Over the past year, many people have either avoided going to the dentist or been unable to due to COVID-19 restrictions in their area.  This has led to an increase in gum problems, namely gingivitis.  If you monitor the appearance of your mouth, teeth and gums, you might have noticed some changes over the last year without dental care.  When[…]

Yes! Well . . . kind of.  We will elaborate on the details here in this week’s blog.  We know that the reason someone would ask this question is that they do not want to wear braces or aligners or they want a faster result without the long treatment time required for orthodontics.  If orthodontics is not for you, but[…]

Despite advances in dentistry, better access to dental care, and improved dental education for most, we will continue to extract teeth.  The good news is that we try to only remove teeth when it is the best treatment of choice for the patient.  Of course, each situation is unique, and we never treat our patients in a one-size-fits-all manner.  This[…]

One of the purposes of wearing dentures to replace missing teeth is to reestablish one’s ability to chew food.  Without any teeth, people are very limited in their food choices and often resort to a soft diet.  While meal replacements and supplements abound, nutritionists know that the best nutrient absorption comes through obtaining your necessary nutrients, including vitamins and minerals,[…]

Porcelain veneers are a wonderful investment in a beautiful smile.  At Designer Smiles, Dr. Ann has created thousands of designer smiles using porcelain veneers.  It is our goal that any cosmetic dental treatments we perform provide you with many decades of a confident and naturally beautiful smile that you love. Just like any significant investment, maintenance is required for long-term[…]

The answer, unsurprisingly, is yes and no.  We bet you were expecting that if you have read many of our blogs.  We usually do not give a straight answer because there is not one single answer to questions about dental health.  This is due to the unique nature of every human being, and our commitment to treating every human being[…]

While there is not one specific measurement of teeth necessary for a beautiful smile, the appearance of short teeth is generally not the best look.  Short teeth tend to make someone look older than they actually are.  The bottom line is that if you think your teeth appear to be too short, you should talk to Dr. Ann about it. […]

We recommend fluoride treatments to many of our patients at Designer Smiles, both adults and children.  Because fluoride is often misunderstood, we will explain some important details about it in this week’s blog. What is Fluoride? Fluoride is not some crazy poisonous chemical. It is a mineral that occurs naturally in the ground all over the world.  The levels of[…]

Are you surprised to hear that the answer is somewhere along the lines of “That depends . . . “? If you’ve read our blogs for very long, you will not be surprised by that answer.  At Designer Smiles, we create customized smiles using porcelain veneers for each individual patient.  We never use a one-size-fits-all approach to cosmetic dentistry, which[…]

If you have completed orthodontic treatment, straightening your teeth with either traditional braces or clear aligners like Invisalign, we are sure someone has stressed to you the importance of wearing your retainers.  Does it really matter?  We can best answer that question by explaining what happens when you do not wear a retainer. What Do Retainers Do? A retainer’s main[…]