Dentistry Without Fear!

If you are preparing for a filling, root canal, crown, tooth extraction, or other dental procedure, you now have an option to relieve your dental anxiety. At Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA, there are several options available to our patients for relief of pain and anxiety during routine dental visits.

Conscious, or moderate sedation, allows patients to remain awake during dental procedures. Patients are able to interact with their dentists but do not feel any discomfort or pain. Moderate sedation can also help patients avoid more severe side effects of general anesthesia such as nausea, headache, vertigo and long-term drowsiness. This form of sedation generally causes the patient to not remember anything about their dental appointment other than a pleasant experience.

One of the most common forms of non-IV sedation is Nitrous Oxide, known as 'laughing gas'. Patients of all ages can use Nitrous Oxide with minimal to no side effects.

Make sure you tell your Spokane Valley, WA dentist about any drug allergies or dependencies, existing prescriptions or over-the-counter drug use, medical conditions, changes in your health, history of anxiety, heart conditions or alcohol use before undergoing treatment. You and your Spokane Valley dental team will discuss the benefits and risks of each option. We will work with you to make sure you have a pain-free, anxiety-free, comfortable experience.

Affordable Dental Implants Are Just A Visit Away!

Affordable Dental Implants
in Spokane Valley, WA

In contemporary society, it might be shocking to know that “69% of adults ages 35 to 44 have lost at least one permanent tooth to an accident, gum disease, a failed root canal or tooth decay.” By the time most adults reach their seventies, 26% have few if any of their original teeth left.

With so many people losing teeth and with our current dip in the economy, many people cannot afford the cost of implants and so go either without their teeth or with the less favorable option of bridges or dentures. Yet dental implants are the most desirable of all teeth-replacement options: they look natural, last virtually forever, do not cause pain, discomfort and bad breath and are permanent. Unlike dentures and bridges, implants do not sit on top of the gums or adhere to adjacent teeth. Instead, your dental implant experts, Dr. Travis Coulter and Dr. Liz van den Hoven, places them inside the jawbone, making them a natural, long-term replacement for teeth.

Thankfully, there is an alternate solution for those who need implants but cannot afford the cost. With a moderate-term, esthetic provisional, patients would be able to preserve their implant site and have the benefit of a temporary replacement tooth. Using computer-aided design and manufacturing, dentists can digitally create temporary implants for a fraction of the cost of permanent ones. The result, produced by a milling machine, is almost as strong as gold.

What this means is that there is now a predictable and successful stopgap for people who do not want dentures but who cannot afford implants. Call your Spokane Valley dentists at Coulter Family Dentistry for further details on how you can get your grin back.

Sip All Day - Get Decay!

Image Courtesy of dentalgentalcare.com

It is well known that sugar can promote obesity, tooth decay, and a wealth of other health issues. but do we realize just how much sugar is in our food and snacks? Here at Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA we understand that a healthy diet is just as important as regular visits to the dentists or hygienist. Our friends at the Minnesota Dental Association have put together a campaign to teach children and families about the harmful effects of soda drinking.

Here's how you get cavities

• Sugar in pop combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid.
• Diet or "sugar-free" pop contains its own acid.
• Acid in soft drinks, whether they contain sugar or not, is the primary cause of weakening tooth enamel.
• The acid attacks your teeth. Each acid attack lasts about 20 minutes.
• The acid attack starts over again with every sip.
• Ongoing acid attacks weaken your tooth enamel.
• Bacteria in your mouth cause cavities when tooth enamel is damaged.

How to reduce decay

• Drink soft drinks in moderation.
• Don't sip for extended periods of time. Ongoing sipping prolongs sugar and acid attacks on your teeth.
• Use a straw to keep the sugar away from your teeth.
• After drinking, swish your mouth out with water to dilute the sugar.

To learn more about the research Minnesota Dental Association has completed, visit their website here!

Flouride - Nature's Cavity Fighter!

Healthy Teeth For Life

Many children in Washington suffer from dental pain caused by disease and decay. These children have limited access to preventive dental care, and may not even have access to restorative care (filling teeth, extracting decayed teeth). Dental decay is one of the most often cited reasons for missed days of school, and impacts our community's most vulnerable. For this reason, Dr. Travis Coulter and Dr. Elizabeth van den Hoven at Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA join the ADA and Washington State Dental Association to support water fluoridation to prevent dental disease.

Fluoride is nature's cavity fighter, occurring naturally in the earth's crust, in combination with other minerals in rocks and soil. Small amounts of fluoride occur naturally in all water sources, and varying amounts of the mineral are found in all foods and beverages. Water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the natural level of fluoride to a concentration sufficient to protect against tooth decay. Flouride minerals bind to enamel to strengthen the structure of the tooth, and this can be key for children as their teeth develop.

Children's Dental Health Month

February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and all across the United States, dental associations participate in Give Kids A Smile Day - a day of free dental care. Many children suffer from decayed and abscessed teeth in Oregon, as a result of poor diet, poor hygiene, and lack of access to preventive dental care.

Age 1 Dental Visits - Healthy Teeth For Life!

At Coulter Family Dentistry, we advocate for children's health and recommend children begin dental visits at age 1, or when teeth first come in (per the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines). This helps ensure that children become familiar with visiting the dentist on a regular basis, alleviating any anxiety or fear. It also creates a comforting and recognized environment for your child, should a dental emergency occur.

Although children have baby teeth (primary dentition) that will eventually exfoliate (fall out), it is highly important that those teeth remain free of decay and disease. Not only does decay cause pain and other illness, but children need their teeth as they learn to speak, and to assist in proper jaw and facial development.

To learn more about children's oral health and visit your dentist in Spokane Valley, WA, visit our website or call us at (509) 209-8747.

Repairing Your Smile with A Makeover!

Full mouth reconstruction is a term often used to describe the process of restoring all teeth in the mouth.  Full mouth reconstruction can involve general dentists and specialists such as pedondontists (for restoring teeth in young children), periodontists (specializing in gums and dental implant placement), oral surgeons (to remove teeth or place implants), orthodontists who specialize in tooth movement and positioning, and endodontists (specializing in tooth pulp). At Coulter Family Dentistry, our dentists have experience in many types of dental treatment and can care for many of your dental needs in our office.

When is full mouth reconstruction needed?

1 - When teeth have been lost due to decay or trauma.
2 - When teeth have been injured or fractured, or are severely worn due to acid erosion or bruxism (grinding).
3 - In occurrences of jaw, muscle, and headache pain requiring adjustment to occlusion. 

What type of treatment is needed?

Depending on the extent of decay and oral disease, your dentists at Coulter Family Dentistry will review the problem areas and listen to your priorities for a healthy and beautiful smile. You may need several of the following treatments to restore your oral health:

• Dental Crowns
• Dental Implants
• Dental Veneers
• Composite Bonding
• Composite Fillings
• Teeth Whitening

Before a full mouth reconstruction begins, Dr. Coulter or Dr. van den Hoven will meet with you for a consultation and comprehensive examination to determine the extent of dental decay and to review the treatment options that can correct the problem. To schedule your personalized consultation, call us at (509) 924-1314 today!

Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives

2 minutes - 2 times a day!

In August of 2012, the Ad Council joined with The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, a coalition of more than 35 leading dental health organizations, to debut Kids’ Healthy Mouths. Dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease with more than 16 million kids suffering from untreated tooth decay in the U.S., oral disease is estimated to cause kids to miss 51 million school hours and their parents to lose 25 million work hours annually, and disproportionately affects children from low-income families. At Coulter Family Dentistry in Spokane Valley, WA, we recommend children have their first dental visit by age 1 as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and maintain regular 6 month cleaning appointments for exams. 

Parents and their children can visit 2min2x.org to watch entertaining videos and listen to music, while children are brushing their teeth. Learn more about preventive care and make sure to schedule your next dental appointment with your family dentist at Coulter Family Dentistry. Make oral health part of your New Year’s Resolution!