Patient Education

Why do I need to be examined twice a year if my teeth don’t hurt?

Many dental problems are asymptomatic, or silent, so you don’t realize there’s any trouble.  A professional exam can diagnose many problems such as periodontal disease, which can lead to loss of teeth, or tooth decay, which can be fixed with a simple filling rather than root canal.

We ask you to come in twice a year because it’s much better to diagnose and fix problems while they’re small, before they become big problems that are costly to treat.

What is your office policy regarding appointment times?

We schedule specific times for all of our patients and give them an appropriate amount of time for their appointment. Because we value your time, we don’t overbook.

When someone breaks an appointment without letting us know, it affects the entire office, and deprives other patients who need to be seen and could have used that time.  We respectfully request that you give us at least 24 hours notice for an appointment change so that your specific time can be given to another patient who needs it.

Do you accept my insurance plan?

Dental insurance was never intended to cover all costs of treatment, but only as a supplement to help pay for care. Since dental insurance started decades ago, the fees paid by dental insurance companies haven't increased substantially, although the cost of everything else has.

Today, dental insurance usually pays for very limited types of services. Anyone interested in taking good care of their teeth would not want only those dental treatments that dental insurance pays for.

What payment plans do you offer?

We accept cash, checks, and credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express).

We also offer interest-free financing options available through CareCredit. Learn more and apply online by visiting www.carecredit.com.

What is smile design?

Smile design is the process that we go through to determine the proper aesthetics for your smile.

We start with smile analysis.  We’ll evaluate the way your smile looks now, starting with the whiteness of your teeth and their size and shape (Too wide? Too narrow? Too small? Too large?). We check for crooked or uneven teeth, for missing teeth, or for large gaps between teeth.  We’ll look for old silver fillings or worn crowns that are showing metal.

We’ll examine the edges of your teeth to see if you’re grinding them, if any surfaces are worn—or if any surfaces are too sharp or look out of line.  We’ll check your gums to see if they’re showing too much, if they’re receded or if they look puffy or swollen.

After this complete analysis, we begin the smile design process. Each person has a unique perfect smile that maintains the optimal relationship to facial symmetry, lip line and phonetics.  To find your perfect smile, we use the “golden proportion,” a mathematical ratio that occurs in nature and that has been used since ancient times in art and in mathematics.  This “golden rule” provides us with a guide for designing a smile that is proportional and flattering to your face, and helps us determine the size, symmetry and contours of your teeth.

Once we have designed that new, perfect smile, we can show you what you will look like with our digital imaging software.

What are all ceramic crowns?

A crown is the most durable, strongest way to restore a tooth with extensive damage, front or back for the long term. Crowns can be used to correct bite problems, to close spaces between teeth, to change the angulations of teeth, or to replace missing teeth permanently, as part of a bridge or over an implant.

We use strong, tooth-colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function while saving as much health tooth tissue as possible.  Ceramic materials closely match the composition of natural tooth structure, so they expand and contract at the same rate; this means you can enjoy hot and cold foods without fear of the crown cracking.

How can I safely whiten my teeth?

We offer several advanced options for whitening teeth. Zoom II whitening as seen on the popular Smile Makeover TV show series is a quick in office, chair side procedure that utilizes the Zoom II Light for gel activation. The Zoom II procedure alone has been shown to get teeth lighter by as much as eight shades.

We also offer Opalescent bleaching that utilizes custom bleaching trays for use by our patients at home. Also effective, these trays can be reused later, anytime you need a whitening touchup.

Finally, we use a highly effective Deep Bleaching technique that utilizes a combination of Light activated bleaching and take home trays. The Deep Bleaching technique is highly effective for even the most discolored teeth, producing whiter, brighter smiles.

What are porcelain laminates?

Porcelain laminates—also called porcelain veneers--can provide a completely improved and dazzling smile in just a few appointments.    They can be used to cover chipped, stained, discolored, unevenly spaced, or even slightly crooked front teeth.

The actual treatment usually involves only two visits. The number of pre-operative visits depends on the complexity of your situation and the changes you desire. There usually is a follow up visit or two for final adjustments and polishing, and to review instructions for care of your new smile to insure it lasts years and years.

What are implants?

Dental implants can offer a solid, secure, and esthetic way to replace a missing tooth or teeth.

An implant is special surgical grade titanium post, manufactured to highly precise specifications and inserted surgically into the jawbone below the gum surface. As the bone bonds to the post, it forms a secure foundation onto which your new teeth are then attached and shaped to match your mouth. The number of teeth being replaced will determine the best kind of restoration for you. If you have been suffering with partial or full dentures, or are missing teeth, or feel you need teeth extracted, please call to be evaluated for implants.