Offering Professional, Compassionate Care

Your First Visit

When you choose our practice, we are confident you will be glad with your choice. Our goal with your first patient visit is to welcome you into our patient family as well as get to know you and your goals for your oral health. During your first visit, we will:

• Review your medical & dental health history
• Complete periodontal charting to measure your gum pockets
• Take pictures of the inside of your mouth
• Complete full-mouth radiographs of your mouth (if needed)
• Provide you with materials regarding available treatment options
• Begin creating a custom treatment plan to meet your needs

It is our goal to help you leave our office understanding how we can help you improve your periodontal and oral health. We will provide you with as much information and guidance as possible so you can restore your dental health and overall well-being.

Financing & Scheduling

We are committed to providing our patients with accessible, affordable care in a warm and welcoming setting. For brand-new patients looking to set up their first appointment or consultation, please contact us directly.

Our practice accepts a variety of payment options, including:

• Cash
• Check
• Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)
• CareCredit

Gum Disease & Heart Health

If you are experiencing issues with your gums, it can impact not only your oral health but your cardiovascular health, too. Experts are not certain what the precise connection between the heart and oral hygiene is, but studies consistently demonstrate a link. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, individuals with periodontal issues are twice as likely to have heart disease.

When your mouth is filled with bacteria, it is possible their toxins allow a continuous stream of poisons to enter your system. If this bacteria reaches your arteries, it may cause the same kind of irritation affecting your mouth and gums. This can result in a buildup of protective plaque, which can harden, thus restricting blood flow. Insufficient blood flow can cause you to have a heart attack, and loosened arterial plaque can travel through the bloodstream, reach your brain, and cause a stroke.

Why choose dental implants?

Every tooth is comprised of two parts: the crown and the root. When you lose a tooth, the part of the jaw that supports the tooth does not have a purpose, so it withers away and weakens your jaw. This can cause shifting of your remaining teeth, tooth decay, and tooth impaction. Without a replacement tooth, in about four to eight years, the remaining teeth will begin to fall out as well. A missing tooth can cause up to 19% of adjacent teeth to fall out, which results in five more lost teeth!

A Brief History of Implants

In their current form, dental implants are a modern marvel, but in reality, the idea of dental implants has been around for centuries. The very first implant is attributed to the Mayans and dates back to 600 AD. It only took us 1,400 years to develop a similar kind of tooth replacement.

In 1931, the most notable implant discovery was made when an archaeologist in Honduras found the jaw of a Mayan woman thought to be in her twenties. This bone contained three tooth-shaped seashells inserted into the sockets that once held teeth. At first, it was believed these shells were inserted after the woman had died, but in 1970, another scientist discovered the bone had grown around the seashells, meaning they were placed when the woman was alive — as tooth replacements.

The practice of inserting dental implants was not exclusive to South and Central America. Ancient Egyptian mummies have been unearthed with gold wires implanted in their jawbones. In addition, skeletons with ivory implants have been found in the Middle East. Perhaps most recently, anthropologists have discovered an iron implant in the jawbone of a Roman soldier.

Swedish orthopedic surgeon Per-Ingvar Brånemark is considered to be the father of the modern dental implant. He made his implant discovery in the mid-1960s. He was researching bone healing and discovered bone tissue would fuse to titanium in a process called osseointegration. In the years following, he performed experiments and published studies, eventually commercializing implants in 1978. Millions of implants are placed under this name today, and even more implant companies have used his patent.

Given the popularity of modern dental implants, it is hard to believe they have been around for just over 40 years. However, the 95-98% success rate is no surprise, considering implants as we know them were thousands of years in the making.

Gum Disease & Your Systemic Health

The Perio-Systemic Link 

Dental Cleanings

In order to maintain great dental health, it is important for everyone over the age of four or five to visit the dentist for a professional cleaning twice a year. This is recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA). During this appointment, your dental hygienist will inspect your mouth and gums for any sign of oral cancer and gum disease, which is the leading cause of tooth loss for American adults. Our hygienists are trained to detect, deter, and treat gum disease. This helps you maintain your best oral health and also reduces your risk of ever developing gum disease.

If we do find a cause for concern, we will perform a deep cleaning, as well as suggest changes in your at-home oral healthcare routine. A deep cleaning involves:

• Scaling to remove tartar from below the gum line
• Root planing to smooth rough root surfaces where plaque builds up
• Antibiotic treatment to kill bacterial infection

In addition to checking for gum disease and oral cancer, your dentist will check each tooth for any signs of decay or cracks. We will also check to make sure any of your old dental work is holding up and replace crowns, fillings, inlays, and onlays as needed with tooth-colored alternatives.