Pediatric Dentistry

Children who begin getting regular check-ups and professional cleanings at a young age have a reduced risk of cavities and more serious complications. Pediatric dentistry includes visits every six months, as well as digital x-rays, education and instruction for oral hygiene, fillings, and preventative care. Dr. Alan Dilsaver provides gentle dental care for children to improve their experience and keep them from having anxiety in the chair later in life.

Oral hygiene instruction is an important part of pediatric dentistry because it teaches children the importance of hygiene and how to properly brush and floss their teeth. Children should visit the dentist every six months for a full exam and cleanings. As long as they visit our Lehigh Valley Smiles office every six months, the young patient will continue having good oral health care. Preventative care includes sealants and mouth guards. Mouth guards protect their teeth during contact sports, while sealants prevent tooth decay by covering their teeth with fluoride.

We also perform tooth-colored fillings on children, which are completely safe for children and go quickly. Lastly, we offer orthodontic care, including Invisalign, traditional, and clear braces. If you would like additional information on pediatric dentistry, contact our office.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes breaks in the person’s breathing, as well as shallow breathing. These pauses typically last a few seconds, but can be minutes. Not only does it interrupt the patient’s sleep, but it can be dangerous when the patient does not breathe multiple times as night. Dr. Alan Dilsaver offers a variety of sleep apnea corrections through surgery.

Lehigh Valley Smiles offers procedures to help with sleep apnea, because of the dangerous side effects it can cause. When sleep apnea is left untreated, it can lead to an increased risk of heart failure, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, in addition to possible arrhythmias. It can also lead to an increase in the risk of work-related accidents and car accidents because of the poor sleep. That's why it is important to get treatment if you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

There are three procedures offered in our Lehigh Valley Smiles office: uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), maxillomandibular advancement, and tracheostomy.

The UPPP procedure removes excess tissue from the throat and mouth, and is performed in a local hospital. The maxillomandibular advancement also helps with sleep apnea by moving the jaw forward from the facial bones, helping to create an open airway. Lastly, there is the tracheostomy, which puts a tube in the patient’s throat to be covered during the day and open while sleeping.

Visit us in Easton, PA to get more information about these sleep apnea procedures.

Night Guards

Teeth grinding is an unfortunate habit that many of our patients do without even realizing it. Unfortunately, they are damaging their teeth in the process. While it happens more frequently at night, some of our patients admit they find themselves clenching or grinding their teeth during the day.

Fortunately, we provide custom night guards here at Lehigh Valley Smiles to help patients protect the damage to their teeth and reduce jaw pain that is a common result of teeth grinding.

The night guards made by Dr. Alan Dilsaver are custom to the patient’s teeth and very durable, lasting about 10 years. Because they are made from impressions of the patient’s teeth, they are also very comfortable to wear. There are several benefits to getting night guards, including the following:

• ·         Protected teeth


• ·         Reducing jaw pain


• ·         Reduced snoring


• ·         More comfort while sleeping


• ·         Reduced headaches and neck pain


• ·         Improved breathing

In our dental office, we believe night guards are very important for patients who are grinding their teeth. By doing this continuously every night, the patient wears down their teeth, which can later result in extreme jaw pain and stress, neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, and even the loosening of their teeth. For more information about the benefits and procedure of night guards, contact our office at (610) 252-7414.

Bridges

Bridges

We offer a number of solutions to the problem of missing or extracted teeth.  Dental implants and mini implants are among the most popular options but they’re not for everyone.  Bridges are a tried and true solution that’s affordable, reliable and provides aesthetically pleasing results for many of our clients.  If you’re wondering if bridges are right for you, we can help you decide.  Just a few advantages you’ll gain from bridges as a prosthetic choice:

• Bridges are discreet and indistinguishable from the rest of your teeth. They can be used in highly visible portions of the mouth, including the front teeth.


• They are fixed and require no exterior framework or adhesive like partial dentures.  


• Bridges allowing you to enjoy a varied and healthy diet.


• With proper care, you can expect your bridge to last up to fifteen years.


• Bridges preventing many problems associated with tooth loss, including jaw deterioration and misalignment and damage to surrounding teeth.


• Bridges are affordable and are more likely to be covered by insurance than dental implants.

 

Crowns

If the structure of your tooth has been compromised due to a severe decay, a chip or fracture, it harms the esthetics of your smile and puts your mouth at risk for bacterial infection, further decay and even bit misalignment.  Here at Lehigh Valley Smiles, we help our patients avoid such complications and restore the beauty and function of their smiles with reliable dental crowns.  Crowns work to protect the structure of your tooth like a small suit of armor, while appearing as natural as normal, healthy tooth enamel.  The crowns we provide are custom crafted and securely bonded to your tooth’s structure, ensuring long lasting and reliable functionality. When you restore your smile with a crown, you will not need to make any long term dietary modifications or perform any additional oral health maintenance beyond daily hygiene measures, regular dental exams and cleanings, and crown replacement approximately every fifteen years.

We have a full explanation of the crown placement process and other details right on our website, but we are happy to answer all of your questions directly; simply schedule a full consultation.

Extractions

With the exception of routine wisdom tooth extractions, hopefully you will never need to have a tooth removed due to lack of care or a periodontal health issue.  Should the need for a tooth extraction arise, a simple surgical procedure completes the process and allows for easy placement of a dental prosthetic if needed.

In most cases, patients recover from tooth extractions without issue.  To ensure your recovery is comfortable and you minimize the risk of post op complications, be sure to follow all post procedure instructions, including:

• Take preemptive steps to stop discomfort before it starts.  Once your procedure is complete, take any recommended anti-inflammatory medications or pain killers.


• Avoid strenuous activity and take some time to relax and recuperate.


• Stick to a mild and soft food diet for a few days.


• Keep the extraction area clean and use any prescribed rinses or antiseptics as directed.

 

Snap On Smile

Snap On Smile is a unique cosmetic smile solution that allows you to makeover your smile in an instant.  Like a row of removable veneers or an opaque tooth tray, Snap On Smile fits over your existing tooth structure to cover up surface and structural flaws, including staining, minor alignment issues, chips and gaps created by teeth that are too short or narrow.  We create custom Snap On Smile solutions that are fabricated to suit your individual features and address specific flaws.  This ensures that while Snap On Smile is a dramatic cosmetic improvement, it also looks totally naturally.  It is also more affordable and flexible than other cosmetic dental modifications like veneers.

If you want to find out how Snap On Smile benefit you, please contact us directly and schedule a consultation.

Dental Hygiene

Your daily dental hygiene is one of the biggest factors in your periodontal health. This can be for better or worse based on your individual habits. Brushing, flossing, a sensible diet and diligent biannual checkups all contribute to healthy dental hygiene and reduced risk of developing gum disease.  It is also wise to abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and foods high in sugar.

Maintaining good dental hygiene is simple but it goes quite a long way. We invite you to Lehigh Valley Smiles to ensure that your efforts have been effective and provide any necessary periodontal health treatments, including scaling and root planning and professional cleanings. Call 610-252-7414 to arrange your appointment.        

CEREC

If you’re in need of a crown, inlay, onlay or veneers, we here at Lehigh Valley Smiles have good news for you.  As more and more of our patients are discovering, CEREC allows us to provide you with beautiful restoratives in significantly less time. This advanced 3D milling technology lets us plan, prep and place crowns, inlays and onlays and veneers in a single visit. The advanced process comes at no sacrifice to quality, as CEREC restoratives are made from strong, reliable compressed porcelain. The ease of the process and the success of the results have many of our patients thrilled with their newly improved smiles.

To learn more about our CEREC capabilities and what they can do for you, please view our website or call 610-252-7414.

Oral Cancer Screening

If you’re age fifty or over, you’ve used tobacco products and drink on a regular basis, an oral cancer screening is one of the most important preventative health procedures you can undergo. This simple, non-invasive screening is used to check for any abnormalities that could indicate the presence of cancerous cells. Like most cancers, oral cancer is much easier to treat and recover from when it’s caught early.  Even if you do not have many oral cancer risk factors in your life, all patients ages seventy or older should undergo regular oral cancer screenings. We provide oral cancer screenings right here at Lehigh Valley Smiles. To find out if you’re due for an oral cancer screening, please call us directly at 610-252-7414 or learn more on our website.

Digital X-Rays

We strive to make Lehigh Valley Smiles a modern dentistry that all of our patients can rely upon for both simple and involved procedures. One of the technologies we use to ensure our service capabilities is digital x-rays. Like conventional film x-rays, digital x-rays allow us to gain insight into the health and structure of your oral cavity. Unlike conventional film x-rays, digital x-rays produce a high quality, digital capture that makes it easier to display, examine, store and transfer the results.  Digital x-rays also emit 80% less radiation than conventional x-rays, providing you with added care assurance and peace of mind.

You can learn more about digital x-rays on our website, or call 610-252-7414 to experience the benefits of our capabilities firsthand.

Cosmetic Bonding at Lehigh Valley Smiles

Did you know that a chip, crack or shorted tooth can not only affect the look of your smile, but also your oral health?  While such issues can be considered minor, they are indeed worth fixing. Here at Lehigh Valley Smiles, we offer cosmetic boding to quickly and reliably repair small structural issues that affect a tooth.  With cosmetic bonding, we can fill gaps, correct chips and even lengthen the surface of a tooth.  Not only will this service improve the appearance of your smile, it will help to prevent issues such as bacteria proliferation, further breakage and misalignment issues.

 To learn more about cosmetic bonding and to determine if this service can help you, please call us directly at Lehigh Valley Smiles.

Brighten Your Smile for Spring

There are many reasons and benefits to brightening your smile, including a boost to your confidence, more positive impressions in your daily life, and renewed inspiration to take excellent care of your teeth, gums and overall oral health.  Now, there’s no better time to brighten your smile here at Lehigh Valley Smiles.  We are now giving you the opportunity to Brighten Your Smile For Spring! Contact us to learn how you can save on a two hour in-office teeth bleaching treatment or a take home bleaching kit!

Spring Cleaning for Your Teeth

Have you finished all of your spring cleaning? You may have cleaned your home, your car and your yard, but you’re probably forgetting something: your smile! Regular dental exams and teeth cleanings are an important part of preventive oral care—and besides brushing and flossing— are the best ways to protect yourself against tooth decay, periodontal disease and costly issues that can occur when oral hygiene is neglected.

If you’re due, please visit us at Lehigh Valley Smiles for a spring cleaning of your teeth.