Lake Superior Dental Associates oral exams include:

• Gathering your medical information to identify your scope of treatment; We'll ask you about medications you're taking, allergies, your use of tobacco and alcohol, as well as other details.
• Examining your teeth and gums, including old fillings and new cavities and calculus deposits; We'll periodically take X-rays, either full-mouth or bitewings (molars and premolars), to detect other conditions.
• Cleaning your teeth and gums with scalers, curets and other instruments; then gently polishing your teeth and perhaps do a fluoride treatment
• Discussing your current teeth and gum health and condition, plus any recommended treatment

And, of course, you'll get a new toothbrush, floss and other dental hygiene goodies!

Lake Superior Dental Associates teeth cleaning includes:

• Examining your teeth and gums, including old fillings and new cavities and calculus deposits. We'll periodically take X-rays, either full-mouth or bitewings (molars and premolars), to detect other conditions.
• Cleaning your teeth and gums with scalers, curets, and other instruments; then gently polishing your teeth and perhaps do a fluoride treatment
• Discussing your current teeth and gum health and condition, plus any recommended treatment

And, of course, you'll get a new toothbrush, floss and other dental hygiene goodies!

Lake Superior Dental Associates preventive dentistry includes:

• Education about the importance of proper dental hygiene, brushing twice a day, flossing, eating a balanced diet, limiting between-meal snacks and seeing your dentist twice a year for a cleaning and an exam
• Applying dental sealants
• Exposure to fluoride through fluoridated drinking water, fluoride toothpaste, mouthwash and/or dentist-applied fluoride treatments

Lake Superior Dental Associates cosmetic dentistry includes:

• Teeth whitening to enhance smile appearance by whitening teeth stained by smoking, food and drink (coffee, tea, red wine) or poor oral hygiene
• Bonding to repair chipped or broken teeth with a dental composite material with the look of enamel, which we sculpt into shape, contour and polish to make cracks or chips "disappear"
• Veneers to replace chips or cracks, or to improve a worn appearance or major discoloration; Veneers can also repair gaps in teeth.
• Ceramic crowns (also known as "caps") preserve the function of damaged teeth or protect a cracked tooth and restore function to a decaying tooth or replace a pre-existing crown. We encase the needy tooth with ceramic material and possibly bond it to healthier adjacent teeth.

Lake Superior Dental Associates restorative dentistry includes:

• Fillings to remove decay in teeth and fill them with porcelain or composite resin, both white and clear for greater aesthetic benefits and traditional gold and silver
• Crowns to repair extensively decayed or damaged teeth—now often white or opaque
• Bridges to replace a missing tooth with an artificial tooth, secured with material that wraps around other supporting teeth
• Dentures to replace missing or damaged teeth that cannot be repaired

Lake Superior Dental Associates orthodontics includes:

• Oral exam and records (panorex x-ray, study models) to properly determine the course of treatment needed
• Treatment includes use of orthodontic appliances (braces) for the length of time necessary to make permanent corrections to the problem presented, which can include the bite (occlusion), crooked or protruding teeth, and crowded or irregularly spaced teeth.

Lake Superior Dental Associates gum therapy includes:

• Exams to identify gingivitis, periodontitis and other conditions
• Treatment, including pocket reduction, regenerative, crown lengthening, soft tissue and other procedures

Lake Superior Dental Associates root canal therapy includes:

• Exams to determine diseased tooth or infected nerve requiring root canal
• Procedures to save the affected tooth and preserve its function
• Possible bridges or implants if root canal procedures are unsuccessful

Mouth guards provide valuable protection for the teeth, as well as your jaw, face, tongue, lips and gums—especially when you have bridges or braces, and particularly as you participate in athletics.

Lake Superior Dental Associates provides exams and varying types of mouthguards, including custom-fitted designs.

Lake Superior Dental Associates provides pre and post-operative care, plus leading edge technologies guided by our expert dentists for dental care related to:

• Restorative
• Dentures
• Wisdom teeth
• Orthodontics

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) minimizes jaw flexibility and may cause pain, popping and/or locking while you talk, chew or even yawn.

Lake Superior Dental Associates helps diagnose TMJ and provides treatment, including:

• Studying your jaw-to-bite relationship and your temporomandibular joint placement
• Creating inserts and appliances to alleviate TMJ
• Information about dealing with TMJ

Dental implants are ideal for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease or an injury.

Lake Superior Dental Associates provides endosteal and subperiosteal implants to replace a single tooth, several teeth, all of your teeth or for sinus augmentation or ridge modification.

Dentistry pain is almost a thing of the past. Anesthetics help patients avoid discomfort during and after procedures. Lake Superior Dental Associates offers varying levels of pain management for patients, including:

• Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas
• Local anesthetic

Our staff keeps current in continuing education requirements. We follow all HIPAA Privacy, Security, and OSHA guidelines. We've established written protocols for all procedures, which are part of each staff member's initial training.

We provide and encourage continuing education to benefit our office, our staff member's personal growth and development—and our patients' care. All doctors and clinical staff are certified in CPR and renewed annually, along with infection control and radiology as required.

Our antiseptic procedures meet the Centers for Disease Control and American Dental Association guidelines. We use gloves, masks, scrub gowns and protective eyewear for all procedures and we autoclave all instruments and handpieces after each use.

Many people who snore have a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is characterized by breathing stoppages or pauses for 10 seconds or longer repeatedly during sleep. People with apnea may spend as much as half their sleep time with oxygen levels below normal. These periods of obstructive breathing can be accompanied by irregular heart beats, high blood pressure and may cause heart enlargement. Also, people with OSA wake up tired and are sleepy much of the day interfering with the ability to think, concentrate, and drive safely.

Snoring and mild sleep apnea can be treated through oral appliance therapy. Your dentist can provide an appliance, worn only during sleep, that is safe, comfortable and effective in treating this problem.