For those of us who are privileged to live in the United States, it is easy to forget that many people around the world do not have access to basic dental services. Dr. Denise has participated in mission trips to Honduras. He went with a group called Cure International to provide free dental care to a very poor community. Closer to home, Dr. Denise sponsors mouth guards for sports teams. He also sends his staff to local schools to educate children about oral health. Dr. Denise is not alone in his efforts to reach out to communities that need dental care. According to the American Dental Association, countless individual dentists routinely provide free or discounted care to disadvantaged people who otherwise could not afford even basic dental services. According to one survey, this free care amounted to $1.6 billion in professional services in a single year.
Dental implants are rapidly becoming the treatment of choice for people who are missing one tooth or all their teeth. Dental implants never decay, they never need root canals, and they do not require that adjacent teeth be compromised. This last point is important, because the traditional “three-unit bridge” has been used for years to replace one missing tooth. With this type of treatment, the missing tooth is replaced but the adjacent teeth are used as anchors to keep the replacement tooth in place. The process involves grinding down adjacent teeth. Dental implant treatment is very conservative, because one dental implant is a replacement for one missing tooth. For patients who need many teeth replaced, it is not necessary to replace every tooth with an implant. There are many options, including the use of dental implants to secure dentures. In the long run, dental implant treatment is also more cost
A generation or two ago, it was common for patients to lose their teeth. Because tooth loss happened to so many people, there was an assumption that losing teeth must be a natural part of the aging process. This assumption is a myth. The reality is that you should be able to keep your teeth for a lifetime. The reason tooth loss used to be so common is that people had poor dental health habits. In fact, in the United States daily tooth brushing was not common in many households until after the Second World War. Today, brushing is a daily habit, but too many people forget to floss. When people make brushing and flossing a part of their normal daily routine and also visit our office on a regular basis for recommended examinations and professional cleanings, they set the stage to keep their teeth for a lifetime.
Dr. Denise uses an advanced tooth movement system called Invisalign. This system consists of a series of clear plastic aligners that are provided to the patient at intervals during the course of treatment. The aligners are custom made after Dr. Denise takes an exact set of impressions of your teeth and develops a treatment plan regarding where the teeth should be positioned. After the teeth are moved by one set of aligners, the patient is ready to switch to the next set. One of the great advantages of Invisalign is that the patient does not have to wear any unsightly wires or brackets. Because the aligners are clear, there are not noticeable. In fact, some patients report that other people are surprised to learn that they are wearing braces. The Invisalign aligners are removed for eating, brushing, and flossing. Patients are very enthusiastic about Invisalign treatment and we are pleased
How Veneers Change a Smile Porcelain veneers can make a big difference in a person’s smile. The veneers are thin pieces of porcelain that help create the natural look of teeth, while at the same time providing strength that compares favorably to natural tooth enamel. Porcelain veneers are used to make changes in tooth shape, size, or color. They can also be used for subtle changes in tooth position. Porcelain veneers leave patients smiling when their original problem is an original tooth that has developed stains, darkened in color over time, or just needs some new shaping and contouring. It is also recommended in some cases for repairing fractured teeth, closing gaps between teeth, and in some situations where the tooth position is not ideal and there are minor bite-related issues. For some people, stains on the teeth are not easily removed by tooth whitening. In these cases, a porcelain
