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Whether you’ve lost your front teeth due to an injury or an oral disease, dental implants can give you your full smile back again. Dental implants are the best solutions available for missing teeth. Not only do they look just like your natural teeth, but they also keep you from developing other serious oral issues that come with missing your front teeth. Let’s take a look at how exactly a dental implant can fix your front teeth now.

What’s Wrong With Having a Missing Front Tooth?

Missing one or both of your front teeth isn’t the best look in the world and you can’t really hide a missing front tooth. If that’s not enough to get you to fix your dental problem, there are other serious health issues that come along with missing a tooth as well.
If you don’t replace a missing tooth or teeth with an implant, and instead choose removable dentures or no fix at all, you may experience issues with eating, pain and jawbone loss. Since you’re missing a tooth, you will likely not be able to eat normally, and may experience pain from your exposed gum. Even more serious, you may lose jawbone volume. Implants are the only restorative dental solution that stops jawbone loss by allowing your bone to grow tightly around the implant.

How Exactly Do Dental Implants Help With Missing Front Teeth?

Dental implants help in a variety of ways. Here are just a few of the most common ways a dental implant can benefit your mouth if you’re missing a front tooth:

• They creating a replica of your missing tooth that looks and acts just like your natural teeth. Implants are strong, stable and last for a lifetime.
• While other treatments don’t fuse with your jawbone, osseointegration (fusing) occurs between your dental implants and your jawbone so that your bone tissue grows tightly around your implant.
• They provide you with a healthy and normal bite.
• Dental implants can’t develop cavities like normal teeth. But you still need to clean and take care of implants just like you would your natural teeth.

What’s the Dental Implant Procedure Like?

If you’re getting a front tooth implant at Water Tower Dental Care, you will typically be treated in our office and be placed under local anesthesia or another kind of sedation. The dental implant procedure typically occurs like this:

• First, your dentist will place a titanium post into your jawbone. This replaces to the tooth’s root.
• The post will fuse with your jawbone as your mouth heals, just like a root would. This keeps you from dealing with serious dental issues that occur with other treatments for missing teeth, like dentures. The osseointegration process could take weeks or even months.
• When your dentist sees that the osseointegration, or fusion, between your jawbone and the implant is successful, he or she will secure an abutment to the top of your dental implant. This abutment will connect the replacement tooth to the post.
• Finally, the replacement front tooth will be secured to the abutment, and you will have a full set of front teeth again.

If you have a missing front tooth, you should seriously consider dental implant surgery to prevent any further issues from occurring. Our dentists at Water Tower Dental Care are dental implant experts. Contact us today to find out more about how a dental implant can help your specific case of missing teeth!

All the way back in 1772, chemist Joseph Priestley created laughing gas, otherwise known as nitrous oxide. It was soon discovered the gas could relieve pain. But it was not a strong enough sedation to keep people feeling good through major surgeries. That’s why it’s the perfect choice for minor dental treatments and people who have dentist anxiety.

Laughing gas was given its nickname because it makes people feel euphoric, so it’s nothing to be worried about in a dental setting. Let’s take a closer look at exactly how laughing gas might make you feel before you step into the dentist’s office.

How Does Laughing Gas Make You Feel?

Unlike different types of sedation used in surgery, laughing gas isn’t very intense. The right dosage will likely make you feel euphoric, lightheaded, tingling and warm, and it will reduce the amount of pain you feel. Since laughing gas makes you so happy, it can also make you laugh more easily (thus the name). Most importantly, laughing gas makes you feel relaxed so that you can have a comfortable dental experience. Typically, you start feeling these sensations a few seconds after you inhale laughing gas.

What Exactly is Laughing Gas?

So what exactly makes you feel this way? After all, you don’t really want to be deeply inhaling a gas you know nothing about. Like we said earlier, laughing gas is technically known as nitrous oxide. The gas we dentists use is a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen. It’s proven to be safe when used for the short amount of time you’ll be sitting in the dentist chair.
Nitrous oxide is known to depress your senses, like hearing, touch and pain. This is perfect for when you're receiving dental treatments. You won’t have to hear or feel any scraping or drilling and can relax until we’ve fixed up your teeth.
As long as your dentist doesn’t give you too much, you should feel pleasant and happy sensations. You’ll know if your dentist has given you too much if you start falling asleep and/or feeling nauseous. If you do start feeling these unpleasant sensations, simply let your dentist know or take off your mask. When you take off your mask, all of the sensations will subside.

How is it Administered at the Dentist and What is it Used For?

When you’re receiving laughing gas in the dentist chair, you will almost always be wearing a mask. This mask is connected to a supply of compressed gases, which flow through tubes to your mask and mouth. Your dentist will be carefully watching the gauges to make sure you are receiving the correct amount of gas. At Water Tower Dental Care, we do this almost every day, so we’re experts.
Here at our offices, we typically use sedation dentistry to treat people who match the following descriptions:

• Have a sensitive gag reflex
• Are anxious or afraid of dental treatments and/or instruments
• Don’t get numb from local anesthetics
• Experience health issues, including neck and back pain, while they are sitting in the dentist’s chair.

You should never skip out on visiting the dentist because you’re anxious or experience any of the issues above. If you’re feeling worried about seeing us, please contact us! We would love to help you have the most comfortable dental experience ever with laughing gas, or another oral sedative.

Dentists have come a long way in the realm of teeth whitening. When it comes to brightening your smile, you now have a wide variety of effective options. Teeth whitening trays and strips are two of the most popular treatments out there. But which will leave you with the best results? Our dental experts are here to help you figure this out so that you spend your time and money on the best treatment for you.

What Are Teeth Whitening Trays?

Teeth whitening trays aren’t as well known as strips. But that doesn’t mean they are less effective. In order to treat your discolored or stained teeth with trays, you fill a tray that looks like a mouth guard with a gel whitening solution, made up of a hydrogen peroxide-bleaching agent.
You then fit this teeth-shaped tray over your teeth and wear it for certain period of time. We typically recommend that our patients wear their tray for one to two hours a day for one to two weeks. This process may need to be continued for longer, depending on your particular teeth condition and instructions.
Trays can either be bought over the counter or from your dentist. However, it’s best to get a customized tray made for your particular teeth from your dentist. If you buy a tray from your local drugstore, it may not fit over your teeth well, causing the gel to leak and unevenly whiten your teeth. Over the counter trays may also include solution that may be too strong or weak for your particular teeth condition.

What Are Teeth Whitening Strips?

Teeth whitening strips are extremely well known, thanks to the huge marketing push from dental corporations. These strips are typically very thin and virtually invisible plastic sheets that contain a hydrogen peroxide solution (similar to the solution found in the teeth whitening trays). Each container of strips will feature a different strength solution, so it’s important to follow the directions for your particular box.
You typically place these strips on your bottom and top teeth, and leave them there for an indicated amount of time, anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. You may have to do this every day for a week, two weeks or more, depending on the directions.

Teeth Whitening Trays vs. Strips: Which is the Best Option for Your Teeth?

If you’re looking for the best teeth whitening results for your teeth, trays are the way to go. When you receive a tray from your dentist, he or she will make an impression of your teeth so that the tray is customized to fit your teeth perfectly. This means that all of your teeth will receive the treatment that they need - you won’t miss any spots. You also won’t accidentally bleach your gums with a customized tray.
With teeth whitening strips, you have to be careful to make sure you are covering all of your teeth and aren’t hitting your gums. This can be especially difficult with hard-to-reach areas in your mouth.
When it comes to the strength of the whitening solution, prescribed trays are also much better. Over-the-counter strips and trays usually come with a standard low strength solution from 10% to 22%. When a dentist provides you with a tray, he or she will give you a strength that will best meet your needs depending on the severity of your teeth discoloration - anywhere from 15% to 43%. This means that trays can work to erase even the most prominent of stains.
When you visit your dentist’s office to receive a teeth whitening tray, your dentist will make sure that bleaching is an effective option for your teeth. Sometimes, teeth whitening solutions aren’t the best answer for tooth discoloration. Your dentist will help you save time and money by making sure you’re choosing the best treatment for your teeth.
At Water Tower Dental Care, we offer custom trays in our take-home teeth whitening kits. In as little as two days, we can make an impression of your teeth, get your tray ready for you and teach you how to use it. After you have worn your tray for about one hour a day for two weeks, we will have another appointment with you to check your progress and see if you should continue the treatment.
With our take-home whitening kit, you are guaranteed to see whitening results in two weeks. No more money wasted on ineffective treatments. Make your pearly whites shine again with a teeth whitening tray. Contact us today to make an appointment!
 

When it comes to your teeth, you should never have to wait to get an important cosmetic or general dentistry treatment done just because of money. That’s why we offer a variety of payment options at Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago. This way, you can receive affordable dental care when you need it most. We’re going to break down some of our payment options now so that you know exactly what to expect when you come into our Chicago office.

CareCredit for More Affordable Dental Treatments

Let’s face it, dental treatments can add up. Financing options can help make your dental care more affordable. We’re pleased to offer CareCredit to help you finance your dental treatments. CareCredit is a credit card exclusively used for health care, including treatments at your dentist office. The CareCredit program allows you to receive your dental treatment immediately, and then pay for it in low monthly payments that fit your budget.
When you’re paying off your card, there are a variety of financing options you can choose from. For example, you can pay in equal monthly payments, minimum monthly payments or increasing monthly payments. There are also some fantastic CareCredit promos, which you can check out here. You can design a CareCredit payment plan with no interest, no annual fees and no prepayment penalties. We can work with you to find the best option to fit your lifestyle and budget. No more sweating over how you can afford to pay for a big teeth treatment in one visit!

Cash, Checks, Credit & Debit

Whether you happen to have the perfect amount of cash on hand or need to pay with your credit card, you’re warmly welcome at Water Tower Dental Care. We accept cash, checks, American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. While we don’t mind how you pay, we do offer a 5% discount to patients who pay for their treatment with cash at least 24 hours before their visit.

Dental Insurance

When it comes to using your dental insurance to pay for a treatment, we try to make the process as easy as possible. We’ll electronically file your claim as a courtesy to you and provide your insurance company with all of the information they need to maximize your benefits. This way, you’ll always know that you’re getting the most out of your insurance when receiving treatments at Water Tower Dental Care.
We strive to provide some of the most affordable high quality dental care in Chicago with these payment options. If you’re worried about being able to pay for a specific dental treatment, please contact us. We would love to work with you to find effective treatments with a payment option that works for you. We can guide you through CreditCare or discuss alternative treatment options.