New Smile Dental

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Brighten Your Day with Teeth Whitening!

There are many reasons why someone would not feel one hundred percent confident in their smile. For some, it may the spacing between their teeth; others, it may be length. For a lot of people, though it is the color of their teeth. Your smile loses its luminosity naturally over time, but there are things that people eat and drink that causes your smile to dull over time. Thankfully, Dr. Gilbert Lopez is able to help his patients restore the shine in their smile with teeth whitening!

Tobacco use, drinking coffee and tea, and even certain medications can all affect the brightness of your smile. If you have bought over the counter whitening solutions in the past and they did not work the way you wanted them too, you are not alone. The results from a professional teeth whitening is second to none, and we believe our patients deserve the best results possible.

We offer at-home whitening to our patients, which is one of the most convenient ways to whiten. The whitening process takes two appointments; the first is when we make molds of your teeth to create our custom-fitted whitening trays. The second appointment involves fitting the trays on your teeth. We supply you with the whitening gel, and you simply wear the trays twice a day for half an hour, or you have the option to wear them overnight while you are sleeping. Depending on how badly your teeth are discolored, you should see full results in as little as a couple of weeks!

If you have any questions on how Dr. Lopez can help rejuvenate your smile with teeth whitening, make an appointment, and we will be more than happy to help you!

At New Smile Dental, we focus on enhancing and restoring the beauty of your smile with help from the latest dental technology. Dr. Gilbert Lopez treats patients from Fort Smith and Van Buren, AR and surrounding areas. Call us today to schedule your next appointment.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Be Sure To Have Regular Dental Checkups

With certain things in life, there is maintenance involved. Plants need to be watered, cars need to have the oil changed, etcetera. The same goes for your teeth. At New Smile Dental, we stress the importance of taking care of your teeth, which is why routine checkups are so important. When you take care of your teeth, there is no doubt you are on the road to excellent dental health.

We recommend having a dental checkup every six months. During the checkup, Dr. Gilbert Lopez and our experienced team will be able to fully assess your smile, and look for potential problems. Routine checkups allow us to see if you have any early signs of cavities, gum disease, and other issues. We will be able to remove the plaque and tartar from your teeth, leaving your mouth clean and fresh. Though brushing and flossing your teeth are excellent ways of maintaining a beautiful smile, we will be able to tackle the areas that a toothbrush can’t reach.

By doing X-rays, we will be able to see what is going on with your smile under the surface, checking to see if there are any issues that aren’t necessarily visible at first glance. If during your checkup we detect signs of gum disease, we may request you come in every three months so we can take care of the issue before it gets worse.

If you’re due for a dental checkup, make an appointment, and we will be glad to help you achieve excellent oral health!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Composite Fillings with Dr. Lopez

If you are embarrassed by your silver amalgam fillings because they are too obvious, there is a wonderful solution! At New Smile Dental, Dr. Gilbert Lopez offers his patients composite fillings, a wonderful alternative to achieve a natural, seamless look to your dental work.

Unlike amalgam fillings, composite fillings are made of a material that matches the color of your teeth. They are used to repair decayed and fractured teeth, and are very durable, so you don’t have to worry about damaging them. If you get composite fillings, you may experience some sensitivity to hot and cold foods, which is very normal, and should subside over time. Composite fillings can last for several years, and after your appointment, we will be able to give you instructions on how to care for them.

The good thing about composite fillings is the fact they usually take a single session to apply. Dr. Lopez will numb your gums, and then remove whatever decay your teeth may have. After cleaning the area, Dr. Lopez will place the composite filling on your tooth, and shape it to look like your natural teeth. Simple yet very effective, there are many benefits to composite fillings that you really should experience for yourself! Make an appointment at our office, and we will be more than willing to assist you!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Healthy Gums Mean A Healthy Smile

Believe it or not, gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, can become a serious matter if it’s not taken care of at the right time. With over 80% of the population living with some form of gum disease, odds are you may be suffering from it and not even be aware. If left untreated, gum disease can affect different areas of your body, perhaps resulting in bone loss, heart disease, stroke, dementia, and much more. Thankfully, Dr Gilbert Lopez is able to tackle your gum disease with gum disease therapy.

Gum disease is the number one reason for tooth loss, so everyone at New Smile Dental takes it very seriously. A couple of the ways we treat gum disease non-surgically is scaling. Scaling removes the tartar, also known as calculus, from below the gum line. This way, we can remove the bacteria affecting your teeth. Root planing is another way of helping prevent gum disease; it lessens the rough areas on your teeth’s roots. Another thing we do is tissue regeneration, meaning we place healthy gum tissue is placed on infected gum tissue, promoting healthy gum growth and reattachment to the tooth.

There are things you can do at home to prevent gum disease. Flossing and brushing your teeth twice daily, preferably after every meal, is a great and easy way to eliminate the bacteria from sitting in your mouth. Be sure to devote yourself to using antibacterial mouthwash; it’s is a great way to erase the bacteria your tooth brush may have missed. Don’t worry if you’re unable to brush your teeth after every meal, chewing gum is a great option, as it catches food particles, preventing them to make your gums their new home.

If your gums are swollen, sensitive, or bleed when you brush them, call our office immediate to make an appointment with Dr. Lopez, and we all will be glad to help!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Welcome the New Year with Porcelain Veneers!

There are a lot of disadvantages associated with being insecure about your smile. You may not want to meet new people, or may be hesitant to laugh in public. The good news is that you are not alone and there is a solution to your dental woes. Dr. Gilbert Lopez may recommend porcelain veneers - a wonderful, easy way to revolutionize your smile in little to no time!

The process of getting porcelain veneers starts with a consultation with Dr. Lopez. During the consultation, he will be able to evaluate the current state of your teeth, ask you about your long term goals regarding your smile, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. If you are a candidate, Dr. Lopez will make impressions of your teeth, and send those impressions to a dental lab to have your custom porcelain veneers made. When it’s time to apply your 0.5mm thick porcelain veneers, your natural tooth is prepared, removing a little bit of the enamel to make room. Your veneer surrounds your natural tooth, and is made permanent with resin cement. In the end, you’re left with an effortlessly beautiful smile!

One of the big plusses to porcelain veneers is the fact they look like your natural tooth! Like many people, you may not want it to be obvious you had any cosmetic work done, and porcelain veneers is a great way to look as natural as possible. They are also stain resistant, so you’re sure to smile-ready at any given time! You will be able to make a great first impression, laugh, smile, and anything else you may do in complete confidence!

If you feel as though Dr. Lopez may be able to help you achieve the smile of your dreams, make an appointment today! Welcome the New Year with a new smile!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Take Advantage of Your Dental Insurance Before 2014

A lot of people don’t know that you actually save money in the long run when you take advantage of your dental insurance before the year ends. Though some insurance companies operate by a fiscal year, most of them abide the calendar year, meaning as soon as it strikes midnight on December 30, your benefits are long gone.

Unlike your cell phone minutes, your dental benefits do not roll over to the next year. You work hard to earn the benefits you have, accumulating possibly hundreds of dollars only to have it wasted. When you use your benefits before the year is up, you will be able to take advantage of your deductible before it resets. Also, it gives you the ability to use up your annual maximums. One of the more important reasons to take advantage of your dental benefits before the year ends is to take care of dental issues before it gets worse. What may appear to be a simple cavity or discomfort now could turn into something a lot more serious and expensive down the road.

If you are unsure about what your dental benefits may be or when they expire, ask your employer, or use the company handbook as a reference. Either way, being able to use your dental benefits before the year ends is beneficial for your money, and, more importantly, your teeth.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Root Canal Therapy in Fort Smith and Van Buren, AR

If you have a tooth that has become infected, it is important to treat the infection to keep you from losing the tooth as well as restore health to your smile. At New Smile Dental, we can use root canal therapy to treat your infected tooth and improve your oral health.

Root canal therapy is an important treatment because it addresses an infection inside of your tooth. When decay is allowed to breach the enamel of the tooth, it allows the pulp inside of the tooth to become infected. This is often a painful infection that can lead to tooth loss if left untreated for too long. Other symptoms include increased sensitivity to hot and cold food and drinks, gum swelling and abscesses of the gums. If we determine that your root canal is indeed infected, we can restore your tooth with root canal therapy.

For your treatment we’ll start by numbing the affected area to keep your comfortable. We’ll use a drill and additional tools to remove the infected inner pulp of your tooth. It will be replaced with a special material that will protect the sensitive root canal. We will top your tooth with a crown to complete your restoration.

If you’re suffering from a root canal infection, we can help restore the health of your smile with root canal therapy. This treatment will help to restore strength and function to your tooth, as well as help protect against further infection. The health of your smile is important so give us a call today to see how we can help.