Simply put, an orthodontist is a type of dentist. However, many people don't know this because general dentistry and orthodontics are treated as two very separate kinds of dental care.

Perhaps the earliest example of dental implants were seashells found in the jaw of an ancient Mayan skeleton from 1,300 years ago.

Recent studies have revealed that there is a strong correlation between gum disease and cardiovascular disease. Gum disease, which is referred to by dentists as periodontitis

Among the many health fads and rumors going around the web, oil pulling is one that we dentists get asked about a lot. The question is, does oil pulling really prevent tooth decay?

What if we told you the more often you see your dentist, the less you'll spend on dentistry? We know it sounds like a contradiction, but that is the power of preventive dentistry.

We know many dental patients find the ins & outs of dental insurance confusing, but if you have dental insurance the most important thing for you to know is that you get two free cleanings per year!

If you need a chipped tooth repaired or want a fast and relatively affordable way to change the shape of your smile, dental bonding is the solution.

When we talk to patients about dentistry, one of the main concerns they bring up is whether the dental care they receive will be gentle. As dentists, our main concern of course is your health, but we understand the desire to have a gentle dental care experience. We know it's not everyday you have to let another person look around your mouth, so we strive to do all we can to make sure your visit & your treatment comfortable, & we mean this in the broadest sense possible.

Teeth grinding is when you clench your jaw closed & grind your teeth together, whether consciously or unconsciously. Teeth grinding is called bruxism by dentists, & it can cause damage, discomfort & pain.

Dental crowns, or caps, are one of the most common restorative dental procedures that dentists perform. If you've been told you need a crown, there's no reason to worry. Dental crowns allow us to restore your smile both functionally & aesthetically, & modern techniques mean we can complete the procedure faster than in the past.

The color of their teeth is one of the top things people say they would like to change about their smile. Thankfully, teeth whitening is fairly simple treatment, but there are so many options for teeth whitening you may find yourself with a few questions. We think the most common and the most important question we hear is this: Why should I have my dentist whiten my teeth instead of using those drugstore whitening kits?

Finding a dentist is about finding someone you like and trust. The dental office you choose should be you & your family's dental home, your headquarters for all things dental health related. It should be a place where you feel comfortable & where you're greeting by name when you arrive.

Have you ever looked at a celebrity smile & wished your smile could be equally perfect. Well, it's no big secret among dentists that most Hollywood stars were not born with perfect teeth. For many celebrities, their Hollywood smiles are achieved with the help of cosmetic dentistry, particularly porcelain veneers.

There are two categories of mouthguards with two different purposes that you can get from your dentist. Mouthguards for sports are intended to prevent injury. Mouthguards worn while sleeping are intended to prevent problems associated with teeth grinding or other bite problems.

Our pledge to you is to provide the most personalized, effective dental care possible. Caring for your individual dental health is part of our larger goal of improving & supporting the overall health of the community.

From magic spells to seeing the barber for a toothache, caring for teeth has a long and storied history. Here are some of the most significant moments in the history of early dentistry, right up until when the word "dentist" was first coined.

We've all heard that the pen is mightier than the sword. You might also say that the toothbrush is mightier than the drill! That's because if you wield your toothbrush properly, it's a very powerful weapon against tooth decay & gum disease. But like any tool, if you want it to work best, you need to take care of it.

Dental assistants are often described as the dentist's right hand. They are vital members of the dental team who ensure that you are cared for in a timely, efficient manner in a super clean, germ-free practice.

While we all experienced losing teeth as a right of passage through childhood, losing a tooth as an adult is no fun at all, especially when it's the result of an accident.

Root canals have earned a bad reputation. This procedure has become the butt of jokes on TV shows & in games of “Would You Rather”. It has also become the subject of an unusual amount of anxiety because patients expect the procedure to be painful, despite recent advancements that ensure this isn’t the case. But from a health perspective, root canals are heroic: they are a life-saving procedure for your tooth!

These days people are being more and more conscious of what's in the food they eat and the products they buy. But do you know what your toothpaste is made of?

Most people get their dental insurance through their employer, who will choose it depending on what they expect the dental needs of their employees are. However, if you are self-employed, not working, or your employer doesn’t offer dental insurance, you can sign up for dental insurance as an individual

Many primary & secondary schools across the United States (& in some other countries) require students to have a dental exam from a pediatric dentist or family dentist before they finish certain grade levels.

A periodontist is a fully trained dentist who specializes in treating periodontal disease (advanced gum disease) and the placement of dental implants.

If you're looking to find the right dentist & establish a "dental home" for your family, you may wonder what the difference is between a pediatric dentist (a.k.a. a kids' dentist) & a family dentist. After all, most family dentists see both children & adults.

Dental implants are the top-of-the-line when it comes to natural and functional replacements for missing teeth, but that excellence can come with a hefty price tag. Replacing missing teeth can have a positive effect on your health,

As dental professionals, most of what we do is about relieving and preventing pain. However, sometimes post-procedure pain is an unfortunate but unavoidable step on the road to a healthy and functional smile.

Wearing a mouth guard during sports activities is one of the best ways to avoid injuries to your child's teeth & emergency dental care. Mouth guards, which are made from a plastic or rubber material & fit over the top arch of teeth, not only protect your teeth, but also protect lips & cheeks from being damaged by teeth during an impact.

Ask anyone over the age of 40 and they'll tell you that getting a dental filling used to mean adding a gleam of metal to your mouth. Recently, modern dentistry has adopted new high-tech materials that imitate the look of natural teeth

The goal of modern dentistry is for each & every patient to keep all their teeth for their entire lifetime. As dental health awareness & dental technology have advanced over the last half century, we now see fewer older people who are missing all their teeth (a condition dentists call edentulism).

Like every other part of our bodies, our mouths change as we age. As the carefree days of youth fade you may be faced with new challenges when it comes to your oral health

Most patients, especially those in suburban areas near cities, have two choices for the types of dental practices they can go to. There are classic privately-owned practices, which are small businesses where the supervising dentist is also the owner.

Even if you take excellent care of your teeth & mouth, sometimes an unforeseen incident could put you in need of emergency dental care. Whether the culprit for your emergency is an injury, a rogue popcorn kernel, or just a mystery toothache, our dental office is here for you in an emergency.

Dental implants are the latest & greatest in dental technology that allows dentist to replace missing teeth permanently. You may know that implants can replace teeth & are used in complete smile reconstructions & makeovers. But you may also not be sure exactly what dental implants are, & how they work.

We know the majority of our patients work during the middle of the day. You may not work 9 to 5 exactly (maybe you work 8 to 4) but chances are that in the middle of the day, your employer or clients expect you to be at work or available. That's why we do our best to offer teeth cleaning appointments that fit your work schedule.

Among the many changes that women experience in their bodies when they become pregnant, changes to their oral health may be among the most surprising and perplexing.

When you think of braces, you may think of months to years of a mouth full of metal, but just like all other technologies, the technology of straightening teeth has advanced in recent years. There are lots of options for braces these days, some of which you might not even call braces.

Brushing your teeth is very important for your oral & overall health, but to kids, it’s just a chore. But it doesn’t have to be! Here are some tips for teaching your kids how to brush their teeth effectively & solidify good dental care habits for a lifetime of healthy teeth.

Many people think of braces as a right of passage that we subject pre-teens & teens to in the midst of their most awkward years just to ensure they have a nice straight smile by the time they reach adulthood. But the truth is that braces can benefit people of all ages & not all of the reasons to get braces are aesthetic.

When most of us think of the affect of food on our teeth, we probably think of the age-old wisdom that sugar causes tooth decay. And while sugar is a notorious culprit, there are many other ways that the foods you eat affect your teeth, & not all of it is bad news.

The answer: Bone loss. A common legend says that an astronaut who returned to Earth after an extended stay on a space station had bones so weak that he broke his arm lifting a tea cup.

Why not start getting your kids' smiles in shape this summer? Kids, & often moms & dads, have a little more free time during the summer, so it's a great time to get a jumpstart on necessary orthodontic treatment.

With dental implants becoming a more and more popular solution to replace missing teeth, it's fair to ask: how long do dental implants last? The short answer is that dental implants can last a lifetime. Here's the long answer.

The message that soda is bad for your teeth and your overall health is hard to avoid these days. Most of us already know that sugary soda pop should be treated as a special treat.

In the unfortunate situation that a patient is missing their teeth, dentures are a great solution to return a smile to beauty and function.

The most effective and best teeth whitening treatment you can receive is a professional teeth whitening session at the dentist. The dentist has access to specialized whitening products and knows how to whiten teeth quickly and effectively.

When people think of a smile makeover, many people think of braces. And it's true that braces can create a very powerful before and after image. However, not every smile makeover involves braces.

Like any relationship in life, having good communication with your dentist is the key to success. The five tips listed below are intended to help you improve your oral health by communicating better with your dentist & /or dental hygienist.

Many millions of people suffer from tooth sensitivity at some point in their life, usually in the form of tooth pain in reaction to heat or cold. Tooth sensitivity has many causes, some more easily fixed than others. However, it's important to know that tooth sensitivity is sometimes a sign of a more serious dental problem of condition.

Most dental patients come into the dental office twice a year for a teeth cleaning. However, some patients are told that they need to get a deep cleaning instead, and that they need to see us more often than twice a year.

Wisdom teeth are the name for your third permanent molars, which typically appear from age 17-25. It is thought the name "wisdom teeth" comes from the fact that they appear long after all your other permanent teeth, when you a much older & wiser. Most people have four wisdom teeth, one in each quadrant of the mouth (upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right).

Bruxism is what dentists call teeth clenching and teeth grinding. The symptoms of bruxism are fairly easy to spot, as are the complications that can result from it.

The professional teeth whitening process starts with a consultation with your dentist. Not everyone is a good candidate for teeth whitening, which is why you want to talk to a dentist before you have it done.

Dentists no longer use Novocain when treating patients. No, this doesn't mean we've somehow managed to make dentistry completely painless (we wish!).

Tooth extraction is when a tooth is removed from it's place in the gum & bone of your jaw. Compared to many dental procedures, tooth extraction can sound scary, especially when it's referred to as "oral surgery".

Like an orthodontist or a periodontist, a prosthodontist is a type of dentist who has received specialized training in a particular type of dentistry. After completing their education in general dentistry, a prosthodontist continues to train for three additional years

Kids are going to lose their teeth soon anyway, it's okay for them to get a little tooth decay or other oral problems. This is not true!

We'll bet the early history of dental care and dentists in the United States is far more interesting that you would have guessed, filled with famous names and genius innovations

Generally speaking, there are two types of wisdom tooth pain: the kind that indicates a problem and the kind that’s just part of growing up.

In a world filled with whitening toothpastes and drugstore whitening kits, it’s important to know that the most effective teeth whitening treatment still comes from your dentist.

Our team has been caring for our community for a while now & we've noticed many patients come to us with the same questions over & over again. Always feel free to ask us questions when you have them! In the meantime, check out the FAQ & answers below to learn more about your oral health.

One of the best ways to make sure your child has a healthy smile for life is by establishing a dental home. That means creating a trusting relationship between your child & your family dentist & making sure visits to the dentist are fun & educational.

We know that for most of our patients, their favorite part of a dental cleaning is how smooth and clean their teeth feel afterward

When it comes to dental insurance, or insurance in general, many of us are quickly baffled. There are so many different types of plans & unfamiliar vocabulary that it often feels like trying to learn a new language. However, there is one important concept about your dental insurance that you should absolutely know, & it can save you money!

If you have dental insurance, your insurance company provides you with a certain dental benefits each year. In case you're not very familiar with insurance vocabulary, you can think of an insurance benefit as a dental service that the insurance company pays all or most of the cost of. Most dental plans cover the most common preventive services at 100%, meaning the insurance company pays 100% of the cost & you pay nothing.

Test your knowledge of dentistry & your dental health! Take the quiz & see the answer key at the bottom to see how well you did.

You're used to going to the dentist & just seeing the doctor, the hygienist & maybe a dental assistant. But now you've been told you need to see a periodontist too. Now you're thinking, "Perio-what?"

The choice between clear braces or metal braces is becoming an age-old debate at the orthodontist's office or the dentist's office. For many patients who wish to straighten their teeth, the choice comes down to balancing the affect of orthodontics on your appearance, it's impact on your budget, & the expected or desired outcome for your particular case.

Teeth bleaching is one of the quickest & least invasive ways to make a huge difference in the appearance of your smile. Most dentists offer either in-office teeth whitening, take-home teeth whitening kits, or both

These do-it-yourself fruit and herb infused water concoctions are supposed to be great for your overall health, but there's one problem: detox water can be really bad for your teeth!

With today's modern sedation techniques & better understanding of the causes & solutions for dental phobia, there is no reason to fear the dentist. As dentists, the thing we fear the most is our patients being in pain or experiencing other challenges due to not visiting the dentist for checkups & treatment.

As dental professionals we often feel like a broken record (or a scratched CD, depending on your generation) telling patients that they need to floss more. We don't mean to be nags, we just want you to have the healthiest, happiest smile possible!

The temporomandibular joints are the joints on either side of your head that connect your jaw to your skull & allow you to open & close your mouth, chew, & speak. Because it can move in many different directions, these joints are some of the most complex in your body.

There is more than one type of dental procedure that may be casually referred to as a cleaning. For example, there is a regular cleaning & then there is what is referred to a deep cleaning. It's important to understand that there is a big difference between these procedures & implications that each of these procedures have when it comes to your oral health.

When most of a us think of a teeth cleaning appointment, we think of polishing & maybe a little scraping. But the truth is that teeth cleaning appointments are about so much more than clean, shiny teeth!

There have been unanswered calls, deleted voicemails, ignored texts, & friendly reminders that never make it out of the envelope...we both know it's been a while since you visited the dentist. If all our efforts to reconnect with you haven't convinced you, maybe the following 5 reasons to see the dentist will get you to take care of your teeth properly again!

While most people finish losing their primary teeth (also called baby teeth or milk teeth) by age 12, there are some adults who still have at least one baby tooth!

Cavities, or tooth decay, is a fairly common dental ailment, particularly in children or young adults. Even though most of our patients are familiar with what cavities are, we find that many are still surprised when we tell them they have a cavity! That's because many cavities, especially early on, do not cause tooth pain & may not be visible to the untrained eye.

If your teeth are cracked, stained, or otherwise damaged, cosmetic dentistry can greatly improve the appearance of your smile. Dentists use crowns, bridges, implants, onlays and veneers for smile makeovers

If we're honest with ourselves, we know that visiting the dentist is not high on your list of favorite activities. As much as we love dentistry & caring for smiles, we know the general public doesn't quite share our passion. That's why we do everything we can to make sure we provide dental care in a way that respects your busy schedule.

Despite what Hollywood may make you think, root canals are painless and one of the most important procedures a dentist can do to save your tooth

As dentists we know we sometimes speak a slightly different, more clinical, language than our patients. We try not to be mysterious, but sometimes what’s common knowledge to us could be confusing to our patients. One common thing that patients want to know is the meaning of the different letters you see after our names: either DDS or DMD. So what’s the difference? Is one better than the other?

Whether you've lost teeth to decay, periodontal disease or an accident, we know that having a missing tooth can be embarrassing, inconvenient & often very uncomfortable. Luckily, there are many options for restoring your teeth, but with so many options, there is also some confusion.

Despite what some people seem to think, a hygienist's greatest desire is not to scold patients. A dental hygienist's greatest desire is to see healthy mouths free of tooth decay and dental disease.

Summertime is a great time. The days are longer, we spend more time outside, the kids are out of school, & many of us take trips with family & friends. With all the changes in your routine during the summer, it might be easy to let dental care become less of a priority. Here are a few tips from your dental team to keep you smiling all summer long.

As your dental office, it's our responsibility to help guide you through your oral health care so it is as easy & affordable as possible. As a result, we're dedicated to helping you make the most of your dental insurance, ensuring you get the care you need & you take advantage of every benefit available to you.

Everyone knows about cavities & how they affect your teeth and your oral health, but you never hear very much about gum disease. What is gum disease? How can you protect your gums and teeth from gum disease? And what causes it anyway?

As the dental health professionals in charge of keeping your smile healthy, we want to do everything we can to keep potential health threats away from your teeth. We all know that sugar can cause major problems when it comes to oral health, particularly tooth decay. That being said, we know it's unrealistic to tell you to stay away from sugar all together.

There are many ways to replace missing teeth & restore your smile, & bridges are a good permanent solution. They can replace one or more missing teeth, including molars, & cannot be removed, unlike dentures.

Over time, plaque (a thick, bacteria-filled film) and tartar (a hard calcium-based build-up) can build up on your teeth & eventually lead to tooth decay. While regular brushing & flossing at home can help prevent this buildup, it can't necessarily remove it. That's why going to your dentist for a professional cleaning is so important.

Just like a post you place when building a fence, a dental post is intended to keep something stable and in place—in this case, a tooth.

Humans have been using toothbrushes to remove food from teeth for thousands of years. Early toothbrushes were sticks with frayed ends, & later brushes were made from bone, wood or ivory & animal hairs. We have come a long way since then, & toothbrushes today are very effective at removing food & plaque & keeping your teeth & gums clean to prevent tooth decay.

Any dentist will tell you that dental care is important, but what we might not explain is exactly WHY dental care is important. Though you see a different doctor for your physical health than you do for your oral health, much of what your dentist does is connected to your overall health.