Virginia Beach Dentures & Partials

Patients can lose teeth for a variety of reasons—an injury, gum disease, severe decay, or with an extraction procedure. But regardless of why you’ve lost one or more teeth, looking for a replacement option is important. At Smile by Design in Virginia Beach, Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck offer two excellent options for patients to consider: partial dentures and full dentures.

But first, why is it important to replace missing teeth? Because of the impact they can have on your appearance, but more importantly, the impact they can have your oral and overall health. For patients missing a complete upper or lower row of teeth, eating can be extremely difficult. For patients missing a few upper or lower teeth, it’s easy for remaining teeth to shift out of alignment. With a partial denture, you can help retain your smile’s healthy alignment, and with a full denture you can enjoy eating and smiling again.

What’s more, patients can get either of these options in an implant-supported form. Dental implants provide patients with an enormous amount of stability, because of the way implants mimic the natural structure of teeth.

Do you need a partial or full set of dentures? Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck can help you understand your needs and pinpoint a solution that will give you the best help. During a consultation visit with us, we’ll asses your oral health and create a treatment plan that can meet your needs.

Call us today to set up an appointment. We serve patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge and beyond.

Contemporary Periodontal Therapy for Virginia Beach and Beyond

Why does our team at Smile by Design encourage you to come in for checkups twice a year? Because regular care will help us protect you from a common oral health condition like periodontal disease. Caused by a buildup of plaque and bacteria, periodontal disease can lead to red or swollen gums, plus bleeding, and in more advanced cases, tooth loss.

Other symptoms of periodontal disease include:

• Persistent bad breath
• Receding gums
• A change in the way your teeth fit together
• Pockets between your teeth and gums

Through regular visits with Dr. Stephanie Santos and Dr. Virginia Folck, our Virginia Beach dental team can help you monitor your smile for any of these symptoms. Sometimes periodontal disease can slip by unnoticed in its earliest stages. It takes a trained eye to spot these symptoms early on.

If we find any signs of periodontal disease during your appointment, we’re happy to recommend a treatment plan with root planing and scaling. This deep cleaning approach is a very effective way of treating periodontal disease before it becomes too severe.

But of course, our real goal at Smile by Design is preventing the need for periodontal therapy altogether. To schedule a checkup and cleaning with our Virginia Beach office, give us a call today.  We’re happy to serve patients from Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

A Beautiful Smile for the Holidays with Porcelain Veneers

The holidays are all about getting together with family and loved ones. That means lots of catching up, smiling, and laughing. Put your best foot forward this year with a more dazzling smile. And thanks to a cosmetic dental service like porcelain veneers, you can do exactly that in just two visits.

Using porcelain veneers, Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck can:

• Close gaps
• Hide stains
• Change tooth length
• Cover cracks or chips
• Whiten teeth
• Make teeth look straighter

What’s more, the process of transforming your smile with porcelain veneers is easy. It takes just two appointments, after which you can leave our Virginia Beach with the results you’ve always wanted.

Here’s what you can expect from the porcelain veneer process. First, Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck will conduct a thorough exam and oral health assessment to make sure your smile is healthy enough for the procedure. If it is, we’ll design personalized veneers based on the shade and shape of your teeth. We’ll also talk to you about the results you’d like to see.

Once we have all the information we need, we’ll prep your teeth by removing a small amount of enamel. This will let your finished porcelain veneers lie flat with your teeth. Then, after our lab has made your veneers according to our detailed instructions, we’ll apply them, completing your procedure.

Have a whiter holiday season right now with porcelain veneers from Smile by Design. Call us today to reserve your consultation. We’re happy to provide cosmetic care to patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

A Family Dentistry Checkup before the Holidays

At Smile by Design, Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck encourage their Virginia Beach patients to come in for checkups at least twice a year. Why so often? Because catching common oral health conditions like gum disease and tooth decay will lead to less invasive, more comfortable care. And with 2013 quickly coming to an end, is there a better time for your family to come in for a checkup than before the holidays start?

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the December holidays all come with their own special treats—ones that are tasty but pose a threat to your oral health. With a family dentistry checkup at Smile by Design, our Virginia Beach dental team can assess your current health and determine if you’ll need care before the holidays arrive.

Even though you should be careful how many sweets you consume, we want you to enjoy the time you spend with friends and family, and that means being able to enjoy a few goodies over the next few months. What’s more, seeing you before the holidays begin will give us a chance to offer some nutritional advice as well.

A natural sweetener known as xylitol can be used instead of sugar in holiday treats because it’s sweet but won’t cause the same problems as regular sugar. In fact, xylitol is used in some toothpaste brands to guard against cavities. That’s because sugar leads to the creation of acid in the mouth, while xylitol creates a neutral atmosphere that makes it difficult for harmful bacteria to cling to teeth.

Learn more about xylitol by visiting Xylitol.org. And to schedule a visit for yourself or someone else in your family, call Smile by Design today for an appointment. We’re happy to serve patients from Virginia Beach and beyond.

Restorative Care with Dental Implants

Are you missing one or more teeth? The most effective restorative solution for missing teeth today is dental implants. With dental implants, your Virginia Beach restorative dentist can replace anything from a single tooth to a full row of teeth. But what really makes dental implants effective isn’t just how many teeth they can replace; it’s the implant posts underneath that secure them to the jaw.

Dental implants are designed to mimic the structure of natural teeth with implant posts made of titanium, a biocompatible metal that will fuse with the jaw the way a natural tooth root would. Why is replacing missing teeth important? Because having one or more missing teeth can dramatically change your how your smile looks and functions.

Here’s what you can expect from the dental implant process. First, your Virginia Beach dentist will complete a thorough oral exam to see if you’re candidate for the procedure. Because of the bone loss that comes with missing teeth, not everyone is a candidate. If you are, your Virginia Beach dentist will then create a personalized treatment plan based around how many teeth you need to replace.

From there, the implant process takes two stages to complete. In the first, one or more dental implants will be placed in the jaw. How many you end up with will depend on how many teeth you’re replacing. Then, after a healing period, your new crown, bridge, partial, or full denture will be attached.

Do you want to learn more about the benefits of dental implants? Call the Virginia Beach dental team of Dr. Stephanie Santos and Dr. Vinita Folck. We serve patients from Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

Enhance Your Smile with Zoom! Teeth Whitening

One of the most popular cosmetic dentistry services available today is teeth whitening. With this effective service, Dr. Folck and Dr. Santos can help patients improve the appearance of stained teeth and enjoy a more dazzling smile.

But first, why do teeth darken in the first place?

It’s because the protective layer of enamel on the outside is porous. As a result, dark colored foods and drinks are among the most common causes of staining. Which ones in particular? Some of the most common include:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Red wine
• Soft drinks
• Fruit juices
• Chocolate
• Curry
• Blueberries

Tobacco use and some medications also contribute, as does aging. But with Zoom! Whitening, patients can enjoy a whiter, more attractive smile after just a single visit with our Virginia Beach cosmetic dentists. How much whiter? By as much as 10 shades.

Here’s what you can expect from your whitening appointment. First, your Virginia Beach cosmetic dentists will look at your teeth and gums to see if whitening is right for you. If it is, we’ll make sure you’re comfortable, then place a protective covering over your lips and gums. The special Zoom! Whitening gel will be applied to teeth and activated by a low-heat lamp. The gel will penetrate beneath the enamel and work on the stains you want to get rid of. The entire process only takes one hour.

Do you want to learn more about teeth whitening? Call Smile by Design in Virginia Beach for a consultation visit.

CEREC One-Visit Crowns

Earlier this month, we outlined the restorative dentistry services you’ll find at Smile by Design. For today’s post, we’d like to zero-in on just one of them: CEREC one-visit crowns.

Dentists use crowns to help patients restore badly damaged or decayed teeth. That’s important, but a typical crown restoration takes at least two appointments to complete, which can be inconvenient. CEREC one-visit crowns take the return visit out of the equation by giving patients a high-quality, custom-made crown in just a single visit.

Here’s what you can expect from a CEREC appointment. First, Dr. Volck or Dr. Santos will examine your tooth and take a series of detailed, digital pictures of it. Then, using CEREC’s special 3D technology, our Virginia Beach team will design your customized restoration. Once this information has been transmitted to the CEREC milling unit, all you have to do is sit back and relax while it goes to work. Using high-quality dental porcelain, it will create exactly what you need.

When the CEREC milling unit is done, Dr. Volck or Dr. Santos will polish and place your new crown. As we’re finishing up, we’ll just check to see that it matches the shade and shape of your smile. Then you’ll be ready to return to your normal schedule.

Do you want to learn more about how CEREC can help you improve your smile’s functionality and appearance? Call Smile by Design today to reserve a consultation appointment. We serve patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and all surrounding communities.