Dr. Kim L. Capehart understands how important your smile is to you. It influences not only how others perceive you, but also how you perceive yourself. A beautiful smile projects self-confidence, warmth, and vitality – making you look younger and healthier. Through his comprehensive smile makeover plan, Dr. Capehart can give you such a smile in a matter of an office visit or two.
The following cosmetic dentistry options can be performed either individually or in various combinations as part of a smile makeover. Throughout his career, Dr. Capehart has integrated function, aesthetics, and oral health in his treatment plans, transforming thousands of smiles in the process. He takes pride in helping his patients set realistic goals and customizing plans to suit their specific needs. His devotion to customer satisfaction has resulted in a history of satisfied patients and exceptional results.
CLEANING & EXAMS
 Of course, the best way to combat mouth diseases and tooth pain is to take steps to prevent them from occurring in advance. Although advances in dental technology have made it possible for Dr. Capehart to restore the health of your mouth with relative ease and comfort, it is always preferable to preserve and protect your existing teeth.
In addition to maintaining a sensible oral hygiene regimen, it is essential that you visit your dentist regularly to have your teeth professionally cleaning and screened for potential problems. By doing so, you increase the chances that your natural teeth will serve you well your entire life.
COSMETIC DENTURES
Whether you prefer traditional removable dentures or implant supported dentures, Dr. Capehart uses the best dental laboratories in the country to create appliances that ensure a natural look and a comfortable, secure fit. Cosmetic dentures are essentially indistinguishable from natural teeth, restoring both function and beauty to your mouth.
In addition to his technical expertise, Dr. Capehart has an artistic eye and a highly developed sense of aesthetics that allow him to achieve superior results for his patients. Regardless of whether you are a first-time denture wearer or someone who has worn dentures or years, Dr. Capehart can help you regain the confidence and poise that comes with having a mouth full of healthy, beautiful, natural looking teeth.
DENTAL BONDING
 A fast, less expensive alternative to veneers and crowns, dental bonding produces exceptional results in a single office visit. During the procedure, Dr. Capehart places a strong tooth-colored resin material onto your tooth, sculpting and polishing it until it is indistinguishable from your surrounding natural teeth. When exposed to a high-intensity laser light, the resin hardens, and the procedure is complete.
The bonding material, while not as durable or stain resistant as the porcelain used in veneers and crowns, will endure for several years with proper care. In any event, the immediate and visually stunning results make dental bonding ideal for many patients.
DENTAL IMPLANTS
A dental implant is an artificial root that is permanently placed into your jaw by Dr. Capehart. Dr. Capehart then attaches an artificial tooth or bridge onto the implant, allowing you to regain the full function and feel of the missing tooth.
For long-time denture wearers whose dentures are so loose and painful they can’t even go out in public, dental implants are a life changing option. They can be used to support a full set of dentures, so that chewing, speaking, and smiling can be done with natural confidence.
ENDODONTICS
Root Canals are one of the most common dental procedures. It is a very simple procedure that doesn’t require a lot of time to perform, but most importantly allows you to save your natural teeth and prevent the need for dental implants or bridges in the future. Root canal therapy is necessary when the pulp, which contains the nerves and blood supply of the tooth, is diseased or damaged.
The biggest scare for patients, “Is there pain?” During the procedure you will feel absolutely no discomfort due to the use of local anesthesia. However, once the anesthesia wears off you may feel some discomfort associated with the root canal treatment. However, rest assured that most people do not have any pain after root canal treatment. The advanced technology for endodontic treatment allows for minimal, if any, pain for the patient.
FULL REHABILITATION
Dr. Capehart is one of the rare dentists who specialize in full mouth rehabilitation, one of the most challenging of all dental procedures. Full mouth rehabilitation involves the restoration of every tooth in your mouth in an effort to improve your bite and relieve discomfort of the jaw.
In this procedure, Dr. Capehart identifies your ideal bite and the most comfortable position for your jaw. Using this information, he creates a complete set of porcelain crowns that will be permanently bonding to your existing teeth. With proper planning, the entire process may require only a few visits, after which the health and beauty of your smile will be restored. Full mouth rehabilitation can help to alleviate a variety of ailments, including TMJ dysfunction, headaches, soreness in the jaw, neck and back pain, and numbness of the limbs.
ORTHODONTICS
Orthodontics typically involves the use of braces for aligning teeth. Braces consist of brackets that are bonded to the teeth, and arch wires that are threaded through the brackets. The arch wires act as a track, and guide each tooth to its proper position. There are several types of orthodontic braces available to consumers, including the more traditional metal braces, ceramic "tooth colored" braces, as well as clear plastic braces. Read the sections below to learn more about the orthodontic braces our office offers.
Metal Braces Generally the most economical option, traditional metal braces may also be required for those needing extensive realignment. Your orthodontist will advise you whether metal orthodontic braces are necessary for your treatment.
Clear Braces Our office is pleased to offer our patients clear Invisalign braces. The Invisalign treatment consists of a series of snap-on, custom fit, removable mouth trays, or aligners, that apply a controlled amount of force to your teeth, forcing them to shift. The process begins with a computer-generated image of what your teeth will look like at each stage of treatment, right up until the end. We will then provide you with a series of trays for you to wear to gradually achieve this result. Each tray is designed to pressure specific teeth to move into place, beginning with the back teeth and finishing with the front. At the end of each two-week period, you will switch trays. Throughout the process, you will visit our office every six weeks to ensure treatment is progressing as planned. Once your treatment is complete, you will likely wear a (clear) retainer to ensure your new smile stays in place.
PERIODONTAL CARE
Gum disease is one of the most common diseases in the United States, affecting about 80 percent of American adults to some degree. Not only does this disease affect the gums and supporting bone, recent studies have proven that periodontal bacteria and their toxis byproducts may cause heart disease and stroke. These studies suggest that untreated periodontal disease can create a 50 percent greater chance of having a heart attack and a 30 percent greater chance of having a stroke!
Thankfully, regular periodontal screenings and proper hygiene can help to control the disease without the need for more drastic treatments such as surgery. This is one of the reasons why Dr. Capehart encourages all of his patients to schedule regularly oral exams, even if they are experiencing no mouth pain at the time.
Gum disease is caused by plaque and tartar, the latter of which can only be removed through a professional cleaning by a dentist or hygienist. When left untreated, the buildu of plaque and tartar can lead to periodontitis, a disease in which the bones, gums, and other tissues that support the teeth are slowly destroyed by infection. If you consult a dentist early enough in the progression of the disease, there is an excellent chance that the infection can be controlled through deep cleaning and medication.
PORCELAIN BRIDGES
As its name implies, a porcelain dental bridge literally bridges the gap where a tooth is missing. The bridge consists of an artificial tooth and two porcelain crowns, one for each natural tooth on either side of the gap.
Dr. Capehart customizes the bridge to fit snugly and comfortably in your mouth, fixing it into place so that is cannot fall out or be removed by the hand. The results are remarkably natural looking and extremely strong, allowing you to eat, speak, and smile with full confidence.
PORCELAIN CROWNS
 Porcelain crowns – or “caps,” as they are sometimes called – are an excellent solution to repairing and strengthening badly damaged teeth. Covering the entire surface area of the tooth, they help to prevent weaker teeth from cracking or breaking. By reinforcing these weaker teeth, they effectively reduce or eliminate pain, sensitivity, and difficulty with chewing and speaking.
They can also be used to hold together teeth that are currently cracked and in danger of breaking, as well as to splint loose teeth together. Aside from alleviating and preventing future pain, they can also restore beauty to your mouth.
PORCELAIN VENEERS
Dr. Capehart is proud to offer porcelain veneers as an option to help you achieve a healthier looking, more beautiful smile. Veneers are thin porcelain shells that bond directly to the front of your teeth, covering stains, chips, and other imperfections. Because they are custom designed to match the size and color of your surrounding teeth, the results are completely natural looking and virtually undetectable to others. In addition, they are extremely comfortable and can even help correct a variety of bite problems, ultimately restoring both beauty and function.
One of the primary advantages of porcelain veneers is their resilience. The porcelain material is strong, durable, and highly stain resistant. With proper care, your veneers will give you a flawless, confident smile for many years to come.
SEDATION DENTISTRY
Dental sedation is a technique that can be used when a patient suffers from dental anxiety or dental phobia. We are happy to offer a number of solutions for our patients to make their dental visit as comfortable as possible. Depending on the extent of the anxiety or phobia, varying degrees of dental sedation can be utilized, including oral sedative medications such as diazepam. This medication can be given to a patient the night before a dentistry procedure or 30 minutes to an hour before the dental appointment, depending on the severity of the anxiety. Oral sedatives do not provide pain relief, so an injection of local anesthetic will also be administered.
Sedation dentistry techniques enable patients - who might otherwise avoid the dentist - to receive dental treatment necessary for a healthy smile.
TMJ TREATMENT
The Temporo-Mandibular Joint, or TMJ, is the joint located directly in front of the ear where the lower jaw connects to the temporal bone. For many people, the TMJ is the source of constant, sometimes excruciating pain, affecting the ear, jaw muscles, cheeks, head, and neck. For some, simple tasks such as swallowing and talking become nearly impossible to bear.
TMJ dysfunction can result from many things, including chewing gum, stress, and chronic grinding of the teeth. Thankfully, when diagnosed in its early stages, TMJ dysfunction is generally easy to treat. Changes in diet and lifestyle may well be enough to alleviate the pain. However, in some case, further treatment is necessary.
Most people who grind their teeth are unaware that they are doing it. Chronic grinding of the teeth is often an unconscious manifestation of stress, affecting people both when they are awake and when they are asleep. Dr. Capehart has been trained at the world-renowned Dawson Center of Advanced Dental Studies. Treatments can range from a splint to full-mouth reconstruction.
TOOTH WHITENING
 Widely recognized as the premier tooth whitening system, ZOOM is featured on the TV hit Extreme Makeover on ABC. ZOOM is for those who want dramatically whiter teeth with minimal investment of time. This gentle, highly effective procedure usually requires about an hour from beginning to end and produces immediate results, with teeth becoming six to eight shades whiter on average after a single application. This means you will leave our office with a brilliant new smile and none of the inconvenience associated with at-home tray bleaching systems.
ZOOM whitening is relaxing and pain-free. Dr. Capehart simply applies the patented ZOOM whitening gel, which is then activated by exposure to a gentle blue light. This process is repeated in three 15-minute sessions during the hour-long session. At the end of the procedure, your teeth will be amazingly whiter, results that – with proper care and routine professional cleanings – will last for years. You will also receive a digital picture comparing your before-and-after makeover.
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