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Restorative Dentistry for Virginia Beach and Beyond

January 9, 2014

A full, healthy smile is important for a wide variety of
reasons. Not only does a full smile make it easier to enjoy a broadly
nutritious diet, it also makes it easier to speak clearly and smile
confidently. A smile with missing teeth, on the other hand, or one held by back
cavities or a broken tooth, can make it more difficult to do all of these.
That’s why Dr. Stephanie
Santos
and Dr.
Vinita Folck
of Smile by Design
offer several of today’s best restorative
dentistry
services. With these services, we can help patients enjoy good
oral health, in addition to restoring appearance and functionality.
Our restorative
dentistry
services include:

During the course of a consultation visit, Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck will get to know you personally before thoroughly
assessing your oral health needs. Every treatment plan we put together is
designed to meet the very specific needs of our patients. If you have any
questions about what we recommend, we’re happy to answer any questions or
concerns you might have.

Are you ready to make 2014 the year you restore your smile’s
functionality and appearance? Find out how Dr.
Folck
and Dr. Santos can help. Call Smile by Design in Virginia Beach today for an appointment. We’re happy to help
patients from Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

Quality, Custom-Made CEREC Crowns in a Single Hour

December 27, 2013

When a tooth becomes damaged, whether by decay or an injury,
it needs to be repaired. In many cases that’s done with a dental crown. During a crown procedure, Dr. Folck or Dr. Santos
will cover (or cap) your damaged tooth with a custom-made restoration that resembles
the tooth they’re treating.

The goal with a crown
is to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality for both the short and
long term. In the short term, you’re free from the discomfort that comes with a
damaged tooth; in the long term, the supportive root underneath your tooth is
preserved, ensuring that your jaw stays strong. Losing a tooth, and the root
underneath it, can cause the jaw to weaken and can put otherwise healthy teeth
in danger of becoming lost as well. The idea behind capping a tooth with a
crown is that the entire tooth is saved, and functionality and appearance are
restored as well.
Traditional crowns
take at least two appointments to put in place. CEREC crowns
from Smile by Design take just a
single appointment. In just one visit, Dr.
Folck
or Dr. Santos will assess
your health, design your crown, and
use their CEREC machine to mill a
high-quality, porcelain restoration while you wait comfortably in our Virginia Beach dental office. Once your
brand new CEREC crown has been
completed and attached, you can leave our office feeling better about your oral
health and about how you look.
Do you need help restoring a tooth with a custom-made crown? Call Smile by Design today for an
appointment with Dr. Folck or Dr. Santos. We offer restorative care
to patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, and Sandbridge.

What Are Your Oral Health Goals for 2014?

December 13, 2013

There are still a few weeks left in 2013, but that doesn’t
mean you can’t start thinking about your oral health goals for 2014. In fact,
now’s the perfect time to start thinking about what you’d like to change and
what you’d like to do differently. With early planning, you can give your smile
a fresh start for the New Year.
At Smile by Design,
Dr. Santos
and Dr. Folck
offer a wide variety of general, cosmetic, and
restorative
services to help you make whatever kind of change you need. Maybe all you want
is a whiter smile. With Zoom! Whitening,
you can brighten your teeth by six to ten shades in about an hour. Or maybe you
want a smile that looks whiter and straighter. Our Virginia Beach team can help you achieve stunning results with porcelain veneers
in just two appointments.
We also offer helpful restorative services, like CEREC
one-visit crowns
, dentures &
partials
, and dental
implants
. Other patients may just need to commit seeing Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck more regularly for checkups and cleanings.

Do you want to schedule an appointment with Smile by Design for early January? Call us today to
reserve an appointment. We will listen to your goals and design a personalized treatment
plan to help you achieve the smile you’re dreaming of. Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck
serve patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, and Sandbridge.

New Possibilities for Your Smile with Cosmetic Dentistry

December 6, 2013

We don’t have to tell you how important a healthy smile is, but a beautiful smile also has its advantages.Whether you’re hoping to make a good impression with a new client or you’re about to re-enter the dating scene, a white, dazzling smile can be to your advantage.

At Smile by Design, Dr. Stephanie Santos and Dr. Vinita Folck offer three popular cosmetic dentistry services to help patients from Virginia Beach and beyond enjoy better oral health but also improved self-esteem. Those services include:

Depending on your needs, Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck will recommend one or more service during a consultative appointment. Every plan we create is designed to deliver truly personal results. If you have any questions about what we propose, don’t hesitate to let us know. We want our patients from Virginia Beach and beyond to feel comfortable with the solution we put forward.

Often you can achieve a healthier, more beautiful smile in just one appointment, though some services require at least two. Find out how long your smile makeover could take during a consultation appointment.

Call us todayDr. Santos and Dr. Folck offer exceptional cosmetic dental care to patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and nearby communities.

Root Canal Therapy for Virginia Beach and Beyond

November 27, 2013

If you’re experiencing sensitivity or pain because of decay,
damage, or an injury, you may benefit from a root canal. During
a root canal, Dr. Folck and Dr. Santos
will remove your tooth’s infected nerve and replace it with a safe substance
before capping it with a protective crown. This treatment will relieve your
painful symptoms, restore your oral health, and prevent the need for a tooth
extraction.
But despite the changes made to your tooth, you won’t have
to worry about your smile’s functionality changing. In fact, root canals are designed to preserve
them. A root canal only removes your
tooth’s nerve; it doesn’t remove your tooth root, which is essential for
anchoring your tooth to your jaw. Tooth roots also promote bone growth in the
jaw so that it stays healthy throughout the years.
Conversely, when you lose a tooth root, your jawbone begins
to shrink, potentially throwing your smile out of alignment and leading to the
loss of other teeth. A root canal
will help you prevent this by treating infection before extraction becomes
necessary.
What are the signs that you might need a root canal? Consider these:
  • Sensitivity to hot or cold foods and beverages
  • Pain when biting or chewing
  • Sensitivity to pressure
  • Pain that keeps you awake at night
  • Pimple-like sore on the gums
  • Pain in head, neck, or shoulders
  • Swelling

Do these symptoms sound familiar? Call Smile by Design today to reserve a consultation appointment with our Virginia Beach

Use Your Dental Benefits Before the Year Is Over

November 13, 2013

The end of November isn’t that far away, and after that 2014
is just around the corner. That doesn’t just mean that it’s time to replace
your calendar. It will also mean a change in your dental benefits.
Right now, if you’ve paid your deductible for the year and
you still have some of your yearly maximum left, you’re insurance company will
help you pay for select dental services. At the beginning of 2014, though, you’ll
be looking at a new deductible and a fresh yearly maximum. You may also see
changes in your premiums and co-pays.
But between now and the end of the year, you can take full
benefit of your dental benefits as
they currently are, getting the most out of what’s left. For instance, maybe you
already know that you need general or restorative help. Or maybe you just need
to schedule your second checkup for the year.
Dr. Folck and Dr. Santos recommend
that all of their Virginia Beach
patients come in twice a year for a regular exam and cleaning. Why are regular
checkups so important? Because the buildup of plaque and bacteria around the
teeth and gums is what causes two of the most common oral health problems—gum disease
and tooth decay.

Do you need to schedule a year-end visit with Smile by Design? Call us today. We’re
happy to help patients from Virginia
Beach
, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and nearby communities.

Virginia Beach Dentures & Partials

October 31, 2013

Patients can lose teeth for a variety of reasons—an injury, gum disease, severe decay, or with an extraction procedure. But regardless of why you’ve lost one or more teeth, looking for a replacement option is important. At Smile by Design in Virginia Beach, Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck offer two excellent options for patients to consider: partial dentures and full dentures.

But first, why is it important to replace missing teeth? Because of the impact they can have on your appearance, but more importantly, the impact they can have your oral and overall health. For patients missing a complete upper or lower row of teeth, eating can be extremely difficult. For patients missing a few upper or lower teeth, it’s easy for remaining teeth to shift out of alignment. With a partial denture, you can help retain your smile’s healthy alignment, and with a full denture you can enjoy eating and smiling again.

What’s more, patients can get either of these options in an implant-supported form. Dental implants provide patients with an enormous amount of stability, because of the way implants mimic the natural structure of teeth.

Do you need a partial or full set of dentures? Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck can help you understand your needs and pinpoint a solution that will give you the best help. During a consultation visit with us, we’ll asses your oral health and create a treatment plan that can meet your needs.

Call us today to set up an appointment. We serve patients from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge and beyond.

Contemporary Periodontal Therapy for Virginia Beach and Beyond

October 18, 2013

Why does our team at Smile
by Design
encourage you to come in for checkups twice a year? Because
regular care will help us protect you from a common oral health condition like periodontal disease. Caused by a
buildup of plaque and bacteria, periodontal
disease
can lead to red or swollen gums, plus bleeding, and in more
advanced cases, tooth loss.
Other symptoms of periodontal
disease
include:
  • Persistent bad breath
  • Receding gums
  • A change in the way your teeth fit together
  • Pockets between your teeth and gums
Through regular visits with Dr. Stephanie
Santos
and Dr.
Virginia Folck
, our Virginia Beach
dental team can help you monitor your smile for any of these symptoms.
Sometimes periodontal disease can
slip by unnoticed in its earliest stages. It takes a trained eye to spot these
symptoms early on.
If we find any signs of periodontal disease during your
appointment, we’re happy to recommend a treatment plan with root planing and
scaling. This deep cleaning approach is a very effective way of treating periodontal disease before it becomes
too severe.

But of course, our real goal at Smile by Design is preventing the need for periodontal therapy altogether. To schedule a checkup and cleaning
with our Virginia Beach office, give us a call today.
 We’re happy to serve patients from Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

A Beautiful Smile for the Holidays with Porcelain Veneers

October 10, 2013

The holidays are all about getting together with family and
loved ones. That means lots of catching up, smiling, and laughing. Put your
best foot forward this year with a more dazzling smile. And thanks to a
cosmetic dental service like porcelain veneers,
you can do exactly that in just two visits.
Using porcelain veneers,
Dr. Santos
and Dr. Folck
can:
  • Close gaps
  • Hide stains
  • Change tooth length
  • Cover cracks or chips
  • Whiten teeth
  • Make teeth look straighter
What’s more, the process of transforming your smile with porcelain veneers is easy. It takes
just two appointments, after which you can leave our Virginia Beach with the results you’ve always wanted.
Here’s what you can expect from the porcelain veneer process. First, Dr. Santos or Dr. Folck
will conduct a thorough exam and oral health assessment to make sure your smile
is healthy enough for the procedure. If it is, we’ll design personalized veneers based on the shade and shape of
your teeth. We’ll also talk to you about the results you’d like to see.
Once we have all the information we need, we’ll prep your
teeth by removing a small amount of enamel. This will let your finished porcelain veneers lie flat with your
teeth. Then, after our lab has made your veneers
according to our detailed instructions, we’ll apply them, completing your
procedure.

Have a whiter holiday season right now with porcelain veneers from Smile by Design. Call us today to
reserve your consultation. We’re happy to provide cosmetic care to patients
from Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sandbridge, and beyond.

A Family Dentistry Checkup before the Holidays

October 8, 2013

At Smile by Design,
Dr. Santos
and Dr. Folck
encourage their Virginia Beach
patients to come in for checkups at least twice a year. Why so often? Because catching
common oral health conditions like gum disease and tooth decay will lead to
less invasive, more comfortable care. And with 2013 quickly coming to an end,
is there a better time for your family to come in for a checkup than before the
holidays start?
Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the December holidays all come
with their own special treats—ones that are tasty but pose a threat to your
oral health. With a family dentistry
checkup at Smile by Design, our Virginia Beach dental team can assess
your current health and determine if you’ll need care before the holidays
arrive.
Even though you should be careful how many sweets you
consume, we want you to enjoy the time you spend with friends and family, and
that means being able to enjoy a few goodies over the next few months. What’s
more, seeing you before the holidays begin will give us a chance to offer some
nutritional advice as well.
A natural sweetener known as xylitol can be used instead of sugar in holiday treats because it’s
sweet but won’t cause the same problems as regular sugar. In fact, xylitol is used in some toothpaste
brands to guard against cavities. That’s because sugar leads to the creation of
acid in the mouth, while xylitol creates
a neutral atmosphere that makes it difficult for harmful bacteria to cling to
teeth.

 

Learn more about xylitol
by visiting Xylitol.org.
And to schedule a visit for yourself or someone else in your family, call Smile by Design today for an
appointment. We’re happy to serve patients from Virginia Beach and beyond.
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