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Dr. Anthony LaVacca

Jul 14

Getting a Hollywood smile

By Porcelain Veneers

I have always been embarrassed by my teeth. Not only are they yellow and crooked, but they are much shorter than most people’s teeth. I’ve never been able to afford a smile makeover, but I had been saving up for teeth whitening and invisalign. Recently, I just inherited a lot of money and am free for the first time in my life to do whatever I want. Well, what I want is a Hollywood smile. Would  you recommend anything other than the services I had already been saving up for?

Denise in Washington

Denise,

Congratulations on your windfall! The two procedures you had in mind are a great start, but will not do anything about the shortness of your teeth. Instead of a bunch of different procedures, I’m going to recommend one “all encompassing” procedure. Getting porcelain veneers will solve all of your mentioned issues and it can be done in only two appointments. You can learn more about the procedure on our website.

One word of caution. Make sure you use a qualified cosmetic dentist with a lot of experience. Look through their smile gallery to see if you are impressed with the quality of his or her work. Just because someone says they are a cosmetic dentist, doesn’t mean they are artistic enough to give you a truly spectacular smile.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Feb 15

How do I prevent from losing my teeth if I have gum disease?

By Gum Disease

Not long ago, I was told by a dentist that I have gum disease. I currently do not have dental insurance, so I haven’t been back to the dentist to get this checked. Now I’ve noticed my lower front gum is getting really low, and two of my bottom front teeth have become slightly loose. How do I prevent from losing my teeth? If I lose these two teeth, will my other teeth shift over where the gap is?

Gary from Memphis

Gary,

Once your teeth become loose from gum disease, there really isn’t much you can do to save them. Gum disease shouldn’t be taken lightly. If some of your teeth are loose, then you may have more that will become loose. I strongly urge you to see a dentist, regardless of not having dental insurance. It isn’t that expensive to prevent gum disease. Start by going for your checkups and cleaning right away.

Had you kept up with your routine dental care, you would have been much better off. If you want to slow down or stop gum disease, schedule an appointment with a dentist right away.

Read through our website to learn how to avoid these common dental problems.

Jan 11

My Baby’s teeth are not falling out.

By Pediatric Dentist

It looks like my 6 year old son has his second set of teeth coming in, but he hasn’t lost his baby teeth yet. In fact his baby teeth aren’t even loose. Should I wait until the baby teeth loosen, or do you think I should take him to the dentist to have them removed?

Monica from Columbus, OH

Monica,

If your son’s baby teeth have not fallen out yet, and if they are not loose enough to jiggle them out yourself, then you should take your son to the dentist to have them removed before his permanent teeth come in.

If you can see the permanent teeth coming in but the baby teeth haven’t fallen out, and you can’t jiggle them out yourself, I’d take your son to a dentist and have the dentist take them out. The baby teeth can redirect his permanent teeth if they’re prevented from coming out the way they should.

At Naperville Dental Specialist, we specialize in pediatric dentistry. Learn more dental care for children and explore our website here.

Dec 15

Is this a fair price for a dental bridge?

By Dental Bridge, Dentures

I was told by my dentist that I need a five unit bridge. I have a great deal of bone loss due to gum disease, and my teeth are loose, so my dentist is afraid that a partial will put too much stress on my teeth. I was quoted $5500 in addition to extraction costs. I this a fair and reasonable price?

Tory from Houston

Dear Tory,

The fee seems reasonable for Texas. However, I’m not sure why your dentist is suggesting a dental bridge instead of a removable partial denture. A removable partial is less risky and will place less stress on the adjacent teeth.  Also, a bridge puts much less stress on the teeth it attaches to. You would need to scrap using the dental bridge and start over again if you have an issue with one of those teeth it is resting on. If you go with a partial, then you can add a tooth to it later with much less work and expense.

What I encourage you do is get a second opinion to find out if the bridge is the best way to go.

You can read more about this procedure here on our website.

Nov 11

How do I correct a bad breath problem?

By General Dentistry

I have a bad breath odor in my mouth. I brush my teeth daily, but this doesn’t seem to help. What should I do?

Henry in Jefferson, KY

Dear Henry,

Bad breath or a bad smell in your mouth can be caused by many issues. Most common is from the bacteria that are in your mouth. Brushing daily is a step in the right direction, but you should also floss your teeth daily. If this doesn’t help, then you may want to get a tongue cleaner.

You may also want to check out some over the counter products used to fight bad breath that you can purchase called BreathRx. Or you may want to purchase a special rinse for your mouth. These are very effective for fighting bad breath. There is also bad breath toothpaste you may want to use.

Read more about bad breath and other common dental problems here on our website.

Oct 21

NDS Care is now offering Snap-on Smile

By Snap-on Smile

Snap-on Smile is an affordable, non-invasive approach to restorative and cosmetic dentistry. Now you can achieve amazing results quickly and for much less cost compared to traditional dental makeovers like porcelain veneers.

The Snap-on Smile is made from crystallized acetyl resin at the Den-Mat laboratory located in Santa Maria, CA. To get started, just schedule your appointment with one of our qualified NDS Care dentists. During your visit with us, we will simply take an impression of your teeth to create a hardened plaster model. Then we send the model and detailed instructions outlining the smile design of your choice to the Den-Mat laboratory.

If properly taken care of, the Snap-on Smile should last up to four years, and it is even durable enough to wear while eating.

Patients who use the Snap-on Smile claim that they have gained higher self-esteem and more confidence.

To learn more about this affordable and quick smile makeover option, call us at (888) 873-4606!

Sep 08

Decayed Baby Teeth

By Pediatric Dentist

We took our 6-year-old son to the dentist, because we were concerned about his two baby molars that had broken due to cavities and decay. After the dentist examined my son’s teeth, he recommended extracting the molars right away. Should we follow our dentist’s advice?

Adele from Boston

Adele,

Our method of treatment for infected adult teeth is to do a root canal, but since your son’s molars are still baby teeth, they should be extracted right away.  This is to prevent infection from spreading further into the gums and bone, which could then have an effect on the development of his permanent teeth.

Read more about pediatric dentistry and about our dedication to children and adult oral health.

Aug 26

We’re committed to refining our customer service and staff training.

By General Dentistry

At Naperville Dental Specialists, we’re always trying to refine and improve the customer service we provide to our patients.

One of the most effective ways we do this is by using a service called Kall8. This service is an 800-number subscription that allows us to record the phone conversations that take place between our staff and patients.

Being able to review these calls allows us to make sure that the NDS staff is being courteous, informative, and professional when talking with existing and prospective customers.

Kall8  also allows us to better track the information that callers provide us with regarding the method in which they found our business. Anyone in business can tell you that any piece of data that you can use to determine where your advertising and marketing dollars should  go is extremely important !

Aug 02

Is there a toothpaste that is specifically designed to help with bad breath ?

By General Dentistry

My husband has tried a lot of different “cover-up” treatments for his bad breath…things  like breath mints, gum, and special kinds of mouthwash. But I have a feeling that we’re only going to be able to make it better with the right kind of toothpaste. Do you have any info. or suggestions ?

Jeanette in Chicago

Jeanette,

There are some toothpastes that have antibacterial properties and are good for treating bad breath.
There are also dentifrices especially formulated for fighting oral malodor. They have antibacterial ingredients such as chlorine dioxide and cetylpyridinium chloride.
If you use this formula in also cleaning your tongue, it can be very effective.
The cause of bad breath is, in most cases, bacteria that live in your mouth. To combat this smell with toothpaste, it should have an antibacterial agent that will kill the bacteria at the source of the smell. It can also have odor-neutralizing chemicals in its formula.
Please contact us if you have further questions about the causes of bad breath
Some companies that make bad breath products such as these special toothpastes are Dr. Harold Katz’s TheraBreath, and Discus Dental, which makes BreathRx products.

Jul 15

Can I use Invisalign if I’m missing teeth?

By Invisalign

I should have had braces when I was a child, because my bottom teeth are terribly crooked. Also, my bottom left back molar, and two bicuspids that were still baby teeth, had to be removed.

I’ve been considering getting Invisalign, but I’m not sure if it will work if I have missing teeth. I really don’t want to have the traditional braces now that I’m older. Also, I’m concerned that I may need dental implants to fill the gaps from my missing teeth.

Another concern is my underbite and the lack of space between my top and bottom. Can this be corrected with Invisalign too?

Jessica from St. Louis

Jessica,

There are a couple things that may prevent you from using Invisalign, excluding missing teeth. Invisalign works fine with missing teeth. In cases when there is an underbite and/or severe crowding, Invisalign may be difficult to use.

Some dentists are willing to use Invisalign on patients who have crowded teeth, while orthodontists may be more conservative. Orthodontists tend to shy away from new technology since they have been trained to work with brackets and wire.

Do your research first before making a hasty decision. Visit a few Invisalign general dentists to see what they recommend. If you decide to go with a general dentist, all cases are required to be supervised by orthodontists who are on staff at Invisalign headquarters.

Depending on difficulty of your case and the positions of your teeth, Invisalign could close the spaces in your lower jaw, and it may help move your upper teeth out without the need to replace those missing teeth.

I wish you the best.

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