Archive | Cosmetic Dentistry

Dental Technology Just Keeps Getting Better and Better.

By • April 6, 2012 • Cosmetic Dentistry, Implant Process and Restoration • Leave a comment

The advancements in the world of dental technology continue to amaze me.  Today, we are rapidly creating a better and better experience for all our patients at Asheville Dental Care.  The more research I do, the more I get excited about what I can do to enhance our patient’s experience and results.

When I think of how far the field of dentistry has come, in terms of dental implants, it makes me feel very lucky to be practicing dentistry today.

To get our heads around the recent advancements let’s take a quick look at all that was involved in getting an implant, just a few short years ago. Our traditional first step was to have the patient take a 2D X-ray.  This x-ray showed us a lot of what we wanted to see as far as the length of the implant, but limited us in the ability to see the best angle or position for the implant.  The result, for our patients, was a functional implant that may or may not look natural in the patient’s mouth.  In addition, because the 2D x-ray did not give us the ability to see through the bone, before we placed the implant, we needed to make an incision in the patient’s mouth to get the view we needed.

We would then rely on the 2D x-ray and the visibility of the incision to place the implant.  While it was often painful for the patient, the majority of the time this worked well.  However, during the three-month healing period the patient was either left with a gap in their mouth or used an ill-fitting partial denture to hide the implant.  Then at the end of three months, the dentist, were left with the challenge of how to fit a crown on this implant in a way that both made it work and made it look natural.  The issue we were facing was how to design and fit a crown after the implant had been placed and the procedure was complete.  We were left with little or no flexibility in how we were able to adjust the implant to get a more natural and beautiful appearance.

Now with the new technology that we have at Asheville Dental Care this has changed all of that.  These advancements have allowed us to develop a far better dental implant procedure.  The result is an easier experience for our patients, and a higher functioning implant with a more beautiful and natural result.  Today, with this new technology, we actually plan the crown first, we begin with the end result in mind, so we know before we ever begin exactly where the implant can best be placed so it will both look and function perfectly.  This is only possible because today we use a 3D x-ray (instead of the typical 2D x-ray) which gives us a far clearer and more exact picture of the patient’s mouth.  With this level of x-ray machine we not only see the bone, but we can actually see through it.  This gives us the full picture and all the information we need, before we begin, about where best to place the implant so it is in its safest and strongest position.  We are then able to integrate this 3D x-ray with our CEREC (the in house crown/implant production machine) so that we know the implant will fit where the crown needs to be placed.

Again, with this new technology, we are able to plan for and see the placement of the implant and crown before we begin the procedure, ensuring the best results for our patients.  The benefits for our patients include: No incision, more often than not an elimination of the 3-month waiting period, a stronger implant and a more natural looking crown.  More importantly, the patient and dentist both have peace of mind that they are able to place the crown safely and securely before the procedure even begin.

And the technology just keeps getting better.  This weekend I discovered and learned about new products that make placing and restoring implants and even more precise and predictable procedure.  This is exciting because the more precise and predictable we can make the implant procedure the higher level of result (both in function and natural looking) we can achieve for our patients.  Rest assured, the entire team of Asheville Dental Care is investing in this new product, and we are dedicated to continuing to provide both a higher quality implant and overall experience for our patients.
Again, we are excited about the field of dentistry today.  We invite and encourage you to learn more. Call our office, 828-274-3882 or come by, we are happy to give you a tour!

Dental Emergency Fixed Quickly

By • March 6, 2012 • Cosmetic Dentistry • Leave a comment

It was something that Bill had done a 100 times before – tightening the bungee cord around a tarp on his work truck. But the next thing he felt was a horrible pain in his mouth as the far side of the bungee cord had popped loose and the metal hook had come back and viciously crashed right into his front teeth and – as he would later find out – he had totally destroyed one of his front teeth and severely damaged the adjoining tooth.


In serious pain and with three severely damaged teeth he needed help quickly. And to add to the problems he was on the job when the accident happened. And, working for a large company he now had to manage through the workman’s comp process to try and get his injury fixed quickly.
Luckily for him, he got connected with Asheville Dental Care and Dr. Robert Powell who was able to help him quickly and efficiently. His injuries resulted in needing to have two broken roots removed, and two complete tooth implants and a crown placed. All of which were completed in the same appointment with his company’s workman’s comp covering the entire expense. These same procedures at a traditional dental office could have taken up to six to ten appointments and probably upwards of six months or more to complete.
So always be careful on the job – don’t underestimate the damage a bungee cord under tension can do, and if you do end up with a tooth or mouth injury make sure you contact Asheville Dental Care first to learn how their high tech dentistry can save you time, trouble and money.

Testimonial from the patient in the story:
“I can’t believe how quickly and efficiently Asheville Dental Care fixed me up and got me back on the job after my serious mouth injury.”

3D Imaging Now Available at Asheville Dental Care!!

By • February 3, 2012 • Cosmetic Dentistry • Leave a comment

This week was an amazing week at Asheville Dental Care. We received some advanced training on implants and the use of our new 3D cone beam x-ray machine, and were able to care for a patient for whom this new technology made an important difference.

First, the Division Leader for the East Coast Region of Sirona Dental, made a special trip to our office and spent the day doing hands-on, personal training with each member of our team. We spent hours learning the incredible capability of our 3-D Cone Beam x-ray machine and just how advanced and superior this technology is in terms of providing exceptional patient care.

In addition, to learning the conventional capabilities of this new machine, we received specific training on advancements in implant dentistry. We studied a technique that would allow us to literally plan and design an implant at the same time we identify a patient is going to lose a tooth.  Now, because of this new technology, before we extract the tooth, we can literally take an x-ray, with our 3D imagining machine, and then integrate that with pictures of the patient’s tooth and our CEREC machine.

Combining these two revolutionary technologies means that a few days later, when we actually extract the patient’s tooth, we can place the implant and the crown or temporary crown immediately. This means our patients leave our office with a tooth in place, and they do not have to experience the discomfort or embarrassment of having a missing tooth.

The 3-D Cone Beam x-ray machine provides us with so much more information and knowledge than conventional x-ray machines. This knowledge means we can design a much better dental implant and, the placing of each implant becomes a much more precise and easy process.

 

This same week, a new patient walked through our doors that happened to be the perfect candidate for this new technology. He was complaining of pain in his upper front tooth, so we took a 3D image of the tooth.  And, from this x-ray, we could easily determine that the root of the tooth was broken in half. Ironically, the patient had previously gone to a dentist, who had x-rayed the tooth using conventional technology that did not detect the fracture in the root. We were then able to use that same cone beam image to create a surgical guide, a map so to speak, that would allow us to see just how to design and where best to place the implant.  In a few days, when we extract his tooth, because of this new technology, we will be able to place his implant and a temporary crown immediately, and the patient will be able to walk out of our office, the same day, with a beautiful smile.

Yes, it was an amazing week at Asheville Dental Care. This is a very exciting time to be in dentistry!

How Our New Technology Can Help You

By • January 23, 2012 • Cosmetic Dentistry, Implant Process and Restoration • Leave a comment

Wow, have times changed? It seems like just yesterday when to connect or talk with someone you had to pick up the phone or go by for a visit, and If you wanted to do business it was a long slow process, requiring return phone calls, snail mail, and in-person conferences. Today, thanks to technology, we can literally talk, meet, make decisions and run our lives and our businesses by barely lifting a finger. Technology now allows us to work from anywhere, stay in constant touch, and keep things moving long after the work days ends. Yes, technology has changed our everyday lives, our work lives, and our healthcare.

Dentistry is a wonderful example of this. Recent advancements in dental technology have made going to the dentist a much faster, more enjoyable and a far more interesting experience. For example, it was not that long ago that to replace a missing tooth your dentist had only once choice, to grind down a perfectly good tooth on either side of your missing tooth in order to make a bridge. That required taking gooey impressions, sending them off to a lab, wearing a temporary, waiting two or three weeks, coming back to the dentist, getting numb and finally having the bridge put in. Start to finish, this could take three weeks to a month. The result? You’re left with two teeth trying to hold up the force of three teeth, often leading to the beginning – not the end – of more dental problems.
Today, with our new technology (CEREC, 3D X-rays) Asheville Dental Care can replace a missing tooth much faster, easier and with far better results. Right in our office, thanks to new technology, we can often design your new tooth, drag it into the 3D x-ray software and virtually place your implant in just one visit. This new technology allows us to construct a surgical guide, so that in this one appointment we can place your implant , place a crown on it, all without ever touching the perfectly healthy teeth on either side. The result? It is like you never lost your tooth in the first place. No grinding, no gooey impressions, no temporaries – just a beautiful new tooth.

This new technology makes the entire procedure minimally invasive, which means faster healing, minimal discomfort, less risk of infection and faster healing. Yes, technology is changing everything, and in dentistry it is changing it for the better. Asheville Dental Care and Dr. Powell invite you to come by and see this new technology. Just give us a call, and we will give you a tour.

The New Face of Dental Implants

By • January 9, 2012 • Cosmetic Dentistry • Leave a comment

Dental implants have been around for years. In the past, traditional dental implants, while a decent solution, have often been a difficult process for patients due to older technologies and procedures that made implants time intensive, costly and often a painful experience. Thanks to innovative new technology, Asheville Dental Care can create a much different patient experience and a far superior result.

The new science of dental implants has radically changed how Dr. Powell and Asheville Dental care are able to place implants and how affordable they have become. Traditionally, to place an implant the dentist had to cut away the patient’s gum tissue to see where to best place the implant. This was a painful process for the patient, and still did not guarantee the dentist a strong result.

Now, with recent advancements in Cone Beam Scanning technology it is possible for the dentist to literally see through the bone in 3D. This new scanning technology allows the dentist to literally design the implant to fit the patient’s unique needs according to the amount of bone they have and the desired result.

This new technology greatly minimizes the patients risk, maximizes their result and improves their experience by:

Reducing Failure – This new technology helps the dentist understand and determine the exact size, length, and width of dental implant the patient needs. The 3D technology gives the patient and the dentist the information they need to ensure the implant will fit and work before the implant is ever placed.

Improving Appearance – Because the 3D Scanning Device allows you to see, ahead of time, where the implant will be placed and how it will look, it gives both the dentist and the patient the peace of mind that the implant will look and feel natural. It guarantees a near perfect result for patients.

Enhancing Patient Experience - Most importantly, it greatly enhances the patient experience. What used to take up to a year can now literally be done in one or sometimes two visits. The 3D Scanning device, allows the implant to be placed with no more than a tiny hole made through the gum. There is far less cutting and manipulation than with traditional implants. With less cutting, there is far less trauma and therefore less recovery and much less pain for the patient.

New technology and advanced procedures has changed the face of dentistry and dental implants. Asheville Dental Care invites you to call our office to learn more.

Stay Healthy, Stay Young By Brightening Your Smile

By • January 5, 2012 • Cosmetic Dentistry • Leave a comment

Have you read this month’s issue of Women’s Health Magazine? If you’re interested in how your smile can keep you looking young and healthy, then make sure you grab a copy.  They’ve featured a great article on how critical a strong, beautiful smile is to keeping you looking young and healthy.  According to Women’s Health, the first thing you notice about someone is their smile, and how well you care for yours may very well conceal or give away your age.

The article highlighted the most common age related issues are Shifting Teeth, Discolored Teeth, and Receding Gums. Sound overwhelming? Well, read on to discover more about these issues and more importantly how to fix them.

Shifting Teeth – Chewing, clenching, years of dental work are just some of the reasons teeth shift as we age.  While, good home care can help prevent the need for invasive dental work, and wearing a night guard can keep you from grinding your teeth, the truth is for most of us our teeth will shift as we age. Luckily you can fix it; with new techniques such as Six Months Smiles (braces for adults) teeth can be straightened at half the cost and in half the time of traditional braces. Nature may shift our teeth, but Asheville Dental Care can straighten them.   Click here for more information on Six Months Smiles.

Discolored Teeth – Drinking coffee, colored sodas and juices, smoking and just the thinning of enamel can all lead to tooth discoloration as we age. Regular brushing, flossing and limiting drinks such as coffee and red wine can help keep our smiles bright and white. However, to truly keep your smile looking young and healthy, you should talk to your dentist about whitening. Professional whitening procedures have made whitening simple and fairly inexpensive to use.  Just a little effort on your part, and you’re smile will be sparkly white again.  Click here for more info on whitening options.

Receding Gums – Nothing makes you look older or your smile less healthy than receding gums. Years of brushing too hard, not flossing and letting plaque buildup comes at a cost that makes your smile look old and tired. Talking with your dentist about how to brush properly, floss regularly and adopting a strong home dental routine can do a lot to restore your gums and teeth to a healthy look. In addition, you will be doing your heart and cardiovascular system a world of good, as unhealthy gums can lead to an unhealthy you.  Make sure when you visit the Asheville Dental Care you ask Dr. Powell about your gums and follow their recommendations. While discolored and shifting teeth may make you look old, receding gums can impact more than your looks.

Unlike so many issues associated with aging, dental issues are ones that can for the most part be fixed. All of these issues, while they are a sign of aging and dental neglect, are all issues that can be treated, corrected, and with a little effort on the part of both you and your dentist you can easily turn back the hands of time.

Minor Tooth Movement and more…

By • January 27, 2011 • Cosmetic Dentistry, Minor Tooth Movement • Leave a comment

We just wanted to let our patients know about some new happenings with Dr. Powell and his team here at Asheville Dental Care. We have recently updated our website and made it more user friendly for our patients, old and new. We have some great new videos, easy to check and see buttons, you can request appointments, and fill out and submit your “new patient” forms right online. This is convenient and saves time on the day of your appointment.

Dr. Powell will be taking some of his team to Florida in March for  advanced training with the latest updates for Minor Tooth Movement. This service is for patients that have some front teeth they want “minimally” moved. We don’t have to ‘cover up’ what you don’t like about your smile with veneers in every case. We are actually able to do some minor moving of the teeth with some clear aligner trays. It saves tooth structure and in many cases is  much less costly.

In May, Dr. Powell will take his entire team back to Las Vegas, Nevada for training on all the new procedures and most updated technologies available. This year the meeting is being held at Caesar’s Palace. We know it will be as useful as the training we did there last year. We used so much of the information and training we did there last year that he wants to take us again for the latest advances available this year. We will be following up soon with all we learn.

Lumineers…..and great alternatives

By • January 26, 2011 • Cosmetic Dentistry • 2 Comments

When deciding whether to choose Lumineers or an alternative,  it is important to understand exactly what each are, how they are fitted, and what the long term pros and cons are.  A veneer is a thin covering over another surface. In dental terms, Lumineers and Porcelain Veneers do just that, they cover the surface of a tooth. Veneers are used to cover teeth that are discolored, cracked or chipped in situations where a crown may not be appropriate. If all porcelain veneers are chosen, Dr. Powell could use our Cerec restorations for same day service!

Porcelain veneers have been around for a long time and they have developed a good reputation with both dentists and patients. They do, however, require quite a lot of preparation before they can be applied. Dr. Powell will need to reshape your tooth slightly before fitting the veneer to the tooth’s surface. This reshaping is generally done using a local anesthetic to avoid any discomfort. Once the tooth has been reshaped, a mold is made of the reshaped tooth which is then sent away to a laboratory where the veneer is custom made for your tooth.

In deciding which is best for you, a frank discussion with Dr. Powell is in order.  Because they are so thin, Lumineers will not hide any dark stains on your teeth. If you have dark stains, you will need to look at porcelain veneers.  We offer a free Lumineers consult to help you decide which treatment is best for you.

The down side to porcelain veneers is that they cannot be reversed. Once a tooth has been reshaped, that reshaping is permanent. However, porcelain veneers have a history of being long lasting and if problems do arise, they can be replaced. Most dentist still prefer to use porcelain veneers, however that is due primarily to their long history. Lumineers are a relatively new technology so they don’t have a long history that can be used as a comparison.

If you don’t have anything you are trying to “hide” on your front teeth, there are alternatives that preserve healthy tooth structure such as Six Month Smiles, or just some minor tooth movement.

Six Month Smiles allows us to move the teeth you see when you smile. It’s “adult” braces with tooth colored brackets and wires. It’s geared toward adults, and we have had some fabulous results with the cases we have completed .  It definitely enables you to save your tooth structure if there are no clinical defects or problems with the structure of your enamel. Six Month Smiles are for patients with mild-moderate crowding or patients with space they want to close up. It’s non-invasive, which means we do not have to alter your enamel doing by doing any preparation.

The Minor Tooth Movement involves the minor movement of front teeth with our “clear aligner” trays. This is best when you have only one or two teeth that look good,  but just not quite where you want them.

Some patients, in severe cases , may benefit best from a combination of moving teeth and the veneers. Come in for a free consult to see how we can make your smile work for you!

There is one guarantee if you make the right choice – you will have a great smile again!

Don’t Waste Your Time! – Why CEREC is the Best

By • September 10, 2010 • Cosmetic Dentistry • Leave a comment

Have time to spend 3-6 months getting a conventional crown? I sure hope the answer is NO WAY! This excerpt is from an actual patient who needed two crowns at another office which turned into a costly nightmare. Do a CEREC instead in one visit. It will save you time, money and the need for future root canals!

January 25, 2010 Initial dental appointment with Dr. X

February 9, 2010 Consultation/findings Dr X and cleaning

March 1, 2010 Two teeth drilled and fitted for temporary crowns.

March 16, 2010 Dr. X cancelled my appointment

because permanent crown wasn’t ready

March 23, 2010 Lower right tooth is sensitive to chewing, Dr X

refers me to Dr Y to do consultation for possible root canal therapy

March 31, 2010 Root Canal

April 9, 2010 Dr. X fits upper molar permanent crown. After 2 hours of trying to fit the lower crown, he gives up and puts another temporary crown on.

May 3, 2010 Having some sensitivity to chewing /Dr. X refers me back to Dr. Y

May 6, 2010 Dr. Y says the root canal is fine, but the temporary crown doesn’t fit well. The margins are open, the contact is not good, and that it’s causing the tooth to be irritated. Dr. Y calls Dr. X and explains.

May 13, 2010 Dr. X puts on a third temporary crown.

May 25, 2010 Dr. X finally puts on permanent crown

July 12, 2010 While visiting family out of town, have to go see Dr. Z for ongoing sensitivity with the same tooth. No infection or inflammation are present, but crown is too high. Dr. Z adjusts crown and suggests to see a dentist when I get back to North Carolina if sensitivity persists.

Another dental visit? Seems as if you would have better things to do with your time. CEREC is one visit dentistry. ASK US NOW how to avoid costly and time consuming visits such as these. Call our office and request an appointment today.

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