If you are one of the many people who have shied away from visiting the dentist because of time or money issues, you are definitely not alone. The huge cost of dental care can create financial hardships and take up countless sick days, but there are several ways to reduce your dental costs. Here are 4 tips that will help you save a lot of time and money on your next dental visit.
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Oral surgery can be used to resolve a wide range of dental health problems, from impacted canines to oral cancer. Before your procedure, your St. Louis oral surgeon will review the details of the procedure with you and help you prepare for surgery and recovery. As your oral surgery date approaches, here is an overview of what you can expect.

Preparation

Depending on your type of surgery, your dentist may ask you to have some medical testing done to ensure you don’t have any health problems that could interfere with healing. He or she may also work with your primary care doctor to alter your medication schedule for the days leading up to surgery. On the night before your procedure, be sure to follow your dentist’s prep instructions very closely, especially in terms of fasting. If you make a mistake with your preparation instructions, tell your dentist right away, as your procedure may need to be rescheduled.

Procedure

Your dentist will start by giving you anesthesia. You may receive a local anesthetic with a sedative or general anesthesia, depending on the nature of your procedure. Oral surgery lengths vary depending on the case. After recovering from your anesthesia, you will need someone to drive you home.

Recovery

After your surgery, take your pain medications and antibiotics as prescribed by your dentist. You will need to stick to a soft food diet for a few days. Talk to your dentist about when it is safe to incorporate hard or sticky foods back into your eating plan. It’s essential that you avoid smoking while recovering, as the sucking motion can damage the surgical site. Your dentist will tell you when you can resume your normal activities. Expect full healing to take two weeks to a month, depending on your type of surgery.

If you have a missing tooth or are about to lose a tooth with a damaged root, then single tooth replacement could be an ideal solution for you. This method of replacement, which is completed with same day dental implants, provides a natural result that won’t compromise the health of any of your remaining teeth. Your oral surgeon in St. Louis can help you decide if single tooth replacement is the right option for you.

Although there are alternatives to same day dental implants, none offer the same great benefit of single tooth replacement. With dental implants, your replacement tooth will look and act like your natural teeth. It won’t require any special care and won’t rely on neighboring teeth for support. Your dentist can match your dental implant precisely to the color and shape of your natural teeth, so no one will know you have an implant but you. In addition to its cosmetic appeal, single tooth replacement with a dental implant is also an investment in your long-term dental health.

A Patient’s Guide to Porcelain Dental Veneers

Thanks to advancements in tooth restoration technology, dental porcelain can be sculpted to closely replicate the look and feel of natural tooth enamel, while providing the strength and resilience of natural tooth enamel. Porcelain veneers are ideal for individuals looking to make slight position alterations, or those who wish to change the shape, size, and/or color of their teeth. And while porcelain dental veneers are technically considered a cosmetic treatment, they can also make it easier and more comfortable to chew food. If you are considering veneers, this guide will tell you what you need to know.

Bonding Veneers to Teeth
The bond is the most important aspect of a veneer. To apply a veneer, your dentist will remove a very small amount of the original tooth, usually less than a millimeter. This not only creates room for the veneer to fit within the mouth but also ensures accurate tooth function and placement. Light-sensitive resin is placed between the original tooth and the veneer and hardened using a special curing light.

Caring for Porcelain Veneers
The good news about porcelain veneers is that they are quite simple to maintain—you simply treat them as you would your original teeth, with routine brushing, flossing, and visits to your St. Louis dentist. Your dentist may recommend non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste to keep your porcelain veneers looking like new. And if you have a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth at night, your dentist may fit you with a nighttime bite guard to avoid damaging your veneers .

Pros and Cons of Porcelain Veneers
There are alternatives to porcelain veneers, so it helps to know the pros and cons before you have them applied. One major benefit of porcelain veneers is that they look and feel identical to natural teeth. Custom-made veneers also resist coffee and tea stains and cigarette smoke. On the downside, a veneer is not considered a reversible treatment, as a portion of the original tooth must be reduced prior to application. Porcelain veneers are also brittle and should not be used to chew on ice, bite fingernails, or open bottles with.

The Benefits of Same Day Crowns

Getting crowns used to be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Fortunately, advancements in tooth restoration technology make it possible for your St. Louis dentist to design, build, and place custom restorative devices in a single visit using color-matching ceramic.

There are numerous benefits of receiving same-day crowns . One advantage of this approach is that there is no need for temporary restoration and that there are fewer injections and less discomfort overall. Same-day crowns are completed in a single dental visit, which means you can spare the time and inconvenience of scheduling multiple appointments. Another advantage of same-day crowns is that more natural tooth is saved, which can improve long-term oral health.

Tips for Choosing a Dentist

There are a lot of dentists to choose from in St. Louis, but some are better than others. You should take every precaution to ensure that your dentist is experienced, professional, and able to perform the services you and your family need. Whether you need a cosmetic dentist for teeth whitening, an oral surgeon to perform a dental implant, or you simply need a checkup, these tips will help you find a dentist you can trust in St. Louis .

Ask Around for Recommendations
You trust your friends, family, and neighbors when they make recommendations about which movies to see and which new restaurants to check out, so why not ask them for a dentist recommendation? Even if your friends and family don’t have any dentists to recommend in the St. Louis area, they will almost always tell you which dentists to avoid.

Look for a “Full-Service” Dental Practice
There are a lot of “specialized” dental practices in St. Louis, especially of the cosmetic variety. You could drive all around town to different practices, or you could find a dentist that offers all the services you need. West County Dental, for example, provides everything from teeth whitening and Invisalign to oral surgery and dental implants. Once you build a relationship with your dentist, you will be happy that you don’t need to go anywhere else to undergo a special treatment.

We Accept Most Dental Insurance
Most traditional insurance plans (sometimes called “indemnity plans”) allow you to choose any dentist you desire. Other plans list specific dentists in your network. If your plan does not allow you to choose your own dentist , make sure the dentist is covered by your insurance policy. And remember that dental insurance doesn’t typically cover 100% of the cost associated with major dental services, so look for a dentist that offers no interest and extended payment plans.

See what patients have today about West County Dental in this 5- star Healthgrades review!