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EVERYONE WANTS A perfect smile, but stains, discoloration, wear, chips, misalignment, gaps, and other issues can get in the way of our smile goals. That’s where Santa Fe Dental Group comes in. We offer a variety of cosmetic dentistry services to our patients in and around Vista, CA so that they can feel confident when showing off their gorgeous smiles.

What Is a Cosmetic Dentist?

Cosmetic dentistry is dental treatment that focuses on improving the appearance of the teeth, but treatment options aren’t always limited to the smile; practices like ours also offer filler treatments with Botox, which also has application in treating TMJ pain. When it comes to the teeth, there are several different approaches we can take, depending on the individual patient’s goals and needs.

Dazzle With Teeth Whitening

One of the simplest and easiest ways to improve your smile is with teeth whitening, which can be done in-office with a one-time visit where you get the benefit of our professional experience and facilities, or with custom take-home trays that we make for your teeth.
What makes these options superior to over-the-counter whitening strips is that those aren’t designed to bring the whitening solution into contact with each surface of your teeth like custom trays, and they certainly won’t offer the precision of in-office treatment.

Beyond the Surface: Dental Veneers

For chipping or discoloration that can’t be fixed with simple whitening, veneers are a great cosmetic dentistry option. Dental veneers are custom-made, wafer-thin shells of porcelain or resin colored to match your teeth. We make room for them by removing about half a millimeter of enamel from each tooth’s surface, then bond them in place to change their color, shape, size, or length.

Repair Damaged Teeth With Dental Bonding

A simpler option than veneers is dental bonding, in which we apply a tooth-colored resin to a misshapen tooth or one that has been chipped, cracked, or damaged by decay and cure it using a special ultraviolet or laser light. We then trim, shape, and polish it to make sure it matches the rest of the smile. Bonding is a great alternative to silver fillings and it will blend in much better!

Straighten Your Smile With Invisalign

Sometimes the problem isn’t discoloration or damaged teeth; sometimes they’re just crooked. At Santa Fe Dental group, we can dramatically improve a poorly aligned smile with Invisalign. These aligners are a great orthodontic treatment option for patients who want a discreet solution to their poorly aligned teeth. You can get the benefits of braces without being called a “brace-face.”

How About a Smile Makeover?

Every smile is different, and so is every patient! A smile makeover is a comprehensive treatment plan to address the specific goals you have for your smile. We’re excited to help you achieve them, and the first step is to schedule an appointment! Make sure to check the map for directions to our practice!

Let’s get started on your smile goals!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

SPORTS INJURIES, ACCIDENTS, and tooth decay are just a few of the reasons we might lose a tooth. Thanks to modern dentistry, however, we don’t need to settle for having a gap in our smiles for the rest of our lives. There are a few ways to fill that gap, and one that we offer at our Vista, CA practice is ​​dental implants.

Dental Implants or False Teeth?

Partial and full dentures have been a common solution for missing teeth for many years, but they have their disadvantages. They are prone to slipping and falling out if not properly secured, and they can lead to jaw pain and soreness in the gums. They also do not stimulate the jaw bones, so patients with dentures tend to suffer bone loss.

Implants, on the other hand, are metal posts surgically placed in the jawbone under the gums and are basically a new root for a replacement tooth that looks and acts like a natural tooth. The only advantage dentures have over implants is that they are cheaper. It’s important to fill in the gap with an implant as soon as possible so the bone doesn’t erode and the surrounding teeth don’t collapse into the hole causing alignment and bite issues.

Types of Dental Implants in Vista, CA

The health of the underlying jaw bone will determine a patient’s eligibility for implants and which type they will receive. In a patient with healthy bone, an endosteal implant will be used. This is simply a titanium post surgically placed into the jawbone. After a healing period, the patient will have a second surgery in which a crown is placed on top of the post.

For patients with bone that can’t support an endosteal implant (or patients who don’t want the surgery involved with them), there are subperiosteal implants. Instead of a titanium post, a metal frame is placed under the gums but on top of the jawbone. Posts are then added to this framework, and they protrude from the gum line like endosteal implants so that crowns can be attached.

Dental Implants And Braces?

In most cases where a patient needs orthodontic treatment as well as implants, the braces come first, because once an implant is in the jaw, it won’t move. On rare occasions, if the braces only need to shift the front teeth and the missing teeth are located in the back, the implant can be placed before or during orthodontic treatment!

Come Talk To Us About Implants!

Getting dental implants is nothing to be worried about! 3,000,000 people in the United States alone have at least one dental implant and that number continues to grow. If you need a dental implant, just talk to us! We’ll evaluate your situation and develop the perfect plan to get you the smile you deserve. Just check this map for directions before you head our way.

Keep taking care of those teeth!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

THERE ARE A NUMBER of reasons why someone in Vista, CA might need a new dentist. Maybe their insurance changed, they’re new to the area, or they simply haven’t looked for a dentist yet.

Whatever the reason, if you don’t already have a great local dentist, it’s a good idea to choose one now so that you and your family can get regular dental exams and so that you’ll be ready in the event of a dental emergency. Here are a few ways to make sure you find the best dentist in the Vista area to take care of your family’s dental health needs.

Five Factors to Consider in Your Dentist Search

Many variables play a role in big decisions like which dentist is right for you and your family, and while the ranking is up to you, here are five that should be on every patient’s list.

1. The location of the practice is definitely something to consider. How close is it to your home, or to your child’s school? Is the distance convenient enough that twice-yearly checkups will be easy? Set up a range based on your answers to these questions and look for dentists inside it.
2. What is the dentist’s reputation? Within the radius you’re willing to travel, which dentists have the best reputations among their other patients? Find out by checking Yelp and Google, and ask around if you know any of the patients in person. You can also get recommendations from neighbors and friends.
3. Do you need a dentist with a certain specialization? Do you need a family practice, someone particularly good with kids, someone who specializes in diagnosing and treating gum disease or root canals, or a cosmetic dentistry expert? Be sure to research different types of dentists to find the one that suits your needs best.
4. As important as it is to get high-quality dental care, cost is an important factor too. What’s your household’s budget for dental care? Do you have dental insurance or can you get it? Keep in mind that preventing oral health problems or treating them early will be much cheaper than waiting until they get serious, so slightly greater upfront costs are often well worth the investment.
5. How comfortable are you around the dentist? It doesn’t matter how affordable and skilled a dentist is if you can’t relax in their practice. Go in for a visit ahead of time to get a sense of the place, the team, and the dentist. Good dentists always prioritize patient comfort!

We Can’t Wait to Meet You and Your Family

Hopefully, this list gives you a good place to start in your search for a great dentist, but if you’re still uncertain and live or work in the Vista, CA area, come see us! We can answer your questions about our practice and find out if we’re a good fit for you and your family’s dental needs.

We love meeting new patients!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Now that you’ve invested all that time & money into your dental care it’s time to protect it.

How do you protect your dental restorations? By investing into a night guard to protect your dental implant and the rest of your teeth.

While we sleep and even throughout the day many of us grind our teeth unknowingly. This can cause:

-Discomfort of the jaw

-Headaches

-Fracture teeth

-Wear & tear of tooth structure & dental restorations

-Loosening of teeth

-TMJ Pain

 

Now let’s look at how the dental implant process works:

1. Tooth is extracted– The reason you need a dental implant is because you having a missing tooth or you will be getting a tooth extracted. Once the tooth is removed if nothing is done to it to replace that tooth immediately over time the bone will continue to shrink due to nothing being in place. This is where the bone graft comes into play.
2. Bone graft– In order to maintain the bone level of an area of an extracted tooth, a bone graft will be recommended. This means that bone will be placed in the socket of the extracted tooth site to help maintain the bone level where it is.
3. Implant is placed – The dental implant process itself takes 3 steps. The placement of the titanium screw, the placement of the abutment and the final step is the delivery of the crown.
4. Occlusal guard– The occlusal guard helps protect your investment. The guard helps reduce the wear and tear from clenching, grinding and tapping our teeth. When you grind your teeth the force of the implant pushes against your tooth and this can lead to damaging of your natural teeth and/or the implant.

Taking care of your teeth requires  a lot of your time and money, and it’s important to take care of the restorations you get as well as take care of your natural teeth.

That is why it is highly recommended to get a night guard to protect not only your dental implant but your other teeth as well and prevent new or further damage from happening to your teeth and existing dental restorations.

If you think you need a night guard or to take advantage of our Dental Implant Special call our team at (760)732-5878 to schedule your consultation or Click Here to schedule your appointment online!

Dental Guard –  Protect Your Investment

The time and money you put towards your health is an investment! There are many other things you can choose to do with your time and money and you may or may not be able to protect what you’ve invested into it.

 

Let’s take the example of buying a new cell phone. You spent A LOT OF MONEY buying a new phone and it only makes sense to protect your phone, therefore you need to buy a cell phone case to protect it.

Now let’s see how that applies to your teeth:

You visit your dentist twice a year to help maintain good oral health. That means taking time off from work or away from your loved ones, THAT IS AN INVESTMENT of your time!

 

When you have dental work done, typically you pay a fee or copay, that is an investment towards your health. Your paying money to get your teeth restored and the last thing you want is that dental work to fail. (See images below)

 

So how do you protect your dental work?

By using an occlusal guard (Nightguard) to prevent wear and tear to your teeth and existing dental restorations.

While we sleep and throughout the day our teeth have a mind of their own. Many of us grind, clench and tap our teeth unknowingly, this is also know as Bruxism, and that can lead to fracturing of teeth and existing dental restorations (as seen on the image above).

Other possible symptoms caused by Bruxism are dull headaches, sore jaw, painful teeth and even loosening of your teeth.

You may be wondering why this even happens. Well there are a quite a few factors that take place, bruxism can be caused by stress, anxiety, sleep disorders and TMJ problems. If you feel that you are experiencing symptoms of bruxism or if you would like to prevent those symptoms before they start contact our team at (760)732-5878 or Click Here to schedule your appointment online.

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