If you are looking for a Plymouth and Minnetonka dentistry that can treat the entire family, then you should consider Wayzata Dental and SmileSpa. We handle the kids’ check-ups, Junior’s cavity, your veneers, your Mom’s implants, Dad’s dentures, and so on.

Why, even family members who loath the dentist will love Wayzata Dental! You know who they are. Our goal is to make your dental visit as comfortable as possible by pampering you. We have made our office so comfortable that you will actually look forward to visit us.

How you ask? What do you think of this for a check-up or a visit to get a cavity filled? Makes dental appointments almost fun.

• Concierge
• Beverage Center
• Distinctive Interior Design
• Heated Neck and Eye Pillows
• iPods
• iTVs
• Xboxes
• Entertainment Viewing
• Wi-Fi Wireless Internet

Aside from preventative and restorative treatment, we offer a SmileSpa specializing in whitening and deep bleaching.

Making an appointment is easy to do. You can either call us or make an appointment online. Dr. Jason McDowell and our staff will make sure your dental visit will be comfortable and successful. It’s our job to give you dental TLC.

Wayzata Dental & SmileSpa are experts at restoring your smile. Whether it’s with professional whitening treatments, porcelain veneers, invisalign invisible braces, cosmetic contouring and shaping, or enamel microabrasion, they can help you return to smiling again.

Here are some fascinating facts about smiling:
• Smiling boosts your immune system and improves your physical health. Smiling forces your body to relax contributing to good health and a stronger immune system.
• Smiles relieve stress: Your body immediately releases endorphins when you smile.
• It’s an international sign of happiness. Everyone has a different way of greeting, but when someone smiles we know it means they are happy.
• Smiles use about 5 to 53 facial muscles
• Scientists believe that babies are born with the ability to smile since even blind babies smile
• When you smile, you look more attractive. People gravitate toward a smiling face than one that is frowning.
• If you want to get promoted, smile! Smiles make a person seem, sociable and confident, and people who smile more are likely to move ahead in their career faster.

So, if you don’t want to smile because of your teeth, you can do something about it. Call Dr. McDowell and Wayzata Dental & SmileSpa at (952) 473-4900. They will help you use those 53 muscles again.

A philosophy of care is a simple statement of goals relating to how a dentist is going to treat their patients. In some businesses, they refer to this as a mission statement. I think philosophy of care is a more appropriate term. If you know what your dentist’s philosophy of care is, then you’ll know what to expect every time you visit.

The Wayzata Dental and Smile Spa has a philosophy that stands behind their treatment regime. This philosophy includes:

• using the most advanced and exceptional dental technologies,
• delivering an extraordinary individualized service,
• assisting patients maintain and/or develop healthy and beautiful teeth, and
• inspiring patients to grace the world with a genuine smile.

You will notice the philosophy is all centered around you, the patient, and the goal is to help you develop a big beautiful smile that includes bright and healthy teeth. To achieve this, we use the latest technology to reshape, realign, redesign, and refine your teeth to a point where you are happy with the results. Our treatment plans may include simple activities such as cleaning and gentle whitening to more advanced activities such as implants, invisible braces, or gum and tooth contouring and shaping.

A visit to the dentist in today’s modern world is no longer simply about removing decay and filling holes or extracting teeth and making dentures. Where twenty years ago a tooth would be written off and extracted, today’s technologies can often save that tooth providing patients to keep their teeth for decades longer. Even better, most treatments are now almost totally painless and the environment is one of relaxation and, as our name implies, the feeling of being in a spa – not in an old-fashioned dentist’s room.

• Crooked or poorly shaped teeth
• Missing teeth
• Discolored teeth
• Unattractive or failed previous dentistry
• Uneven or excessive display of gum tissue
• Uneven or slanted teeth
• Crowded teeth caused by skeletal malformations
• Large gaps between teeth
• Worn, chipped or broken teeth

Wayzata Dental prides itself on providing minimally invasive cosmetic and restorative dentistry designed to restore your smile to it’s natural glory. Modern dentistry is such that almost all treatments can be pain free, and undertaken with the patients comfort foremost in our minds. Rather than telling patients what they need, the aim is to sit down with our patients and work out a treatment plan that suits the patients timelines and budgets.

You no longer need to live with a hidden smile. If your teeth are crooked, they can be straightened. If your teeth are discolored, they can be restored to whatever color suits you. Every one of the problems mentioned above can be resolved fairly quickly. If you’re ashamed of your smile, ashamed of your teeth, don’t be – do something about them instead.

There are many such instances when you should not wait to visit your dentist but seek an appointment right away. Let’s look at a few of such instances.

• You have bad breath in your mouth quite frequently that does not go away in spite of regular dental care.

• You frequently have a bad taste in the mouth.
• Your gums have become red and/or appear swollen.
• Your gums bleed when you brush. Note: Don’t not stop brushing if you find blood in your gums.
• You have yellow or brown stains on your teeth.
• You have tartar on your teeth.
• You have sores in your mouth.
• There is pus around a tooth.
• Your teeth appear loose and move while brushing. Also, visit the dentist if your fillings feel lose.
• Your teeth are chipped or broken.
• Your teeth have become too sensitive to sweet, hot, and cold food.
• You fell or had an accident that affected your mouth.

Don’t ignore a dental problem thinking it will get cured on its own; seek help at once. And keep smiling!

Apart from the regular check ups, you should visit the dentist in the following conditions.

• You have pain in the teeth and gums. If the pain has continued for more than two days, you should contact your dentist immediately.

• You frequently have a bad taste in the mouth.
• You have bad breath. If you think your bad breath does not go away even after regular oral care, you have got to see the dentist.
• Your gums have become red and/or appear swollen.
• Your gums bleed when you brush. You should not stop brushing if you find blood in your gums. Your dentist will diagnose the problem and treat you.
• You have yellow or brown stains on your teeth.
• You have tartar on your teeth.
• You have sores in your mouth.
• There is pus around a tooth.
• Your teeth appear loose and move while brushing. Also, visit the dentist if your fillings feel loose.
• Your teeth are chipped or broken.
• You have become too sensitive to sweet, hot, and cold food.
• You fell or had an accident that affected your mouth.

And, yeah, greet your dentist with a smile, and the smile you get in return will tell you he/she is not a monster.

Happy smiling!

Isn’t tooth extraction better than root canal treatment?

Let your dentist decide that. If the pulp of your tooth is infected, a tooth extraction is not the solution. Your dentist will extract the infected pulp and cure your dental problem. A tooth extraction cannot replace the need for a root canal treatment.

Do I need a root canal treatment even if my teeth don’t hurt?

Some of us think that if there is no pain, there is no need for root canal therapy. You do not want to wait long enough for a pain to develop in order to agree to a root canal treatment.

Don’t root canal procedures require a number of visits to the dentist?

Gone are those days when any treatment required multiple visits to the doctor or dentist. With technological advancements, you do not need to visit your dentist more than twice for a root canal treatment.

Isn’t root canal treatment extremely painful?

This is the perception that makes people cringe at the prospect of getting a root canal treatment. However, this is an obsolete perception. With technological advancements, root canal treatment causes no more discomfort than a regular dental filling.

Aren’t the effects of the root canal treatment temporary?

The root canal treatment can help reap benefits for a lifetime if you take proper care of the teeth after the treatment. Follow your dentist’s instructions and you will realize that the treatment will not disappoint you.

I hope you are no longer afraid of RCT.

Happy smiling!

An inlay helps restore cracked or broken teeth. Inlays are used for teeth that are not damaged enough to require crowns. Now, an onlay is an inlay’s brother. It is an inlay that covers more than one tooth. An inlay is typically applied to the chewing area of the tooth. Onlays are spread over the chewing surface of multiple teeth.

Inlays and onlays are made of porcelain, gold, or composite resins. Now, there are two types of inlays and onlays: direct ones and indirect ones. The direct inlay/onlay is fixed directly in the tooth. It is then taken out and hardened and then fixed again. The indirect inlay/onlay is prepared in stages: first, a mould is prepared by using a soft material on the tooth; next, the mould helps prepare the actual inlay/onlay in the laboratory. The patient is given temporary filling while the inlay/onlay is being made.

In this dental procedure, the area around the tooth is numbed using an anesthesia. Then, depending on whether a direct inlay/onlay is required or an indirect inlay/onlay, the treatment is done.

Typically, it requires two visits for the treatment. However, with technological advancements, it is possible to fix a direct inlay/onlay in a single visit.

Take care. Save yourself from unnecessary accidents – dental or otherwise.

Happy smiling!

• Myth #1: If I get my tartar removed, my teeth will loosen.
  Well, this is such a false notion. When the tartar is removed from your mouth, your teeth will get more space and will be lighter. That does not, however, indicate that your teeth have become loose. The tartar was not supposed to be there in the first place, so the feeling of lightness is a false feeling.

• Myth #2: All dental treatments mean pain.
  Well, this could have been true in the earlier days. In these days of technological advancements, visiting a dentist is no longer synonymous with pain.

• Myth #3: I don’t need to see a dentist unless there is a problem.
  Tell me something. How on earth would you know if you have a problem in your teeth? Pain? Well, not all symptoms of dental problems will be visible; not initially, at least. You should let your dentist diagnose problems. Even if you don’t have any, visiting your dentist regularly just makes sure you do not develop any.

• Myth #4: I already have a set of dentures. It will last me a lifetime.
  You couldn’t be more mistaken if you think this way. The tissue beneath your teeth changes over time; the teeth can adjust itself with the changes, the dentures cannot. Therefore, you should change dentures regularly in consultation with your dentist.

Hope this post has helped change some of your notions about dental treatments. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us.

What exactly happens in the bonding procedure? A composite material is put on or between teeth. This helps correct any visible flaws. So, if you have any dental flaw, don’t hide it; visit your dental clinic to get it rectified. Not sure about it? Let me answer some of the questions that you may have in your mind now.

• Is bonding painful?
  No. Bonding is not considered painful. However, some people feel a little sensitivity after the procedure in the areas near the bonded teeth.

• Is it expensive?
  Well, you will be surprised. Bonding is considered the least expensive of all dental treatments.

• How many times do I have to go to the dentist?
  Typically, the procedure gets over in one visit to the dentist.

• Is bonding really good?
  Yes. If you are concerned about the shade of bonding matching your teeth, you’ll be happy to learn that the material used for bonding is available in many shades. This ensures that the bonding matches your teeth as closely as possible.

  Moreover, the procedure does not require the entire tooth to be removed, just the infected part.

  Another good thing about bonding is that the material used in bonding grows along with your teeth, thus avoiding the development of any cracks. Bonding can last several years, anything between seven years to eleven years.

• Are there any precautions I have to take after the procedure?
  Here are some of the precautions you should take after you have undergone bonding.
  - Avoid biting your nails.
  - Avoid chewing on anything other than food.
  - Visit your dentist right away if the bonding material starts chipping off.

Rush to the dentist today if you have a dental flaw you would like corrected.

Happy smiling!