Smile Brighter with the Top General Dentist Near You in Denver
Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you, and maintaining it is crucial for your confidence and overall health. If you’re in Denver and searching for a “general dentist near me” who offers comprehensive, top-notch care, look no further than Ascent Dental. In this guide, we’ll explore why choosing the proper dental care is essential, the various benefits of routine dental visits, and how Ascent Dental is uniquely positioned to meet your dental care needs. Introduction to Ascent Dental and the Importance of General Dental Care When it comes to maintaining good oral hygiene, regular visits to a general dentist play a pivotal role. General dentists are like the primary care providers for your teeth. They ensure your teeth and gums are healthy, help prevent issues, and guide you on the best practices for oral care. At the forefront in Denver, CO, is Ascent Dental, where top-notch care meets compassionate service. Benefits of Regular Checkups and Cleanings Regular dental checkups and cleanings are not just about keeping your teeth white; they are crucial to maintaining overall health. One of the primary benefits of these routine visits is the early detection of potential issues. Dentists can identify signs of decay, gum disease, or even oral cancer during a checkup in their early stages when they are easiest to treat. Another advantage of frequent checkups is professional cleaning. Even with diligent brushing and flossing, plaque can build up in hard-to-reach areas. A professional cleaning removes this plaque, significantly reducing the risk of cavities and gum diseases. Cleanings also help to polish your teeth, removing any stains and leaving your smile gleaming. Furthermore, regular visits foster a relationship with your dentist and dental hygienist. This trust ensures you feel comfortable discussing concerns, leading to personalized advice tailored to your needs. It also means that your dentist is familiar with your dental history, allowing for more accurate oral health monitoring over time. Discussion on Preventive Treatments Offered Preventive dental care is designed to stop problems before they start, and it’s a significant part of the services offered at Ascent Dental. Bad Breath Treatment: One common issue that preventive care addresses is bad breath, which can be socially embarrassing and indicate underlying health issues. Treatments are available to tackle the primary causes of bad breath, ensuring fresh breath and a confident smile. Dental Hygiene and Cleanings: Dental hygiene and regular cleanings are cornerstones of preventive dentistry. These services not only clean your teeth beyond what home care can achieve but also allow hygienists to educate you on the best oral care techniques. They can suggest specific products or changes to your brushing habits that might benefit you. Dental Exams: Lastly, comprehensive dental exams are critical to preventive care. At these exams, your dentist will check for signs of tooth decay, gum disease, and other potential issues. This proactive approach helps prevent minor problems from developing into more significant, costly concerns. Overview of Common Dental Issues and How Ascent Dental Can Address Them Many people experience dental issues at some point, and understanding these common problems can help them seek timely treatment. Cavities are among the most prevalent dental issues, occurring when plaque erodes the tooth enamel. At Ascent Dental, cavity treatment is straightforward and painless, often resolved with fillings that match your natural tooth color. Gum disease is another widespread concern that can lead to severe complications if untreated. Symptoms include swollen, bleeding gums and persistent bad breath. Fortunately, early-stage gum disease can be managed with professional cleanings and improved home care. Another issue is tooth sensitivity, resulting from worn tooth enamel or exposed roots. This sensitivity can make eating and drinking uncomfortable. The team at Ascent Dental can apply treatments that significantly reduce sensitivity and recommend lifestyle changes to prevent further enamel wear. The Team at Ascent Dental: Experience and Expertise At the heart of Ascent Dental is Dr. Jeff Johnston, whose experience and dedication ensure patients receive the highest standard of care. Dr. Johnston is well-versed in the latest dental technologies and techniques and is committed to creating a welcoming and stress-free environment for all patients. The support team at Ascent Dental is equally impressive, comprising skilled hygienists and administrative staff who ensure every visit is seamless and comfortable. They focus on patient education, ensuring you leave the office with the knowledge needed to maintain excellent oral health at home. General Dentist Near Me Maintaining dental health is vital to your overall well-being. Regular visits to a trusted “general dentist near me,” like Dr. Johnston at Ascent Dental in Denver, CO, can prevent many common dental problems, saving you time, money, and discomfort. If you’re ready to enhance your smile and boost your confidence, consider scheduling an appointment with Dr. Jeff Johnston and the skilled team at Ascent Dental. It’s time to put your best smile forward and join a community dedicated to maintaining excellent oral health.
What is Sedation Dentistry and How Does it Work?
There are millions of Americans who are terrified of going to a dentist, and for that reason, they suffer unnecessarily with dental problems that could have been prevented altogether with preventative dental care. If you are one of those people who is horrified by the thought of drills, dental work and the whole experience of sitting in that chair to have your teeth worked on, you are not alone. Thankfully, however, there have been a number of advances in the world of dentistry in recent years; these advances help make dental work less painful, and they have changed the way many people feel about going to a dentist. If you have not been to a dentist in years, or even decades, you will be absolutely amazed at how much less stressful and painful it is to have dental work done these days. Long gone are the days of sitting in a dentist’s chair for hours while he or she pulled teeth, performed root canals or filled cavities. Now, many dental procedures are completely pain and free and can be done in less than an hour; even better, many of today’s dental procedures don’t even require the use of the dreaded “dentist drill,” the sound of which can cause people to panic and become filled with fear. What is Sedation Dentistry? Sedation dentistry has changed the way people feel about going to the dentist. Sedation dentistry, also referred to as “sleep dentistry,” uses medication to help patients relax during dental procedures—making the procedures more tolerable for the patient and easier for the dentist to perform. While sedation dentistry if often referred to as “sleep dentistry,” that term is not really accurate because patients are not really asleep during the procedures. Except for those who are under general anesthesia, patients are aware for procedures when they visit a sedation dentist. If you are looking for a cosmetic dentist in Denver, be sure you choose one that uses sedation dentistry to make the procedures less painful and stressful for you. In sedation dentistry, different types and levels of sedation are used depending on the patient’s ability to withstand dental work and what procedures are necessary. Dr. Jeff Johnston, cosmetic dentist in Denver, will discuss your sedation options with you and let you know which one will be best for your needs. If you ever have any questions about sedation dentistry and how it works, or if you’d like to go ahead and schedule an appointment to have some much-needed dental work performed, please contact Ascent Dental Group today.
How to Promote Good Dental Hygiene in Children
If you teach proper oral hygiene to your kids at a young age, you’re really making an investment in the future of you all. Having your children brush and floss properly starting out early in life may minimize the number of cavities they get and will help to promote good oral hygiene throughout their entire lives. And by modeling good brushing and flossing, you’re teaching your kids about healthy dental hygiene habits. How to Teach Dental Hygiene to Kids By following some simple steps, you can help your kids take good care of their teeth and gums. Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste that’s approved by the ADA (American Dental Association) to remove plaque. Floss daily to remove plaque from between your teeth and under the gum line. Plaque, when not removed, will harden and form into tartar, and tartar can only be removed during a professional teeth cleaning. Eat a well-balanced diet (low in sugary and starchy foods); these types of foods cause the plaque acids that cause tooth decay. Use dental products that contain fluoride. Make sure that your children’s drinking water has fluoride in it. Go to the dentist for regular check-ups. Fluoride is one of the best things to help prevent tooth decay; fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that works with the tooth’s enamel to strengthen it. In many municipal water supplies, the right amount of fluoride is added for proper tooth development. If your water supply does not contain enough (or any at all) fluoride, your child’s pediatrician or dentist may suggest using fluoride drops or a mouth rinse in addition to a fluoride toothpaste. If you have questions about fluoride, please ask Dr. Jeff Johnston, general and cosmetic dentist in the Denver area. Brushing technique is quite important when it comes to good dental hygiene. Here are some tips to help you teach your children the proper way to brush and floss: Use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste, and teach your child the importance of not swallowing the toothpaste. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush the inside surface of each tooth first, where plaque may accumulate most. Clean the outer surfaces of each tooth. Angle the brush along the outer gum line and gently brush back and forth. Gently brush the chewing surface of each tooth. Use the tip of the brush to clean behind each front tooth, both top and bottom. Brush the tongue. To learn more about how to promote good dental hygiene in children, please contact Ascent Dental Group today.
How to Keep Your Gums Healthy
Not only is it important to keep your teeth healthy by brushing and flossing regularly and properly, but it’s also very important to give your gums the tender loving care they need to stay healthy. Sometimes brushing and flossing isn’t enough, and you have to go above and beyond what you have done for years to keep your gums healthy, especially if you’ve been experiencing some problems like tender or bleeding gums. 3 Tips to Follow for Healthy Gums If you are looking for a dentist in Denver due to painful, bleeding gums, you’ve come to the right place. Ascent Dental Group has a superb team of dental professionals with experience in cosmetic and general dentistry. Please read on to learn some tips about how to keep your gums (and teeth) healthy between visits to your dentist. Use a toothbrush with soft, round bristles, so your gums are not hurt while brushing. Also, criss-crossed bristles are recommended because they help get to the hard-to-reach places around your gums and teeth, and the criss-crossed bristles remove plaque in between the teeth. Don’t smoke or, if you do smoke, quit as soon as possible because smoking wreaks havoc on your gums. Smokers are more prone than non-smokers to have calculus, which is the hardened plaque on your teeth that can only be removed during a professional cleaning. If the calculus is not removed and stays below your gum line, the bacteria in the calculus can destroy your gum tissue and cause your gums to pull away from your teeth (known as “receding gums”). When your gums pull away from the teeth (recede), periodontal pockets form and fill with disease-causing bacteria that can make you very ill. Destroy bacteria nests; a bacteria nest is a hotspot where bacteria live (your gum line, for example). If you don’t destroy bacteria nests, they will turn into plaque and then into calculus, which is difficult to remove and can only be done during a professional cleaning. To break up bacteria nests, angle your toothbrush at 45 degrees against the area of attack and make very quick motions to help break up the nests. Repeat this technique a few times until your gum line feels clean and not sticky to the touch. You can learn everything you need to know about oral health at Ascent Dental Group in Cherry Creek. If you’re looking for a dentist in Denver, please contact our office today and we’ll get you in as quickly as we can.
Foods That Promote Good Oral Health
Taking good care of your oral health is just as important as taking care of your general and emotional health. Even if you dread going to the dentist, there are steps you can take right in your very own home and on your own time to help keep your teeth, gums and mouth in good condition. Staying away from food and drinks that contain a lot of sugar (and other ingredients that can hinder your oral health) and eating more foods that promote good oral health is one way to take care of your mouth, and regular visits to your dentist in Denver combined with a healthy diet will do wonders for your oral health. Let’s take a look at some foods that promote good oral health (and some even taste good, too!). What Foods are Good for Your Teeth and Gums? Kiwi contains more Vitamin C than any other fruit, and without Vitamin C, the collagen in your gums breaks down, your gums may become tender and more susceptible to the bacteria that cause periodontal disease. By eating just a few bites of Kiwi fruit, you give your mouth the boost of Vitamin C it needs to stay healthy. Cheese, which is high in phosphate and calcium, balances the pH in the mouth, killing bacteria and preserving tooth enamel, which helps prevents cavities and gum disease. Celery is a water-filled vegetable; chewing celery produces saliva and neutralizes the bacteria that cause cavities. Because it’s naturally abrasive, celery massages the gums and cleans between your teeth, so you get multiple oral health benefits with this delicious veggie. Onions have strong sulfur compounds, which make them excellent for oral health; to get the maximum benefit from onions, it’s best to eat them uncooked. You may want to reserve this oral health promoter for a time you’re not going to be in the close company of someone else due to its strong odor. Get your two scoops of raisins because these tasty treats contain phytochemicals like oleanolic acid that fight off the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease. If you’re looking for a caring, patient and knowledgeable dentist in Denver or a surrounding community, please contact Ascent Dental Group. Our office is located in Cherry Creek, but our patients come from many different communities in and around that area. If you have been thinking about finding a dentist in Denver or switching to a new dentist, look no further than Ascent Dental Group in Cherry Creek, Denver.
How to Handle a Broken Tooth
If you have injured a tooth and don’t know how severely, it’s time to get to a dentist. You may not feel or hear the tooth breaking, but you may find the small piece of tooth in your mouth, or your tongue may feel the suddenly sharp area left behind by the break. How Quickly Do You Need to Get to the Dentist? Some broken teeth are minor, cosmetic problems that may not need immediate attention. Others are dental emergencies that need immediate treatment. How do you tell the difference? In general, your pain can be a guide: No pain generally means the break is minor and doesn’t require immediate attention Increased sensitivity to temperature and pressure means you have likely broken the tooth deep into the enamel and exposed the dentin, softer material underneath that is more sensitive. Make an appointment with your dentist at the next convenient time. You may paint the broken area with temporary dental cement, often available at drug stores, to reduce sensitivity. Severe pain that is constant and flares when exposed to pressure and temperature changes may mean that you’ve exposed your tooth root. This should be treated as a dental emergency—quick action may be required to save the tooth. Do not try to replace the broken portion of your tooth. If you have the piece and it is large, store it in tepid milk or saliva on your way to the dentist. The piece likely cannot be restored, but it may help your dentist figure out why your tooth broke. How We Will Treat Your Broken Tooth When you have broken a tooth, we will give it an appropriate treatment depending on the severity of the break. Minor cosmetic breaks can be treated with dental bonding or porcelain veneers. For more serious breaks, we may recommend porcelain onlays or dental crowns, both of which can be done while you wait. These will protect your remaining enamel and strengthen your tooth. If your broken tooth compromised the tooth root or was due to decay, you may need endodontic treatment (root canal) as part of your treatment. If you have a broken tooth, please contact Ascent Dental in the Cherry Creek area of Denver for treatment.
Causes of a Toothache
I found this diagram on the internet and it really helps explain causes of tooth sensitivy or pain. Causes of a toothache can be many different things. I wanted to share this. Dr. Johnston
Reasons skipping the dentist is bad for you
While most don’t love going to the dentist, we try our hardest to make ourselves do it twice a year. But for some reason, we skip the dentist more than any of our other health-related appointments. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 71.4 percent of women over age 18 had their teeth cleaned in 2008. That means more than a quarter of all women are skipping the dentist! Here are exactly what health benefits you are missing out on when you skip a cleaning.(Motivation to set up an appointment?) Here are some non-tooth-related health conditions that may be spotted or prevented by a dentist (or go undiagnosed if you skip an appointment). 1. Heart disease. A new study from researchers at Berkeley found that women who get dental care may reduce their risk of heart disease by one-third. It’s simple – bacteria in the gums, especially bleeding gums can travel to your heart and set up residence. 2. Oral Cancer.Often times oral cancer are asymptomatic. We all have oral cancer risk factors. Smokers (duh) and anyone who consumes more than one alcoholic beverage on a daily basis. New studies are showing HPV from oral sex are very high oral cancer causing risk factors. 3. Nutritional deficiencies. By looking at your tongue and gums, we can tell if you are lacking in certain vitamins and nutrients. One thing they look for is pale tongue, which may indicate an iron deficiency. While its uncommon in our area in Denver, it can be detected. 4. Diabetes. The condition of your teeth and gums may point to diabetes. Uncontrolled gum bleeding after cleanings and other dental observations can lead to a diabetic diagnosis. Just know that the more you skip out on your dentist, the more damage you can do to the rest of your body. More and more studies are finding systemic links coming from the oral cavity. Take care of those teeth and gums and they will take care of you!
Reasons to Have Your Old Metal Fillings Replaced
Reasons To Have Your Old Amalgam Fillings Replaced With Natural-Looking Composite Fillings If your mouth is still full of those old, metallic fillings that were inserted into your teeth years ago, then you may want to consider making the switch to more natural-looking composite fillings. It’s been shown in studies the average life of a metal filling is 8-15 years. If your fillings are older than 15 years, you may want to consider having them updated. Here are some great reasons to upgrade your old amalgam fillings: 1. Hidden Decay A metal filling can have fractures or weak margins allowing bacteria to enter the tooth beside the filling, ultimately causing decay under or around the filling. This cavity can not be detected in the dental x-ray, as the metal filling will mask it. The only way its detectable is to remove it and look under it. 2. Increased Strength Since composite fillings are actually bonded into the matrix of the tooth structure, they can slightly strengthen your teeth and help hold the tooth together. If an old metal filling is large and little natural tooth structure exists, a crown may be the best way to update and strengthen the tooth. 3. Steady Size Silver fillings expand or contract due to temperature change. If your fillings change size whenever you drink hot or cold beverages, then your teeth may develop cracks. Since composite fillings aren’t made of a metal that expands or contracts in such a manner, you will have less potential for tooth damage. 4. Less Invasive If you are terrified at the thought of somebody drilling holes in your teeth, then you should definitely choose natural-looking composite fillings over amalgam fillings. Although the removal of some of your tooth is necessary because of the cavity, much less of the tooth will need to be removed, which means more conservative drilling is involved. Composite fillings don’t need the same depth, thickness and mechanical retention to be stable, unlike metal fillings. 5. Natural Appearance For most people, this is the biggest benefit of composite fillings. Instead of having a mouthful of silver fillings, your teeth will look all-natural, and after a while, you probably won’t even remember which teeth have fillings! 6. Metallic Taste Some get a metallic taste in their mouths from having metal fillings. By getting rid of them, we can eliminate this metallic taste which can allow foods to taste better. Micro metal wear and fatigue occur during chewing. 7. Potential Health risk While the FDA and the ADA do not claim metal fillings pose health risk, there are studies out there that show different conclusions. While I am not legally able to say metal fillings pose a health risk, I do feel there has to be some small merit in these studies. I let people make their own decisions about this subject, and don’t recommend people to remove metal fillings based on this reason alone. Have a great day.
Cigarette Warning Labels
Cigarette Health Warnings Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking. Effects of smoking on your teeth is one of the warnings. Click here to read more and see all the warnings…
Oral B ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 Kit Now Avaliable!
We are now selling Oral B’s best electric toothbrush. Oral-B’s most technologically advanced toothbrush, ProfessionalCare SmartSeries 5000 with SmartGuide provides Oral-B’s most advanced cleaning technology for ultimate plaque removal and also features a wireless SmartGuide. Separate, wireless SmartGuide helps maximize brushing performance Deep Clean mode removes up to 99.7% of plaque from hard-to-reach areas* Pressure sensor stops pulsations when brushing too hard Gentle on teeth and gums Improves gum health better than Sonicare FlexCare Offers outstanding whitening and polishing in 3 weeks** 5 modes: Daily Clean, Sensitive, Whitening, Massage, Deep Clean Oral-B is the #1 dentist-recommended toothbrush brand worldwide Also includes Crest Bag, Toothpaste, Rinse and Floss We are selling these for $125 and it comes with a $15 mail in rebate so your price is $110 total. Compare this to 159.99 at Target.com. We feel this is a great deal and toothbrush. Give your mouth the clean it deserves!
Oral Cancer / Velscope
Most of us are familiar with cancer. Its crossed our path in one way or another during our lifetime. We don’t necessarily know why we get it but unfortunately it happens. We don’t know why we get it but we do know how. Cancer (all forms) is mainly caused by problems with cell replication. Daily our cells which form our tissues undergo death and replication which is all a very complex process involving many stages that have to work precisely. Tissues with higher than normal replication cycles include but are not limited to: skin, breast, GI tract, genital, oral. Lets take this discussion and focus on oral. Oral tissues involve tongue, lips, mucosal lining of mouth (including hard and soft palate), salivary glands, tonsils, beginning of throat. Daily, we eat and drink, most of us three times a day or more. What do we eat or drink? Everything and anything. Sometimes we don’t even know whats in the food we eat or the things we drink. The things we place in our mouth sit on our tongue, our oral tissues, or teeth. Things we place in our mouths can be cold, hot, spicy, salty, sweet, acidic, basic, and even toxic! As you can see the tissue in our mouth undergoes many cycles. Daily we loose and rebuild cells in our oral tissues at a higher rate that other parts of the body. Just like other types of cancer, oral cancer has a good prognosis if detected early. For years dentist have detected oral cancer, but have detected it when they could visibly see it. Once you can visibly see oral cancer its likely to be in a lower prognosis. (stage 3 or 4) Until 5 years ago, there was no other way for dentist to detect oral cancer other that visibly. Gynecologist detect cancer with a pap smear, but dentist never had a pre-visible diagnostic attack on cancer until now. Enter the Velscope. The Velscope is a light that shines on the tissues and fluoresces normal tissue green. If the tissue does not fluoresce green, it needs to be looked at in greater detail. This technology allows dentist to actually look into tissues in greater detail and detect cancer in earlier stages. This technology is also moving to the gynecological circuit as they are hoping to reduce pap smears. (After all a pap smear caused you to rebuild cells that just got scrapped off) Is this light safe? Completely! Its not a laser, its a normal light that is taken at a different spectrum to allow fluorescence. Since the Velscopes introduction, oral cancer is quickly on the rise. I believe this is due to dentists being more aware and easily being able to detect it. We have elected to participate in this brilliant Velscope technology. Everyday we learn something new and things seem to always change. It is my job as a clinician to keep you informed. Till next time…. Have a great day!
Most Dental Problems are Silent
Daily, I get asked from patients, if I am not having pain, why do I have to get a filling? Like cancer and heart disease in the body, most dental problems are silent. Lets look at a few silent dental problems. Cavities When a cavity starts to hurt, that is when it is almost too late to just simply do a filling! Cavities do no hurt until they get close to the nerve in the tooth. The tooth has 2 layers to protect the nerve, the enamel and the dentin. The enamel is one of the hardest elements of the human body, its amazing to think microscopic bacteria can destroy it. Once the bacteria sets up in the dentin of the tooth, the tooth can literally become an eggshell and still look like nothing is wrong. The longer the bacteria sit inside the tooth, the more they destroy by their acid secretion/waste. The bacteria work their way through the dentin to the nerve. This is when pain can start. By then, the nerve has bacteria in it and an infection develops at the root tip of the tooth. The only way to save this tooth now is a root canal and crown, when a filling would have been more simple and cost effective. The assumption is if the tooth doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t need to be fixed Gum Disease Gum Disease is bacteria, plaque and tartar, that develops under the gums. The bacteria also secrete a substance that can kill and destroy bone structure around the teeth. As painful as that sounds, it can present no pain. With destroyed bone around the teeth, teeth can eventually get lose and fall out. Generally, this process can take 5-15 years, but can also happen rapidly, depending on diet, hygiene, bacteria levels in the mouth, etc. Existing Root Canals Once a root canal is completed, there is no more nerve in the tooth. At the bottom of the tooth (the root tip) is where a infection can set up. Bone doesn’t have nerves like tissue does, so therefor if there is an infection underneath a root canal, it can’t be felt. Once this gets to a large level, prognosis of retreating the root can decrease. Implants Dental implants can get gum disease around them and fail as well. Anytime a dental implant becomes loose, its a failure. So, the point of this blog is for me to show you examples of why and how most dental problems are silent. After any dental work is completed it should be checked yearly with an x-ray. The more dental work you have completed, the more work it takes to keep the work lasting. Don’t take chances and see a dentist routinely, so we can get to the problem, before other major problems creep up on you.
Cleanings Only?
Cleanings Only? 11/6/2010 We have had a number of calls to the office asking us if we did cleanings only, as a new patient. When our reply is no, they get upset, say their goodbyes and move on. I want to take a moment and explain why our office doesn’t do cleanings only. If seen as a patient for the first time, total dental care is our responsibility the moment you walk in the office. If we do a cleaning only, its possible an abnormal dental condition could be overlooked. We take dental radiographs to aide in the detection of abnormalities. If dental radiographs are not taken, again an abnormal dental condition could be neglected to be detected. It is in your best interest to have a exam and dental radiographs completed with your first visit with us, as this is the only way we can give you an accurate diagnosis and description of your dental health. We want you to receive the best care possible with us and to know we treat everyone individually as we are all unique. We ask for your understanding. It is for these reasons, our standard of care is set to involve dental radiographs and an exam with our cleanings. If there are further questions on this subject, don’t hesitate to contact us for further information. -Jeff Johnston, DDS