What is a dental bridge?

In the area of cosmetic dentistry, dental bridges fall under the category of restorations for single tooth replacement. The role of the dental bridge is to literally bridge the gap between missing teeth.

Three types of dental bridges

There are three types of dental bridges. At Artistic Dental, our dentists, Dr. John Dougherty and Dr. Prabidhi Adhikari work on a case-by-case basis and review each of these options with our patients. Dr. Dougherty and Dr. Adhikari will put together a conservative treatment plan that will not only look good but is also functional and provides long-term stability.  

1. Traditional or conventional dental bridges: These are the most common type of dental bridges. The conventional dental bridge uses crowns on the teeth next to the empty space that are hooked together to help support the missing tooth. This is typically the treatment of choice if the two other teeth need to have dental crowns for other reasons. 
2. Cantilevered dental bridges: This type of bridge is not very common nowadays. It is not recommended in the back of the mouth, as it can put too much pressure on other teeth and cause damage. This restoration or bridge only uses one tooth next to the empty space to support the missing tooth. 
3. Maryland bonded bridges: This is the most conservative type of restoration and uses the adjacent teeth for support. The bonded bridges are made of porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, or plastic teeth and gums reinforced by a metal or porcelain framework. If the teeth adjacent to the empty space look good and don’t require any other type of dental work, Maryland bonded bridges could be the best option.

The benefits of dental bridges

Dental bridges offer a number of benefits including:

• Smile restoration
• Helping patients regain the ability to properly chew and speak again
• Preventing other teeth in the mouth from drifting out of position
• Restoration and maintaining the shape of the patient’s face
• Distributing the forces in the bite properly by replacing missing teeth

Like all dental treatments, the amount of force placed on your teeth can have an effect on the long-term certainty of dental bridges and it should be assessed by you and your dentist.

If you would like to learn if you are a suitable candidate for a dental bridge, you can book an appointment for a consultation and meet with Dr. John Dougherty or Dr. Pradibhi Adhikari. This is the first step to restoring a more confident and healthy smile.

The Many Payment Options Of Artistic Dental

Many Americans are faced with a common health care concern: finding affordable health insurance. According to a Reuters poll, health care costs are a top concern for voters, with 62% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats unhappy about the presidential candidates’ positions on health care affordability. Why are we bringing this up? Well, as voters and health care professionals ourselves, we understand paying for quality health care can be daunting and difficult to do.

We also recognize most Americans don’t have dental insurance due to its high cost. The National Association of Dental Plans found only 64% of the U.S. population had dental benefits through an employer or group program like AARP in 2014. This may not seem like a low percentage, but of the 205 million Americans with dental coverage, approximately 114 million Americans have no dental coverage.

That’s a significant amount of people when you consider most people with dental insurance are more likely to go to the dentist, thus improving their dental and overall health. The outliers, however, are 67% more likely to have heart disease; 50% more likely to develop osteoporosis, and 29% more likely to have diabetes for not visiting the dentist on a regular basis.

At Artistic Dental, it’s our mission to make dental care as affordable as possible, which is why we have many payment options available for patients who do not have dental insurance. We also have a financial policy in place to help maximize the insurance benefits of patients with dental coverage. Ultimately, our goal is to help you receive exceptional dental care at a reasonable rate.

Currently, we accept the following insurance plans:

·         CIGNA

·         Aetna

·         Delta Dental

·         Blue Cross Blue Shield

·         Humana Dental

·         Guardian

·         Connection Dental Network

·         United Concordia – FFS

We accept most dental insurance programs, including non-managed care, indemnity (traditional) and PPO out-of-network. However, we do not accept programs included in a managed care network (HMO). If you don’t see your dental insurance on the list above, call the office to discuss your dental plan; we may be able to accommodate your specific policy.

In regards to our payment options, we accept cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. If you would like to set up a payment plan with Artistic Dental, you may do so with CareCredit, Compassionate Finance, or Prosper Healthcare Lending upon approval. You’ll need to fill out an application with one of the financing entities before you schedule your appointment. Once your application and credit are approved, you can choose a financing option that is right for you and pay for your services using a healthcare credit card.

If you have questions about our financing options, please call our office at (602) 840-5400. We look forward to hearing from you!

Artistic Dental Patient Makes a Difference in Dentistry

Dr. Dougherty originally met Dr. Ken Snyder more than 15 years ago at the St. Vincent de Paul dental clinic. It didn’t take long before the two dentist discovered their shared interests and they began playing volleyball, basketball and hiking together on weekends. Dr. D. describes Dr. Snyder as a family man and real stand-up guy. He also appreciates his great sense of humor and explained that he trains dentists on how to integrate comedy into patient care. Dr. Dougherty continues to volunteer his time and services with St. Vincent de Paul and says, “Anytime Dr. Snyder calls for help with a patient, my answer is yes.”

Dr. Ken Snyder has been a patient at Artistic Dental for 12 years. More importantly, Dr. Snyder is the Dental Director at St. Vincent De Paul’s dental clinic, which provides low-income and uninsured adults and children with comprehensive dental care. After 17 years in private practice, Dr. Snyder began running the clinic in 2001. Since that time he and his army of dedicated volunteers (including Dr. Dougherty) have helped provide dental care to as many as 700 patients a month. Dr. Snyder’s work and dedication was recently recognized when the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was awarded the Henry Schein Cares Medal, honoring an organization that demonstrates excellence in expanding access to oral health care for people in need. In October 2015 the organization was also recognized by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
We were fortunate to recently speak with Dr. Snyder about his career in dentistry, the SVdP dental clinic and their recent honors:

What do these awards mean to you and to St. Vincent de Paul?

It means quite a bit. The Henry Schein award  looked at more than 70 clinics throughout the country before narrowing it down to three. The finalists were invited to Dallas, where there was about 2,500 people from the dental industry in attendance. All three finalist received $10,000 credit for supplies from Henry Schein, the largest distributor of dental supplies. As the winner we also received a check for $15,000, which is very beneficial.

The recognition from American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry was also a big honor. The AAPD looked at clinics across the country and narrowed to two. When we went to the event in Chicago last October, we learned that the organization awarded both finalists a grant of $75,000 for 5 years.

We survive solely on grants and donations, so these awards are not only a tremendous honor recognizing the work we do as an organization, it will help us to continue to do the work we do.

What do you love most about working in dentistry?

Getting to help people is the biggest reward. We’ve put 400 children through braces, more than any other in the country. At the clinic we are changing people’s lives every day. I am fortunate to work with an incredible team of people, and I like to say, “I’m just the band leader of a world class band.”

What services do you offer at the SVdP dental clinic?

Thanks to the help of volunteer dental professionals and dental students, we are able to provide general care, oral surgery, treatment plans, orthodontia and implants. We have a small staff including myself, one other dentist and a few dental assistants  – otherwise everything we provide is through our volunteers – like Dr. John.
How did you come to be a patient at Artistic Dental?

Dr. John volunteered with us at the clinic early on, and while he was there we became good friends. When my dentist retired, I decided to go to Artistic Dental and have been a patient there ever since.

How can others get involved or volunteer at the SVdP dental clinic?

We are always looking for volunteers. If you are not in dentistry, you can help in our office. We also love having high school and college kids volunteer, especially if they are interested in exploring a career in dentistry. We’ve also started a dental assistant training program for women living in shelters to help them develop a career. Outside of volunteering, monetary donations are always helpful, and we can also use dental equipment.