Denver dentist Dr. James DeLapp received an e-mail the other day from a patient inquiring about the cost of dental veneers on two front teeth that he had injured some years ago. The question posed by this patient is interesting because they wanted to know “if” dental veneers would solve the problem. The short answerer is both yes and no… it depends on the status of the tooth. The darkening may be benign or evidence that the tooth is becoming necrotic and in need of a root canal. The treatments can vary tremendously so getting the diagnosis right is the most important element
Cause of Tooth Discoloration
Our Denver dental office wants to first determine the “cause” of the discoloration first. In this case it appears to be from trauma. The areas to look at or examinations needed to be completed include but are not limited to:
Color of the tooth compared the the adjacent teeth
Color of the gums around each tooth
Pulp testing of the tooth
Dental x-rays
Trauma etiology of a single dark tooth
A vital or healthy tooth may be darker due to trauma and the resultant bleeding into the tooth. The teeth may discolor form external or internal resorption or cavities or leaking dental fillings. In summary there are so many things to consider and getting the diagnosis correct will lead to the best treatment for the tooth
Call our Denver Dentist today
Please feel free to contact us at (303) 694-9740 for an appointment.
New dental practice video uploaded for our Denver Dental office
Our Denver dentist has uploaded the new dental practice video on the web site. It adds Dr. Sarah Parsons to our South Metro Denver area dental practice information. Dr. Parsons is a 2010 graduate from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. Since Dr. Parsons graduation she has taken over 40 hours of continuing dental education courses. Her most recent course was taken at the University of Southern California (USC) Dental School. The course she took was for “minimal dental sedation”. After taking the course she applied and was granted a “minimal dental sedation permit” from the Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners.
Dental anxiety available for our Denver are dental patients
One of the barriers to dental care is dental anxiety. Minimal sedation allow many patients to have dentistry accomplished that they have been delaying for a period of time. Some patients have delayed treatment for many years and minimal sedation dentistry allows them to complete treatment. This type of sedation works for many patients but many not work for everyone. Please consider calling and make an appointment to see if sedation dentistry is for you. Please call (303) 694-9740
Thanks to Scott Carvin of US Web Central for his help with our web site and Blogs. He can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver SEO
Sedation for root canals in Denver and Highlands Ranch
Fear and anxiety has been shown time and time again to be a barrier for many patients to seek dental care they want to have done. In many instances this fear has lead to a deterioration of their dental health to the point where extraction of the offending tooth or… a root canal is the only alternative. For many patients “minimal” sedation may help get you through the procedure. For others moderate or deep sedation may be the answer. Currently our Denver and Highlands Ranch sedation dentists are providing sedation dentistry for their patients needing a root canal. Please call (303) 694-9740 to see if sedation dentistry is for you.
Studies cited by Malamed (2010) indicate that many patients request some type of dental sedation for a root canal. The range of sedation requested ranges from something as simple as nitrous oxide all the way up to general anesthesia in a hospital setting. The good news is that many (but not all) patients can be effectively treated with either nitrous oxide or “minimal” sedation and local anesthetics
Don’t wait till a tooth hurts to seek care!
Our Denver and Highlands Ranch dental office want you to seek treatment before it becomes an emergency. As a general rule… the earlier the intervention the greater success and comfort for the procedure. Waiting until the offending tooth to form an abscyss in not recommended. The infection and swelling can become so severe that the only alternative is extraction.
Sedation Dentistry treatment algorithm
Our goal is to use the sedation protocol that will accomplish our task as simply as possible. As the patient proceeds down the algorithm the more complex the sedation becomes and the general risks increase. While sedation dentistry is very safe… every attempt should be make to solve you anxiety and fear problem at the lowest level possible. The algorithm is as follows and includes profound local anesthesia
Early intervention with local anesthesia
Nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation
Oral Sedation (anxiolysis)
“Minimal Sedation” with oral medication with our without nitrous oxide/oxygen
“Moderate Sedation” “usually with I.V. sedation
“Deep Sedation”
“General anesthesia” in a hospital setting
Preoperative evaluation
As a general rule of thumb some type of preoperative evaluation needs to be done in order to have any sedation past the nitrous oxide/oxygen level. First the prognosis on the offending tooth needs to be reasonable. Patient expectations of the sedation level needs to be realistic with the proposed level. Root canal are successful bu 5-10% ofroot canals fail so informed consent needs to be given to the patient for both the root canal AND the sedation protocol PRIOR to any sedation administered! General health status of the patient needs to be evaluated an appropriate medical consultations completed.
Rules of Sedation
While these two and “not” the only rules of sedation by any means… these two “rules” are most appropriate. First you MUST have a driver to take you home and monitor you after your sedation AND you must not have had anything to eat and drink 6 hour prior to the procedure. Driving while impaired is risky to yourself and to the public in general. Nausea and vomiting while uncommon can produce significant post operative problems
Call our Denver Sedation Dentists today
Please call (303) 694-9740 for an appointment today.
Thanks to Scott Carvin of US Web Central for his help with our websites and Blogs. He can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver Web Desing and SEO
Moderate Sedation course at University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine
Dr.’s Sarah Parsons and Dr. James and Candace DeLapp just returned for USC Dental school where they participated in the Moderate Sedation course.Dr. James DeLappwas finishing 70 hours of training for Dr. James DeLapp. This course is one of several requirements needed to give moderate dental sedation for patients in the Denver metro area.
Requirements for Dental Sedation
Requirements for training involved a combination of pre-clinical and clinical training. Specifically… 20 sedation cases were completed by Dr. James DeLapp. Dr. Candace DeLapp and Dr. Sarah Parsons participated in 49 hours of the course on moderat dental sedation. Over the next couple of weeks (or so) Dr. DeLapp will apply to the Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners for a Moderate sedation permit.
Dental anxiety a barrier to dental treatment
Dental fear and anxiety is a barrier to dental treatment. Dental sedation may provide for some patients the ability to undergo dental treatment. For some…oral sedation may be the ticket to getting the care you need. Please feel free to contact our Denver area dental practice.
Call our Denver area sedation dentists today
Please feel free to call our office an make an appointment to see if some type of dental sedation would help you get the treatment you would like to do. Please call (303) 694-9740 for an appointment today.
Dental insurance has provide many patients the opportunity to seek dental care without the barrier of costs to some degree. In “many” but not all plans the exam… cleanings… and x-rays are a reimbursed service. Denver Delta Dental Premiere insurance has an added benefit in that your out of pocket expense is minimized. Certainly as in any health plan co:pays are applicable the date of service. In addition, each plan has a yearly maximum of benefits.
The yearly benefits maximum Denver Delta Dental
Typically yearly dental insurance benefit will cover “routine” (simple) dental cleanings and exams. Simple maintenance work… a filling there and there…will covered from 50-80% (depending on the plan). Some require an annual deductable of between $50-$100. (as a guess). The key is each plan is different and depends on what your employeer purchased. As a general rule there will be less benefits for less expensive plans.
Delta Dental EPO “Exclusive Preferred Option”
Sounds fancy but… this is a very restricted plan offered by Delta in which only a few dental offices participate. If that is all your employer offers take advantage of it. Our office does not participate in this plan and you will recieve no dental benefits from your insurance. At least in the past many of the participating office have been the chain type of dental delivery systems. Our office is just not set up to see high volumes of patients.
Your right to choose your dentist
At least at this time…you still have the right to seek treatment at any dental office. No dental insurance company can dictate where you can go… they can simply withhold payment for services. For complex dental treatment that may cost thousands of dollars (dental implants e.g.) you should choose your provider based on your priority. Any dental insurance company will end up only paying a small portion of the overall expense.
Call our Denver dental office today
Please call our office today at (303) 694-9740 for an appointment
Thanks to Matt and Scott of US Web Central for their help with our websites and blogs. They can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver web design and SEO
Bisphonates are medicines that are used in treatment of osteoporosis and are one of the most widely prescribed medicines available. An uncommon but potential side effect in sites where teeth are extracted will NOT heal very well. This process Our Denver dentist want to have our patients become familiar with the process called osteonecrosis. Other bisphosphonates are used in treating certain types of bone cancers. These medicines can cause an significant problems that can persist for long periods of time These drugs include but are not limited to:
Fosamax
Actonel
Boniva
Reclase
Many “other” new medicines expected to be introduced
Bisphosphonates have some contraindication in dentistry especially in having teeth extracted. Denver dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp need to know if you are on any of these types of medications before any extractions.
Route of administration “may” be important”
How bisphosphonates are administered may increase your risks of osteonecrosis. I.V. route in much more significant that taking a pill by mouth. However as more information becomes available this recommendation “could” change.
Gum disease and bisphosphonates
Our Denver dentists have seen reported that patients with a history of inflammatory dental disease…periodontal disease or gum diseasehave a seven (7) times greater risk of developing Bisphonates related Osteonecrosis of the jaw. This fact should demonstrate the need to keep oral heath at an optimum level!
Call our Denver Dentists today
Please feel free to call and make an appointment today at (303) 694-9740
Special thanks to Matt and Scott of US Web Central for their help with out Blogs. They can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver SEO.
Denver dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp provide a variety of cosmetic dental services of their patients in the Denver Metro area. Dental patients who want to brightene their smile know that “teeth whitening” or teeth bleaching can make abig difference! Whitening your teeth can give you the confidence to smile as much as possible and that can make you more attractive and approachable. At Cottonwood Dental Group, our staff is here to help you achieve that bright, healthy smile with the tooth whitening process. Some of our best outcomes have been with one of the standards in tooth bleaching…Luma Tooth Whitening. In addition, Cottonwood Dental Group offers other systems that might fulfill your needs including:
Luma Tooth Whitening System (combined with)
Tres White Home Whitening (bleaching) system
Custom Trays Teeth Bleaching systems
Luma Teeth whitening System in Denver
Luma tooth whitening has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment designed to easily whiten your teeth. Luma tooth bleaching can be accomplished in just one to two hours. This tooth bleaching system can increase the brightness of your smile.
The Luma teeth whitening (bleaching) system uses a special tooth whitening solution that is enhanced by a patented whitening light. At our Denver dental office, the Luma teeth whitening procedure begins when the whitening gel is applied to your teeth. A special light is directed toward your teeth to activate the peroxide contained in the whitening gel. While bleaching your teeth you are able to relax watching TV, a movie or listening to music while the light is directed at your teeth and the gel lightens the color of your teeth. After the Luma bleaching procedure, our Denver dentists remove the gel and you will discover a brighter smile. The entire procedure usually takes from one to two hours.
Difficult or Refractory tooth whitening (bleaching) cases.
Some patients (few thankfully) have found it difficult to achieve substantial whitening. If your teeth can be whitened, the above techniques and/or combinations can give us the best results. Our Denver dentists use various combinations of the above listed techniques with the goal to customize your teeth bleaching protocol. Alternatively, those few patients who have deep intrinsic stain from antibiotics or minerals in the water… “DentalVeneers”, may be the one of the options available for you if bleaching does not take you to your desired goal. An in depth evaluation may be the first step in evaluating and treating these cases.
Other factors that affect the brightness of your smile
Old dentalsilver fillings corrode with time and turn black. Older white filling on your front teeth pick up stain and turn yellow or brown. Replacing these failing fillings in combination with tooth whitening (bleaching) can substantially whiten your smile. Initial cosmetic consultations are available at no charge.
Call our Denver dentists today and make an appointment
Please feel free to call our office an make an appointment by calling (303) 694-9740.
Thanks to Matt and Scott of US Web Central for their help with our Blogs. They can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver SEO and Web Design
