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General Dentists Offer Anxiety-Free Services

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When you think about the dentist, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

For many people, anxiety rears its head as soon as they think about general dentists.

According to Gallup, about 33% of Americans didn’t go to the dentist in 2013. Some people don’t go to the dentist until they have an emergency! That can endanger their health and make recovery more expensive.

There’s no doubt dental anxiety is a big part of the picture.

What is Dental Anxiety and Where Does it Come From?

General dentists have long known they need to go the extra mile to make their offices safe and comfortable.

Older people in particular cite the possibility of pain and discomfort as a major reason why they don’t always go to the dentist, even though they know they should.

Luckily, there are two great new things to know about modern dentistry:

Discomfort from Routine Procedures is All But Gone

It’s true that, decades back, hand tools like scrapers and drills were in common use. However, dentistry is undergoing a transformation. More procedures use laser dentistry, rendering many visits completely discomfort-free.

Even in cases where hand tools are used, their design and manufacture is totally different from what it was. When you visit expert general dentists like those at Landmark Dental Group, you can be certain your comfort is the #1 concern.

There’s a Greater Awareness of Dental Anxiety

There was a time when if you admitted to having worries about the dentist, you may not have reached a sympathetic ear. That has completely changed. At Landmark Dental Group, we’ve pioneered a comfort-first approach to dentistry.

From beginning to end, you’ll completely understand your dental options and the procedure you choose. Nothing is ever performed without your consent. From our front office team to our general dentists, everyone makes the process easy.

Sedation Dentistry Can Make Any Procedure Simple for Dental Anxiety Sufferers

Last, but not least, there’s sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry allows you to enjoy your choice of sedation options so you can rest peacefully during your procedure. Patients usually awaken refreshed, with little memory of the goings-on.

There’s a wide range of mild and moderate sedation options for you to choose from:

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide “takes the edge off” while allowing you to recover completely within just a few minutes after your procedure. The gas is inhaled with oxygen through a nose mask. Afterwards, it is safely flushed out with pure oxygen and you awaken fully.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation uses oral medication – typically in the Valium family – about an hour before your appointment. Patients using oral sedation may doze off completely during their visit. It’s crucial to bring along a friend or family member to drive you home.

Conscious IV Sedation

Medication administered through a vein can produce the strongest relaxation. This safe, effective approach typically leaves patients with little memory of their visit. Again, a driver is required.

To learn more about anxiety-free dentistry, contact Landmark Dental Group.

Reputable General Dentists in Santa Cruz

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4 Tips for Picking a Reputable General Dentist in Santa Cruz

Finding a good dentist can be hard. Instead of just picking one out of a hat, it’s a good idea to do some research. When looking for reputable general dentists in Santa Cruz, make sure you follow these four simple steps.

1. Choose an Office With a Caring Staff

Another important sign that you’ve found a great dentist is that the staff is caring. A caring staff will make you and your entire family feel more comfortable about going to the dentist, which is incredibly important since so many people have stress about dentist visits. A good way to see if a staff is caring is to watch how they treat other patients. Another good sign is that the office and waiting room is clean and welcoming. If it’s not, it may be a sign the staff doesn’t care enough to make you feel welcome. For example, at Landmark Dental Group, the waiting room is clean and relaxing so that you can feel calm before your appointment.

2. Ensure They Have the Skills Required

It’s important to make sure that the dentist has the skills necessary to perform the specialized services. If a dentist offers root canal therapy but has no special training in this process, they may do it wrong. At Landmark Dental Group, the doctors only provide services for which they are trained. They offer dental implants, and you know you can trust these implants because Dr. Weston, DDS has taken advanced training in implant dentistry. Similarly, Dr. Tran, DDS has taken courses in root canal therapy, so you can trust these services.

3. Find Someone Who Sees Patients of All Ages

If you have a family, it’s important to find a general dentist who sees patients at any age. Whether you have a one-year-old with their first tooth, or an elderly parent who is suffering from dry mouth and root carries, a family dentist can treat everyone. These dentists encourage parents to bring their kids in as soon as possible to begin down the road to good oral health. An added benefit of having a dentist who’ll treat your entire family is grouped appointments. When everyone has a different dentist, it’s difficult to get all the appointments on the same day — let alone around the same time. However, if your dentist treats your whole family, you can clump your appointments to save time.

4. Pick Someone With Diversity

General dentist don’t just clean your teeth. A reputable general dentist has a wide selection of services to meet just about every need. Of course, they’ll be able to provide important preventative care and minor restoration. However, great dentists go above and beyond to offer their patients more complex procedures, such as root canal therapy, so you don’t have to go to a specialist you don’t know, and who may be much more expensive. Last, choose a dentist who offers cosmetic services too, so they can beautify your smile if need be.

There are many general dentists in the Santa Cruz area. Be sure to shop around to ensure that you find one that is reputable and offers everything you need. For more information about general dentists and what they can do for you, contact Landmark Dental Group today.

Looking for a Dentist Near You? Get 2017 Started Off Right With a High-Quality Santa Cruz Dentist

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Get 2017 Started off Right with a High-Quality Santa Cruz Dentist Near You

With the new year here, it’s time to start thinking about your smile. If you’ve been neglecting your teeth, it’s time to make the resolution to get back to taking care of them. Start by finding a high-quality Santa Cruz dentist near you.

Check out what they can do for you:

Keep Your Teeth Clean and Healthy

What’s the most basic thing a Santa Cruz dentist can do for you? The answer is simple: keep your teeth clean and healthy. Regular check-ups and cleanings are a must for good oral hygiene.

And, if you’re in need of extra special care, Landmark Dental Group also offers root scaling and planing for people with gingivitis or deep pockets that hide tartar and plaque. Everyone needs to come to the dentist at least twice a year for preventative care even if you don’t have a problem. It’s the best way to stop problems before they start.

Get Your Whole Family Treated

As a family dentist office, Landmark Dental makes treating your whole family easy because they see anyone at any age. If you have a child whose first tooth just emerged, they invite you to bring your child for their first exam. You’ll learn how best to care for your child’s teeth. If you have a geriatric parent, bring them by. Older patients often have many problems such as dry mouth, gum disease, etc., that need specialized attention.

Fix Problems That Arise

Of course, even with good preventative care, problems may arise. A little too much sugar could lead to a cavity, and a lot of sugar could lead to a big crack. Your Santa Cruz dentist is there to help with fillings, crowns and extractions. They even offer tooth-colored fillings. So if you need a filling or have metal fillings, you can have them replaced with white fillings that look like natural teeth. Everyone will think you’ve never had a cavity on your life!

Get a Complete Smile

It’s so common to have one or two missing teeth, especially if you are older. This can sometimes be embarrassing, but Landmark Dental Group has you covered. They offer three different ways to replace missing teeth: dentures, dental bridges and dental implants.

Dental implants are the most durable way to replace missing teeth, but they are expensive. Whatever your budget and preferences, you’ll find a way to get the complete smile you desire.

Perfect Your Smile

So many things affect the beauty of your smile: discoloration, genetics, poor oral hygiene, etc. In the past, you pretty much had to live with an imperfect smile. However, today, there are many ways a Santa Cruz dentist can give you a breathtaking smile. Some services include teeth whitening, veneers and crowns. These are all great ways to make your smile look brighter, healthier and younger.

Stay Calm and Relaxed

Too many people have anxiety about going to the dentist, and in the past, there may have been reason, but today, going to the dentist is painless. Of course, that doesn’t always stop your anxiety. So, if you need a way to relax in the chair, choose sedation. You can choose from inhalation sedation, oral sedation and IV conscious sedation. All of them make you feel so relaxed you may fall asleep. Plus, they have some amnesiac qualities, so you won’t remember much of your visit — making it less scary to go to the dentist in the future.

Don’t neglect your mouth a moment longer. You want to be proactive with your smile, so serious problems don’t arise. For more information, contact Landmark Dental Group.

New Teeth for the New Year

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If you’d like to transform your smile in the upcoming year, and you have missing teeth, dental implants are a must to consider. Dental implants are the best way to replace missing teeth. Check out these dental implant pros and cons, and determine if they are right for you.

Pro: Most Durable Option for Missing Teeth

Without a doubt, dental implants are the most durable option for replacing missing teeth. With proper care, a dental implant may even last the rest of your life. So, why are dental implants so durable? Like natural teeth, they use your actual jawbone to support the implant. The titanium fuses to your jawbone to create a strong bond.

On the other hand, dentures simply sit on your gums, so they are hardly secured, making it possible for them to slip and move. Bridges are more durable, but they put excess stress on some of your existing teeth, which can actually become loose. Plus, if bacteria gets under the bridge, the anchor teeth are vulnerable with no enamel, and/or the bonding cement may be compromised, causing the bridge to fall out.

Pro: Replace One or More Teeth

An implant is a great option no matter how many teeth you are replacing. If you have one missing tooth, the dentist will use a single dental implant. If you have a few teeth in a row missing, the dentist can use an implant-supported bridge. It’s the same as a standard bridge, but it uses dental implants instead of teeth as anchors. Last, if you have all of your teeth missing, you can get implant-supported dentures. A few titanium implants hold your dentures in place. They are removable, but they snap into place, making them secure.

The disadvantage of bridges is that if you have several teeth missing in a row, a bridge may not be successful. There may be too much stain on the teeth. So, without an implant-supported bridge, your only other option is a partial denture.

Con: The Most Expensive Option for Missing Teeth

There’s no denying the strength of an implant, but do keep in mind that they are the most expensive option for replacing missing teeth. Expect to pay in the ballpark of $4000 for a single implant. This price increases if you need a bone graft to support the implant. And, of course, if you get multiple implants, such as a bridge or dentures, the price increases.

Bridges and dentures are a much more affordable option. Plus, insurance typically pays for some of the costs, reducing your cost even more. Even if your insurance pays for some of your implant, you’ll still have to fork out a lot of out-of-pocket expenses.

However, because implants are titanium, it’s impossible to get a cavity on this tooth. The teeth underneath a bridge are still susceptible to cavities and if this happens, the bridge option will be more expensive than the implant if it has to be replaced.

Con: Not a Good Option for People with Gum Disease

Gum disease often causes tooth loss, so if you have gum disease, you may be thinking about getting an implant. Unfortunately, if you have uncontrolled gum disease, a dentist may not recommend implants or even a bridge. You need a strong jaw to support a dental implant, which you don’t have if you suffer from severe gum disease. Also, you could develop gum disease around the implant, which exposes the titanium root.

If you have uncontrolled gum disease, you can still get dentures. However, the best option is to work with your dentist to improve your gum disease, so you can get implants.

If you have missing teeth, talk to your dentist about an implant. They are sure to give you a breathtaking smile. For more information, contact Landmark Dental Group today.

Dental Implants Santa Cruz

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3 Benefits of Dental Implants

Many people suffer with missing teeth, but you don’t have to. There are several ways Landmark Dental Group can help restore your smile.

Here are three benefits of dental implants:

They Are Durable

Dental implants are the most durable option to replace missing teeth as they can actually bond to your jaw bone. Normal teeth are held in place with ligaments, which keeps them sturdy and strong. Implants can’t grow ligaments, but bone will fuse with the titanium in the implant. This hold is nearly as strong as natural teeth.

Dentures only sit on the surface of your gums, so they are the least durable option. They can slip and move even when they fit properly. Dental bridges are more durable than dentures, but they are attached to existing teeth. While this is a strong bond, it isn’t as strong as titanium fused to bone. Plus, the wear and tear may cause your healthy teeth (those attached to the bridge) to weaken or become lose because they are absorbing more energy.

Single Implants Are Just Like Normal Teeth

Single implants are perfect if you have one or two missing teeth throughout your mouth, and they work just like normal teeth. With dentures, you must remove them for cleaning, and it’s best to remove them at night to give your mouth a break. Dental bridges can’t be removed, but you have to use special floss to floss under them — or risk decay.

Single dental implants are cleaned just like natural teeth. You brush the tooth when you brush your teeth, and you can floss between the teeth with regular floss. The tooth can’t decay, but it is important to keep the area clean or it may lead to gum disease around the implant or peri-implantitis, which can destroy the implant.

Several Options Exist

If you have more than one tooth missing, don’t worry. There are different types of dental implants. If you have several teeth missing in a row, and the dentist feels a dental bridge wouldn’t be strong enough, you can get an implant-supported bridge. It works the same as a traditional bridge, but instead of connecting to healthy teeth, it connects to implants. For example, if you have four missing teeth, the dentist will put two implants on the outer edges of the missing space, but the bridge will cover all four missing teeth.

If you have all of your teeth missing, but you don’t want regular dentures, implant-supported dentures are also an option. They use a few implants to secure your dentures in place. They are still removable, but they snap in your mouth, keeping them stationary and solid when you eat and talk.

In closing, you have missing teeth, dental implants are a smart option to consider. They are more expensive, but they are also the most durable and most realistic option available today. With proper care, a dental implant may even last the rest of your life. For more information, contact Landmark Dental Group today!

4 Reasons You Need to Consider Dental Implants for Your Missing Teeth

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Missing teeth can affect your self-esteem as well as make it difficult to eat and speak. If you have missing teeth, you may be considering replacement options. However, if you haven’t considered dental implants, you should. Check out these four reasons dental implants can be an excellent option to replace your missing teeth.

Implants Are the Most Durable Replacement Option

Implants are incredibly durable. In fact, they are almost as strong as your natural teeth. Natural teeth are held in your jaw with strong ligaments. Titanium dental implants are held in your jaw via a process known as osseointegration. During this process, the bone grows around the threads and surface coating of the implant. As a result, the dental implant can function like a natural tooth. Neither dentures nor dental bridges can match this hold because dentures simply sit on the top of your gums, and dental bridges use other teeth as anchors instead of the jawbone.

They Don’t Harm Existing Healthy Teeth

Another advantage of dental implants is that they don’t affect any of your existing healthy teeth. Patients who have partial dentures may experience some problems as the metal or plastic from the partial denture rubs or hits healthy teeth. This can scratch enamel or cause chips. Dental bridges rely on surrounding teeth to act as anchors. However, for the bridge to fit properly, the surrounding teeth must be filed down. This process is irreversible, and these teeth will always need crowns to protect them. Implants only interact with your existing teeth as much as natural teeth do.

Dental Implants Can’t Decay

If you are prone to tooth decay, there’s good news. Implants can’t decay. On the other hand, you may experience some decay with a dental bridge. If you fail to properly keep your gum line or under the bridge clean, which requires special floss, bacteria can cause decay at the gum line. Implants, however, aren’t immune to other problems. You still need to take good care of the implant or you may develop gum disease around the implant. This can cause the implant to fail. If you do take good care of your dental implant, however, it may last you the rest of your life.

Implants Can Be Used to Replace One or Several Missing Teeth

Implants are a great option no matter how many missing teeth you have. If you have one or two, a single dental implant is perfect. It simply slips right in between your healthy teeth. If you have a few teeth in a row missing, an implant-supported bridge may be a better option. An implant-supported bridge is much like a normal bridge, but it uses implants to support the bridge instead of teeth. If all of your teeth are missing, you can even get implant-supported dentures. Implant-supported dentures can be either removable or fixed and they snap into place, so they won’t move or slip when you talk and eat.

You don’t have to live with missing teeth or a smile you don’t love. There are many options to replace missing teeth, and dental implants are a durable, excellent option. For your information about dental implants, contact Landmark Dental Group in Santa Cruz today.

Dental Implants in Santa Cruz

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Why Choose to Get Dental Implants?

If you have missing teeth, you know how embarrassing it can be to smile! You want to hide your mouth from the world, but instead of trying to hide, consider getting that amazing smile you deserve. With dental implants, you can get your smile back. If a beautiful smile is something you want, check out these three facts, and get to know a little more about dental implants and how Landmark Dental Group in Santa Cruz can help.

Dental Implants Are Durable

You may wonder how dental implants work. Well, the answer is osseointegration, which is just a big word to say that dental implants fuse to bone. This is important because your teeth aren’t just sitting in your jaw. They are connected to your jaw with a strong ligament. This ligament makes your teeth durable enough to withstand the daily grind. Dental implants use osseointegration to create a powerful hold that mimics the ligament’s hold. Dental implants are so durable, and with proper care, they may actually last the rest of your life, which you can’t say about dentures or dental bridges.

Dental Implants Protect Your Jaw

Unlike dentures and dental bridges, which sit on your gums, dental implants sit in your jaw like real teeth. This protects your jaw from diminishing. When you lose teeth, your jawbone doesn’t have much to do. Imagine if you were bedridden for weeks. Your leg muscles would shrink because they weren’t needed. Similarly, your jawbone shrinks when you have no teeth to stimulate it. Dentures and dental bridges can’t stimulate the jawbone. Only dental implants have the ability to stimulate your jaw like real teeth, which prevents it from shrinking and altering the shape of your face.

Dental Implants Come in Many Options

Whether you have one missing tooth or several missing teeth, there are options. Single dental implants are perfect to replace one single tooth. However, if you are missing multiple teeth in a row, several single dental implants may not be the best option. Luckily, you can also choose an implant-supported bridge or implant-supported denture, which use fewer titanium implants to hold them in place when compared to an equal number of single implants. For example, four single implants would need four titanium roots, but a bridge may only need two, and this lowers the cost to a patient.

Landmark Dental Group Can Help

If you’re interested in getting dental implants, the best thing you can do is find a doctor with experience that you can trust. The doctors at Landmark Dental Group have that experience, and because they are passionate about continuing education, their skills are constantly growing. Even if you aren’t sure if a dental implant is right for you, Landmark Dental will answer your questions and offer the best advice for your situation (not theirs). In some cases, this may mean choosing a different treatment plan that is more affordable, and works better with your dental health and habits.

You don’t have to hide your smile another moment! Landmark Dental Group is here to help. With their wealth of knowledge and experience, they’ll help you transform your smile. If you’re ready to start the conversation, contact Landmark Dental Group today for a consultation.

Tooth Replacement Options After Tooth Extraction

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When a tooth is severely damaged or decayed, sometimes a tooth extraction is necessary. After the tooth is pulled, however, it’s important to replace it to maintain functionality and appearance. The three common solutions to replace a missing tooth are a dental implant, dental bridge and removable partial denture.

Dental Implant

A dental implant is a titanium artificial tooth root that replaces the original tooth root. Just like your real tooth sits in your jawbone, so does the titanium root. Titanium has a special ability: it can “fuse” to bone. This process is called osseointegration – where the bone grows around the threads of the titanium screw, creating a powerful hold, which makes dental implants almost as durable as your natural teeth.

The implant process does take some time and happens in several stages. First, the dentist must place the implant into your jaw. The gum and bone is then allowed ample time to heal over the implant. Once the area is completely healed, the dentist makes an incision in the gum to reveal the implant and place an abutment, which sticks out of the gums as the area around it heals again. Last, a porcelain or gold crown is placed on the abutment.

To be a good candidate for a dental implant, you should be in good health and have healthy gums and adequate bone. In some cases, the dentist may suggest a bone graft to help add quality and quantity to the jawbone before placing the implant.

Dental Bridge

A dental bridge works much like a real bridge, but instead of connecting land, it connects teeth. Typically, a traditional bridge is comprised of at least three pieces that are connected together: a pontic, that replaces the missing tooth and two abutment crowns (one on each side of the pontic).

To place the bridge, the dentist must file down the teeth on each side of the missing tooth. The crowns on the bridge fit over these teeth, allowing the pontic to fit snuggly between them.

If you are interested in replacing your missing tooth with a dental bridge, it’s important that you have healthy teeth to support the bridge. After the bridge is placed, it’s extra important to keep the support teeth clean and healthy by flossing underneath the pontic tooth with the help of floss threaders.

Removable Partial Denture

Removable partial dentures are used to replace one or several missing teeth. They are usually designed to look like both teeth and gums because they sit on your gums, and they typically have clasps, so they can clip to remaining teeth for extra stability. However, they are removable, so the clasps are not cemented to the existing teeth.

As with dental implants and dental bridges, the dentist will need to take an impression of your mouth to build the partial denture. The dentist can do this before your teeth are pulled to craft immediate dentures or wait until the area has healed for conventional dentures. The benefit of immediate dentures is that you can wear them as soon as your teeth are pulled. However, if you have a lot of missing teeth, the bones and gums have a tendency to shrink, causing the immediate partial denture to feel loose and may eventually require a reline to tighten up the fit.

Removable partial dentures are the best replacement option if you suffer from uncontrolled gum disease or similar oral health problem because dentures don’t require you to have a firm jawbone. They are also usually the least expensive option, making them a common choice for people on a tight budget.

Tooth extraction isn’t always necessary, and if that’s the case, your dentist will discuss other options to save the tooth. However, in some cases, there’s no alternative option and there are replacement options. For more information about tooth extraction or replacement, contact Landmark Dental Group today.

Dental Implants: They’ll Make You Smile!

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In this day and age, people are more concerned than ever about having a beautiful smile. Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors including poor oral hygiene and a diet high in carbohydrates, you may not have the smile you desire. If missing teeth are your main concern, however, you’re in luck. Dental implants are growing in popularity because of their many amazing benefits

History of Dental Implants

If you think the desire to replace missing teeth is a new concept, guess again! People have been obsessed with having a full mouth of teeth for a long time. The jaws of ancient Mayans dating back to 600 AD have been found with stones and seashells in the place of teeth. Ancient Egyptians also used different items to replace missing teeth, such as gold and seashells. Shockingly, some of these “implants” actually seemed to have been successful.

Luckily, modern implants for replacing missing teeth have come a long way….but they still aren’t a brand new concept. The first implants were recorded in 1809, but they were far from successful. In 1952, however, an accidental discovery by Swedish professor Ingvar Brånemark changed everything, making beautiful and long-lasting dental implants a real possibility.

What Makes Them Work

What exactly was it that Brånemark discovered? It was a process he called osseointegration. In layman’s terms, he discovered that titanium can fuse to bone. At the time, he was actually studying blood flow, but when he inserted a titanium implant into a bone, he realized that, after some time, he couldn’t remove it. This discovery revolutionized tooth implants!

Your teeth aren’t just sitting in your jaw bone. They are connected to the jawbone by the periodontal ligament. This ligament sits between the jaw bone and your tooth, keeping them stuck together. Dental implants mimic this relationship through osseointegration. Instead of using the ligament to create a firm hold, the titanium fuses directly to the bone, allowing the implant to function similar to your natural dentition.

Benefits of Titanium Implants

Because titanium implants mimic natural teeth so well, they have many amazing benefits. For starters, they are strong. You may not realize it, but chewing is a lot of work and puts a lot of pressure on your teeth. Thanks to osseointegration, implants can withstand the daily grind. In fact, with proper care, a dental implant may even last the rest of your life.

Another benefit of dental implants is that they preserve the shape of your jaw and help support the soft tissues (cheeks, lips, etc.) of your face. Your teeth and jaw bone have a symbiotic relationship: your jaw bone helps support your teeth, and your teeth stimulate your jaw. If you don’t use it, you lose it – similar to how a muscle atrophies if you broke your leg and couldn’t use it for months. The same can be said of your jaw bone. If you have missing teeth, your jaw bone shrinks because it isn’t needed. Long term, this can actually change the shape of the lower portion of your face. Dental bridges and dentures don’t stimulate your jaw bone. Only natural teeth and dental implants do.

Dental implants have come a long way and are the most durable option for replacing missing teeth. If you have questions or would like more information about tooth implants, please contact our friendly staff here at Landmark Dental Group in Santa Cruz today!

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