We want to make it as simple as possible for you the get the dental care your family needs.
Budgetary concerns are on the minds of many people these days, and we get that. You need your dental care to be affordable, and we do our very best to help you fit your care into your family's budget.
We Accept ALL Dental Insurance!
We believe that the decisions you make about dental care should not be influenced by your insurance company. For this reason, we are not in-network with any insurance company.
We do, however, accept all insurance plans and will happily bill them for your convenience. In most cases, the difference in cost is negligible.
Improving access to quality dental care for children is part of our mission, and we accept CHIP and Medicaid for children.
Payment Options
We are happy to accept cash, all major credit cards, and personal checks.
Care Credit
Our office offers CareCredit. This is a way to allow patients to make easy monthly payments for their treatment. No interest payment plans are available.
Ouch!
You are probably in a lot of discomfort right now, so we'll get right to the point – yes, your tooth can be saved, but you need to act quickly.
Here's what you need to do right now:
- See if you can find the tooth. We have to have the tooth if we are going to save it.
- Gently rinse (without scrubbing!) the tooth to remove any debris. Scrubbing will remove fragile tissue fragments that we need, so use caution.
- Once the tooth is clean, hold it in your mouth beneath your tongue or between your cheek and your gum.
- While you may have heard that you should replace the tooth in the socket, this can actually lead to further damage. Please don't attempt this.
- If the tooth cannot be held in the mouth, wrap it in clean gauze or keep it in a container of milk.
Prompt treatment is necessary for us to save the tooth. Call us as soon as your injury occurs so we can get you in as quickly as possible.
In the event your tooth cannot be saved, we can discuss options to replace the tooth, including dental implants or a bridge. Your long-term health and comfort are always important to us.
A hard night guard is proven to be the better option for most patients. The reason is that a soft night guard makes the mouth and muscles want to chew on it at night time as if it were a piece of gum. This chewing can leave the mouth sore the next morning. Hard night guards also generally last longer than soft night guards as hard ones can take more of a beating.
However, some patients do not find hard night guards comfortable and will not wear them. For these patients, soft night guards might make sense as the guard is still protecting the teeth. Generally for these patients, we pay extra close attention for the first few weeks to make sure that the jaw and the jaw muscles are adapting well to the mouth guard.
Sensitive teeth can make it difficult to enjoy your favorite cold or hot treats. The first thing to do if you are experiencing tooth sensitivity is to call our office and schedule an evaluation with Dr. Darby so we can rule out problematic culprits like decay or periodontal disease.
In the meantime, we recommend brushing with a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth. The active ingredient in most sensitivity toothpastes is either strontium chloride or potassium nitrate. Both of these compounds are highly effective when it comes to reducing dental sensitivity. After using the product for a couple of weeks, you should notice a real improvement in your level of sensitivity.
Certain foods and drinks can impede the effectiveness of sensitivity toothpastes, particularly foods that are high in acid such as citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, grapefruit) and beverages like tea and soda. These foods are also likely to increase your level of sensitivity.
If you aren't achieving any relief with a sensitivity toothpaste, please let us know. In-office products are available that we can apply at your appointment. These products will reduce, if not completely eliminate, your sensitivity. Products containing a higher level of fluoride are also often appropriate, and we are happy to recommend one if needed.
Saliva is one of the ways your body helps to keep your mouth clean of bacteria and food particles. At night, however, saliva production slows down. This allows bacteria to build up over night and contributes to the odor that many of us think of as "morning breath."
What you are smelling is sulfur compounds created by the bacteria on your tongue and in your teeth breaking down remaining food particles. It dissipates once you are up and moving around and saliva production kicks into a higher gear, essentially rinsing the compounds away.
Brushing and flossing before bed helps to reduce morning breath by reducing bacteria and helping to eliminate their favorite food source – the food particles that tend to linger in your mouth. Brushing in the morning right after breakfast is also important.
Let's be honest – it's not a lot of fun to wake up next to someone with a bad case of morning breath, and you don't want to be that person!
If your morning breath lingers throughout the day or isn't reduced by improved brushing and flossing habits, please let us know. You may be experiencing symptoms of a more severe condition, such as periodontal disease.