General Dentistry
At Sunlight Dental, We Treat You Like Family
Earning Trust – One Patient at a Time
Our first goal, from the moment you walk in the door, is to earn a feeling of trust. We believe the absolute best dentistry we can provide will only take place when there is a strong bond of trust with our patients, and we’re all working together toward the common goals of healthy teeth and gums and a beautiful smile. Whether your dental needs are a complete exam, cleaning, or anything in between, our team will provide you with exceptional care. Your six-month visits keep your teeth clean and healthy and help prevent problems down the road by letting us spot them early. We can address your unique concerns and develop a relationship that ensures continuity of care. We look forward to meeting you!
Cosmetic Dentistry
Crooked teeth, worn teeth, fillings, gaps, chips, cracks, and discolorations – you name it, we can fix it! It’s no secret that our smiles have a huge effect on how others see us and how we feel about ourselves. Many patients tell us that they would love to fix their teeth, but they assume it will take something extreme to make it possible. They are thrilled to find out there are many conservative options for improvement. Ask us about veneers, bonding, crowns, and more. We also offer both in-office and take-home teeth whitening.
Restoring a Healthy Smile
Damaged teeth not only affect the appearance of your smile, but your functionality in everyday life, too. It’s important to address chips, cracks, or other damage to prevent them from causing further problems later on. We are skilled at providing beautiful, strong restorations for a return to a healthy, natural-looking smile.
A Crown Protects a Damaged Tooth
Individual crowns are sometimes necessary to save a broken or worn-down tooth when a simple filling will not restore it to full functionality. By surrounding and supporting the healthy tooth structure, a crown will save and even strengthen the damaged tooth. We use the most advanced materials to make your crown. It will look so natural, you won’t be able to distinguish it from a real tooth. With our new intra-oral scanner, our team can make accurate digital impressions for your crowns. We then work with a local dental lab to make high-quality crowns. This technology ensures a more precise fit and improved accuracy.
Sedation Dentistry to Relax Through Your Visit
While we take great pride in being able to deliver painless injections, some patients are naturally anxious at even the thought of a needle. If this sounds like you, we offer sedation dentistry that may help. One hour before your visit you take a pill that we dispense to you. You reach a level of sedation that allows you to respond to questions but relax throughout your entire visit. This is also ideal for those who have a busy schedule and want to get all their treatment done in one visit. In some cases, we offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas). We want you to feel comfortably relaxed throughout treatment.
‘Smile Makeovers’ in as Little as Two Visits!
If you have misshapen teeth, unsightly gaps, or deep discoloration, our porcelain veneers may be the answer. This is quickly and painlessly altering crooked teeth so they look like they’ve had years of straightening. Veneers are thin but very hard, sheets of the most advanced dental ceramic available. They are bonded to natural teeth in a way that makes the teeth appear straight and uniform, creating an attractive smile. Another common dental problem is chipped, cracked, or worn teeth. Veneers can be applied to the tooth to completely conceal the chip or crack and also to reshape a worn or misshapen tooth. The veneer is made to match the color of the surrounding teeth and looks completely natural.
Teeth Whitening – Dazzling Results!
The best way to achieve your whitest smile is through professional-strength whitening. We offer several options to brighten your teeth and eliminate stains, all tailored to fit your goals and budget. The results can last for years!
Choose from:
- Opalescence Go™ trays – our most affordable, simple, and convenient option for effective whitening at home.
- Custom whitening trays – personalized to fit your teeth, providing an excellent at-home whitening experience.
- Opalescence Boost™ – an in-office whitening procedure completed in just one visit. You’ll leave with stunning results and custom trays for continued at-home maintenance.
Whichever option you choose, you’ll be on your way to a brilliantly white smile!
A Faster Approach for Straighter Teeth
With CandidPro™ it is possible to have straight teeth in as little as 9 – 15 months. No braces, wires, or headgear! And the best part is that no one will know you’re straightening your teeth – because it’s virtually invisible. The CandidPro system is easily removable and allows you to eat and drink what you want while in treatment, and brushing and flossing are no problem.
BOTOX™ Cosmetic – Treatment for Headaches that Improves Your Appearance!
You may not have heard about an FDA-approved use of BOTOX Cosmetic for head, neck, and/or facial pain. The same effect that reduces the appearance of wrinkles (relaxing muscles) is used to reduce the intensity of muscle contractions. Pain can be in the contracted muscle or can be referred to a distant site. Severe clenching and grinding of the teeth can cause the teeth to chip, break, or even need root canal treatments. One BOTOX treatment can provide relief for up to three months, and a side benefit is the reduced appearance of lines and wrinkles. You’ll look AND feel refreshed!
Preview Your New Smile
Cosmetic imaging allows us to show you what can be done with your teeth and smile before you even start treatment. Computer images of your teeth and gums can be shaped, replaced, added, or lightened, resulting in your new smile. It is exciting to actually see your treatment goal.
The Importance of Hygiene Visits
One of the most important reasons to visit the dentist is to have your teeth cleaned by a professional hygienist. Plaque and tartar form on teeth over time. Plaque is soft and sticky, but regular brushing can usually remove most of it. But plaque hardens into tartar, which is beyond the scope of your typical toothbrush and floss. Tartar accumulates below the gumline as well as on the surface of the teeth. If you don’t remove plaque, you risk more serious problems with your teeth and gums later on. Recent research shows a definite link between untreated gum disease and other serious conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Having your teeth cleaned regularly is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy!
TMJ/TMD – Proper Bite Alignment Treatment Helps You Say ‘Goodbye’ to Headaches and Jaw Pain!
Did you know that dental occlusion (i.e. your bite) is sometimes the cause of frequent headaches, aching or popping jaws, shoulder pain, and neck pain? If your teeth have been ground down over the years or lost due to an accident or dental disease, your jaw is not able to settle into a naturally relaxed position. This causes tension in the muscles in the jaw and can lead to a variety of pain that you may have already grown accustomed to living with. By restoring your dental occlusion, the jaw can be returned to the position that nature intended. If you have been living with the pain and discomfort described above, we invite you to discover the benefits that this procedure may bring to your quality of life.
Do You Have Difficulty Staying Awake During the Day? Ask Us About Sleep Apnea or Snoring Treatment
If you or a loved one find yourself falling asleep during the day, snoring loudly, or having interrupted breathing during sleep, it may be sleep apnea. The traditional treatment for sleep apnea has been the CPAP device. The patient is fitted with a machine that pumps a continuous stream of air into the patient’s nose or mouth throughout the night. However, many people find this uncomfortable and they stop wearing the mask.
If you have sleep apnea and can’t tolerate it or are frustrated with your CPAP, modern dentistry has new treatment options such as oral appliances. These appliances are small acrylic devices that fit over the upper and lower teeth similar to an orthodontic retainer or mouth guard. They gently realign your tongue and jaw to open your airway and allow more airflow to the lungs as you sleep. They are easy to place and remove, easy to clean, and are convenient for travel. These have been successful for over 90% of the patients who use them and are an alternative to CPAP machines. If you snore or a physician has diagnosed you with sleep apnea, give us a call today.
Seeing Your Smile Up Close With the Intra-Oral Camera
Our dentists work hand-in-hand with patients to create a bond of teamwork. The amazing intra-oral camera is a miniature video camera that displays a close-up picture of the inside of your mouth. You can see for yourself what work needs to be done and which teeth are doing fine. You then become a participant in each dental decision. You’ll love how this works!
What Are “Traditional” Dentures?
We use this term to describe what most people think of as dentures. A full set of replacement teeth that can be placed in your mouth, and then removed, without any kind of anchor. A partial denture can be clipped onto existing teeth and fill the space left by missing natural teeth. Bridges use crowns to hold the replacements in place for a couple of missing teeth. We use high-quality materials so people won’t even know you’re wearing dentures unless you tell them!
Oral Cancer – Minimize Your Risk
It’s an often unknown statistic that oral cancer causes one American death every hour. For 40 years, this mortality rate hasn’t changed. But it’s not all bad news. Early detection means a 90% cure rate for oral cancer. That’s why we conduct a visual screening for oral cancer at every six-month checkup and cleaning. If the hygienist or doctor sees anything that gives them cause for concern, they’ll refer you to an oral surgeon. This screening could literally save your life!
Protecting Teeth During Sports
Did you know that 5 million teeth are knocked out each year in the United States alone? Many sports can be dangerous without the proper protection. The one-size-fits-all mouthguards found in stores just don’t fit very well. Custom-made sports mouthguards fit well, protect well, and can be worn for any sport.
Technology: Digital X-Rays
Traditional dental X-rays have been “good enough,” but digital X-rays provide a clearer and much more accurate picture of what’s going on inside a patient’s mouth. This makes it easier for the doctor to diagnose issues. Leaks or breaks in fillings that used to go unnoticed, often leading to root canals, can now be found and treated before major damage is done. We can also view your entire mouth in one shot, including the upper and lower jaws, with panoramic digital images.
