GENERAL DENTISTRY

Your dental exams will be far from routine. At Smile Artistry, we use the most advanced digital technology to ensure we perform a thorough and non-invasive comprehensive exam. We use this appointment to make sure your smile is healthy and free from any oral disease. A typical exam may include:

• A full series of digital x-rays
• Oral cancer screening
• A thorough and gentle cleaning of your teeth
• A one-on-one conversation with your dentist

Every smile is different and we dedicate your appointment times as your opportunity to ask us any questions or concerns you may have. We’re an open book and will do everything possible to ensure your visit isn’t a waste of your time.

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Mercury-free, tooth-colored fillings are now the accepted alternative to traditional amalgam silver fillings. Our Redmond dentist will supervise the creation of your fillings to ensure that they perfectly match the color of your existing teeth. No longer do patients have to endure the unsightly look of metal when they smile. As a further benefit, tooth-colored fillings are potentially safer than their traditional counterparts, as many believe that the mercury present in silver fillings may be toxic. Aside from being healthier and more aesthetically pleasing than silver fillings, tooth-colored fillings are also more resistant to breakage.

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Crowns:

Also called caps, crowns securely cover fractured or broken teeth. They also replace old over-sized fillings. For a permanent restoration that identically matches your teeth, we are now able to combine beauty and strength with the use of space-age materials. Primarily, we use all glass crowns rather than the traditional metal and porcelain crowns. They allow for a more conservative approach with less removal of valuable tooth structure. These crowns are an excellent choice to lend strength, beauty, and longevity to damaged teeth.

Bridges:

Bridges are a fixed or non-removable prosthesis constructed to replace one or more missing teeth. The teeth on either side of the existing space anchor the bridge. We are now able to construct beautiful full porcelain bridges and porcelain over metal bridges to produce beautiful aesthetic results.

Dental implants are the premier solution for replacing missing teeth. Besides giving you the confidence to smile again, dental implants will help you:

• Eat your favorite foods: Missing teeth or unstable dentures make it tough to chew and eat. Dental implants function just like natural teeth, becoming a stabilizing root to help you eat your favorite foods with confidence.
• Speak with clarity: Slippery and sliding dentures make speech very difficult, causing you to slur or mumble your words. However, dental implants are securely placed within your jawbone, giving you the ability to speak clearly and with confidence.
• Stop jawbone deterioration: When you’re missing teeth, the jaw doesn’t have the support it needs, so it starts to deteriorate. In turn, this creates a sunken look, making your face appear saggy. Dental implants mimic the tooth root, giving your jawbone the stabilization it needs and stops the deterioration process.

Normally, you would need to see an outside professional to place implants. That’s not the case with Smile Artistry. Our in-house dentist has the education and experience to place and restores dental implants right here in our office. You’ll see the same provider from start to finish, giving more precise and accurate results.

Root canals are the last line of defense to save your natural tooth. If the tooth nerve (also known as the pulp) becomes severely damaged or infected, your Redmond dentist is able to use root canal therapy to save your tooth. This includes:

• Removing the infected pulp
• Cleaning and sealing the canal with strong dental materials
• Placing a restored crown

Root canals have received the stigma of being a painful procedure. We’re here to tell you that’s not the case! In fact, root canals actually relieve pain. Using non-invasive technology, we perform root canal therapy efficiently and comfortably. We’re confident you’ll hardly feel a thing and will ensure you’re comfortable from start to finish.

Extractions are needed when a tooth cannot be saved from a root canal or the smile needs to be prepared for future treatment (orthodontics, dental implants, etc.). At Smile Artistry, your comfort is our utmost priority and we can perform the extraction right in our office instead of sending you to another office. This ensures you see the same face from start to finish.

Gone are the days of using scalpels. At Smile Artistry, we use laser technology to gently shape AND prevent gum disease. Lasers are more precise and gentle than conventional instruments, offering greater comfort and reduced recovery time for patients. In addition, lasers can be used to treat cold sores. We can instantly reduce their size and make them less noticeable.

We are pleased to offer Neuromuscular Dentistry (NMD), a highly focused field of dentistry. We are able to provide our patients with the most effective technology for the complete diagnosis and treatment of “bite” dysfunction. NMD evaluates how your muscles, teeth, bite, and joints all work together, in order to achieve an optimal occlusion (“bite”). If the “bite” is off, it can lead to many problems from excessive teeth wear to severe pain, including “TMJ.” Having a correct “bite” is the foundation of oral health care.

It is of key importance to the success of every major dental procedure to have the bite analyzed and corrected. In addition, NMD is often used on intensive cosmetic cases to analyze optimum jaw and bite position. In our opinion, it is crucial that NMD is readily available to any patient that undergoes a smile makeover.

To evaluate the “bite” or see if there is a TMJ problem, our practice uses a device that completely relaxes specific facial muscles. Once the muscles are relaxed, we are able to compare your usual bite with the relaxed jaw position. We can then determine whether your bite should be adjusted.

Symptom Self-Quiz

Below are a few of the more common symptoms that may possibly be associated with your bite. If you suffer from one or more of the following, you may wish to be evaluated to rule in or rule out malocclusion (bad bite) as a cause.

• Headaches
• TMJ pain – jaw pain, especially when chewing
• TMJ noise – clicking noises when eating
• Jaw is locking (when open or closed)
• Limited jaw opening
• Jaw clenching
• Teeth grinding
• Facial pain
• Ear pain
• Neck, shoulder, or back pain
• Dizziness
• Difficulty swallowing
• Sensitive teeth, unexplained loose, cracked, worn, or chipped teeth

The Pacific Northwest is an active community filled with sports-loving children. Protect your children’s smiles from freak accidents with Smile Artistry’s customized mouthguards. We’ll craft mouthguards to fit around the contours of the smile, ensuring a snug and secure fit.