Discover Dental Care

There are two major components in a good dental hygiene regimen. The parts performed at home every day, and the regularly scheduled preventative visits to a dentist's office.

Tooth Care at Home
The most obvious portion of home dental care is brushing. Everybody knows to brush their teeth, but many people fail to perform this task properly. Brushing should occur after each meal or at least three times a day. Brushing at night before bed is especially important since germs can fester freely if given a chance. During brushing, the gums, the roof of the mouth, and the tongue should all be included to knock out all the places where bacteria grow.

Flossing at least once per day is also essential to ensure that all food particles are cleaned from between teeth. Flossing should be performed before brushing so that the food particles are not simply moved from one part of the mouth to another, but are completely expelled from the oral cavity. A final rinse with a fluoride and germ fighting mouthwash will help eliminate any bacteria that were missed, and help strengthen dental enamel.

Oral Exam
At the semi-annual dentist visit, the oral hygienist inspects every tooth for loose or damaged fillings and built up calculus (tartar or plaque) deposits. The hygienist uses a variety of tools for testing and removing the calculus build up. They typically follow up with a good polishing and stern instructions on how to perform part A of the dental hygiene plan enumerated above.

If you have neglected part B in the dental hygiene routine for some time, and need a dentist in the Shawnee area, contact Dr. Castaneda, who specializes is sedation dentistry, today to schedule an appointment for a comprehensive oral exam.

Dr. Castaneda will be attending the Myotronics 42nd Anniversary Seminar held in Seattle, WA on July 18-19. New materials and techniques for aesthetic and restorative dentistry have propelled the public interest in dentistry to new heights. Aesthetic, Restorative, or TMD, the common denominator influencing all major dental procedures is occlusion. Neuromuscular evaluation with Myotronics instrumentation provides the doctor with additional information to aid in optimizing diagnosis of the occlusion that leads to more predictable and durable treatment. Dr. Castaneda will return from this seminar with a vast amount of knowledge to share and implement.

Labels: aesthic, dentistry, restorative

We had a patient come in with a missing front tooth. It was knocked out when he was 16 years old and on vacation. We were able to make a bridge instead of a partial. We only had to take tooth structure from the back of the tooth . He had never been given that option before. He left the office smiling!

Labels: bridge, cosmetic, partial

The patient came into our office desiring cosmetic treatment with sensitive teeth and a history of drinking soda and iced tea with lots of sugar. Her goal was to have the perfect smile with veneers. One of her fillings had fallen out. The patients teeth were so sensitive that she requested we only use plastic instruments on her. We used the Diagnodent Laser cavity detector. We discussed with the patient the option of composite veneers verses porcelain veneers. We offered cosmetic imaging so that the patient could see what she would look like with veneers. It will definitely be a life changing and dramatic transformation!

Labels: cosmetic, Porcleain Veneer. Veneers

Poor dental hygiene today leads to greater monetary expense tomorrow. A lifetime of proper brushing and flossing will preserve teeth as long as they are needed, but let those habits slip and tooth decay occurs. Extensive decay leads to restorative dental procedures such as inlays, onlays, or crowns.

Inlays are a restorative treatment used to treat damaged areas of the tooth inside the cusp of the tooth. Stronger than silver fillings, the inlay is bonded directly to the tooth to strengthen it and provide a more aesthetic appearance. Onlays are basically the same as inlays, except some portion of the onlay is fitted over the cusp of the tooth and is more exposed when biting. Inlays and onlays are considered to be more conservative options than their cousin the crown is.

Crowns or caps replace a significant amount of tooth material due to decay or breakage. In order to apply a cap, much of the original tooth is removed. The cap is created to fit the bite of the alternate tooth and is cemented into place. All three restoratives can be made of gold, dental porcelain, or composite resin depending on the patients needs.

In most offices, two visits are required for inlays, onlays, and crowns. The dentist prepares the tooth and makes impressions for the restorative during the first visit. A temporary is placed and the impressions are sent to a dental lab to be custom made. In a few weeks, during the follow up visit, the inlay, onlay, or crown is cemented permanently in place. In some offices, the processing time is reduced because the fabrication is performed during a single visit.

If you have neglected preventative dental care and need same day restorations in the Shawnee area, contact Dr. Castaneda, who specializes in sedation dentistry; go online to schedule an appointment today.

Today was a very rewarding day at our office. Our patient finished her treatment today.When she first contacted our office, she felt as if she could not smile because she was embarrassed to show her teeth. We completed her smile makeover in 3 appointments. She participated in choosing the perfect smile for her, she chose the size and color of her new smile. It is so rewarding for our team to make a difference in someone's life and to give them the confidence to smile again.


Posted by Karen, Office Manager

Labels: Porcleain Veneer. Veneers

In James Michener's novel Centennial, Michener tells of an elderly Native American who lost his final tooth. Since he could no longer eat the tough jerky of the warrior and was reduced to eating the softer pemmican, he decided it was better remove himself from the tribe and die in the wilderness. Fortunately, in modern times losing one or more teeth isn't the death sentence it used to be.

Thanks to modern technology, the entire tooth, root and all, can be replaced with a titanium implant and ceramic cap. The tooth portion is made out of tough ceramic called porcelain, which mimics the translucent qualities of natural tooth enamel. The root portion is made of titanium metal, which is well received by the body. Titanium is used in many surgical applications.

After a period of several months, the bone ossifies around the rough edges of the titanium screw, making the implant extremely stable. The new implant not only replaces the missing tooth, it stabilizes the neighboring teeth by filling the void where the extraction occurred.

If you suffer from tooth loss, and live in the Shawnee area, don't give up; contact Dr. Castaneda today to schedule an appointment and find out more about dental implants.