Visit Our Family Dentist Office for the Best Possible Care

As a local family dentist, we offer you the best in patient care.  We understand how essential teeth are to your ability to enjoy life without restriction.  While most people do not think about their teeth, we think about them all of the time. Without your teeth, daily activities would become incredibly difficult.  Things, like greeting your friends or speaking on the phone, would be challenging since teeth make it possible to speak clearly.  Trying a new entrée at your favorite restaurant would be difficult because, without teeth, you cannot eat comfortably.  In fact, there are some foods you wouldn't be able to eat at all.  While everyone knows this – virtually no one thinks about it until it is too late, and they have lost some of their teeth.

Our job is to think about your teeth so that you do not have to.  We work to keep your teeth in excellent health so that they can remain in place without causing you any discomfort or irritation.  To do so, we need to see you on a regular basis and suggest that you visit our dental office for a teeth cleaning twice a year.

What to Expect From a Family Dentist
In our dental office, we offer a variety of procedures to keep your teeth and gums in good health while also improving how your smile appears.  We realize that while your health is the first priority, how your smile looks matters as well.  With numerous studies proving that how your smile looks will influence how people perceive you, we take appearance into consideration when making all of our treatment recommendations.  This is important because much of what we do can address both health and appearance, function and form, at the same time.  A perfect example of this is the dental implant.  For those that have lost a tooth, there is no better solution than an implant.  To complete this procedure, we implant a metal post under your gums and secure it to your jawbone.  This creates a new root system for the tooth to be attached to.  In addition to restoring the appearance of your smile, the implant provides the stimulation your jawbone needs to prevent resorption from taking place.  In this way, an implant can give you a beautiful smile while also improving your health.
When you visit our dental office, you can be confident that we will listen to your needs and take them into consideration.  We will present treatment options that will sufficiently address any health problems you are facing while also restoring or improving the appearance of your smile.

How to Select a Family Dentist.
If you do not currently have a family dentist or are looking for a new one, we invite you to schedule a consultation or dental exam.  We are conveniently located and make it easy to schedule an appointment.  If you are trying to decide which dentist to visit, we invite you to read our patient reviews.  The best way to determine what you can expect is to hear what other patients have to say, and we are delighted that our patients have taken the time do review our practice.

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Should I Get Dental Implants?

Dental implants act as an artificial root that is placed into your jawbone, and will fuse after a period

of time with the bone. This implant will hold replacement teeth in place. This can be done for many teeth, or just one. Replacement teeth will be made to match the natural teeth in your mouth.  The process usually takes anywhere from three months to six in the Vista area. You will be given a temporary prosthetic to use during this process.

Advantages of Dental Implants    

There are many advantages having dental implants, over other options available. Some of these advantages include:

    •       Your oral health will be improved. Teeth nearby do not need to be altered, giving your oral health long term improvement. Access between the teeth in easier, allowing for better oral hygiene.

    •       Your appearance will be improved. They feel and look like your real teeth, and because of the fusing they will become permanent.

    •       Comfort, eliminating the discomfort that removable dentures usually cause.

    •       Eating with dental implants is easier, than dentures that slide and make it difficult to chew. With acting in the same way as your natural teeth, you can still enjoy all the foods you love with no pain.

    •       Better speech than when wearing removable dentures, that may be poor fitting making you slur or mumble your words.  

    •       Self esteem returned, due to having your smile back, and no more trying to hide your mouth while talking.

    •       Dental implants are extremely durable making them last several years. Some implants can last an entire lifetime, with the right care.

    •       Convenience over removable dentures. You do not need to remove dental implants daily, or try keeping them in place with messy adhesives.

Who Can Get Dental Implants?

In the majority of cases, anybody that is healthy enough for a normal extraction or dental surgery, is a candidate for dental implants. Age usually does not play a part, in deciding if you are a good candidate for them. Candidates need to have enough bone for the implant to be held, and healthy gums, as well. You must be able to have regular visits to your dentist, and maintain a healthy oral hygiene routine. For heavy smokers, or people with certain health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes will be evaluated individually. Your dental surgeon will review the health and dental records, to determine if your a suitable candidate if any of these situations apply to you.

When is The Right Time to Consider Getting Dental Implants?

The optimal time for dental implant placement is within six months from the time of losing the tooth. However, dental implants may be placed at anytime, depending on a few factors. Planning for your implant should be done at the time of an extraction, if performed by the same dentist. This can help with preserving the bone making the site idealistic for the implant.

Are Implants Painful?

The majority of people that have had implants placed, say there is little discomfort. Your dental surgeon can use local anesthesia, making the placement of dental implants less painful for you than a common tooth extraction. Your dentist can prescribe some pain medication, or you can use over the counter for any soreness you may encounter.

Caring For Dental Implants

Dental implants are much simpler to care for than, removable dentures. They require the exact same care as your real teeth. Brushing, flossing, along with dental check up on a regular basis.

If in the Vista, CA area, and are interested in dental implants, contact Dr. Miller for a free consultation! (760) 630-5000

Answers to Common Questions About Dental Veneers

What are dental veneers?
Dental veneers are paper-thin pieces of porcelain. They are used to replace the damaged enamel on your teeth. These porcelain strips are so incredibly thin that they literally take on some of the aspects of the enamel they are replacing. For example the porcelain veneers are extremely hard, matching the fact that dental enamel is the hardest substance in the body. Dental veneers are also extremely brittle, and like enamel you need to exhibit relative caution with what you bite down on. Dental veneers are extremely natural looking, allowing us to craft the perfect looking tooth by replacing a small portion of your enamel with this porcelain strip.

Do dental veneers work for everyone?
The better way to answer this question is to state that in a tiny percentage of the population there exists conditions that prevent dental veneers from being an ideal solution. However, in the vast majority of the patients we see there are no such issues, and dental veneers are a perfect solution. To determine if you are an excellent candidate for veneers, we will schedule a first consultation and examination. This examination, not only, looks for larger problems that could lead to you not qualifying for dental veneers, but also for smaller challenges that may need to be fixed as they could complicate your dental veneer placements. For most patients, they have no issues, and we can proceed while for others it is typically a small challenge that is easily addressed prior to continuing down the road of attaching the veneers.

How are dental veneers attached?
Once we have determined that you are an excellent candidate for veneers, we will begin the attachment process. To make sure that the veneers are a perfect fit, we will shave away a tiny portion of your enamel. Typically this is a few millimeters. What this does is allow us to place the veneers flush with the rest of your teeth so that you have that smooth, natural look. Next, we will place a temporary veneer on the tooth, using a water-based glue to secure it in place.  This needs to be worn while the dental lab creates your permanent veneer using the impression we have taken of your mouth along with measurements.  This typically takes a week or two so you will need to be careful with what you eat.

When the dental lab is done, you will come back in to have the temporary veneer removed and the permanent veneer bonded in place. We will then fit the veneers, molding and shaping them to be an exact fit for the area of enamel we are replacing. At this time, we will also make sure that the enamel is a perfect match, color-wise, to what you have selected. Once all of this is done, and we have made sure to double check your bite, we will adhere the veneers to the tooth using dental cement.

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