The Center for Advanced Dentistry's Blog

Save Your Smile with Root Canal Therapy from The Center For Advanced Dentistry

January 19, 2012

The words “root canal” often strike fear in the hearts of patients. But what many may not realize is that modern tools have made root canals more safe, effective, and relatively comfortable than ever before. And at Dr. Hornstein’s office, we can have your procedure fully completed in just two visits.

But first: why are root canals even necessary?

One of the primary reasons a root canal may be necessary is that a tooth has become infected from the inside. This can happen if your tooth has a fracture or has developed a large crack and, as a result, now has a deep cavity. Once this happens, a root canal is needed to save the tooth from dying.

During the first phase of your root canal procedure, Dr. Hornstein and our team will make sure you’re comfortable before removing the infection from your tooth and capping it with a temporary crown. Then, during your second visit, all we’ll need to do is switch out your temporary crown for one that will last you for years to come.

Please schedule a visit with The Center for Advanced Dentistry if you’d like to learn more about root canals and how we can help patients from Beachwood, Cleveland, Solon, Shaker Heights, Pepper Pike, and surrounding areas boost your oral health.

Make Regular Visits to The Center for Advanced Dentistry a Priority in 2012

January 5, 2012

With 2011 behind us and 2012 just a few days old, you may be thinking about what improvements you can make in your life. Two of the most popular resolutions out there are eating better and exercising more. These are great, but we’d also like to encourage our patients to keep their smile in mind. Make 2012 a banner year for your oral health by making regular visits to Dr. Hornstein’s Beachwood dental office a priority.

Why Are Regular Visits So Important?

Regular visits are important for two reasons.

First, seeing us often gives Dr. Hornstein a chance to look for signs of gum disease, tooth decay, and oral cancer early, all of which can be more easily treated when found early.

Second, regular appointments let us give your teeth and gums a thorough cleaning. Daily brushing and flossing at home are vital, but even an excellent at-home oral health regimen can only do so much. With our team’s experience and knowledge, we can help you achieve the optimal oral health you’ve dreamed of.

Ready to schedule your first appointment of 2012? Contact The Center for Advanced Dentistry. Dr. Hornstein serves patients from Cleveland, Solon, Shaker Heights, Pepper Pike, and surrounding areas.

Want a New Smile for the New Year? Try Invisalign from The Center for Advanced Dentistry!

December 22, 2011

As the new year approaches, are you considering ways to improve your life…and your smile? At the first of every new year, people make resolutions to get in shape, get more organized, and update their looks. If you’ve struggled with crooked teeth for a while, you know what damage it can do to your self-esteem, but there’s a fairly easy and painless way to change all of that with Invisalign clear aligners from Drs. Hornstein and Gray at The Center for Advanced Dentistry in Beachwood.

Our dentists consider themselves smile artists. They can fit you for Invisalign clear braces, which will slowly move your teeth into a straighter position without the hassle, discomfort, and unattractive look of traditional orthodontics.

Why choose Invisalign clear braces for your smile makeover from The Center for Advanced Dentistry?

Comfort: Traditional braces can irritate soft tissues in the mouth. Invisalign aligners are smooth, making for greater comfort.
Ease of hygiene: To clean your teeth and braces, you simply remove your aligner, allowing you to brush and floss normally as well as clean your orthodontic appliance.
Attractive: Because they’re clear, people will hardly notice your Invisalign aligners, and if you need to remove them to look your best for a big event, you have the freedom to do so!

Don’t let another year pass without getting the beautiful smile you deserve. Contact The Center for Advanced Dentistry in Beachwood today to discuss Invisalign clear orthodontics!

Dr. Hornstein Helps Patients Relieve Painful TMJ Dysfunction Symptoms with an Orthotic Appliance

December 12, 2011

Do you ever think about how the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back are connected to how your teeth fit together? Many don’t. But if you suffer from frequent neck, shoulder, or back pain, your smile may explain why.

If you have a misaligned bite, the joints that connect your jaw to your skull—known as your temporomandibular joints (TMJ)—might be overworked and stressed, resulting in other symptoms like:

Headaches
Earaches
Teeth grinding
Dizziness or ringing in your ear

The good news is that Dr. Hornstein can help patients treat TMJ dysfunction non-surgically with an orthotic appliance. An orthotic appliance is similar to a mouthguard in that it’s custom made for each patient by our lab and designed to correct the misalignment at the heart of your symptoms.

An orthotic appliance isn’t the only treatment option that Dr. Hornstein can recommend, though. To find out about all your options for treating TMJ dysfunction, call our Beachwood dental office today to schedule a consultation appointment. We serve patients from Cleveland, Solon, Shaker Heights, Pepper Pike, and surrounding areas.

Keep Your Smile in Mind As You Celebrate This Holiday Season

November 29, 2011

It’s been almost a full week since Thanksgiving, but as you know, the holiday season is far from over. With Christmas and New Year’s just around the corner, we’re entering a time of almost nonstop holiday goodies and parties. And while we don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, we also don’t want you to forget about your smile.

Treats like candy canes, cookies, and pie are all filled with sugar, which fuels the transformation of bacteria in plaque. So, while we want you to enjoy everything the season has to offer, consider these two suggestions.

First, keep on brushing and flossing like you normally would. By brushing twice a day for at least two minutes, flossing thoroughly, and spending a few minutes gargling a quality mouthwash, you’re doing your part to keep bacteria and plaque from building up on your teeth and gums.

Second, follow up your meals with gum or mints sweetened with xylitol. Even though it’s a natural sugar, xylitol can help you fight cavities by improving your mouth’s pH level and making it harder for bacteria and plaque to stick to your teeth.

Want to learn more about how xylitol can benefit your smile? Click here.

And if you’d like to know what else you can do this holiday season to protect your smile, give our Beachwood office a call. Dr. Hornstein can make a few helpful suggestions, in addition to checking your smile for signs of tooth decay and gum disease—common problems that can be easily treated when found early.

Give us a call today. We serve patients from Cleveland, Solon, Shaker Heights, Pepper Pike, and surrounding areas.

Smile Makeover, Part 3: Put Your Best Smile Forward with Porcelain Veneers or Lumineers

November 10, 2011

In our post from October 14^th, we talked briefly about Invisalign clear braces and how they can help patients in search of a smile makeover find exactly what they’re looking for—a straight, confident smile.

But not every patient wants, or needs, to commit to an orthodontic solution like Invisalign. That’s why Dr. Hornstein’s Beachwood office also offers porcelain veneers and Lumineers. Both are popular cosmetic solutions that can help patients hide cracked, chipped, or slightly misaligned teeth, in addition to stains teeth whitening hasn’t been able to erase.

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Cover the Basics of Brushing and Flossing with Your Little One This Halloween

October 28, 2011

Halloween and all the candy that comes with it is right around the corner. That’s why Dr. Hornstein and the entire team at The Center for Advanced Dentistry would like to take a break from our Smile Makeover series (part 1 and part 2) to wish all our patients a happy, safe, and (most importantly) fun Halloween.

But we’d also like to encourage you to use this year’s holiday to teach your little one about the basics of brushing and flossing.

You’ve been taught all your life that candy causes cavities—and it’s true—but a little splurging from time to time never hurt anyone, as long as any splurging that’s done is followed up with a little extra time at the sink. So why not use this Halloween to help your son or daughter learn exactly what a smile needs to be healthy. Teaching a child how to brush and floss at a young age can help them develop habits that will stay with them as they grow and become adults.

Have any questions about how you can teach your little one? Give our Beachwood office a call today. Dr. Hornstein and the rest of our team would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Smile Makeover, Part 2: How Can I Have Straighter Teeth?

October 14, 2011

Our last post introduced what we call “smile makeovers.” Today, we’ll spend a little time talking about one service that’s making smile makeovers easier and more convenient.

The Differences Between Braces and Invisalign Clear Braces

While traditional braces and braces from Invisalign can help you achieve the same results, they do so in very different ways. Traditional braces use brackets and wires to gradually shift your teeth into place. Invisalign, on the other hand, uses clear, custom-made acrylic trays.

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Smile Makeover, Part 1: What Is a Smile Makeover?

September 26, 2011

Back in July, we talked about how patients of Dr. Hornstein’s Beachwood office can have a whiter smile in just one hour with professional teeth whitening.

As great as our teeth whitening services are, though, we’re using more than one cosmetic service to improve smiles and boost confidence. With Invisalign clear braces and porcelain veneers/Lumineers, we can help you achieve exactly the look you’ve been dreaming of.

These individual services make up what we call a smile makeover, and over the next few posts we’ll go into more detail about exactly what these services are, how they can help you, and what kinds of benefits they bring to the table. But for now, we’ll just tell you that with these services, patients can dramatically change the way their smile looks. Each one comes with different benefits, and one may be more right for you than the other, but both can yield dramatically surprising results.

To find out which service will give your smile and your confidence the biggest boost possible, contact our Beachwood office to schedule a consultation appointment with Dr. Hornstein. His passion for his patients, mixed with his eye for detail and expertise will help him create a makeover plan that you can count on.

Call us today, and let us get your smile makeover started.

A Natural-Looking Smile with Dental Implants from Dr. Hornstein

September 16, 2011

It can be hard to feel confident when your smile’s missing one or more teeth. But missing teeth can affect more than your confidence—they can also have a serious impact on your oral health.

Patients with missing teeth will eventually experience bone loss in their jawbone, because where there used to be a root to anchor your tooth and stimulate the growth of new bone tissue, now there’s nothing at all. That means part of your jaw doesn’t have a purpose anymore. What’s more, as your jawbone grows increasingly weaker, it’s likely that you could lose more teeth over time.

Traditional dentures can help restore your smile’s appearance, but they can’t do much to restore the root you’ve lost. That’s why, at Dr. Hornstein’s Beachwood office, we offer dental implants.

How Dental Implants Work

Unlike traditional dentures and other restorative options, dental implants restore your missing tooth and your missing root. That means having a dental implant placed is almost like getting your old tooth back. And, as an added benefit, dental implants look completely natural. No one but you and Dr. Hornstein will ever need to know you have implants.

If you’d like to find out if you’re a candidate for dental implants, call our Beachwood office today to schedule a consultation appointment. In just a single visit, Dr. Hornstein can determine if dental implants are right for you and begin a treatment plan that will restore your smile.