The Southern Women’s Show from a Dentist’s View

Well, it’s been almost 2 whole days for Smiles by Payet Dentistry here at the SWS, and it’s been a blast.  Admittedly, as a happily married guy, I’ve probably not enjoyed it as much as the women or as if I were single 🙂 , but it’s been a blast as an exhibitor for the first time (it won’t be the last for sure).  We put a lot of work into our booth, so of course we’d love it if you stopped by Booth 204-206, which is right by the Fashion Stage to the left of the Main Entrance. A couple of my awesome staff, Rosie and Kay, set it up with some help from Kay’s friends, Patti and Chuck. Check it out:

It’s a lot of fun watching people, of course, and it’s been fun watching people and getting to talk to so many as they go by, or as they stop and ask questions about our Oxyfresh Fresh Breath products, the Quality Dental Plan, 6Month Smiles Clear Adult Braces, Laser Periodontal Therapy, or Tip-Edge Braces for Teens.  Since I have my camera with me, fellow professional photographers do stop to chat as we’re shooting the fashion shows (it’s easy to spot us with big white lenses LOL); we’ve also gotten to meet a number of the models after they’ve finished their shows, and I’m excited to say that several have already made Complimentary Consultation appointments for Whitening or Braces.  It’s also been flattering to have their Moms ask me to shoot some pictures of their daughters for them.  🙂

It’s been great having some of my staff here helping out, and I think they’ve gotten to enjoy themselves a little, too, based on this shot of Marie:

There was a great fashion show in the  late afternoon; a mom with whom I talked for a while asked me to take some pictures of her daughter, so here she is: Lindsay Baker, Miss Teen NC-World 2010!

There was a fun demonstration by one of the Arthur Murray Dance Schools mid-afternoon.  Made me really wish my wife and I had more time to get out for ballroom dance again!

And………..there is a Firefighter’s Fundraiser coming up in a few minutes, but I’m not sure I’ll be taking pictures of that event.  LOL

So come on by, ask us questions, and we’ll tell you about our specials and chat while the shows are going on.  🙂

All

Advertisement

Saving Teeth from Gum Disease and the Trash Can – Ain’t This Awesome?

Having practiced dentistry now for 12 years, I’ve seen a lot of different stuff, tried different technologies, different techniques, etc.  Most of it works pretty well, some of it we discard and look for something new or better, and occasionally we scrap the new and return to the tried-and-true techniques and methods that have been around for a long time.  The ultimate goal, of course, is to provide the best dentistry possible that will last the longest time, right?  Because after all, I know that you want to sit in my chair as little as possible.  🙂

Of all the different things we do, though, there is now 1 that is just so incredibly satisfying to provide our patients, and that is LANAP, or Laser-Assisted New Attachment Protocol, which we perform with our Periolase MVP-7 laser.  First of all, it’s is just pretty cool that we have a laser!  (Imagine here Dr. Evil from Austin Powers putting his fingers up and saying “Laser”  LOL)  But what’s simply AWESOME about having the Periolase is what we can do with it, and that is to treat periodontal (gum) disease more comfortably and effectively than anything else available.  Because of how amazingly well the Periolase works, it is just this terrific feeling we get every time we treat a patient, or when we see patients coming back in for follow-ups, because they actually LIKE coming to see us!  And I have to tell you, there aren’t many things that patients WANT and LIKE coming to see us about.  The other one, of course, is our 6MonthSmiles Clear Adult Braces – adults love getting their smile looking good so much faster than they ever imagine, and more affordably, too.

So let me show you just 1 example of why it is so satisfying helping people save their teeth from the trash can, because it is so typical and normal of what we see on a regular basis.  Colleen had LANAP done in December 2009, which means it is just at 9 months since her treatment.  She is getting ready to start 6MonthSmiles in September, which will help even more, but notice that her front teeth have already improved in position just by getting the infection under control.  Just how much of an improvement is this? Well, in the before picture, we had not even treated her yet, but in the After picture, it is immediately after a gentle cleaning……and her gums look great!

No wonder we love doing LANAP!  If you’re concerned about losing your teeth to gum disease, please call us today at 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online.

Please let us know what you think about this amazing result or if you have any questions in the Comments section below.  Thanks!

Six-Month Braces if you have Gum Disease? YES!

Patients with periodontal (gum) disease often end up being very embarrassed about their smiles, because as the disease progresses and more bone is lost, the teeth start drifting.  It’s not uncommon to see the teeth flared out with a lot of spaces between them, or the bottom front teeth really crowded as the teeth shifted with the bone being lost.

Very often, these cases are the kind that would respond very well with our 6MonthSmiles Clear Adult Braces, but there’s a little problem……if you try to move teeth with braces while there is active gum infection going on, you will only make the situation worse, with the result being even more bone loss, more gum recession, and eventually even looser teeth than before you started.  While it might seem like your smile is improving during the process, once the braces came off, and the support they provided was gone, you’d suddenly realize you were closer than ever to losing your teeth entirely.  So it’s not uncommon that people simply become resigned to not only having gum disease, bad breath, etc., but to living with a smile that embarrasses them.

Now There is a Way!

As one of only 4 dental offices in the city of Charlotte (along with 1 in Salisbury and 1 in Fort Mill, SC) with the Periolase MVP-7 dental laser, with which we perform Laser Periodontal Therapy^(TM), a patented procedure that treats gum disease more effectively and more comfortably than any other procedure currently available, we can actually regenerate bone and healthy gum attachment.  And THAT is why it allows us to offer patients a way to not only save their teeth from gum disease and dentures, but also to give them a smile to be proud of once again.  Why is that exactly?  Because – in the absence of active gum infection – moving teeth with braces actually stimulates bone growth!  When you combine the major reduction in infection and inflammation with the healing effects of the laser, AND you add the bone stimulation of tooth movement and alignment through braces, it’s like a double benefit.

In the case of crowded teeth, improving alignment also makes it easier to brush and floss, too, and this is still an important part of maintaining healthy gums and teeth over the long term.

Over the next 6-10 months, be on the lookout here for some truly dramatic smile transformations for patients by combining 6MonthSmiles and LANAP.

If you are unhappy with your smile and are worried about losing your teeth and being forced into dentures, call us at 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online.  This is a great time of year to plan for LANAP, because we can divide the treatment into 2 halves (right side then left or vice versa, starting with the worse side) in December and January, which will allow you to use 2 years of dental insurance benefits and reduce your out-of-pocket expense.  If you don’t have insurance, you’ll love our Quality Dental Plan, a terrific dental discount plan that we offer in the Charlotte area, that gives you a 20% discount on all treatment ; if you want monthly payments to fit the cost into your budget, we also offer CareCredit Interest-Free Dental Payment Plans.  Our goal is to make it affordable for you to get the treatment you need, so you can have the smile you want!

Is There a Comfortable Treatment for Periodontal (Gum) Disease? YES!

I just got off the phone with one of our patients from yesterday for whom we had done LANAP, also known as Laser Periodontal Therapy^TM, as I wanted to check and see how she is doing today.  And even though I have heard the same exact story practically every single time, I still find it wonderful to hear, and so I wanted to relate it to you (I’ll ask her at her first follow-up appt. next week if she wouldn’t mind doing a short video herself):

Bear in mind……this lady has moderately advanced periodontal (gum) disease, and so when we were doing her treatment yesterday, we had to do a LOT, not just with the Periolase itself, but also with the ultrasonic scaler/cleaner that we use to remove all of the tough tartar build-up; to treat her whole mouth took about 2.5 hours, so she was in our office for quite some time.  Fortunately, she was able to watch Dr. Phil during the procedure, which kept her pretty well distracted LOL.

So what did she say when I asked her how she felt immediately afterwards and also today?  Basically, she said that she took just 1 (ONLY ONE!!!!) 800mg Ibuprofen tablet yesterday “just in case,” but since then, she has had practically no pain, and only a tiny bit of soreness, and she has not had to take ANY further pain medication of any kind!  That is one of the things I simply LOVE about doing LANAP — even though we are treating the gum disease very aggressively, the physical properties of the laser stimulate healing so much and soothe the body so much, that patients are always amazed at how well they feel afterwards. Seriously……think about it…….we really did laser gum surgery for 2.5 hours, and she is having ZERO pain today.

She’s also excited because we will be starting her 6MonthSmiles Clear Adult Braces in just a couple weeks, too, in order to correct the spacing between her front teeth and give her a beautiful smile back.  When I finally get to post the Before/After pictures in just a few months, it will be just incredible to see the difference, so stay tuned!

We will soon welcome our newest Team Member, Samantha

I am very pleased to announce that we have just hired our newest Team Member, Samantha H., who will be joining us sometime in the next 2 weeks as our full-time Orthodontic Assistant. With the dramatic increase in patients getting 6MonthSmiles Clear Adult Braces, as well as the Comprehensive Orthodontics we now offer for teens,  now that we have the additional chairs to accommodate them in a more timely manner, it became important to have an assistant with real experience. Rosie and Marie have done well, but their real knowledge and expertise is in the areas of fillings, crowns, bridges, LANAP, and other aspects of general dentistry, and this will allow them to provide more dedicated assisting time with me, in order to make your appointments go more smoothly and quickly.

Some of you have already met Samantha when she came to us for a working interview, and you can surely attest (please feel free to comment here 🙂 ) to how pleasant and skilled she is, as pretty much all of you requested her back at your next appointment!  With 13 years of experience, she is fast AND easy-on-the-teeth.  We are sure that you will all love working with her.

Smiles by Payet Dentistry is Moving in May!

As we’ve been telling so many of our patients in recent months, we are moving to a new office around the middle of May 2010, and we’re REALLY excited about this!  For a number of reasons, our new office is going to make it so much easier for us to see even more patients, faster, with BETTER customer service than we already strive to offer every day.  Read on for more……..:

• Expanding from 3 Treatment Rooms to 6: We will be dedicating at least 1 of those new rooms strictly to our 6MonthSmiles (fast, invisible braces for adults), because we are seeing so many adults who want a pretty, straight smile, but who don’t want or need to go through comprehensive orthodontics.  In addition, we will be soon adding Tip-Edge Orthodontics for our teen patients, which will make orthodontic treatment for both parents and teens even more convenient.
• Private Consultation Room: Oh how nice this will be.  For a while now, we’ve had to use a converted treatment room for consultations, but it’s never been as quiet and private as we’d have liked.  That’s changing!  You’ll have total quiet and privacy when discussing whatever you need to tell us.
• Kid’s Play Area:  There will be a small area in the Reception are just for kids to play, which will make it so much easier for parents with those small children to keep their appointments.
• Internet Bar + Free WiFi: In today’s interconnected world, it’s so important to be able to stay connected.  We will have a separate WiFi network just for our patients, and the one that we use will be securely encrypted to maintain privacy.  And while we will work to ensure your waits are minimal, if you have a laptop or smartphone….you’ll be good to go.  If not, you’ll still be able to check email or browse the Web from our 3 computers — you can even Share our Facebook Fan page with your friends!  🙂
• TVs in all the treatment rooms: You’ll be able to watch your favorite shows to relax during your appointments with the big 32″ monitors directly overhead.

So stay tuned…….become a Fan on Facebook  for more frequent updates……..exciting times are ahead!

Six-Month Adult Braces + 2 CEREC Porcelain Veneers equals one happy patient!

Ever since we started doing six-month braces about five years ago, the number of smile makeovers that we’ve done with porcelain veneers has dropped dramatically. This is because we can create beautiful smiles much more conservatively with six-month braces than we can with veneers, simply because there is no drilling on the teeth. There are times however, when porcelain veneers are an excellent option. Caroline’s case is a perfect example of how the two can work together: we first used six-month braces to straighten her teeth, then whitened them.  Finally, we used our CEREC CAD/CAM machine to make to 2 porcelain veneers right in our office, in a single appointment to complete the smile makeover by matching her peg lateral incisors to match the rest of her smile.

If you are interested in learning more about either porcelain veneers or 6MonthSmiles, please contact us at either 704-364-7069, or Request an Appointment Online.

Frequently Asked Questions about 6MonthSmiles (fast, invisible, adult braces)

The Most Commonly Asked Questions at a Six-Month Braces Consultation

These questions really aren’t surprising, and you’ve probably wondered about them already yourself if you’re considering this remarkable cosmetic dental option, so here are your answers:

1) Can you REALLY move my teeth that fast?

Yes, we really can.  I know it seems hard to believe, because most everyone thinks that you have to wear braces for 18 months to 3 years to get everything right.  You can take a look at this Smile Gallery to see a whole bunch of people who’ve had their front teeth straightened in 6 months or less.

2) HOW do you move teeth that fast?

It’s quite simple, really, and it’s not magic or rocket science.  Basically, since we’re really doing cosmetic braces, this is an alternative to porcelain veneers.  That means we are just concentrating on straightening the front teeth, NOT trying to correct major bite problems. Answer these 3 questions and you’ll know if you’re a good candidate for 6MonthSmiles:

• Do you have any jaw or muscle pain, or a history of headaches?
• Do you have any difficulty chewing or biting normally, or is your bite really “off” in the back teeth?
• Do you have some spaces in the front teeth you’d like closed or crowded front teeth you want straightened?

If you answered NO the first 2 questions but YES to the last question, then you are probably a good candidate for 6MonthSmiles!

3) WHEN CAN WE START!?

This is, of course, the most fun question.  It’s amazing how many times patients will want to start RIGHT NOW.  As in, before they’ve even left the Complimentary Consultation appointment.  And most of the time, we can accommodate.  Getting started is literally as easy as getting molds of your teeth, a complete set of photos, and a panoramic x-ray (this one goes around your head and records your entire jaws, joints, etc. to make sure there are no complicating factors).  We send the info to our 6 Month Smiles lab, which makes custom trays that let us put pretty much all the brackets on at once, just a couple of weeks later.  It’s much easier and faster this way, I promise.  And off we go!

Do you love to smile like Caroline?

One of my absolute favorite things to do, is to see patients for their Complimentary Portrait Session after they finish some type of cosmetic dentistry, whether it is Six-Month Braces, Porcelain Veneers, Teeth Whitening, or some combination of those.  There is such a level of satisfaction when a patient LOVES to smile for pictures instead of hide their smiles because they’re embarrassed.  Caroline is a perfect example of this; when she first came to see us, she was really unhappy with her crooked teeth.  Given what an amazingly cheerful person she is, hiding her smile was not something she wanted, but — like so many others — she assumed that braces would take 2-3 years, and as an adult, she simply was not interested, but she also didn’t want to have her teeth ground down for porcelain veneers, nor did she want to spend that much.  So, with a combination of Six-Month Braces, 2 Porcelain Veneers with our 1-Visit Crown system (CEREC), and Whitening Trays, we dramatically transformed her smile in about 10 months total.  Just look at her smile now!

This is really what Cosmetic Dentistry is all about, really — it’s about helping you feel good and confident about yourself, about your smile. If you would like to smile with the confidence that Caroline now does, give us a call at 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online!

2.9 Month Braces by Charlotte dentist Dr. Payet

As much as people are often amazed at the idea that we can give them a straight smile with Six-Month Braces, there really are times when it doesn’t even take THAT long.  Take a look at Karim’s before and after pictures — literally, we put her brackets on back on September 9th, and we took them off today, November 24th.  That’s NOT EVEN 3 months with braces on, but look what a difference!  As she put it….”I love the results!”