gum disease was a matter of deep cleaning the pockets of all plaque and tartar, which harbor the bacteria, along with a course of strong antibiotics. In more advanced cases, the procedure could be classified as surgery. However, all too often the periodontal disease came back, which caused many to wonder if the disease could ever be fully and finally cured. However, lasers have considerably simplified and improved the treatment by vaporizing diseased tissue, and killing the bacteria that caused the disease. Since there are no strains of bacteria that can resist the laser, you can be certain that your gums will start to heal.  By using laser dentistry, we can even help healthy gum tissue to surround your teeth like it once did.  This is a revolutionary way to treat this age-old problem so call our office to learn more.

The Link Between Gum Recession and Smoking

Smoking is a common habit, but many people do not realize it is a direct link to gum recession. There are many alarming stories about smoking and the negative effects it may have on your general health, but many people do not know that it can also greatly affect your oral health by creating an increased risk for gum disease and even oral cancer. Gum recession is a common issue in adults, and the cause is often not realized. If you have a history of smoking, you may fall victim to gum recession, or you could possibly already be experiencing it. The risk of gum disease and one of its major accomplices, gum recession, increases substantially when you smoke cigarettes or use tobacco in any form.

One of the first signs of periodontal disease, a detrimental condition that develops in your gums and causes deep infection and tooth loss, is gum recession. When you have not kept up with dental visits or made oral hygiene a priority, you may fall prey to periodontal disease. A few other factors, like smoking, can also contribute to the potential development of the condition. Since smoking involves direct contact with nicotine, smoke, and other toxins to your teeth, gums, tongue, and the roof of your mouth, all of those tissues become weakened over time, increasing your chances of gum recession. Every time that you smoke you become more susceptible to developing problems with your gums. If gum recession is caught in the beginning stages, it can be slowed and nearly reversed, but if smoking continues and gum recession persists, you can have irreversible and unappealing damage that causes great discomfort. Even if your gum recession can be helped, smokers have a slower healing process because their oral tissue is generally weaker than the average non-smoker.

Not only does gum recession mar your appearance, it can also cause you to experience discomfort when you eat due to the exposed nerve endings near your teeth. These exposed nerve endings make your teeth more susceptible to decay. Even if your teeth are worked on and preventative measures are taken, you may still be subjected to tooth loss because of continued smoking. These problems are a physical and financial burden. Replacing lost teeth can be expensive and time-consuming, and your replacement teeth may never be as high-functioning as your natural teeth were. However, if you have your gums treated at the first sign of gum disease, the damage can be reversed, and your teeth may be saved.

If you smoke and already have some gum recession, we are able to help. If you are a smoker and are not sure if your gums are showing signs of recession, we can tell you. You can also watch for signs that include red and swollen gums, bleeding gums, and teeth that appear longer than normal. If you have neglected your oral health by continued smoking, now is the time to start paying attention. Visit our office at the first sign of a problem to give yourself the best chance of having healthy gums and retaining your natural teeth.