Our office is a proud Biolase Center.

Why Waterlase® Dentistry?

An FDA- approved treatment for gum disease, laser dentistry avoids the use of traditional periodontal surgery by utilizing specialized lasers to clean out periodontal pockets of bacteria in the gum tissue. It is also the only procedure that helps the bone supporting the teeth regenerate, while providing a more comfortable and effective treatment than traditional gum surgery.

Using a Waterlase® by Biolase laser, there are no scalpels or stitches needed to restore your gingival health. Using laser technology, bacteria and diseased gum tissue are gently removed and the body heals itself naturally.

What can Waterlase® Dentistry do?

• Improve Your Smile through contouring or shaping your gums to correct a “gummy” smile
• Remove Oral Growths or excess tissues such as fibromas or papillas, otherwise known as “tags”
• Fix “Tongue Tie” by releasing connections that may constrict movement
• Prevent Gum Recession
• Treat Periodontal Disease by removing debris that can cause gum disease
• Relieve cold sore or fever blister discomfort

How does Waterlase® Dentistry work – is it safe?

Developed by Biolase, the leader in laser technology, Waterlase® Dentistry is one of the most advanced dental treatments available and has been used to treat millions of patients. Waterlase® lasers are a FDA approved technology that send a highly concentrated light energy through a specialized handpiece which is aimed at the area in need of treatment. These lasers were specifically created to safely and effectively treat teeth, gums and other soft dental tissues. and and sends it through an optical fiber to its handpiece. Your dentist will aim the laser energy at precisely the areas that are to be treated.  Laser light can be harmful to the eyes, so it is very important that the dentist, the patient and any others in the room wear protective glasses during the use of the laser.

Losing teeth can be a traumatic experience. They are here to help their patients regain their smile and confidence back. There are also important health reasons to replace missing teeth with dental implants.

Once a tooth is lost, several things begin to happen that are not immediately noticeable to a patient and which can have a significant negative effect on both health and appearance.  Tooth roots not only help to hold teeth in place but they are also critical in maintaining health in the surrounding gums and supporting bone structures. Once a tooth is lost, the jawbone starts shrinking. This bone loss can compromise the integrity of neighboring tooth roots and tooth stability and cause the “sunken” look which appears in people who have lost several or all of their teeth.

Dental implants help maintain and strengthen bone structure.  This means they do much more than replace the missing tooth – they also protect the adjacent teeth by preserving the bone structure.

Replacing a Single Tooth with an Implant

Dental implants are small anchors made of titanium that are placed in the jawbone replacing the tooth roots. Once placed, the anchors begin to fuse with the bone over the course of a few months. After the fusing process, known as osseointegration, abutment posts are inserted into the implant to allow for the permanent attachment of the crown (cap).

Replacing Several Teeth

Before the Implant era, when a tooth needed to be extracted or a tooth was already missing, the adjacent teeth were cut down and were replaced with a “bridge” or they were replaced with removable dentures.

In today’s world of implants we do not need to cut down two healthy adjacent teeth to replace a missing tooth. We can place implants to replace the missing tooth roots. In addition, implants can replace multiple missing teeth either as a bridge or to anchor a denture.

In addition, once a tooth is lost, bone loss frequently occurs.  Placing an implant helps maintaining the bone and prevents further bone loss.

Implant Supported Bridge

An implant Supported Bridge is a restorative solution for spaces where two or more adjacent teeth are missing without compromising the neighboring teeth. The bridge replaces multiple missing teeth without the use of a denture. This restoration typically requires two implants to support the porcelain bridge. The bridge provides a functional and aesthetic replacement for the patient’s natural teeth.

Implant Supported Dentures

Implant supported dentures can be either fixed or removable. This solution requires the placement of two or more implants. If a removable denture is selected, the denture will “snap” on to the implant rather than requiring the use of denture paste or adhesives.

Removable dentures can be taken out for cleaning at night.

This technique offers many advantages over traditional dentures.

Easy to care for, this solution can simulate the look and feel of natural teeth and stay fixed in place with the implants acting as anchors. Patients will not experience the typical rocking, movement or gum irritation associated with dentures.

Dental implant placement can also help alleviate the sunken look that can occur with bone loss in the jaw by stimulating bone growth in the area around the implant. This process is called osseointegration and can also help prevent future bone loss.

Additional Implant Services available in our office include:

• Guided Implant Placement using CBCT scans and restorative virtual treatment planning

Dr. Sandak and Dr. Vossughi are able to provide guided implant placement for their patients.

Using a virtual 3-D model or a physical model, implant placements and the following restorative work can be simulated to create the ideal patient treatment plan.  These virtual plans allow the doctors to take multiple aspects of implant placement and restoration into consideration, resulting in optimal aesthetics, function and longevity for the patient’s final restoration.  Working with a 3-D model also allows the patient to better understand the procedures and visualize the end result.

Once planning is complete, specialized software can be used to create a surgical guide that can be utilized during implant placement.  This guide directs the exact location, angle and depth of the implant placement.  The use of the guide increases the accuracy, efficiency, safety and predictability of the procedure.

• Teeth in A Day

In certain cases, teeth can be removed and replaced by implants the same day. A custom temporary will be placed the same visit. The patient can leave the office with a full smile, created to fit their individual face shape, lips and smile line.  After the implants have had a few months to fuse to the jawbone (a process called osseointegration), the patient will return for the removal of the temporary restoration and the placement of the permanent crown.

• Straumann® Pure Ceramic Implants

Straumann® Pure Ceramic Implants offer our patients a metal free, superior solution to traditional titanium dental implants. Ceramic implants are ideal for patients with a thin gingiva biotype who require unique treatment options to ensure optimal success.

For more information on Straumann® Pure Ceramic Dental Implants, please click below.

The All-on-4® treatment concept is a revolutionary new procedure. It provides patients permanent attached (fixed) teeth using as little as four dental implants.  Drs. Sandak and Vossughi have advanced training in the All-on-4® same day implant treatment concept. They often recommend it for patients that are about to lose or have lost all of their upper and/or lower teeth.

With the All-On-4® treatment concept, there is no plate covering the roof of the mouth, so speaking and eating are more natural and comfortable than with a traditional denture.

Easy to care for, this type of restoration can simulate the look and feel of natural teeth and stay fixed in place with the implants acting as anchors. Patients will not experience the typical rocking and movement or gum irritation associated with dentures. All-On-4® treatment concept restorations can often be placed in one office visit, reducing both overall cost and healing time for the patient.

Dental implant surgery often requires several surgeries and multiple visits to the dentist, thus making it a complicated, drawn out process. However, by electing this procedure, you are able to experience fantastic results from a much simpler procedure.

To begin the process, you will visit our office for a consult with one of our doctors. After the consult, a customized prosthesis will be fabricated for use immediately after surgery.

On the day of the procedure, implants will be surgically placed to support the permanent, full arch of teeth. Once this process is complete, the customized prosthesis will be placed and fitted for comfort, and you will leave our office with a brand new smile!

Once the surgical sites have completely healed, a permanent bridge will be created from a new impression of your mouth and then permanently fixed to the gums.

Using a virtual 3-D model or a physical model, implant placements and the following restorative work can be simulated to create the ideal patient treatment plan.  These virtual plans allow the doctors to take multiple aspects of implant placement and restoration into consideration, resulting in optimal aesthetics, function and longevity for the patient’s final restoration.  Working with a 3-D model also allows the patient to better understand the procedures and visualize the end result.

Once planning is complete, specialized software can be used to create a surgical guide that can be utilized during implant placement.  This guide directs the exact location, angle and depth of the implant placement.  The use of the guide increases the accuracy, efficiency, safety and predictability of the procedure.

During an oral examination, a visual inspection is performed to detect normal and abnormal structures of the entire mouth, head and neck. Along with radiographs, an examination detects cavities, abnormalities in existing dental restorations, gum and bone recession and any other abnormal findings within the mouth, head and neck

A dental cleaning, also known as an oral prophylaxis, is the removal of dental plaque and tartar (calculus) from the teeth. Specialized instruments are used to gently remove these deposits without harming the teeth. First, an ultrasonic device that emits vibrations and is cooled by water is used to loosen larger pieces of tartar. Next, hand tools are used to manually remove smaller deposits and smooth the tooth surfaces.