How Solea is Transforming Dentistry

Laser dentistry has been around for many years, yet the Solea laser represents a major breakthrough in dentistry. For many years patients have disliked having dental work due to the shots, the drill sound, vibration and being numb for hours after having treatment. With Solea we are able to treat 98% of fillings without the need for the shot or numbness. The best part is being comfortable while avoiding the negative parts of the procedure.

Solea Lasers in Dental Procedures

The laser basically replaces the drill for most fillings or cosmetic bonding. Occasionally the same technology can be used for crowns, veneers or onlays.

The laser uses a tip that is able to wash away the damage in the tooth structure in a very comfortable and controlled manner. Because it has a selective attraction to unhealthy tooth, Solea allows me to be even more conservative and precise that I have ever been able to be with a drill.

Gum treatments and minor surgeries using the Solea allow me to keep patients more comfortable during and after the procedure. We can treat cold sores, lichen planus, lumps on the tongue, tongue or lip ties, and manage tissue around dental implants.

Benefits of Solea Lasers

Dental procedures can often be complex, take a long period of time for healing, or require multiple appointments. With Solea soft tissue lasers, however, these complications may be eliminated.

Solea lasers are able to offer anesthesia-free and comfortable care for most dental procedures.

Benefits include:

-          Less need for needles or shots

-          Less vibration from the drill

-          Less noise of the dental drill

-         More dentistry in fewer visits

-          Children can have work without the need for sedation

-          When used for gum tissue, less bleeding, more comfortable and faster healing.

Patients who feel anxious about certain dental procedures or visiting a dentist in general can feel at ease when Solea lasers are involved.

Contact our Scottsdale Laser Dentist Today!

The team at Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale knows first-hand the transformative results that occur when using the Solea laser. Our office serves as a national training center for other dentists who adopt the Solea laser technology.  For any of your cosmetic, restorative, dental implant, gum treatment or most other aspects of dentistry, we can provide a pain free, anesthetic free, and efficient option through Solea. 

Contact our Scottsdale, AZ dental practice to learn more about how the Solea laser can change what it means to go to the dentist. 

The Advantages of Sleep Apnea Oral Devices

Being able to sleep restfully depends on your ability to breathe easily and without interruption. For countless children and adults however, sleep apnea prevents them from achieving the full night’s rest they need to be productive, healthy, and happy. With so many treatment options available, there are several important factors that go into choosing which solution works best for you.

What is Sleep Apnea?

For individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, soft tissue at the back of the throat collapses, preventing air from entering and exiting the lungs. This causes pauses in breathing and leads to characteristic snoring or choking sounds. This unconscious act of attempting to restore breathing wakes patients form deep sleep, which leads to day time fatigue.

Sleep Apnea Treatments 

Traditionally, CPAP therapy has been considered the gold standard for treating sleep apnea. However, discomfort wearing the mask leads many patients to inconsistently use treatment. This does not alleviate the breathing condition and leaves patients vulnerable to other health complications associated with sleep apnea. For these individuals, oral appliances may better encourage compliance and alleviate the causes of sleep apnea.

Similar in size and shape to an orthodontic retainer, oral appliances are custom-fit mouthpieces recommended by a dentist. These devices are designed to gradually push the lower jaw into the proper position, preventing soft tissue collapse overnight and allowing patients to breathe without interruption.

Given their small, mobile, and custom fit, oral appliances present an easy-to-wear, comfortable alternative to CPAP machines. As the device is compact, patients who use oral appliances are also able to sleep comfortably. Additionally, treatment is flexible – if for any reason your oral device does not provide the relief you need, you are able to try other treatment options or combine CPAP with an oral appliance for a multi-angle solution to severe sleep apnea.

If you have any questions about sleep apnea, its treatments and their advantages, contact Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale. We offer sleep apnea treatment options to patients from Scottsdale and the surrounding Phoenix communities of Fountain Hills, Carefree, and Cave Creek. Call Dr. Michael Kelly today to learn more about the best sleep apnea treatment option for you.

Am I a Candidate for Invisalign®?

Orthodontics is a specs dental practice in that specializes in jaw alignment and teeth positioning. They perform procedures and attach appliances to straighten crooked teeth, correct misaligned teeth, replace missing teeth, fix bite problems and correct other teeth deformities through the use of braces, retains and other structures to correct imperfections.

Although most of these treatments are performed early on in life, achieving straight and beautiful teeth is possible at every age with the right treatment plan and dentists. For adults looking to improve their dentition or correct relapsed smiles, Invisalign® is a convenient and aesthetically pleasing way of achieving straight teeth without the discomfort or inconvenience of metal braces.

Who is an Ideal Candidate for Invisalign?
Invisalign® is a type of clear braces with custom made series of aligners fitted to your teeth that is paired with a personalized dental plan. Patients receive new sets every two weeks, which gradually shifts the teeth into place, and the aligners are wearable outside without notice.

They are a great alternative to traditional braces and treat the same symptoms such as:

• Crowding
• Rotated Teeth
• Overbites and Underbites
• Cross Bites
• Relapse from Prior Orthodontics

Invisalign® is a great alternative to traditional braces. Agency is placed with the patient by the removable aligners, making the process proactive and engaging. To maintain a high degree of oral hygiene wearers are simply asked, after eating or drinking, to brush their teeth before putting back on their aligners. Through this continuous process of removal, clean, replace, patients are encouraged better oral health practices that helps prevent decay and cavities during treatment.

Invisalign® aligners offer patients an alternative to traditional braces that is comfortable and unnoticeable, for they are clear and easy to remove. If you are experiencing these symptoms in a minor form, Invisalign® might be an excellent option for you.

Contact Dr. Kelly Today
If you are interested in Invisalign®, Dr. Michael Kelly and his team at Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale offer comprehensive planning, and will answer any of your questions. We are committed to protecting our patients' future oral health and offer a number of advanced cosmetic treatment options for rehabilitating misaligned smiles.

Why Choose Porcelain Veneers

Every patient has unique smile goals. While some can be easily accomplished with minimal treatment, others may require more advanced care. For patients looking to improve the uniformity of their dentition quickly and permanently, porcelain veneers may be the best solution to achieving a beautiful smile. If you are considering this cosmetic dental treatment option, consider the following.

Comprehensive Treatment
Veneers are not one-size-fits-all. Different patients need different types in order to achieve their ideal smile. At Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale, our comprehensive cosmetic consultation allows Dr. Michael Kelly to take an in-depth look at your smile in sections and as a whole. With this in-depth evaluation, our Scottsdale cosmetic dentist is able to determine which type of veneer best suits your unique smile and will yield lasting results.

Personalized Cosmetics
Convenient, prep-less veneers and in-office made veneers are limited in how customized they can be. These veneers may provide the right shape, but the color and overall aesthetics can make the treatment look out of place with the rest of the smile. As veneers are permanent, this leaves patients with the problem of having to seek additional cosmetic care to match the rest of the smile to the veneers.

In contrast, porcelain veneers at our Scottsdale cosmetic dental practice are manufactured in a trusted lab. As a result, trained technicians design the veneer to precisely match neighboring teeth, creating ideal uniformity in symmetry and shade with the rest of the smile.

Conservative Cosmetic Treatment
Ideally, cosmetic dental treatments should enhance the overall health of the dentition. Some cosmetic dental improvements may not be right for a patients mouth, and it’s important to understand that Porcelain veneers may not be right for you, but that’s up to the dentist to decide. For patients looking for a conservative yet lasting method for achieving ta beautiful, uniform smile, porcelain veneers are the ideal option. While a small portion of the tooth does need to be removed to ensure the veneers look and feel smooth, this process is much less invasive than other cosmetic alternatives such as crowns. Overall, veneers provide a great balance between conservative care and lasting aesthetics.

Versatile Care
Choosing the right cosmetic treatment for your smile can be challenging. Ultimately, patients want their investment in the aesthetics of their smile to last. However, some cosmetic dental solutions may not be right for your personal dentition and may not sufficiently address your dental problems. It’s your job to work with the dentist to find the right solution to improve your dental health. Porcelain veneers can be used to cover a number of aesthetic dental flaws, ranging from deep inner-tooth staining to chipped or cracked teeth. As the veneers are made of highly durable porcelain, this treatment option is designed to provide a long-term cosmetic improvement to the dentition.

Learn More Today
At Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale, we believe that all patients deserve the opportunity to improve the look of their smile. With personalized porcelain veneers, our cosmetic dentist in Scottsdale is able to help individuals achieve their ideal smile. For more information about the advantages of veneers or to schedule your cosmetic consultation, contact our team today.

Alternatives to Amalgam Fillings and Metal Restorations

While deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration, there has been a recent push for the discontinued use of amalgam fillings in dentistry. From concerns over the long-term safety of these mercury-based restorations to the aesthetic disadvantages that come with metal fillings, innovation in dental technology has seen the development of more aesthetic, non-metal restorations for patients of varying needs. Some of the more popular alternatives to metal fillings include:

Composite Resin Fillings
Also known as tooth-colored or white fillings, composite resin fillings are among the most common alternative to traditional amalgam restorations. This metal-free alternative is made of an acrylic resin reinforced with powdered glass filler and can be customized to match the precise shade of the affected tooth. As the white filling blends in naturally and is highly durable, composite fillings serve as an ideal alternative to metal fillings.

Porcelain Inlays and Onlays:
Depending on the extent of damage, patients may be recommended a porcelain inlay or onlay. Unlike composite fillings, which are molded to fit within the tooth and made of a combination of materials, inlays and onlays are made of pure porcelain and manufactured at a dental laboratory. Inlays and onlays provide more comprehensive tooth coverage than a filling and are tailored to blend in naturally with the rest of a patient’s teeth.

Porcelain Crowns:
In some cases, a filling, onlay, or inlay may not provide sufficient coverage to a damaged tooth. Porcelain crowns can be recommended to effectively reinforce tooth structure, allowing patients to enjoy restored oral function and health without the aesthetic disadvantages of a metal crown or metal-fused-to-porcelain crown. In addition to providing patients with a highly durable and lasting alternative to metal crowns or fillings, porcelain crowns at Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale can be created in our office to meet lab-quality standards.

Schedule Your Next Visit Today
At our Scottsdale cosmetic dental practice, Dr. Michael Kelly and his team are proud to offer patients a number of alternatives to amalgam and metal-based restorations. In addition to metal-free restorative care, Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale also offers amalgam-filling removal in accordance to IAOMT standards. From the removal of metal fillings to the placement of composite fillings and other metal-free alternatives, our team is committed to providing patients with beautiful, healthy smiles.

Types of Dental Implants Restorations

While there are countless advantages that come with dental implants, one of the most beneficial treatment results is its versatility. Often, traditional restorations require that certain parameters be met in order to provide the most benefit to patients or that surrounding teeth be altered to support treatment. In contrast, dental implants can be used to support diverse restoration options, each of which are tailored to meet an individual’s unique tooth loss needs. Some of the more common implant restoration options include:

Single-Tooth Restorations
Used to replace single teeth throughout the smile, single-tooth implant consist of the implant post, abutment, and a singular porcelain crown. Traditionally, bridges were used to replace single missing teeth, which required neighboring teeth to be reshaped to support this restoration. As implants are self-supportive, patients are able to avoid compromising healthy teeth and prevent the need for unnecessary restorations in the future.

Implant-Supported Bridges
In some instances, multiple consecutive teeth must be replaced in order to restore a patient’s oral health, function, and aesthetics. While traditional bridges are effective short-term options, over time these solutions can cause more serious problems. Jaw bone resorption, shifting bite alignment, and additional tooth loss are just a few of the complications that can arise from relying on fixed bridges for long-term tooth replacement.

By engaging the bone into the restoration, implant-supported fixed bridges stimulates healthy bone growth and comprehensively restores dental function. With this treatment, several dental implants are used to support the bridge, allowing patients to enjoy comprehensive teeth replacement and aesthetic improvement without the need for multiple single implants.

Implant-Supported Dentures
From discomfort when worn to creating an unstable bite, traditional dentures are often regarded by patients as an unreliable solution for full arch tooth loss. For these patients, implant-supported dentures offer the best of both worlds: stabilized restorations that comprehensively replace entire arches of teeth while remaining more affordable than an entire arch of single dental implants. From an oral health standpoint, integrating implants into denture treatment helps to prevent facial collapse caused by bone resorption and provides patients with a permanent restorative solution.

Learn More Implant Dentistry Today
At Aesthetic Dentistry of Scottsdale, our mission is to provide each patient with a personalized solution for effectively restoring dental health, function, and aesthetics. To learn more about available dental implant restoration options and to schedule your consultation, contact our Scottsdale implant dentist today.

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Here's to your best oral health ever!