Lake Pointe Dental Care

Being a little nervous prior to a dental appointment is actually quite common. In fact, some studies have shown that up to 75% of all people have these feelings. However, for 10-15% of those surveyed, this nervousness grows into a great deal of fear. Fear so bad that it prevents them from having any dental treatment. As result, these individuals often suffer from unnecessary infections, toothaches, and a poor appearance due to tooth decay.

If you feel this way or know someone who does, there is hope! Your first step is to contact our office. We will talk to you about your fears and anxieties before you sit in the dental chair. With full knowledge of what will happen ahead of time and a caring professional to partner with, you can have a calm, safe dental experience.

When getting a crown on a back tooth, there are three popular options: gold, porcelain-fused-to-metal, and all porcelain. However, before making this decision, it is important that you understand the pros and cons of each. Gold crowns, which classically are most like normal tooth enamel in the way they wear and closely adapt to tooth structure, have been around for over 100 years and may last upwards of 50+ years. For this reason, many dentists prefer them for their own teeth. On the other hand, all porcelain crowns have been around for about 25 years and have an incredible life-like appearance. Unfortunately, they lack the strength of natural teeth and tend to wear the natural teeth against which they bite. While porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns (gold or platinum) have been around for 40 years trying to capture the best of both worlds, they rarely do. However, some of the newer porcelain materials are showing great promise.

There are few other aspects of smile enhancement that generate more buzz and interest than porcelain veneers. One reason is that they can dramatically change a person’s smile and self-confidence in a relatively short amount of time. Veneers also have no higher incidence of decay than your natural teeth provided you care for them as you would your other teeth with proper oral hygiene—brushing with toothpaste, and flossing. And with proper maintenance, your veneers can last up to 20+ years!

While your favorite morning eye-opener, a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee or tea, may seem like a must have, the facts are clear. They stain natural teeth. In fact, there are numerous foods and beverages that can wreak havoc on your smile. However, there is good news. By incorporating some of these tips, along with proper care and routine checkups, you can have the best of both worlds—a healthy, bright smile without abandoning these treats. The following article gives you an in-depth look at the causes of tooth discoloration and what to do about it.

With the common cold being the only disease more rampant, tooth decay is one of the world’s oldest and most widespread diseases. In fact, it is a problem for more than 90% of U.S. adults over age forty. To best understand dental decay, you should think of your mouth as an ecosystem where living organisms interact with everything in it and the fact that tooth decay is an infectious disease. And if you want a healthy ecosystem with good dental and oral health, then you need to understand what habits are required for obtaining this goal. You must form and execute a plan of action for preventing tooth decay. Discover the facts, your risks, and strategies for both prevention and health promotion by visiting our office!

While implants were introduced into dental practices in the late 1970s, you may be surprised to know that the earliest recorded attempts of their use date back to the Mayan civilization around 600 A.D. Needless to say, dental implants have undergone giant leaps in improved design, success, and overall patient satisfaction since those ancient times! In fact, today’s dental implants actually integrate or fuse to the jawbone for the teeth they replace. And once integrated and functional, they can easily last a lifetime. Today’s implants are so successful they’re often referred to as your third set of teeth!

Once you get over the initial shock of breaking a tooth, it is imperative that you see our office for a thorough evaluation and treatment. One method for saving a tooth broken off at the gum line is through “crown lengthening”. But don’t let this small surgery fool you—it packs big benefits. It is typically done using local anesthesia to numb the area in question. Small incisions are made inside the gum line, both cheek and tongue side, to expose the tooth’s supporting bone so that a minor amount can be sculpted away to actually lengthen the tooth. After what is usually quite an uneventful healing, a permanent crown can be placed to return your smile to its former look.