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By Admin 15 Jul, 2019
A few years ago, before clear aligners became the big thing, braces were the most common option available for straightening the teeth. Most adults consider traditional braces unsightly and would therefore never get them. Fortunately, clear aligners are now available for adults who want to correct mild to moderate teeth misalignment or crowding. Unlike traditional braces which use metal brackets and wires connected to the teeth, clear aligners are made up of sequences of clear, removable dental trays for teeth straightening. The trays are custom-made for each patient and move the teeth slowly into a new, optimal position.
By Admin 15 Jun, 2019
Want to learn more about the advantages of dental implants ? Modern dental technologies offer a few different tooth replacement options nowadays, which means that you have choices. It is important to understand these different options so you can be sure to choose one that will work for you. While many dental patients are choosing a dental implant to replace a missing tooth, other replacement options include dentures and bridges. According to the American Dental Association, your teeth are designed to work together to help you chew, speak and smile, and when teeth are missing, it can be difficult to do these things. WHY REPLACING MISSING TEETH IS SO IMPORTANT Learning more about how dental implants can help allows you to understand the importance of replacing missing teeth. No matter the reason for missing one or more of your teeth, replacing these now empty spaces in your mouth is essential. Whether you neglected to take good care of your oral health or you were in some type of accident, when you lose a tooth, it will eventually cause you to experience oral problems. The now empty space in your mouth will cause your remaining teeth to start shifting and moving out of their correct position, causing crooked teeth. The empty space in your mouth can also lead to jaw bone loss.
By Admin 10 May, 2019
Your dentist may have told you countless times about the need to maintain your dental health with proper brushing and flossing. However, those are not the only essential aspects. The foods you consume also affect your oral health, either positively, or negatively. In this article, you will learn about the foods you can eat to improve your oral health. By now, you probably already know that certain foods can damage your teeth. Red wine and sugary drinks can stain your teeth and cause decay, acidic drinks degrade your tooth enamel and starchy foods leave unwanted debris in your mouth. Here are foods you should include as part of your dental health diet.
By Admin 16 Apr, 2019
If your dentist has suggested dental veneers to correct certain cosmetic issues with your smile, it is normal to be curious about the details of the treatment. Some people are satisfied with their smile regardless of imperfections, while some people are sensitive to minor stains, uneven spaces or chips. People who are displeased with their smile will smile less often because they are embarrassed about what people might see. If you belong to this category, you should know that dental veneers are one of the most popular solutions for correcting dental impairments. In this article, you will discover answers about some of the common questions patients ask about dental veneers.
By Admin 15 Mar, 2019
A TMJ dentist focuses on treating temporomandibular joint disorder. Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ disorder, is a condition that occurs when the socket that connects your lower jaw and skull is misaligned or out of place. TMJ disorder is known to be commonly associated with constant headaches, migraines, ringing in the ears, teeth grinding and jaw pain. Despite a lack of scientific research conducted on the issue, women are more likely to develop TMJ compared to men. Scientists have done some research on the estrogen receptors in the brain as well as jaw tissue. Scientists believe that estrogen in women can cause additional strain on the brain, thus causing the brain to lack the proper ability to navigate or control pain in female TMJ sufferers. Progesterone, a hormone that has been negatively associated with the growth of bone, cartilage and certain proteins in the body, has also been at the forefront of scientists' research agenda.
By Admin 15 Feb, 2019
Looking for some information on the types of teeth straightening procedures your dentist can provide you with? Whether you are looking into your teeth straightening options because you want to experience better oral health or because you want to improve the way you look when you smile, understanding your choices is going to allow you to make the decision that is right for you. It will simply depend on your particular situation when it comes to choosing your procedure for straightening your teeth, which should take into account your overall lifestyle.
By Admin 15 Jan, 2019
A dental crown is a covering for a damaged tooth that imparts strength and restores function. Dentists create the crown so that it looks as natural as real teeth. In most cases, dental crowns look natural due to the talent of the particular dentist. Once a dental crown is placed upon an original tooth, it is usually difficult to distinguish between the crown and the rest of the natural teeth. Because teeth are not naturally white, dental crowns can vary in shades of white, and can even be shaded to match the color of the other teeth. When making a dental crown, differences in shape and size of teeth due to various factors such as ethnicity, age and gender are taken into consideration to produce the most natural-looking crown.
By Admin 15 Dec, 2018
Getting ready to choose a new Taylor dentist ? When you are looking for a new dentist in your city, it will be much easier to get access to any and all dental services you may require. This is one of the main reasons more and more people are looking for a local dentist to take care of their dental needs. While choosing a new dentist in your area is definitely convenient, it is still necessary for you to make sure you are choosing a dentist with whom you feel comfortable, as your goal is to have a long-term relationship with them.
By Admin 14 Nov, 2018
Advancements in cosmetic dentistry ensure that everyone can get that perfect smile. No matter what tooth defects a person may experience, there are several procedures a person can rely on to correct them. Below we will go over five current trends in cosmetic dentistry.
By Admin 15 Oct, 2018
We all love our teeth. You brush them twice a day, floss once a day and see a dentist regularly, correct? A family dentist loves teeth, too! There is so much to understand about caring for oral health that dentistry has several categories of specialties and different kinds of dentists. The primary dentist in a person's life should be a family dentist, otherwise known as a general dentist. The family dentist is the one a person will often visit for yearly dental check-ups. How precisely is family dentistry different from other types of dentistry?

Invisalign Teen® the Alternative to Braces for Teens

If your teen is tired of living with crooked teeth, now is an excellent time to consider orthodontics. At Taylor Smiles we regularly answer questions about Invisalign Teen® as an alternative to braces for teens. This product is growing in popularity as more and more teens are transforming their smile without the use of bulky and noticeable braces. If you live in Taylor, MI or the 48180 area, we encourage you to call 313-292-5590 and schedule an examination. We can let you know whether or not Invisalign® is the right solution for your child and how to get started.

What is Invisalign Teen®?
Invisalign® straightens teeth using a series of clear, plastic aligners. For teeth to move from their current crooked position to where they are supposed to be, pressure must be applied. With braces, this is done using metal brackets with wires threaded between them. With Invisalign®, we apply pressure using a series of clear aligners that place-specific amounts of pressure on specific teeth. When worn in a series, they put the right amount of pressure on the teeth to migrate the teeth to the correct position.

Here are seven things you should know about Invisalign® prior to visiting our office.

  1. Teens love Invisalign®. If your teen enjoys their orthodontics treatment, they will be more committed to following through with it. Orthodontics is not a procedure that people can complete in one visit. It is up to your teen to remember to wear their aligners, keep up with appointments and care for his or her teeth. While the same level of commitment is necessary for wearing braces, Invisalign® can lead to better satisfaction in the teen during the process and months of wearing the product. Teens wear Invisalign® aligners for at least 21 hours per day. However, teens can remove the aligners to eat, brush their teeth, play sports or for taking a picture.
  2. Easier to use. One of the biggest benefits of Invisalign Teen® as an alternative to braces for teens is that the clear aligners are incredibly easy to use. The clear aligners function like a removable retainer. Your teen puts the aligners in and takes them out as necessary since we do not need to permanently fix anything in place. As long as a teen brushes his or her teeth after each meal, the teen can eat any favorite foods and not have to adjust the diet. All the teen needs to do is take the aligners out and put them in a secure case while eating. The same is true when it comes to brushing their teeth. This is a far cry from braces, where the brushing and flossing routine requires additional tools and can take up to twenty minutes at a time.
  3. Teeth stay cleaner. Since teeth are easier to keep clean when wearing Invisalign®, there is less of a chance of developing stains or even cavities. Consider this, when a person wears braces, food can become stuck all along the brackets and underneath the wires. These areas can be hotbeds for bacteria and plaque that can eat away at the teeth and lead to decay. In order to prevent this, special brushes need to be used on a daily basis so that the brackets themselves can stay relatively clean. Proper dental hygiene can be difficult for adults, let alone children or teens. This is one reason that Taylor Smiles recommends Invisalign Teen®. By removing the aligners while eating, there is nothing additional for food to get stuck on or for plaque to grow on. Since they come out to brush and floss, the process of oral hygiene is as convenient as it has always been. Invisalign Teen® makes a win-win for oral hygiene and for the aesthetics of the smile.
  4. Better for self-esteem. While braces are smaller in size than in the past, many people still associate stigma with wearing braces. When teens hear they will need to wear braces, many may feel insecure about looking different, become worried about standing out, and dislike the idea of going to school with a metal mouth. At Taylor Smiles, we get it. No matter how efficient of a job braces can accomplish, some teens may prefer an alternative due to feelings of insecurity or being self-conscious. As a parent, we encourage you not to force the issue since braces are a long-term commitment and if they are not happy on day one, it is unlikely that they will be happy a few months in the process. Instead, we recommend using Invisalign Teen®. Our Taylor dental office can provide a nearly invisible solution for teens that other people will have trouble noticing. The discreet function while wearing Invisalign Teen® allows them to smile every day without hiding their teeth. As the teen’s smile improves during the process, he or she will remain positive and notice the changes.

  5. Check out what others are saying about our alternative to braces on Yelp: Invisalign® Taylor.

    INVISALIGN TAKES A MODERN APPROACH TO STRAIGHTENING TEETH

  6. Treatment time. Taylor Smiles can let you know how long the treatment will last when you visit our 48180 dental office. Generally speaking, most teens need to wear their aligners for around eighteen months. The overall treatment time with Invisalign Teen® can vary on how often the teen removes the aligners. While a teen may only need to wear the aligners for 20 to 22 hours per day, if they remove the aligners for too long, they risk extending the treatment time. Wearing Invisalign Teen® takes commitment and care, but can provide a positive experience in comparison to other methods.
  7. Invisalign Teen® is more comfortable. At Taylor Smiles, we hear many of our patients mention how comfortable they are during the treatment process. Anytime teeth move, there is bound to be some level of soreness. Whether your teen wears metal braces or aligners, there will be some soreness following an adjustment or switching to a new aligner. A small amount of soreness during an adjustment is perfectly natural. The difference in comfort is more noticeable when one considers how everything feels on a regular basis. Since traditional braces involve metal brackets and wires, that metal can rub up against the cheeks and inside of the mouth, causing irritation. It is not uncommon for people to get sores or cuts in their mouth as a result. Naturally, this is inconvenient and entirely avoidable when wearing Invisalign Teen®. Since the aligners are clear plastic, they are smooth and will be unlikely to cut your teen’s mouth during treatment.

  8. Learn more about Invisalign Teen® as an alternative to braces for teens by calling 313-292-5590 and scheduling an appointment with Taylor Smiles, we can answer any questions that you have after examining your teen. If you live in Taylor, Michigan or the 48180 area, we can give them the smile of their dreams.

STRAIGHTEN TEETH WITHOUT BRACES

How do I get started with Invisalign®?

Call 313-292-5590 and schedule a consultation with Taylor Smiles.
HELPFUL RELATED LINKS
ABOUT OUR BUSINESS, LICENSE, AND WEBSITE SECURITY
  • Taylor Smiles was established in 1980
  • We accept the following payment methods: Cash, Check, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
  • We serve patients from the following counties: Wayne County
  • We serve patients from the following cities: Taylor, Romulus, Allen Park, Southgate Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Brownstown Township, Wyandotte, Trenton, and Riverview
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Dental Anxiety Taylor MI

At Taylor Smiles, we can perform dental work on patients that are struggling with dental anxiety. If you avoid the dentist due to fear of what a procedure may be like or simply do not enjoy dental work, give us a call. In our Taylor, dental office, we can ensure that you are comfortable and relaxed, regardless of the dental procedure. When you visit our office, Dr. Okonkowski will meet with you to discuss what treatments you need and create a plan for how to keep your mouth healthy while easing any fears that you have about dentistry or procedures in general. We will keep you informed about the entire process so that you can make decisions regarding dental care without experiencing any anxiety.

HOW CAN I EASE MY FEARS ABOUT DENTAL CARE WITHOUT MEDICATION?
When you visit our dental office, we can discuss ways that you can prevent experiencing anxiety while receiving dental care. Give us a call to go over any and all methods for dealing with dental anxiety that we can offer. In some cases, all a patient needs to do is play music on headphones during the appointment. In other cases, we may need medication or another method to deal with dental anxiety.

How can I prepare for my dentist appointment?
Another easy way to calm your fears is to visit our Taylor dental office and meet with Dr. Okonkowski prior to the actual appointment. Taking the time to tour our office, where you can sit in the dentist chair and have a conversation, will allow you to become familiar with our staff and office environment. After this meeting, when you do have your teeth cleaned, you are doing so in an atmosphere that you feel comfortable in with friendly and familiar faces. During your consultation, we can also discuss what you can expect from a teeth cleaning or a specific procedure. This will help you to mentally prepare for how long it will take, what dental tools we will use, what you may feel during the process and what the recovery period will be if any. At Taylor Smiles, we find that the more informed our patients are the more comfortable and relaxed they feel. This one appointment can help to alleviate the fear of dentists that you are experiencing.

Check out what others are saying about our dental anxiety support services on Yelp: Dental Anxiety Taylor.

TAYLOR DENTAL ANXIETY

Sedation Dentistry Can Reduce Your Dental Anxiety
In our Taylor dental office, we practice sedation dentistry that can be used to reduce and prevent dental anxiety. Here are some of the questions we regularly answer about sedation dentistry.

Will I be asleep when sedated?
Typically not. Sleep dentistry is usually reserved for oral surgery and lengthy procedures. Sedation dentistry will help you relax and can make you drowsy, so some patients do nod off. However, with our sedation methods, you are still in control of your body and are technically not put to sleep.

Can everyone use sedation dentistry?
To determine if you are healthy enough for sedation (most people are), we recommend that you schedule an appointment with our Michigan dental office. Dr. Okonkowski will meet with you to discuss the type of sedation that will be best for your procedure and the level of dental anxiety that you are experiencing.

How is sedation dentistry administered?
The most common form of sedation is taking a pill an hour before the procedure begins. One pill can help you to feel entirely relaxed and eliminate your fear of dentists. Most procedures, like teeth cleaning or fixing a simple cavity, do not necessarily hurt. With sedation, many people do not require additional medication. However, if you would like pain medication as well, we can give it to you after the sedation has taken effect.

Will I be able to move around like normal?
Yes, with sedation dentistry you can continue to engage in conversation and respond to commands; but your response times may be slightly delayed and your mind not as clear as normal. This is why we recommend that you either have someone drive you home or wait until it has worn off completely before driving home after the appointment.

Are there any side effects of sedation dentistry?
Most of the time, the sedation goes away within an hour of your procedure being complete. If you are more heavily sedated or put to sleep for oral surgery, it can take a couple of hours to feel normal but this is rare. In our Taylor dental office, we use the least amount of sedation to help you to feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Thus, it is effective without staying in your system for too long.

Can children benefit from sedation dentistry?
Yes, children may need sedation when going through large amounts of dental work so that they can hold still long enough for a dentist to complete the dental work. This is a unique specialty and not offered at every dentist office.

Are there other ways to make dental work more comfortable?
Yes. Laser dentistry is transforming how professionals complete dental procedures. When you visit our 48180 dental office, you can be confident that we will use the latest technology available to make your procedure more comfortable. Lasers allow us to do so because the laser energy is fine and can target small spaces without irritating the surrounding tissue. We can also reduce discomfort and the recovery time thanks to dental lasers. Dental lasers are also less invasive than traditional dental tools. With the dental laser, there will be less bleeding and swelling than normal. Dental lasers can also help treat tooth decay, gum disease, and has applications in restorative procedures. If you want a more comfortable experience and to reduce your dental anxiety, we highly recommend visiting a laser dentistry office. To learn about the procedures that we perform using lasers, call 313-292-5590 and schedule an appointment to speak with Dr. Okonkowaski. At Taylor Smiles, we find that many of our patients no longer need sedation or pain medication because the common factors that create fear of dentists are eliminated. For example, the noise, heat, and vibration that is traditionally associated with the dental drill are not present when using lasers.

To learn more about sedation dentistry, new dental technology or how to reduce your dental anxiety, call and schedule an appointment with our Taylor dentist office today.
HELPFUL RELATED LINKS
ABOUT OUR BUSINESS, LICENSE, AND WEBSITE SECURITY
  • Taylor Smiles was established in 1980
  • We accept the following payment methods: Cash, Check, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
  • We serve patients from the following counties: Wayne County
  • We serve patients from the following cities: Taylor, Romulus, Allen Park, Southgate Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Brownstown Township, Wyandotte, Trenton, and Riverview
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Call to Reserve
an Appointment Today!

Taylor Smiles
Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
 can be reached at
313-292-5590 

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