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A Better Way To Treat Cavities In Carmel, IN!

June 29, 2016

Hello and welcome to another June edition of the Really Smile blog!

If you have ever had a cavity, and based on the numbers you probably have, you will likely have had that decay treated with an age-old remedy: amalgam fillings.

One major complaint about silver amalgam fillings is that they are unattractive and draw unwanted attention. All that metal just looks out of place on the top of your otherwise pearly whites.

That was not the only problem with amalgam fillings.

It sounds counterintuitive but old-school fillings can actually weaken your tooth and cause damage to your smile. Plus, if you are allergic to metal or mercury in particular you may have a bad reaction to what is supposed to be a healing procedure.

But we have listened to your concerns, and we’ve made some changes at our Carmel, Indiana dental office. We are here to tell you that now is the time to come in and replace any old and damaged fillings with a more attractive and natural-looking alternative: tooth colored fillings!

Forward-Looking Treatments For Tooth Decay

Tooth-colored fillings are a modern dental solution that can enhance both the health and appearance of your smile. To place your tooth colored fillings, we simply remove any decayed portions of the tooth or teeth in question and apply a bonding agent. The filling is then sculpted into the right shape and light cured to bond with the tooth surface.

Tooth-colored fillings are increasingly popular around here and it is not surprising when you consider the improvements they have facilitated for restorative dentistry.

No More Metal Mouth

As we pointed out, the amalgam fillings that were relied on in earlier eras of dentistry have a silver color, while a composite filling can be made to blend in with your tooth color.

Safer Supplies

Mercury is not something that most folks want to put in their mouth. Fortunately, the new and improved composite material is made from safer materials, and relies on a strong resin to restore your smile.

Better Bonding

Amalgam fillings are very strong, in a certain sense.

However, that kind of filling won’t actually bond with your tooth. This results in weakened teeth eventually.

By contrast, tooth-colored fillings are made from bonding material, so your filling will bond to the inside of your tooth, making for a longer-lasting restoration that won’t cause trouble later on.

Take The Next Step!

We hope that you have been inspired by today’s post!

To determine if your teeth need fillings or if old fillings ought to be replaced, your best bet is to schedule a checkup and consultation. That way Dr. Smith and the rest of our team can assess your unique situation and create a personalized plan of action.

To get started, contact us online or call our Carmel, Indiana dental office at 317-451-4050!

Improve The Health Of Your Smile With Invisalign

June 25, 2016

Hello and welcome back to the Really Smile blog!

Today we want to talk about the benefits of Invisalign metal-free “braces.” Generally we associate braces with young people.

The image that most readily springs to mind is of teenagers who want to improve the aesthetics of their smile. This is certainly an important role of Invisalign, but it is not our primary focus for you.

At Really Smile we utilize Invisalign to help us improve the oral health of adult patients who would prefer to enjoy their natural teeth for the rest of your life.

Maybe you can relate!

Read on to hear all about the possibilities of Invisalign, and then make sure you follow up with us to schedule your adult orthodontic consultation in our Carmel, Indiana office.

The Big Benefits Of Invisalign

Invisalign helps you achieve the same smile goals that classic metal braces would have delivered. That said, it goes about it in a much different way.

For one thing, Invisalign does away with the awkward metal brackets and wires that used to be part and parcel of the process.

Rather than subjecting you to that, this technique makes the magic happen through a series of clear plastic aligner trays.

These aligners are switched out by you every two weeks or so until treatment wraps up in only about 12 months. No painful in-office adjustments for you. And no waiting 2-3 years for your transformation to happen.

What’s more, your aligners won’t be noticed by anyone and they are way more comfortable to wear than old-school metal braces.

They aren’t permanently attached so you can pop them out whenever it makes sense. That makes meals more fun. And cleaning your equipment will be a snap. No food restrictions or weird tools will be part of the plan.

Invisalign is a pleasant and painless way to improve your smile as a grown-up. We are fond of pointing out to our adult patients that Invisalign also boosts your oral health by eliminating some serious obstacles.

A Bad Bite

If you have an overbite, that will detract from your smile. But worse than that, it can place additional stress on your teeth and lead to worn-down or cracked teeth that will need to be repaired.

Invisalign addresses your bite issues thereby doing away with the need for cosmetic treatments later.

A Crowded Smile

Crowded teeth aren’t good for your look, but they pose more than a purely cosmetic problem. This can actually increase your chances for gingivitis and full-blown periodontal disease.

That’s because teeth that are that close together are difficult to keep clean. Bacteria is better able to hide from your brush and floss.

Plus, plaque can build up and cause inflammation and infection once it slips below the gumline. Tooth loss and other health issues can follow.

Lucky for you, Invisalign can repair your crowded condition.

A Spacey Situation

If your teeth are gapped it can affect your speech. What’s more, your individual teeth will not be protected by the surrounding teeth. This increases the risk of your tooth loss and more. Close the gaps with Invisalign and save your natural smile!

You Make The Call!

To learn more about the benefits of Invisalign and to find out if you are a suitable candidate for this treatment, call our Carmel, IN office today at 317-451-4050. Or feel free to contact us online instead!

Get A Whiter Smile In Indiana This Summer

June 20, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Really Smile blog!

It is hard to believe that we are most of the way through June already! What a great time to live in Indiana!

It can be a rough season, however, if your yellow or stained teeth are giving you the summertime blues. Trust us, we know how embarrassing that can be. But before you cancel your backyard BBQ, or skip out on the family reunion, let us see what we can do to brighten your outlook!

If your dark or discolored teeth are making you feel self-conscious and hesitant to smile, in all likelihood, our team can help you. We want you to have whiter, brighter teeth for all your summer special occasions. And we can make it happen through our professional teeth whitening program.

Keep reading today’s post to hear all about the possibilities, and then be sure to follow up to arrange for your teeth whitening appointment in our Carmel-area office!

Fast, Safe And Effective Teeth Whitening

The bad news is that just getting older can have an adverse effect on your smile. So too can all that coffee, tea, soda, tobacco, red wine, chocolate, etc. that is consumed by millions of Hoosiers each year. It seems as though you just can’t escape the inevitable decline of your formerly pearly whites.

But don’t let it bring you down. You aren’t alone. And there is a way out of it that doesn’t require you to give up on life’s simple pleasures.

The good news is that no matter how bad your situation has become, we can make it better fast with a professional teeth whitening treatment. That is where you come into our office, let us assess the extent of your problems, and figure out the best solution.

It should be noted that you may need more than one visit, depending on the current condition of your teeth and the kind of stains or discoloration that need to be addressed. One way or another, a good action plan will be put into place.

You will be in good hands, too, since Dr. Smith will be personally guiding the procedure all the way through. You see, unlike those anonymously mass produced DIY kits they sell at the grocery, when you let the dentist handle your whitening, you will get a personalized treatment plan, professional-grade materials, trays that are designed to fit YOUR mouth, and the years of experience that makes it a safe and effective enough procedure to produce the results you are hoping for without damaging your gums and soft tissues. Plus, there is a certain amount of accountability that does not come with those store-bought kits. Your smile is too important to trust to a non-professional (including yourself)!

Get Started Today!

If you want to salvage your summer social life, you might want to get started today. To take the next step towards a better smile, all you have to do is contact us online or call the Really Smile office at 317-451-4050. We can’t wait to get you smiling again!

Relax, Sedation Dentistry Will Wash Away Your Fears!

June 19, 2016

Welcome back to the Really Smile blog!

We are your trusted source for gentle dental care in the Carmel, Indiana area.

If you live in the region and feel ill at ease about visiting the dentist, you should know that we can help make it easy for you to get the kind of care you deserve.

Without regular cleanings and exams, you won’t be able to keep up with your oral health needs, and worse yet, you will have no idea what is going on in your mouth. You could be walking around with cancer or periodontal disease and you would never know until it is too late for conservative treatments. Plus, you would probably offend most people you meet with your breath. And your smile would not look as good as it should.

But don’t feel bad. We aren’t trying to bring you down. Obviously, you aren’t the only person in the Hoosier State afflicted by this problem. Fear of the dentist (dental phobia) is quite commonplace all across the country. While from an outside perspective it can seem irrational, there are reasons enough why it takes hold. It can more often than not be the direct result of prior bad experiences at the dentist’s office, the sort that leave an indelible scar. Regardless of how these fears enter your life, the obstacles they create can be difficult to overcome. But unless you want to set yourself up for real trouble later, it is a good idea to try to work through your anxiety now.

Like we said, we aren’t like everyone else around here. For over 30 years, under the leadership of Dr. Smith, the Really Smile crew has been changing lives in this community through comprehensive dentistry services and personal care. Our genuine relationships with our patients are what set us apart from the other dentists in the area. If you give us a chance to change your life for the better, you will quickly see that our compassionate team and comfortable office environment are disarming. What’s more, we will go the extra mile to help you relax when you are here.

Sedation Dentistry Alleviates Fear

Besides treating you kindly, we have other ways of sidestepping your dental anxiety. We can actually provide you with sedation dentistry in conjunction with all of our procedures, if that would help. Oral sedation is completely safe and easy to take. You will only need to swallow a pill a little while before the scheduled procedure. With oral conscious sedation, you will be sedated but still awake and able respond as necessary. But you will have little to no memory of the treatment or why you were ever afraid in the first place.

Let Us Get The Job Done!

In addition to calming anxiety, there are other reasons why sedation dentistry might be good for you. If you have an uncontrollable gag reflex, shaky legs, or who are coming in for multiple procedures, sedation makes a lot of sense.

To schedule your gentle dental appointment in Carmel, Indiana, contact us today! We can’t wait to see your smiling face.

Cosmetic Smile Solutions For Summer

June 16, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Really Smile blog! If you live in the Carmel, Indiana area, we’d love to see your smiling face in one of our chairs this summer. As it happens, we have become the premier practice in the region when it comes to cosmetic dentistry services. So, if you would like to boost the appearance of your smile, we can definitely help. That kind of transformation will make your life better in more ways than you might think.

To get the ball rolling, you will need to schedule a consultation with our team. But until then, here are some great possibilities to be thinking about…

Porcelain Veneers And Crowns

We take a lot of pride in our work. As such we always create restorations that look and feel like the real thing. Accordingly, our porcelain veneers and crowns can be color-matched to your existing teeth for a totally natural pristine look. We have found that porcelain is the best material to work with since it is strong and it also takes on similar properties to tooth enamel.

Professional Teeth Whitening

Walking around with yellow or otherwise discolored teeth can be embarrassing. But we can turn that sort of nightmare into a dream come true with professional teeth whitening.

Fair warning: teeth whitening may require more than one visit to get the job done. But you will be in good hands. Dr. Smith will be personally guiding the procedure for you. After he determines the extent of discoloration, Dr. Smith will create a personalized treatment plan just for you. In the end, you will see dramatic results. Try getting that kind of attention from a store-bought DIY kit!

Cosmetic Bonding

We can quickly fix chips, gaps, and other flaws with cosmetic bonding. Don’t worry, the material will match your teeth and the procedure is non-invasive. It is also very affordable!

Invisalign

Invisalign is a new technique that can straighten out your orthodontic issues without the use of metal brackets and wires. It is completely comfortable, discreet, and effective. What’s more, it works fast, usually in about 12 months. Using the Invisalign Outcome Simulator, we scan your teeth for a few minutes and show you what your mouth would look after Invisalign treatment.

Smile Makeover

We have extensive cosmetic services available so we will work together to figure out the best treatment or combination of treatments for you. Plus, when you come in to get started we can do a mockup of what your smile will look like when we are through with you! The possibilities are endless!

Relax, We Make It Easy!

At Really Smile, you can expect to be completely relaxed during your cosmetic procedure. That’s because we utilize NuCalm, a non-drug based method that lets you attain a state of relaxation much like you would get from meditation. This will allow you to get comfortable without having to deal with any of the negative side-effects associated with sedatives. Namaste!

All you have to do is call us at 317-451-4050 or contact us online to get started. We’ll take care of the rest!

Invisalign: The Easy Way To Solve Your Orthodontic Issues

June 11, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Really Smile blog!

Today we want to talk about teeth and the problems they can cause in your life when everything is not as it should be in your mouth.

You don’t have to put up with a consistently sore jaw, discomfort when chewing, or a less-than-perfect smile. But for those kind of problems to go away, the alignment of your teeth must be addressed.The good news is that these days we have an easy way for you to solve your orthodontic issues: Invisalign.

Invisalign is like nothing that has come before in the world of “braces.”

Believe it or not, Invisalign actually lets you skip the clunky metal brackets and wires. In place of those hard-to-miss contraptions, this method takes a more discreet approach. Invisalign depends on clear plastic aligners to make the magic happen for you. To kickstart the process, our team will use the latest in 3-D computer technology to determine the correct shape of Invisalign aligners for you. Your goals for smile improvements will be translated into a series of finely calibrated invisible braces.

Like we said, they are clear and more or less invisible to the outside world, which means that your treatment won’t elicit rude comments or questions from your peers. It also won’t feel weird in your mouth, cause any pain, or make you bleed.

It’s Easy To Adjust To This Program

Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? But hold on, there’s more good news! You won’t have to request time off of work every month of your treatment. Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign won’t require any in-office tune-ups to keep things on schedule. You will simply trade out your aligners every two weeks for the next appropriate set in the series.

That’s right, you won’t have to be saddled with the same gear for 2-3 long years. And you can actually take your aligners out whenever it makes sense to do so.

As such, with Invisalign you won’t have to give up the foods you love to eat just to get a better smile. To clean your appliances, you can just pop your aligners out and run them under lukewarm water, and continue brushing your teeth twice a day like always. Just so you know: you will have to wear your aligners for most of each day along the way. But that’s not too much to ask, now is it?

A New Smile In Half The Time

Most of our patients are amazed that the Invisalign orthodontic treatment program can be wrapped up in a matter months rather than having several years of waiting around. In the end, the smile you end up with will be well worth the short wait.

Take The Next Step Today!

Our team believes that comprehensive evaluation is key to developing a successful treatment plan. This is especially true of Invisalign. To see if this state-of-the-art alternative to traditional metal braces can work for you, contact us today at Really Smile of Carmel, Indiana!

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