Smile Makeovers From a Family Dentist You Can Trust

At the family and cosmetic dentistry offices of Curtis Sandahl, DDS, we offer many popular ways to get and maintain the healthy, spectacular smile you deserve:

• Thorough exams, including oral cancer screening
• Preventive dentistry & oral hygiene
• Tooth-colored fillings & bonding
• Teeth whitening
• Teeth straightening, tooth extraction
• Dental crowns & dental bridges
• Cosmetic & restorative dentistry for tooth pain, broken teeth, crooked teeth and gaps between teeth
• Porcelain veneers, inlays & onlays
• Full dentures & partial dentures
• Dental fillings & dental implants
• Bruxism
• Nonsurgical gum care
• Root canal treatment
• Treatments for sleep apnea and snoring

• Snoring is the sound made from a partially obstructed airway during sleep. Although snoring may be more bothersome to your bed partner, it can be a sign of a serious medical condition known as obstructive sleep apnea.
• Bruxism is the grinding and clenching of your teeth while you are asleep. This can result in broken teeth, breakage of dental work, pain, headaches and TMJ problems. Bruxism is often associated with obstructive sleep apnea. When your brain realizes you have stopped breathing, your teeth grind back and forth to move your jaw forward to open your airway and allow you to breathe.
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is when your airway is blocked and the oxygen intake to your brain and other organs of your body shuts off. It occurs when your airway is blocked by your tongue and soft palate falling against the back of your throat while you are sleeping. The result is you can’t breathe. Thus your body wakes you up many times during the course of your sleep and results in a poor night’s sleep. There are many serious medical conditions related to OSA. High blood pressure and increased risk of heart attacks, stroke and type 2 diabetes to name a few. Untreated OSA can take 12 years off your life and increases your risk of death by 46%. Treatment options include oral appliance therapy, CPAP and surgery.
• There are benefits and risk to each treatment option. We can treat bruxism and mild to moderate OSA with an oral appliance. We can also make oral appliances for individuals who can’t tolerate a CPAP mask and machine. Our custom made oral appliances are comfortable and adjusted to give you the best possible result. How do you know if you grind your teeth and if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea? You need to be tested. We can provide you a take home sleep monitor that will test for bruxism and OSA. It is a very simple device that is easy to wear and will give us an accurate reading of bruxism and OSA while you sleep in your own bed. What’s even better is this test is free to take.
• Sleep apnea occurs when you stop breathing in your sleep. People with sleep apnea may stop breathing dozens or hundreds of times each night. Often, they don't realize they have this potentially life-threatening condition until they awaken in the middle of the night gasping for air. People with sleep apnea rarely enjoy a night of restful and refreshing sleep, and they suffer from loud snoring, fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure. memory loss, irritability and difficulty concentrating. Sleep apnea can lead to heart attack or stroke, depression and diabetes. Call 805-485-5331 and schedule your FREE take home bruxism and OSA test today!

Maximizing Your Smile’s Health & Beauty With State-of-the-Art Capabilities

As part of his dedication to excellent dental care and family dentistry, Dr. Sandahl uses a variety of advanced capabilities. These powerful tools provide him with more information and greater accuracy and ultimately make it possible for you to have optimal oral health and a beautiful, natural-looking smile that lasts. Here are some of the advanced technologies Dr. Sandahl uses to maximize your care and the health and beauty of your smile:

• Digital X-rays – Routine dental X-rays are processed and ready more quickly for maximum efficiency.
• Intraoral camera – Dr. Sandahl uses intraoral photography during diagnosis and treatment planning to help ensure optimal results.
• Advanced laser detection of decay – Dr. Sandahl can detect (and treat) hard-to-find decay in its earliest stages, reducing the need for more dentistry in the future.
• OralID – Uses fluorescence technology that allows us to shine a blue light on your oral tissues and identify oral cancer, pre-cancerous lesions and other abnormal lesions at an earlier stage, thus saving lives. Oral cancer is one of the most curable cancers, if caught early.