Comprehensive Dental Services for the Whole Family

Invisalign is a state-of-the-art orthodontic system that aligns your teeth using a customized series of comfortable and transparent plastic aligner devices. They fit over your teeth, and each aligner places controlled pressure on your teeth to shift them closer to their optimal position.

After careful evaluation and consultation at Family Tree Dental Care, Dr. Hong decides if Invisalign will be able to help you reach your orthodontic goals. She uses the iTero® digital scanner to see the positions of your teeth and how they’ll move during treatment. The customizable treatment can correct overbite, open bite, underbite, crossbite, and crooked teeth and can also be customized to close gaps and address crowding.

Dr. Hong takes digital impressions of your smile, which she uploads to a computer monitor. Using those impressions, she can show you what will happen during your time using the aligners and what to expect with the result. A laboratory uses the digital impressions to manufacture a series of aligners.

You must follow Dr. Hong’s instructions before, during, and after treatment. After you finish Invisalign treatment, you transition to a retainer that looks like Invisalign aligners but serves a different function. It helps keep your teeth in their new positions.

Oral health always comes first in dentistry, but at Family Tree Dental Care, Dr. Hong understands that having an attractive smile is also a priority. Cosmetic dentistry is a subfield of oral care that primarily focuses on the aesthetics of your smile.

The cosmetic dental services that Dr. Hong specializes in can transform individual teeth or your smile’s overall appearance. Your cosmetic dentistry treatment plan can include procedures and services for:

• Cracked or chipped teeth
• Tooth misalignment
• Discoloration and staining
• Teeth that appear too short
• Teeth that appear too long
• Misshapen teeth
• Asymmetry

Family Tree Dental Care offers the latest and most luxurious cosmetic dentistry treatments to enhance or improve your smile’s natural beauty. During your consultation with Dr. Hong, she takes initial photographs of your teeth to analyze and plan your smile design. To help you meet your cosmetic goals, she uses procedures like:

Custom dental veneers are designed according to the natural contours of your teeth. Dr. Hong attaches them to the front surfaces of teeth with damage, unusual shapes, or deep discoloration to cover them permanently and give them the appearance of perfection.

Teeth whitening is one of the simplest and most popular cosmetic treatments. The service uses a bleaching gel to lift stains and lighten discoloration on all of your teeth.

Gum contouring is a procedure to reshape your gum line if you feel that it’s too low and affects the proportions of your smile. If you have gum recession, certain gum contouring procedures can restore your gum line.

Dental bonding uses a tooth-colored resin that Dr. Hong applies to your teeth in a liquid form before hardening into a durable solid with a strong light. She uses it to repair or reshape cracked, chipped, or misshapen teeth.

Dental crowns are caps that go over damaged teeth and are designed to reinforce their structure. Dr. Hong makes your crown to resemble the tooth in its original form.

Dental bridges are similar to crowns. In fact, some dental bridge styles include one or two crowns. Bridges always replace one or more missing teeth. The false tooth or teeth in a dental bridge are called pontics, and they look realistic while filling the gap perfectly. They either rely on other teeth next to the gap or dental implants to anchor in place.

Crowns and bridges have very similar planning processes. Dr. Hong uses state-of-the-art technology and imaging to scan your tooth for a crown before and after removing some enamel. By doing this, she can make a crown or bridge that fits perfectly and looks like a natural feature in your smile.

Dental implants replace missing teeth with natural-looking restorations. Implants are titanium posts that are permanently placed in your jawbone. At Family Tree Dental Care, Dr. Hong creates custom restorations such as crowns, bridges, and implant dentures to attach to the implants and replace one or more missing teeth.

An in-house oral surgeon places your dental implant after careful planning the procedure with digital scanning, X-rays, and other technology. After osseointegration, you can visit Family Tree Dental Care for your restoration.

If you’re missing one or more teeth, you should consider the advantages of dental implants over other treatment options like bridges or dentures without implant support. Compared to other options, dental implants can offer:

• Zero dietary restrictions
• A natural feel and appearance
• Permanent stability
• Durability
• Easy maintenance
• Comfort

Teeth whitening is one of the most popular services in cosmetic dentistry and drives many people to visit Family Tree Dental Care. The service lifts stains from your teeth while brightening their overall tone. Teeth whitening relies on bleaching products like hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide to lift stains and discoloration. It’s important to remember that these whitening products only work on natural teeth and will not change the shades of any restorations, including crowns, bridges, and veneers.

Teeth whitening removes or lifts stains from some of the most common foods, drinks, and products that cause them. A good rule to remember is that teeth whitening is most effective on yellow, tan, and brown shades. These stains tend to be in the enamel, which is the outermost porous layer of each tooth. They’re called extrinsic stains.

At Family Tree Dental Care, you may choose between in-office whitening and take-home whitening trays. Whitening in the office involves placing a protective barrier over your gums. Next, Dr. Hong applies the whitening product to your exposed teeth and shines a light on them to activate the product. The product stays on your teeth for 15-30 minutes. Opting for take-home whitening trays may be the better option if you don’t have at least an hour or so to spend in the office. You can use them at home on your own time.

Pediatric dentistry is oral health care and hygiene for anyone under 18. Your child’s first dental visit should happen around the time they get their first baby tooth, so you should keep an eye on your baby’s gums over their first year.

At Family Tree Dental Care, Dr. Hong uses the latest technologies in dentistry and advanced strategies to give your child top-of-the-line dental diagnostics and care. She is highly familiar with the oral health needs of every age group, from babies to teenagers, and recognizes the signs of health issues as early as possible. Your child needs:

• Six-month exams
• Professional cleanings
• Diagnostic digital X-rays
• Fluoride treatments and varnishes
• Sealants to prevent cavities
• Fillings to treat cavities
• Care for dental injuries and accidents

Excellent oral health care for kids isn’t isolated to the dentist’s chair. At Family Tree Dental Care, Dr. Hong encourages you to implement healthy oral hygiene practices at home. Making sure daily brushing and flossing happen lays the foundation for long-term oral health for your child. They should start using fluoride toothpaste at age 2, limit sugary snacks and drinks, eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods, stop bottle feeding early, and drink water containing fluoride.

Family dentistry refers to dental services that meet the needs of individuals of all ages, from children to the elderly. Family Tree Dental Care emphasizes the importance of dental care in all stages of life and welcomes families into the office for all oral health needs and preventive care.

Family Tree Dental Care offers oral hygiene services and preventive care for your and your children’s teeth. She encourages you to schedule visits for:

• Cleanings every six months
• Exams every six months (during your cleaning appointments)
• Fluoride treatments
• Dental sealants
• Tooth-colored fillings
• Gum disease treatment
• Digital X-rays
• Orthodontic consultations for Invisalign®
• Crowns and bridges
• Dental implants
• Cosmetic smile design (with teeth whitening, bonding, and other services)

Six-month dental exams aren’t quite the same as comprehensive exams, which are more in-depth. During a comprehensive exam, she uses state-of-the-art technology and imaging to evaluate the muscles and joints of your jaw, the alignment of your teeth, and soft oral tissues. Your comprehensive exams include a preclinical exam, an extraoral exam (outside your mouth), and an intraoral exam (inside your mouth). Dr. Hong records her findings from these exams and talks to you about them one-on-one with consideration to your medical history. She also includes X-rays to see your teeth and jawbone beneath the gums.

Root canal therapy is an endodontic procedure that treats infected or inflamed tooth pulp. Tooth pulp is a substance that nourishes your teeth and provides temperature sensations, but it isn’t necessary for their long-term survival. By removing damaged or infected tooth pulp, the Family Tree Dental Care team can preserve your natural tooth and prevent the need for an extraction.

The team at Family Tree Dental Care uses root canal therapy to treat infected or inflamed tooth pulp. These issues can occur due to:

• Deep decay
• Undergoing extensive dental work
• Experiencing a blow to the mouth
• Chipping or cracking a tooth

After root canal therapy, you might experience increased tooth sensitivity or mild discomfort once the anesthesia wears off. The team at Family Tree Dental Care recommends:

• Brushing and flossing gently
• Using a desensitizing toothpaste
• Eating only soft foods for two or three days
• Taking over-the-counter pain medication