Patient Services

Overview

Dr. Anderson specializes in comprehensive aesthetic dentistry. Dr. Anderson believes in treating the whole patient, not just one tooth, while doing his utmost to provide each patient with the most beautiful smile possible. Dr. Anderson utilizes all porcelain restorations such as veneers and crowns, composite bonding, Invisalign, and dental implants to give his patients the healthiest most aesthetically pleasing results. For a more detailed explanation of these techniques, please click one of the links above.

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Porcelain Veneers

Chipped, stained, discolored, unevenly spaced and even slightly crooked front teeth can be restored into a more natural, pleasing smile with the simple application of porcelain veneers. The application of porcelain veneers can be completed in as little as two visits.

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Porcelain Crowns & Onlays

A crown is a long-term method of restoring a tooth. It is a custom made restoration that completely covers your tooth. You may need a crown if your tooth is fractured or cracked, an old crown or filling has failed, you have had root canal therapy or for cosmetic reasons. An onlay is a custom made restoration that fits into the tooth, similar to a puzzle piece. Onlays are made from a dense, strong porcelain which is bonded to the natural tooth. Once bonded, onlays are virtually undetectable to the naked eye. An onlay restores almost all of the strength of the tooth prior to it ever having a restoration.

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Invisalign

Invisalign can give you the beautiful straight teeth you've always wanted. It works through a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable aligners that no one can tell you're wearing. So you can smile more during treatment as well as after. Invisalign treatment will typically take less time than conventional braces. To learn more, click here.

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Bonding

Dental bonding corrects many different cosmetic imperfections such as stains, chipped teeth, gaps, shape and/or size. The color of the composite material is custom matched by Dr. Anderson in order to achieve the most natural result. Some patients choose to utilize one of the different whitening procedures we offer prior to bonding in order to achieve a specific tooth shade. Composite bonding takes one office visit.

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Dental Implants

Dental implants are a scientifically based, proven method for permanent tooth replacement. In fact, dental implants are now the standard of care for missing teeth. Dental implants are made of pure titanium. Once they are placed inside the jawbone they bond naturally with the bone to provide support that is often stronger than the original tooth root. Dental implants are fixed, just like real teeth, and are non-removable except by a dentist. Because they remain firmly in place, you can smile, laugh, speak and eat with confidence.

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Composite Fillings

Composite fillings (or tooth colored fillings) are the treatment of choice for small areas of decay. Unlike, silver fillings or amalgam restorations, composite fillings are bonded to the tooth and create a stronger more aesthetic restoration.

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Computer Imaging

Imagine being able to see what your new smile will look like prior to any treatment? It is possible with digital cameras and computer imaging. Dr. Anderson will take a series of digital photos and manipulate them on the computer to give his patients a preview of how cosmetic dentistry can enhance their smile and ultimately change their lives!

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Full Mouth Restorative Treatment

Some of Dr. Anderson's patient's require full mouth restorative treatment. Dr. Anderson utilizes a combination of various dental restorations to restore the mouth depending on the individual patient's condition. Based on years of extensive training and successful graduation from the world renowned Pankey Instuitute, Dr. Anderson is able to completely restore a patient's mouth giving back function as well as an aesthetically pleasing smile.

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Hygiene/Cleaning

Our dental hygienists utilize the latest technology in order to provide our patients with the best care for their teeth and gums. Our office uses digital radiography which decreases radiation exposure by 90%. We utilize the DIAGNOdent which inspects the teeth using a simple laser (diode) and reveals any decay that is undetectable to the naked eye. We use the VELscope system to detect oral precancer and cancer. Dr. Anderson and our hygienists have also created a periodontal protocol based on hours of continuing education and current medical research regarding periodontal disease. Our hygienists' gentle touch and advanced hygiene protocols enable them to provide the best standard of care to our patients.

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VELscope-Oral Cancer Detection

Oral disease can have serious repercussions for both physical and psychological health. Oral-facial pain can be crippling, interfering with such basic activities as chewing, swallowing, talking, working, and sleeping. Conditions that change or distort our facial features can make us feel less attractive, leading to social withdrawal and depression.

The VELscope system has been developed to help dental professionals discover a wide variety of oral abnormalities, including oral precancer and cancer. By shining VELscope's safe blue light in a patient's oral cavity, Dr. Anderson and our hygienists are able to distinguish between normal and abnormal tissue. That helps in the quest to find oral disease, even if it's invisible under ordinary light.

Oral Cancer

Approximately 36,540 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx in 2010. During the same time period 7,880 Americans will die of oral cancer.

One of the VELscope system's most important tasks is to help identify areas that might, if not identified and treated, progress to oral cancer. The statistics below, from the National Cancer Institute's SEER Database, 1999-2006, are a compelling argument for regular VELscope exams:

  • Found early, while still Localized (confined to the primary site), oral cancer's five-year survival rate is good: about 83%. Only 33% of all oral cancer discoveries fall into this category.
  • Found while Regional (progressed to regional lymph nodes) the five-year survival rate drops significantly, to about 55%. Approximately 46% of all oral cancer discoveries are Regional.
  • Found late, oral cancer's five-year survival rate is poor: approximately 32%. This accounts for approximately 14% of all oral cancer findings.

Clearly, finding oral cancer in its early stages is key to survival. The VELscope Vx offers hope for the early discovery of oral precancers and cancers, by providing Dr. Anderson and our hygienists with visual information that may not be apparent under ordinary light.

For more information on oral cancer, please speak to Dr. Anderson. You can also visit www.oralcancerfoundation.org

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DIAGNOdent-Finding Decay

We Find Decay The Easy Way
You may not realize it, but even the tiniest spot of decay can mean trouble for your teeth. That's why we take such care to identify and fill cavities: it's the key to preventing all kinds of trouble down the road. In the past, diligent decay identification may have required lengthy poking and prodding sessions. Unfortunately, even the best of such methods of decay detection are only 50% to 75% successful. For this reason, we've recently invested in DIAGNOdent: a revolutionary new means of detecting cavities that keeps your exam fast, easy and nearly imperceptible, while giving us incredibly accurate and thorough information.

Reflection and Revelation
DIAGNOdent technology inspects your teeth using a simple laser diode, comparing reflection wavelength to a known healthy baseline wavelength, thus uncovering decay. The process is simple. First, we direct the laser onto a healthy enamel tooth surface to provide the benchmark reading. Then, we move the diode around your mouth, shining the laser into all suspect areas. As the laser pulses into grooves, fissures and cracks, it reflects a specific wavelength of fluorescent light. At the same time, this light is measured by receptors, converted to an acoustic signal, evaluated electronically to reveal a value between one and 100, then displayed on a screen. Whenever the laser encounters a discrepancy between a tooth surface and the healthy baseline value, it stimulates emission of a different fluorescent light wavelength. A reading of 10-20 indicates that there has been some enamel softening, pointing to a potential problem area that merits close monitoring. A reading of 21-100 indicates a definite area of decay requiring an immediate filling.

A Timely Tool
DIAGNOdent technology gives us a tool for catching decay with more thoroughness, timeliness, and accuracy. Plus, it's a relatively simple and comfortable procedure. Not only does it help prevent the spread of decay, but it helps us to treat your teeth more conservatively as well: when we spot decay sooner, the necessary fillings are typically simpler and shallower, preserving more of the tooth. Finally, we can easily and objectively monitor any suspicious areas without repeated x-rays.

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