Family dentistry Archives - Gordon West DDS - Aesthetic & General Dentistry

Fun Floss Facts

Posted on September 14, 2018September 11, 2018

You probably believe that the most crucial aspect regarding flossing is simply to do it every day. At Boulder County Smiles, your dentist in Lafayette CO, we agree. However, many people find that trying out a few different types of floss helps them to establish or solidify the habit and get the flossing comfort they desire.

Let’s review some of the most common types of dental floss:

Basic floss is either a monofilament floss, which is commonly made of some kind of rubber or plastic, or multifilament, which is made of nylon or silk. Nylon floss is less costly, more common and is sold waxed or unwaxed.

Monofilament floss will not rip or tear, and because of this, many people find that it pulls in between the teeth easier. This type of floss is generally referred to as “glide” floss.

Both monofilament floss and multifilament floss are sold in differing thicknesses. It is helpful to find the size that works best for you. Since you should not have to snap the floss between your teeth, find the thickness that allows you to gently floss.

Dental tape is nylon floss in the shape of a wide, flat ribbon. Many Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry patients find that dental tape is the easiest floss to get between their teeth.

For those of you with braces or appliances, there are also flosses designed to be used with these devices. Make sure to talk to your orthodontist about flossing because you don’t want to break this vital habit just because you’re having your teeth straightened!

A good person to give you counsel about flossing is your dental hygienist. At Boulder County Smiles, our hygienists are prepared to answer any questions you have about flossing, brushing habits, and even cosmetic dentistry procedures such as teeth whitening and veneers.

At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, services also include general and family dentistry. Schedule an appointment with us today.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

ArticleID 5273

Don’t Put Off Your Dental Exam

Posted on September 7, 2018September 6, 2018

Hi kids and adults in Lafayette. No matter what age you are, as long as you have teeth, dental exams are a vital practice for keeping your smile healthy and beautiful, and the Boulder County Smiles dentist wants to help.

We have an excellent office and state-of-the-art dental care in a comfortable environment and a team of professionals to make your exams something you’ll look forward to.

Knowledge is Power
Dental exams are often put off because they can be seen as unnecessary. But exams are truly one of the best methods for preventative care. At each check up, our experienced and well trained hygienists will thoroughly clean your teeth. Once they are polished sparkling clean, your teeth will receive a thorough analysis. They will be inspected for any dental caries, gum recession, excessive wear, or other risks. Catching these types of threats early is crucial so you can be certain that they don’t turn into larger problems.

Innovative Dental Technology
Technology is moving swiftly, so it’s essential to find a dental office that has the latest instruments to ensure your check up is detailed and comprehensive. At Boulder County Smiles, we have state-of-the-art technology that is used for your exams. If a malfunction is detected, an appropriate, individualized treatment plan will be designed.

Peace of Mind
After your entire mouth has been examined, we will detail what is required moving forward. Whether that’s flossing more often or discussing major fixes such as braces, we will be certain that you get all the information you need to ensure your smile is bright and beautiful!

At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette we provide general and cosmetic dentistry.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

ArticleID 7260

Dental Questions? Gordon West DDS Has Answers

Posted on August 24, 2018August 23, 2018

Health conscious people want to take care of their teeth. However, many men and women need a place where they can review basic principles of dental health and get straightforward information about restorative and cosmetic dental procedures such as dental implants, teeth whitening, and veneers. This blog from a Lafayette CO dentist is your source for this helpful oral care information.

Many of our dental patients have concerns and questions about their oral care. That’s why we include hot-button dental issues in our blog such as:

Smile Makeovers
Sealants
Invisible Braces
Toothbrush Care
ADA Seal Products
Tooth Protection
Gum Contouring
Dental Implants

We hope that this information will help you make educated decisions about your oral care.

At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, we provide general and family dentistry, dental implants, and treat conditions like sleep apnea. Schedule an appointment today.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Restore Or Replace: New Life For Your Damaged Tooth

Posted on August 10, 2018August 15, 2018

As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat (although we don’t know anyone who has actually tried). And with cosmetic dentistry at Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, there is more than one way to fix a tooth.

If you are the lucky owner of a set of perfectly healthy teeth, you may never need any of these procedures. However, if you are like most of us, you will probably need to restore a tooth eventually. Today’s post looks at six restoration procedures that are used routinely to repair damaged teeth:

A Porcelain Veneer
These wafer-thin covers can hide a chip or crack or fix the alignment of a tooth that is slightly crooked.

A Filling, Inlay, or Onlay
This procedure has been used to restore teeth for over a century though the materials and techniques have advanced. One fairly new option is white filling replacement for metal fillings. A traditional filling is shaped and molded after it is applied to the tooth. Because inlays and onlays are created in a dental lab, they are frequently called indirect fillings. Inlays are applied to just the center of the biting surface of a tooth (not to a cusp or point) and are frequently smaller than onlays. An onlay restores one or more cusps of a tooth.

Dental Bonding
Bonding, officially called direct composite veneers, is used to correct chips, cracks, stains, and make teeth longer. It is also sometimes used to fill cavities. A skilled cosmetic dentist applies pliable composite resin and molds it to the specific shape needed. The resin is then hardenend with a special curing light.

A Dental Crown
A crown replaces the entire visible portion of the tooth, restoring appearance, strength, and function. Crowns are used for teeth that have had a root canal, teeth with acute decay, the replacement tooth in a dental bridge, and the visible portion of a dental implant. Crowns can be made of all metal (such as gold), porcelain-fused-to-metal, all ceramic, or all resin.

Dental Implants
Many dentists consider a tooth implant to be the ultimate restoration because it restores the entire tooth – both root and crown. Most dental implant recipients report that the implant is indistinguishable from a natural tooth. Another boon is the fact that an implant can prevent bone recession which is common at an extraction site. Dental implants are used in a variety of applications such as anchoring dentures and dental bridges.

For more information about any of these cosmetic dentistry procedures, call Boulder County Smiles. We also treat sleep apnea and other conditions. Make an appointment with us today.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Countering Anxiety With Sedation Dentistry

Posted on July 27, 2018July 23, 2018

Does the mere thought of sitting down in a dentist’s chair fill you with dread? Does it make you avoid the dentist altogether? If so, you’re among the millions of Americans coping with dental anxiety. At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, sedation dentistry may be just what the doctor ordered.

If you have dental anxiety, your first impulse may be to avoid the dentist altogether. That’s a bad idea, because it puts your dental health at risk.

We offer several ways of getting through your dental appointment. General stress and anxiety reduction uses a relaxing environment coupled with acupressure and music. This is good for mild to moderate anxiety.

Oral sedation involves taking a sedative that will put you in a deeply relaxed state. You’ll need someone to drive you home when it’s over.

General anesthesia is usually done in a hospital. It’s the best option for those with extreme dental anxiety or dental phobia.

Sedation dentistry is important, because it can get you to the dentist. Better to have a little help getting through your appointment than getting a mouth full of fillings, or worse.

Don’t let anxiety prevent you from getting the dental treatment you need. Make an appointment with Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette today. We provide general and family dentistry.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Is Your Smile In A World Of Hurt?

Posted on July 20, 2018July 23, 2018

Do you have acute tooth damage, bone loss, or few or no teeth still intact? Restorative dentistry from Boulder County Smiles can help those whose mouths are in a world of hurt.

First off, we feel for you. We understand how severe dental issues influence you every day of your life.

Whatever the cause of the condition – chemotherapy, recreational drug use, eating disorder, extreme mouth injury, disability, inadequate oral hygiene, or simply poor overall health – there is hope.

Full mouth reconstruction can restore your previously healthy, beautiful smile or give you the brilliant smile you never had. Patients who undergo full mouth reconstruction regain their confidence to smile, eat, and speak normally. How would that influence your life?

Replacing missing teeth and adding bone through grafting restores underlying facial structure, improving or preventing that “sunk-in” look that ensues when teeth are gone and the jawbone recedes.

Full mouth reconstruction (sometimes called full mouth restoration) is a term which refers to a combination of dental procedures that restore a smile for people with multiple damaged or missing teeth. Treatment may include any combination of the following procedures: crowns, inlays/onlays, dental bonding, white filling replacement, tooth implants, porcelain veneers, implant-anchored dentures, gum contouring, soft tissue grafts, bone grafts, and tooth whitening.

Dental implants are generally the best tooth replacement for those with missing teeth. A dental implant consists of a titanium post surgically inserted into the jaw bone to replace the root of the missing tooth. If there is not enough bone to anchor an implant, bone grafting may be performed to augment existing bone.

If you currently have dentures, ask us about implant-anchored full or partial dentures. Significant improvements can be made even if you only get two or three tooth implants.

Crowns (sometimes called caps) are used when there is enough viable tooth structure that the tooth doesn’t need to be extracted. A crown adds strength to a tooth that has a large filling or has been injured. A crown can repair a bite misalignment and is usually necessary after a root canal. In a dental implant procedure, attaching the crown to the abutment is the final step.

At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, we offer a full range of restorative dentistry procedures. Restoring a healthy smile may be the best investment you ever make. Make an appointment with us today.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Best Practices For A Healthy, Beautiful Smile

Posted on July 13, 2018July 23, 2018

Even if you value a healthy smile, it’s easy to become somewhat lax about smile-friendly lifestyle choices. At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, our goal is for you to evaluate where you stand and think about whether you could step it up a notch. Committing to oral health with our family dentistry can help.

Brushing

Good: Brush teeth once a day.
Better: Brush teeth thoroughly after each meal.
Best: Brush after each meal and floss thoroughly before bed.

Dental Checkups

Good: See Boulder County Smiles if you get a toothache.
Better: See us once a year even if you don’t notice any dental troubles.
Best: Twice-yearly, have a thorough dental exam and professional dental cleaning at Boulder County Smiles.

A White Smile

Good: Use a whitening toothpaste.
Better: Use a tooth whitening system at home.
Best: Schedule an in-office tooth whitening treatment.

Missing Tooth

Good enough for some people: Ignore it. (We don’t recommend this.)
Better: Get a quality dental bridge.
Best: Restore your smile with a beautiful, strong, and natural-functioning dental implant.

Smile-Friendly Nutrition

Good: Eat a sensible diet.
Better: Eat a healthy diet and limit sugary snacks and beverages.
Best: Eat a sensible diet, limit between-meal snacking, eat lots of calcium-rich foods, limit sugary snacks, abstain from energy drinks and soda, and sip water throughout the day to keep acid at bay.

For Young Smiles

Good: Never put your child to bed with a bottle. When your toddler starts drinking from sippy-cup, don’t let them sip juice or milk all day.
Better: Follow the previous advice and schedule his/her first dental checkup before the first birthday.
Best: In addition, speak with us about dental sealants when your child is young.

At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, we are dedicated to the best in dentistry. We provide family and cosmetic dentistry, and look forward to meeting you.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Can My Dentist Help Stop My Snoring?

Posted on July 6, 2018July 23, 2018

Partner can’t sleep because you snore? Is it finally time to do away with it? At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, we can help.

Snoring sounds can develop when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses onto the soft palate. This narrows the air passageway. As you breathe, this area opens and closes—with a noisy result.

Your snoring may be a symptom of a condition called sleep apnea. With Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the air passageway not only narrows, you actually stop breathing. These pauses can last for up to a minute and occur dozens or even hundreds of time per night.

Many people with sleep apnea snore, but not all snorers have sleep apnea. Regular snoring does not generally wake you up during the night. (Though it may wake your partner up again and again.)

Is My Snoring a Symptom of Sleep Apnea?

Do you wake up multiple times during the night gasping?
Are you excessively tired during the day?
Do you wake up with a headache?
Do you nod off during the day because you are sleepy?
Are your mouth and throat noticeably dry when you wake up?

Snoring is more than a pesky annoyance, but you are not without options. Contact Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO. We also provide general and family dentistry.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Sleep Apnea Is A Serious Health Threat

Posted on June 22, 2018August 28, 2018

At Gordon West DDS in Lafayette CO, we often see patients who say they have been struggling with deficient sleep for months or even years. Some of these individuals end up being diagnosed with sleep apnea or related conditions.

You Can’t Just “Tough It Out”

The reluctance to obtain professional help is lamentable, because sleep apnea takes such a high toll on health and reduces quality of life. If they are keeping someone up at night, it makes life more difficult for that person, as well.

Protect Your Health

For some puzzling reason, many individuals don’t consider sleep apnea a grave issue. Why the disconnect? We are talking about breathing, folks! There isn’t a biological activity more indispensable than that. And poor sleep can cause a myriad of serious health issues. It also impacts performance in every area of life; work, hobbies, and social activities.

Sleep apnea is a condition where you have frequent, recurring delays in breathing while you sleep. These lapses can last for up to 60 seconds and are usually caused by soft tissue in the back of the throat that relaxes and blocks the airway. As you can probably imagine, when the brain is not getting enough oxygen it hinders vital biological processes.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Cause: Throat muscles soften and cover the airway. This is the most prevalent type.

Central Sleep Apnea
Cause: The brain doesn’t send signals to the muscles that regulate breathing.

Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome (Treatment-emergent Central Sleep Apnea)
This is a combination of both conditions described previously. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631

Signs of Sleep Apnea

Loud snoring
Unexpected awakenings where you are choking or feel “out of breath”
Pauses in breathing while sleeping (as evidenced by another person noticing the behavior)
Sore throat or dry mouth after sleeping
Fitful sleep
Falling asleep while performing normal daily activities
Inability to concentrate during the day
Depression and irritability
Awakening with a headache
Extreme fatigue

If you experience any of these symptoms, we invite you to discuss it with us at Gordon West DDS in Lafayette CO. Sleep apnea is one of our specialties. We also provide general and family dentistry.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

ArticleID 7564

Super Smiles For Life

Posted on June 15, 2018August 28, 2018

Your child should be naturally proud of his or her smile. It expresses joy, laughter, and fun! To make sure your child has a healthy and appealing smile, bring them in for a family dentistry checkup at Gordon West DDS in Lafayette. Start early. Really early.

We recommend a child’s first dental visit when their first tooth erupts. An early check is the first step in preventing problems and setting the stage for lifelong dental health. We will keep the visit short, but carry out a thorough visual examination to make sure there are no concerns.

We will guide you on good dental procedures at home, such as correct brushing and flossing. You will also be guided regarding healthy eating choices and the effects of poor choices. It is especially essential to keep your toddler from eating sticky or hard candies that lodge in molars and spaces between teeth. It is also important to monitor the amount of juice they drink and keep it in a cup instead of a bottle.

Any time sugary foods or drinks are in contact with teeth, the enamel is weakened from the acid those substances contain. Prolonged exposure begins to wear the enamel away, setting the stage for tooth decay. Unlike broken bones that regenerate, once enamel is gone, it’s essentially gone, though fluoride can remineralize weakened enamel to a small degree.

Promoting a healthy, low sugar diet is always optimal for your toddler’s teeth. If your baby or toddler needs a bottle to calm down and go to sleep, make sure that the bottle contains only water.

Other important habits are to brush and floss your teeth in front of your child. (If you have never been regular flossing – it’s time to start!) Let them see that it is a priority and a comfortable habit in your life. Brush their teeth with a soft bristled brush and a small amount of toothpaste. Let them try it, but always go over their teeth afterward, making sure each tooth is brushed. When finished, give them a cup of water to help rinse the toothpaste out.

Before coming in, talk with your child about the upcoming appointment and let them know that their teeth are going to be checked. We will help your child feel proud of their effort and help them have a pleasing visit, the first of many to come.

Remember also to call any time between scheduled visits with any questions or concerns that might arise. We are enthusiastic about your child’s lifelong dental health.

Gordon West DDS in Lafayette CO provides family and cosmetic dentistry. Schedule your next appointment with us today.

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

720-862-3630

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

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