General Dentistry
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.
Amazing VENEERS Results for Some of Our Actual Patients!
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Amazing WHITENING Results for Some of Our Actual Patients!
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Dentistry for Adults
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!
A Healthy Smile, A Healthy Body
Did you know that the cause of most tooth loss is not decay? It’s gum disease. And recent studies have established a link between gum disease and your overall health. The good news is that gum disease can be treated successfully, often without surgery. Our commitment to you includes paying meticulous attention to all of your needs for healthy teeth and gums so you not only look your best but also have optimum overall health.
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. Dr. Christensen is skilled at providing beautiful, strong restorations for a return to a healthy, natural-looking smile.
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 see your treatment goal.
Laser Dentistry – No Shots or Drills!
What would you say if you could have your fillings placed painlessly without drills or needles? You’d probably say, “Where do I sign up?” Well, now, in many cases you can! With the revolutionary new laser technology known as the Waterlase™, you can experience dentistry in a whole new way! Unlike lasers of the past, this laser is used for both gum and tooth procedures. Previous dental lasers were used only for the gums or whitening the teeth. This new water laser is a breakthrough in comfortable dentistry. Energy from the laser is absorbed by water instead of by the teeth. The microscopic water droplets are energized by the laser, and it is actually the energized water that removes the tooth decay – and usually with no pain and no need for needles. For many dental procedures the WaterLase replaces the dentist’s drill.
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 they would love to improve their smiles but assume it will take something extreme. They are thrilled to find out there are many conservative options in cosmetic dentistry. We will design your new customized smile to fit with your unique facial features. Your smile can be transformed to virtual perfection in as little as two visits.
Actual Patient of Dr. Christensen
Same-Day Emergency Care
Dental emergencies happen when you least expect them. It will comfort you to know we can see you the same day to ease your discomfort and relieve the problem.
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 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.
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.
Do You Find Yourself Falling Asleep on the Job?
If you or a loved one find yourself falling asleep during the day, or 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 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 air flow 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.
Root Canal Therapy – Saving Hopeless Teeth
Teeth with roots that have been damaged or infected used to require extraction, which can cause a lot of problems and should be a last resort. When dental decay reaches the nerve of the tooth (or the tooth has become infected), a simple filling will not be suitable. Root canal therapy can save the tooth by removing its pulp chamber and filling it with a filling material. With the use of modern anesthetics and technology, root canals are often painless.
KöR™ Whitening – The Next Evolution in Teeth Whitening
We are proud to offer a teeth whitening procedure called KöR Whitening. Most whitening methods work extremely well in competent professional hands; however, even the best treatments sometimes don’t work on severely stained teeth. An example of this is the staining you may have if you took the antibiotic tetracycline. But now, with KöR Whitening, even these severely stained teeth can go brilliantly white. If you’ve ever been disappointed in the results from other methods, you will be amazed at this technique. Dr. Christensen also offers ZOOM!™ Whitening for brilliantly white teeth, without stains or darkness, in just one visit. Also ask about custom whitening trays, made in our own lab. You will receive supplies and instructions and you finish the procedure at home. This technique is safe and effective. Results occur within 1 – 14 days.
The Laser Scanner Finds Ultrasmall Cavities Years Earlier
Have you ever had a dentist find a cavity and place a large filling, and wondered why the filling is so large if the cavity wasn’t there just six months before? The cavity was there six months before – it just wasn’t big enough to show on X-rays, and it wasn’t visible to the dentist yet. The laser scanner can find cavities years earlier, when the small cavity can be removed and repaired with a small invisible bonded filling. Sometimes patients complain of tooth sensitivity, or mild to severe pain, yet X-rays and examination cannot pinpoint the source. Patients are often given sensitivity toothpaste to deal with the problem. Sometimes, dentists have to perform root canals to get the pain or sensitivity to stop, when the actual source turned out to be undetectable decay. The laser scanner can detect previously undetected decay and, once identified, allow us to remove the discomfort and leave you with a healthy smile.
Intra-Oral Camera
Dr. Christensen works 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!
Goodbye Goopy Impressions
With our new intra-oral scanner, we can make accurate iTero™ digital impressions that usually eliminate the old uncomfortable tray and putty impression. It can be used for crowns, clear aligners, whitening trays, and more. This technology ensures a more precise fit and improved accuracy, and you’ll spend less time at the dentist and more time enjoying your new smile.
Digital X-rays – 75% Reduction in Radiation
Introducing digital X-rays, available at our practice. With this technology, an image is taken of your mouth with a digital sensor and downloaded into our computer, where it is immediately available. This method results in 75% less radiation than conventional X-rays. No more waiting for images to develop and no more chemical waste to pollute the environment.