Cosmetic Veneers Can Improve Your Smile

Hello everyone! One of the most popular forms of cosmetic dental work I see here at Castle Rock Family Dental is cosmetic veneers. They are an excellent way to improve the appearance of your smile! If you have crooked or damaged teeth, or your teeth are discolored due to coffee, tea, or cigarette smoke, you don't have to hide your smile any longer.

The process of getting cosmetic veneers is relatively simple. Veneers are usually made out of porcelain or plastic and then are bonded over the exiting teeth. Veneers also have a longer life expectancy and color stability than bonding, and highly resist permanent staining from coffee, tea, or even cigarette smoking.

The process of getting a veneer usually requires two, two to three hour visits at our office to complete. During the first visit a mold of your teeth will be made and then sent off to a lab where a technician will craft the cosmetic veneers to fit your natural smile. Veneers are usually irreversible so it`s necessary to remove a small amount of enamel from your teeth to allow the veneer to bond and hold into place.

Once the veneer is in place, it's important for you to floss and brush daily. During a two-week period of adjustment that follows,you may notice the change of size and shape in your teeth. It's because of this that I must stress the point that veneers are a facsimile of your natural smile and not a perfect replacement.

If you are concerned about the appearance of your smile, and would like to meet with me and my staff at Castle Rock Family Dental, go ahead and give us a call at 303-688-2229 or visit our website. Our website also hosts additional information about other cosmetic and smile restorative procedures that we can consult with you about.

Root Canals Castle Rock

Welcome back everyone! Today we're going to be dealing with root canals. I know what you're thinking, that implies pain, discomfort, and another trip to the dentist. But really the alternative could be far worse! When an infection takes a hold of a tooth, it's necessary to get in there and clean it out. Before root canals, the only option left to dentists was to pull the tooth and hope that got all of the infection out of there. 

To start with, root canal therapy is the process of cleaning out the infected pulp of the tooth. This is where all of the blood vessels, nerve endings, and other tissues reside. This is the surest way to remove the infection and prevent it from returning. Once the chamber within the tooth and the tiny canals are cleaned out and disinfected, it is then filled with an medicated, elastic-like material that will prevent the tooth from becoming infected again. Most patients who have a root canal experience little or no discomfort or pain and enjoy a restored tooth that can last almost as long as its healthy original.

You might be asking yourself, "but why go through all of that?" The simple answer is to restore and maintain as much of the natural tooth as possible. Any good dentist will tell you this is the best course of action to take. Sure, the tooth could be pulled and an implant or a bridge could be inserted in its place. The thing you must consider is that an implant is pretty expensive and a bridge requires a dentist to damage the adjacent teeth increasing the likelihood of infection of those teeth and then require a root canal! So if you've recently chipped or cracked a tooth, or if you're experiencing a constant source of aggravating pain emanating from a tooth, believe your dentist when he or she tells you a root canal is the best way to go!

As always, if you are having dental troubles, or if a tooth is giving you problems - Castle Rock Family Dental is here for you. Give us a call at 303-688-2229 or you can visit our website at http://castlerockfamilydental.com to schedule your appointment! 

Sedation Dentistry Makes It Easy To Calm Down About Coming To The Dentist

             Are you one of those people that gets nervous and worked up about going to the dentist so you end up delaying your visits? Don't worry! It's perfectly normal and I understand completely where you're coming from! However, I do have some good news for you that you're going to want to hear about. Here at Castle Rock Family Dental, we offer sedation dentistry to any patient that experiences overwhelming anxiety about coming in and seeing us.

            Just what is sedation anxiety you might ask? Very simply, it's an effective means to help people like you relax and be able to keep regular dental visits. The night before you come into the office for your appointment, we'll give you a small dose of valium to help you get a good nights rest. We don't want you awake all night long worrying yourself about the next day's visit. Valium is also very safe for people to use with minimal risks or any kind of lingering side effects. The next morning, we'll give you another small dose, to help you relax even more, and after about an hour, we can begin your procedure with you perfectly calm and at ease, or even sound asleep!

            Throughout the procedure my staff and I will monitor your pulse, blood pressure, and your breathing to ensure you're getting enough oxygen. And in very rare cases, if you were to get too sedated for my liking, we have the means to bring you out of it very quickly minimizing any kind of health risk. Laughing gas may also be used to help keep you calm.

            The nice thing about sedation dentistry for you, in addition to not being worried about going to the dentist is the amount of work we're able to get done! We can get quite a lot of dentistry done while you're sedated. This ensures that your smile is bright and beautiful, but also that your needs are being taken care of. Sedation dentistry also helps us minimize the number of return visits you'd have to make to our office, so there's no need for extra anxiety than you're already experiencing.

            Once you're done, we have a member of your family or a friend on standby; they come pick you up, take you home, and you're likely to take a good long nap. When you wake up, your smile will look great and very likely you won't have much of any memory of coming to the dentist at all. Only under very rare circumstances is someone not a viable candidate for sedation dentistry, and this only involves very serious medical conditions. We may consult with your physician or alter the treatment protocol, but again, that's only under very rare circumstances. Really just about everyone is a great candidate for sedation dentistry.

            At Castle Rock Family Dental, we're currently accepting new patients all the time. So if you've been putting off giving us a call because you're nervous, you don't have to be any more! Sedation dentistry really is a great way to ensure your smile gets the TLC it deserves. You can reach us via phone at 303-688-2229 or our website http://castlerockfamilydental.com to schedule your appointment!

Sleep Apnea: Symptoms and Solutions

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that many people are unaware they even suffer from. Sleep apnea is a condition where people essentially stop breathing multiple times throughout the night as they sleep. Obviously you need to be able to breathe to live, so anytime you actually stop breathing for any length of time is a very serious health situation.

What are sleep apnea symptoms? 

The cause of sleep apnea is the tongue closing off the airway, preventing normal breathing.  A hallmark sign that someone has sleep apnea is excessive loud snoring. Other symptoms you should look out for include not getting a restful sleep and being tired throughout the day, a loss of concentration, increased irritability, dry mouth, and teeth grinding. You'll know you've been grinding your teeth in your sleep when you wake up and your jaw aches, and there are also physical signs that I or any of the rest of the staff at Castle Rock Family Dental can make you aware of.

Can sleep apnea cause other problems?

In addition to not breathing correctly, other very serious side effects of sleep apnea can include high blood pressure, a higher risk of developing diabetes, and a greater risk for stroke. Like I said, sleep apnea is a very serious condition to look out for. 

Sleep apnea treatments

Doesn't sound good does it? You're probably wondering at this point what if anything can be done to treat sleep apnea. Well, sleep apnea is most often treated with a device called a CPAP, that stands for Constant Positive Airway Pressure. A CPAP is a device that go over the head and into the nostrils. This can be uncomfortable for patients as they are connected to tubing that supplies air and moisture and can be hard to adapt to.

Instead of trying to get air past the tongue, an alternative is to prevent the tongue from blocking the airway with a Mandibular Advancement Splint. This is the method I recommend to many of my patients. It is comprised of two components that are similar to a typical night guard. By helping the patient bring their lower jaw forward, this keeps the tongue forward and prevents it from slipping back and closing off the airway. This ensures they're able to breathe! The upper part of the device works to keep the jaw from sliding too far back, ensuring the patient's airway remains unobstructed throughout the night.

A Mandibular Advancement Splint also prevents snoring and is a far more comfortable device for the patient to wear. If you have sleep apnea, this means you you're not going to have to be hooked up to a series of wires and hoses as you would if you used a CPAP device. A Mandibular Advancement Splint is also more functionally portable, meaning you should not have any troubles packing it into your suitcase and traveling with it!

Sleep apnea is clearly something that can negatively impact your health.  If you know you have sleep apnea, or even suspect your symptoms are that of sleep apnea, contact me at Castle Rock Family Dental by visiting our website or calling to get more information about the treatment options we have available.

What's The Buzz On Invisalign?

One of the most exciting things in orthodontics currently is Invisalign. The days of unsightly and painful metal braces are gone. Invisalign is a virtually invisible system that straightens your teeth and can fix bite problems.

Invisalign uses a series of trays that are clear and removable to gradually shift your teeth into the optimum position. It has been proven as an effective method in clinical research studies across the country. You probably even know someone who has done, or is doing, an Invisalign treatment. Many patients say their friends don’t even notice when they are wearing their trays!

Is Invisalign Right For Me? 

Many patients wonder if they are a good candidate for Invisalign. Luckily, many common cosmetic and bite issues can be solved with a course of Invisalign. Some of these issues include gapped teeth, overbite (where the top teeth bite over the front of the bottom teeth), underbite (opposite of an overbite), open bite (some teeth are unable to make contact with opposing teeth), overly crowded teeth (lack of room within the jaw for the teeth), and crossbite (occurs when the upper and lower jaws are misaligned). Invisalign has proven to be an incredibly versatile solution for a wide range of dental problems, from mildly crooked teeth to more complicated malocclusion or bite problems.

How Do I Get Invisalign?

Your first step if interested in Invisalign is talking to an Invisalign Provider. Your provider will determine if Invisalign is right for you, and what kind of results you can expect to see. X-rays, pictures and impressions will be taken of your teeth, and your provider will put together a treatment plan suited for you. Based on the treatment plan your provider compiles, your personal, custom made aligners will be created. The aligner trays are made out of a smooth, BPA free plastic that won’t irritate your gums or cheeks like regular metal braces. Wear them throughout the day, removing to eat or brush your teeth. As you move through your custom series of trays, your teeth will gradually shift into position.

Is Invisalign Convenient?

One of the things I hear the most from Invisalign patients is that they love the fact that they can straighten their teeth without having a mouth full of metal. Being able to remove your braces to eat or for that important business meeting is incredibly convenient.

How Long Does Invisalign Take?

Although the time of treatment can vary considerably between patients, on average Invisalign is completed in about 4-8 months for adults, and takes about the same time as traditional braces for teens. Talk to your provider about an estimate for your situation.

Where Can I Find More Information?

There are several resources on Invisalign’s website for patients with questions. A wealth of information about the system, before and after pictures, and even an assessment to find out if it may work for you.

The many benefits of Invisalign make it a great option for those wanting to improve the appearance of their smile. Many common issues can be solved with this method, and patients nationwide have found it to be convenient and effective. Contact us today to see if Invisalign is right for you!