Healthy Smile Dental group provides numerous dental services in one facility. Extensive education and training coupled with years of experience is the backbone of the quality service we provide. Our services fall under General Dentistry, Orthodontics, Implants, Oral Surgery, Periodontal treatment and surgery. Please take the time to peruse our library of patients that we have personally treated.
Some of the services we provide include Whitening, Veneers, Orthodontics including Invisalign, Crowns and Bridges, Bonding, Tooth Colored Fillings, Cosmetic Dentistry, Implants, Dentures including Specialty Dentures, Sealants, Root Canal Therapy, Extractions, Treatment for excessive or uneven gums, Scaling and Root Planning, Periodontal surgery including Laser therapy- LANAP (Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure), Jaw and TMJ treatment, Snoring Prevention Appliances, Mouth Guards, Bone grafts, Tissue grafts, IV sedation with a board certified anesthesiologist, Sinus Grafts For Implant Placement, Laser Diagnostics, Joint Vibration and Computerized Jaw Tracking Analysis, I CAT Head and Neck scans, Velscope Intraoral Cancer Screening System.
Latest Technology
Welcome to Arizona Healthy Smiles. Giving dental care in the Phoenix area and East Valley has been a family tradition for four generations and almost 100 years. Dentistry has changed significantly during this century and our office has shown an extra ordinary commitment to education and technology. Indeed, nothing that I do in dentistry today is the same as it was in the 1980's, not even extractions and cleaning teeth. These advances in dentistry help us to diagnose and treat dental problems in their earlier stages often eliminating the costly results of root canals, periodontal disease, TMJ dysfunction, lost tooth replacements with implants or bridges, difficult and protracted orthodontic treatment and even oral cancer. By proactively addressing problems when they first appear rather than a watchful neglect many complicated and more costly treatments can be averted and may even save a life.
I invite you to learn more about the new technologies that have had such a profound effect on how we provide dental care by reading more under their specific headings on our web site arizonahealthysmiles.com and by seeing first hand with a complimentary office tour and consultation about your dental concerns and desires.
Technology has changed our ability to diagnose and treat dental problems allowing earlier detection and more conservative treatment. The benefits of these advances is profound as you will understand by reading through the technologies that we use. This section will often be updated so please check back often and feel free to call our office if you have any questions.
1)Digital Radiography/Scan X. This technology offers the advantage of less x-ray exposure to the patient as well as more diagnostic capabilities due to software enhancement of the images to reveal pathologies that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
2)Intra-oral digital photography provides the ability to visually inspect teeth for cracks which are a common cause of sensitivity that can lead to fractures of teeth, root canals and tooth loss. Additionally, intra-oral cameras are exceptional in diagnosing old restorations that are breaking down and for photographing a suspicious soft tissue lesion to compare with 2 weeks later.
3)Phase Contrast Microscopy has been an indispensable tool for getting a quick diagnosis of the severity of gum disease. Specific bacteria called gram stain negative rods and spirochetes which have a unique shape and type of movement are closely tied to other presence of periodontal disease. The presence of some of the micro-organisms is normal but if the numbers become too high, gum disease will soon ensue if not present already. Spirochetes especially are easy to identify with phase contrast microscopy and are an excellent marker of the disease state often before more serious problems such as permanent bone loss has occurred. Additionally, we have found it to be an excellent motivational tool for youth and children who have never seen slides of the moving and swimming bacteria on their teeth and gums.
4)Joint Vibration Analysis (JVA) has become a very important tool for analyzing the joint noises that many people notice when they open and close or chew tougher foods. Not all joint noises indicate a pathological condition that dictates a need for treatment. Joint vibration analysis is a window into the causes, type and severity of joint noises that patients are concerned about. We use JVA as a routine part of our initial exam process because research has shown that many people can have a predisposition to possible exacerbation of a latent TMJ problem that has not become symptomatic. By identifying those patients who are at risk we can tailor treatments, procedures and methods to minimize the possibility of contributing to a potential problem. Indeed a common observation from patients who present with TMJ symptoms is that they never had the problem with the jaw joint until their wisdom teeth were extracted, orthodontics was done or after a particularly difficult dental appointment. Most of these unfortunate complications can be avoided if we know about their high probability before hand.
5)Diagnodent (Laser assisted decay diagnosis) Up until a few years ago the diagnosis of decay was very limited and archaic...essentially the same as it was for almost 100 years. The age old diagnosis of decay only used 3 methods or tools. First, was direct observation, stained grooves and pits are possible decay {FOCI} as well as a discoloration or shadowing appearance under the outer layer of enamel. This shadowing often indicates pathological decay below the surface. Second is the use of x-rays which is most helpful for detecting decay in between teeth. However, x-rays are limited because the early stages of decay are not detectable until the decay has reached the point where at least half of the mineral content of the tooth has been lost or dissolved by the acidity of the growing decay. The third traditional diagnostic tool is the explorer which will have a sticky tug back feel when pushed into areas of decay. The use of an explorer is very problematic though because in areas of pits and grooves there can be penetration of decay through the enamel and into the dentine with very little demineralization of the enamel and hence no sticky areas with an explorer. The result of this inadequate diagnostic tool can result in decay being present in the dentine but goes undetected until the decay has become quite large. The Diagnodent has become a most valuable tool for early detection of decay and prevention of serious dental decay complications. The way this instrument works is to give a digital reading which is a scale of the fluorescent level of suspect areas when they are exposed to a narrow band of red laser light. This wave length of light causes the bacteria to fluoresce (emit light of its own at a different wavelength.) The amount of fluorosis therefore is an indication of the cavity causing bacteria concentration. Research has shown that using only the traditional diagnostic tools of vision, x-rays and explorer has accuracy of just less than 50% when compared to the accuracy of the Diagnodent over 90% it is easy to understand why this has become so indispensable.
6)In-office ICAT Scan. This new technology is revolutionizing so many aspects of dentistry it is almost incomprehensible. Some of the uses we have found indispensable are:
-Implants, bone grafting, sinus lifts and sinus grafts. With the advent of this easy accessible and affordable technology, implants are becoming the safest and most successful way to replace missing teeth. Prior to this technology placing implants back in the 80"s and 90"s was much like shooting in the dark. During these earlier years I have placed about 75 implants which always was accompanied by a feeling of high stress. You could never be sure what the quality of bone would be (its thickness, density, hidden concavities or exact locations of structures you need to avoid such as nerves and blood vessels.) Having an in-house CAT scan has removed the stress of earlier years and has pushed the success rate of implants into the high nineties with some location in the mouth virtually being 100%. An impartial factor in the higher success rates of implants today is the better planning of an implant site development that has resulted from CAT scan technology. Implant site development entails preparing the area with bone grafting or expansion for ideal implant placement, this has been huge for predictable successful implants. Indeed bone grafting allows us to place implants where we never could before such as where teeth have been missing for a number of years including the upper arch where grafting can be done in the sinus to grow new bone for eventual implant placement.
-Another significant area for CAT Scan use is in the evaluation and diagnosis of Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMJ dysfunction.) CAT scans allows us to diagnose accurately resorptive or erosive conditions of the TM joint which is needful to rule out serious arthritic type conditions that would need further evaluation from a physician or rheumatologist.
-Airways can also be evaluated more accurately for evaluation of different positions of an oral appliance to help control snoring or even sleep apnea that is of a more mild to moderate severity.
-Oral surgery i.e. wisdom tooth extractions have become safer with a CAT scan. We can see where or when an extraction maybe complicated before getting into the middle of surgery. If you have the information and ability to plan around a potential problem than the outcome will be ideal.
-Orthodontics-implementing CAT scan technology has taken orthodontics to a whole new level where skeletal as well as dental issues or problems can be seen, measured and planned for. Orthodontics has become much more than just straight teeth. Today when evaluating for orthodontics such issues such as skeletal asymmetries, mal-alignments and esthetic disharmonies, the CAT scan is becoming a major factor in complete diagnosis and treatment planning.
-Solving problems with inadequate anesthesia. Not uncommonly we encounter a patient who tells the following story, "I have a hard time getting numb. In fact they have never been able to get me numb for the lower teeth." Such problems of difficult anesthesia
7) VELscope-oral cancer screening system. Velscope technology looks deep within the tissue to where oral cancer and its precursors begin. The VELscope System creates a reaction that can make unhealthy tissue easier to differentiate from healthy tissue, and it is particularly sensitive to the early signs of disease. With the VELscope system, the worst thing a patient should have to hear is, "We found something, but we caught it early." Fortunately, the vast majority will have the peace of mind of hearing, "Good news -- Everything looks fine."