Oldham Aesthetic General Dentistry | Dentist | Lynchburg

The  short answer: yes! We happily work with any insurance company, regardless of provider, to maximize your benefits. This includes providing all paperwork to the insurance company on your behalf. And in some cases we can use your medical insurance. The longer answer: dental coverage in real dollars has decreased every year since the 1960s. And the mix of services covered by dental insurance companies is becoming more and more narrow. Insurance companies will sometimes not cover basic services like white fillings, for instance. Most policies work on a fixed fee schedule based on geographic averages. This average may not always coincide with our fees. Different insurance companies vary greatly in the types of coverage available. Most patients will only be reimbursed a portion of their overall treatment cost, regardless of where they choose to use their dental insurance. Because of the confusion caused and limited benefits provided by dental insurance, we have chosen to be unrestricted participants with your insurance company. The bottom line: we are happy to provide consultation about insurance options. For most patients, however, we recommend they not purchase their own insurance coverage as most pay more for the coverage than they receive in benefits.

We will present a treatment proposal outlining treatment and the associated cost prior to starting any work. We will review your needs and preferences to find a plan that makes you happy and gets you healthy. Once we have a plan, we provide several ways to complete financial arrangements:

• CareCredit: provides up to 12 months of interest free financing
• Cash or Check: if your account balance is settled prior to treatment we offer a 5% accounting courtesy
• Limited in-office financing available depending on treatment plan

Our Treatment Coordinators, are happy to help walk you through your choices and help find a way to make treatment affordable.

The Temporomandibular Joint, or TMJ, is the jaw joint that allows you to open and close your mouth. This joint is unique in the way it operates and is sensitive to problems. TMJ problems can come from the jaw itself or teeth and muscles. Associated symptoms include:

• Worn or fractured teeth
• Jaw pain, popping, or noise
• Jaw locking
• Headaches
• Neck aches
• Facial pain
• Limited range of motion
• Difficulty chewing
• Ear problems
• Vertigo or dizziness
• Numbness or tingling

While we cannot help eliminate every nuisance or pain associated with your jaw joint, we can help in the vast majority of cases to eliminate or greatly reduce symptoms. In severe cases, we sometimes need the help of a medical doctor, oral surgeon, physical therapist, chiropractor, or massage therapist. To learn more about the TMJ and how we can help, click here.

There are three main strategies to replacing missing teeth.

• Removable Denture
• Fixed Bridge
• Implant Supported Crown or Implant Supported Bridge

The appropriate strategy depends on how many teeth are missing and your preferences.

Removable Denture

The first choice to consider is whether or not the replacement is removable. Advantage Very cost effective way to replace teeth Disadvantages

1. RD must be removed for cleaning and sleeping
2. RD neither looks nor feels like your natural teeth
3. RD can become dislodged when speaking or chewing

Removable options have greatly improved recently. To learn more, check out our New You dentures with implant restorations.

Fixed Bridge

The fixed bridge uses the teeth on either side of the missing tooth for support. It is bonded in and does not require removal. It looks and functions like natural teeth–except for flossing. Dental floss cannot be passed between the teeth on the bridge because they are splinted together; a floss threader is used to pass floss under the bridge. Advantages

1. The bridge does not require daily removal
2. The bridge looks and functions like natural teeth

Disadvantages

1. The bridge “marries” three or more teeth together. A cavity on one tooth in the future can possibly require the replacement of the bridge if the decay gets under the margin on the bridge.
2. The teeth on each side of the space need to be altered. If there are existing crowns on either of these teeth, they will need to be removed and discarded.

Implant Supported Crown or Implant Supported Fixed Bridge

The implant-supported crown is the most natural feeling and functioning option. It does not rely on any other tooth to stay in the mouth. The implant is placed in the bone in the location of the missing tooth. After bone has integrated around the implant, a post and a crown are placed on the implant. The future of the crown/implant is not dependent on the surrounding teeth. The teeth on each side of the missing space do not need to be altered for support purposes. The implant/crown is not susceptible to decay and it can be flossed like a natural tooth. Advantages

1. Implant/crown is not susceptible to decay.
2. Implant/crown is minimally susceptible to periodontal disease.
3. Implant/crown does not rely on other teeth for support.
4. Decay on the surrounding teeth will not affect the implant/crown.
5. A more natural cleaning process for the patient occurs since typically implants are not connected to natural teeth.
6. The implant/crown increases strength of the quadrant where it is placed.
7. Bone stays with implant placement and atrophies (shrinks) with no implant.

Disadvantages

1. Initially cost more than the RPD or Fixed Bridge- but a great value considering the disadvantages of the RPD and the Fixed Bridge.
2. Implants typically take more time; but with today’s techniques, the prosthetic (replacement) phase may begin at 2-3 months from implant placement.

We offer a variety of ways to calm your nerves and make your visit less stressful. Our office has a warm, relaxed atmosphere and our treatment coordinators enjoy making you comfortable. We offer:

• Nu-Calm to provide a drug-free way to relax
• Oral sedation using a small dose of anti-anxiety medication
• In-office conscious sedation using nitrous oxide with or without oral drugs

Our doctors and team members have completed extensive education in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, sedation protocols, and hold a special license from the state of Virginia to administer these medications safely in our office.

Yes! We no longer “numb” teeth like the old days. We use a combination of special gels and a computerized anesthesia delivery system that leaves many of our patients unsure if they had their tooth worked on or not. We have specialized lasers available that allow us to do many procedures without any anesthesia at all.

Yes!

Yes! From the Centers for Disease Control website:

“The safety and benefits of fluoride are well documented. For 70 years, people in the United States have benefited from drinking water with fluoride, leading to better dental health. Drinking fluoridated water keeps the teeth strong and reduced tooth decay by approximately 25% in children and adults. By preventing tooth decay, community water fluoridation has been shown to save money, both for families and the health care system.”

The CDC publishes up-to-date safety information and scientific literature on fluoridation here. See also:

• The National Cancer Institute’s review of literature concludes there is no causal link between fluoride in drinking water and cancer risk, systemic disease, or adverse health event
• The American Dental Association’s literature on the safety and efficacy of fluoride and water fluoridation
• The Vermont Department of Health’s literature on the safety and efficacy of fluoride and water fluoridation

We recommend most everyone has at least one fluoride source to prevent tooth decay. For younger patients, we follow a risk-based schedule from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry for patients aged 6-16 years old.

Absolutely. Sleep is a vital restorative process for us all. Without sufficient quality sleep each night, we are prone to develop a variety of problems including:

• Chronic fatigue
• Headaches
• Memory changes
• High blood pressure
• Heart failure, irregular heart beats, and heart attacks
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Worsening of ADHD

In the worst cases, untreated sleep apnea can result in death. We routinely screen for the same conditions in our office and provide cost effective at-home sleep tests to screen for any potential sleep issues. You go home with a kit that will measure the oxygen in your blood, your breathing, and the quality of your sleep. When you bring the kit back to our office, we download the data and send it to a Pulmonologist. The physician will then render a diagnosis of your sleep as well as a suggested treatment option.