AQ
What made you choose your present location (either Hattiesburg in general or the building where you are)?
I purchased Dr. David Miller's practice when he became ill in July 1993 and we practiced there until we opened our new practice in April 2007 at 4301 Lincoln Rd. My wife, Pam, was born and raised in Hattiesburg. She is the daughter of George and Carreme Curry, and we wanted to be close to family.
With all the other dentists in the area, how have you made your clinic stand out from the rest?
We try to offer the highest quality service available with the very highest level of care, comfort, and TLC. We treat all of our patients like family and never do anything that we wouldn't do or recommend for ourselves. Also we try to stay on the cutting edge of technology, offering the newest and latest services available such as the Wand injection system, one hour powerbleaching, intraoral camera usage, and breath treatment.
What are some advances in dental care that a lot of people might not know about that might get reluctant patients to come in?
The reduction of dental anxiety and pain when having dental work done is one area in which we have made remarkable advances. Patients can be premedicated (if nervous) with Valium and use the nitrous oxide gas to reduce anxiety. They can watch TV or a favorite movie or listen to headphones to block the sound of the drill and take their mind off what is going on. Sometimes an injection is not even necessary. If an injection is necessary we have The Wand, a computerized injection system that makes the injection much less noticeable and more comfortable.
Published Articles
Cerinate (R) Veneers
How would like brand spanking new crowns, bridges and/or veneers where you now have old, yellow, worn, broken, fractured, chipped or discolored crowns (with the metal showing at the gum-line or grey at the gum-line)? Yes, that's right, new and beautiful and without the above problems associated with old existing crowns without a shot or drilling! Too good to be true, right? Wrong. It's very possible in a lot of old crown and bridge cases without a shot, without drilling, and without temporaries to worry about. There are other benefits as well, such as not having to cut off old crowns and bridgework (thusly reducing the risk of root canals) and less cost than new crowns! Well, how do we do it? We use non-reduction veneers (veneers that cover the front of the old work). They are called Lumineers (TM) and are made by Cerinate (R).
This is a non-invasive technique that goes like this:
- The doctor selects the case by exam, x-ray and models.
- In a lot of cases no shot has to be given and no prep (drilling) has to be done.
- A model is taken in the mouth over the old crown work and sent to the lab (very little chair time) and the patient goes home.
- At the second appointment the front of the crown is prepared to have the new facing bonded to it, and the new facing is bonded over the old crown work. You end up with a great looking new veneer without removing the old work. (The veneer hides it and covers it up).
The positives? No shot, no drilling, very little time in the chair, low costs and a beautiful new restoration. The negatives? Very few. Occasionally some reduction of the front or defective area of the old crown needs to be done to allow the new work to cement on and not cover decayed or defective areas and to not be too thick. Some cases that give the appearance of being too thick simply are not candidates for this procedure without reducing the front of the crown enough to keep the new crown in alignment. This too is a simple procedure. Veneers whether connected to tooth structure or old crowns can occasionally pop off. If they do they usually can be recemented. This is a beautiful way to repair old and defective crowns without removing them. Of course natural teeth can be done as well, straightening and aligning the teeth and closing gaps to create a perfect new smile.
Since there is very little chair time and preparation time and temporization time involved these can be done for a lot less than your conventional crown or veneer. They will give you truly beautiful new teeth without all the hassle of conventional crowns and bridgework.
Locate our office
Smiles Dental
4301 Lincoln Road
Hattiesburg, MS 39402
Phone: 601-582-1623
Fax: 601-582-0765
Our Doctors
