Learn More about Dr. Christine Hervas
Meet Dr. Christine Hervas – Your Austin Dentist
Posted in My Dentist
Comments Off on Meet Dr. Christine Hervas – Your Austin Dentist
Special Offer for New Patients
Dental Exam, Cleaning, and X-Rays
New Patient Special: limit 1 offer per patient.
My Dentist in Austin is offering a great deal for new patients! This special includes a comprehensive dental exam, teeth cleaning, and digital x-rays for only $99!
First Dental Visit and Dental Exam
At your first visit, get to know Dr. Veilleux as she reviews your previous dental history and discusses any of your concerns regarding oral health. She’ll also review your overall health and go over any medical conditions, illnesses, or drugs that may affect your oral health or the treatments that we provide.
Then Dr. Veilleux will visually inspect your mouth for for cavities, chips, cracks, excessive wear, malformations, loose teeth, receding gums, or bleeding and swollen gums.
Digital X-Rays
Dental X-rays with be taken to help detect any issues below the surface of your mouth.
Teeth Cleaning
Teeth cleaning helps prevent harmful bacteria from accumulating in your mouth and controls dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis from developing. A dental cleaning involves scaling to clean off plaque, tartar, and stains from the frontal areas of your teeth.
Schedule a New Patient Exam
The new patient exam lets the dentist evaluate and diagnose any existing problems you may have and develop a treatment plan if needed. Dr. Veilleux can also provide a long-term preventative plan that will maximize the health, function, and esthetics of your mouth.
To claim our new patient special offer, contact us online or call (512) 454-5219 today!
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged choosing a dentist, dental offers, new patient special
Comments Off on Special Offer for New Patients
See What Our Patients Are Saying
Read Lindsay S.‘s review of My Dentist on Yelp
Read Marianne R.‘s review of My Dentist on Yelp
Google Reviews
Share Your Experience
Been to My Dentist in Austin recently? Thanks for visiting us, we hope you had an enjoyable dental visit.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged austin dentist, best dentist in austin, patient reviews
Comments Off on See What Our Patients Are Saying
Why Choose a Family Dentist?
Raising a family is a lot of work, especially if you have a day job. You not only need to prepare meals for your family, but also be supportive of your kids in every way by attending school board meetings, after-school activities, dance or music lessons, and so on. In addition, you need to ensure that your child has a healthy and beautiful smile to boost his/her self esteem.
When looking for a good dentist for your kids, there are many factors you need to consider. First and foremost, you need to find a dental practice that provides a warm and relaxed environment that promotes a comfortable experience and makes it easier for your child to establish a positive relationship with his or her dentist.
Pediatric vs. Family Dentists
Indeed, most pediatric and family dental practices have a kid-friendly environment that helps to reduce anxiety in the dentist’s chair. But unlike family dentists, pediatric dentists undergo an additional 2-3 years of training to learn how to manage children’s behavior, how to make children feel comfortable, and how to address the unique dental needs and concerns of children.
Family dentists, on the other hand, are trained to handle a wide range of dental procedures for patients of all ages, without necessarily specializing with a certain age or field of dentistry.
Family Dentist in Austin, TX
Ensuring the health of your children should never be a burden. But it can be quite a hassle when you need to juggle different dental appointments for each family member – children, teenagers, spouse, elderly parent – driving all over town to different practices.
By choosing a family dentist in Austin, you only need to visit one dental practice and build rapport with one dental team that takes care of all your family’s dental needs. You can even schedule all your dental appointments for the same day with a single phone call. Contact My Dentist online or call us at (512) 454-5219 to request an appointment.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged austin dentist, family dentistry austin, pediatric dentist
Comments Off on Why Choose a Family Dentist?
Types of Dental Removables
Dental removables are typically used in cases where a permanent solution is not available or necessary, like when wearing a night guard to protect your teeth from clenching and grinding. They can also be used as an alternative to permanent treatments for convenience, like when you choose clear braces over traditional metal braces, or removable denture over bridge.
When it comes to finding the right treatment for your dental problem, you will come across a wide range of solutions that comprise both permanent dental work and removable dental appliances.
Here are some of the most common types of removable dental appliances:
1. Dental Prosthesis
These dental removables are typically used to replace missing teeth, and in so doing, restore the proper function (speech and eating) and aesthetics (smile) of your mouth. They can also be used to fill gaps to prevent the existing teeth from shifting and creating bite problems, or to preserve the underlying bone tissue. These include:
- Removable partial dentures – Used to replace one or more missing teeth. They’re removable unlike dental bridges.
- Full dentures – These are used to replace missing teeth in the entire upper or lower arch. They can be supported by the gum muscles or secured to dental implants.
2. Mouth guards
As tough as tooth enamel is, it is still susceptible to chipping, breakage, and normal wear and tooth erosion. Fortunately, you can prevent or reduce the extent of the damage by wearing appliances such as:
- Mouthguards – They cushion your teeth against impact and protect your mouth from injury during sports activities
- Night guards – They also cushion your teeth against impact when clenching and grinding your teeth at night, which may lead to excessive tooth wear, breakage, and trauma to the jaw
- Snoring devices – These are specially made appliances that reposition your tongue or jaw to open the airway and minimize soft tissue vibrations and snoring
- Tongue thrust dental guard – This device is designed to block your tongue from applying pressure on your front teeth, which may cause them to shift.
3. Removable orthodontic appliances
These are used to preserve orthodontic work or eliminate the need for braces, and include:
- Retainers – A standard post-treatment after the removal of braces to help your straightened teeth stay in their new position
- Removable space maintainer – If children lose their baby teeth to early, they may experience difficulty eating and speaking. They are also at risk of malocclusion when the remaining teeth shift. This appliance can be used to fill the gap before the permanent tooth emerges.
Care for Removable Dental Appliances
Just like your natural teeth, removable oral appliances are prone to breakage, staining, and calculus buildup. Proper care as directed by your dentist is important to enhance their life. Contact My Dentist in Austin to see if which dental application is right for you.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged dental prosthesis, mouth guards, removable partial dentures
Comments Off on Types of Dental Removables
Invisalign Day
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged invisalign consultation, invisalign offer, invisalign special
Comments Off on Invisalign Day
Invisalign Dentist in Austin
Invisalign is a modern teeth straightening treatment based on a rather technical process.
Unlike traditional metal braces that are permanently fixed to your teeth and require you to visit your dentist regularly for adjustments, clear Invisalign aligners are comfortable, removable, and don’t impose any restrictions on your diet. Each set of aligners is worn for about 14 days before switching to a different set as you move your teeth.
The Invisalign aligners are worn day and night, and you can easily interact with people without them noticing your treatment. You only need to remove them when eating and brushing your teeth, or when you need to clean them.
Who is the ideal patient for Invisalign?
Many teenagers usually feel embarrassed and are afraid of being ridiculed by their peers for wearing traditional braces. Adults, on the other hand, may miss out on great social and professional opportunities if they’re not confident with their smile.
Fortunately, both teens and adults can benefit from the use of Invisalign clear aligners to straighten their teeth, provided you comply with the directions of your orthodontist. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering whether Invisalign is right for you:
- Aligners should be worn for a minimum of 20 to 22 hours per day
- Remove your clear Invisalign braces before consuming any meal
- It is normal to feel some pressure as you advance to the next set of aligners
- Only progress to the next set of aligners after your dentist has instructed you to do so
- Failing to change your Invisalign tray at the recommended time will delay your tooth movement
- Clean your aligners as instructed, making sure to avoid dangerous chemicals and temperatures that may cause warping or irreversible damage
Since Invisalign is a treatment that you progress on your own, you don’t need to visit your Invisalign dentist in Austin as often as another orthodontic patient using metal braces. However, make sure you visit your dentist at the recommended time, like every 6-8 weeks, for a brief evaluation to ensure that your treatment is moving along properly, and to take the next batch of Invisalign aligners.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged best dentist in austin, invisalign austin, invisalign specialist
Comments Off on Invisalign Dentist in Austin
Who Can Benefit From Dentures
Dentures are a popular type of dental removables used to replace lost or extracted teeth. Your natural teeth may fall out naturally with age. But if you have severely damaged teeth due to periodontal disease, trauma, or other oral conditions, your dentist may recommend that you extract them and get partial or full dentures instead.
Dentures are not permanent fixtures, and are usually held in place by the soft and hard tissues – gums and jaw bone – along the dental arch. In some cases, denture adhesives and creams may be used to prevent slipping and ensure a comfortable fit.
Depending on your specific case, Dr. Veilleux may also recommend implant-supported dentures that are anchored by dental implants. This treatment may take longer as you need to wait until the implant site has healed before fitting the dentures, but your partial denture will fit more comfortably and make it easier for you to talk, eat, and laugh.
But Are Dentures Right for You?
Dentures are mostly associated with senior citizens who have lost all or most of their natural teeth. However, any person who has experienced substantial tooth loss can benefit from dentures.
But considering that dentures are removable appliances, the ideal candidate should have a healthy amount of gum tissue and jawbone to help provide sufficient suction force to keep them in place.
Another consideration before getting dentures is the extent of tooth loss and the condition of the remaining teeth – if any. There are different types of dentures to replace one or more missing teeth, including:
- Full dentures – these are ideal for people who have lost all their teeth and have sufficient gum tissue to support dentures
- Partial dentures – these are recommended for people with one or more missing teeth, but still have some healthy natural teeth
- Implant-supported dentures – these allow patients who have lost all their teeth and don’t have enough healthy gum tissue to benefit from full dentures
- Immediate dentures – these are temporary dentures fitted the same day as the tooth extraction to help maintain proper oral function and aesthetics before the permanent dentures are ready for placement in a few weeks.
There are many different tooth replacement options besides dentures, like bridges and dental implants. Please consult a dentist to determine which option is best for you.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged austin dentist, dentures benefits, removable partial dentures
Comments Off on Who Can Benefit From Dentures
Options to Fix a Chipped Tooth
A cracked, broken, or chipped tooth is a pretty common dental accident that can occur to anyone regardless of how well you take care of your teeth. Chewing ice or hard candy, biting hard on something hard, or trauma from a bad fall can all cause your tooth to chip. Even repeated wear in a specific spot, like due to clenching and grinding, can weaken the tooth structure until it breaks off.
Fortunately, a chipped tooth is repairable. The typical treatment options for a chipped or broken tooth include:
1. Dental bonding
Also referred to as filling, dental bonding is mostly used to treat minor cases, like when a small amount of enamel has come out and there’s no sensitivity. The dentist fills the gap with tooth-colored composite resin and cements it in place with an adhesive material. Because the filling material is unnoticeable, the restoration can be used to repair front teeth to improve your smile. The restoration can last up to 10 years before needing any repair.
2. Crowns
If the chip is too large, using a filling may cause the tooth to weaken further and break. In such cases, your dentist may recommend a crown. Crowns, or caps, refer to tooth-shaped covers that enclose the entire portion of the tooth above the gum line, which prevents further damage and strengthens the structure of the tooth.
Crowns are made from ceramic, metal, or a combination of both. Metal crowns are ideal for the back teeth as they can withstand the chewing forces well, while tooth-colored porcelain can be used to repair front teeth that are visible when your smile.
Unlike bonding, this treatment option requires at least two visits because the crown has to be fabricated in a lab.
3. Veneers
Porcelain veneers are thin layers of porcelain material that are bonded to the front surface of your teeth with varying thickness to cover and fill the chipped portion. This option is ideal for correcting multiple dental problems, as it can conceal chips, gaps, stained teeth, or crooked teeth, improving your smile.
Discuss Your Options With a Dentist
Lastly, note that the most suitable treatment option for you depends on the severity of the tooth damage, location of the tooth with regard to visibility when smilin, and the amount of pressure exerted when chewing. Discuss your options with your dentist in Austin.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged dental bonding, dental crowns, dental veneers
Comments Off on Options to Fix a Chipped Tooth
Why Do You Need a Regular Dental Cleaning?
Good oral hygiene involves a combination of proper at-home dental care and regular dental cleanings, which often includes professional dental cleaning and an oral exam.
Even with regular brushing and flossing, it is not possible to remove all the plaque in your mouth. This plaque forms tartar, which then builds up and increases the risk of gum infections and tooth decay. If no remedial action is taken in a timely manner, your deteriorating oral health may aggravate other health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, leading to costly treatments to regain your health.
Why Consider Regular Professional Cleaning
1. Prevent cavities and gum disease
Tartar that forms on your tooth enamel may begin to wear away the enamel resulting in cavities that can be expensive to treat. The buildup of plaque in your mouth may also cause gum disease and periodontal disease, which are associated with bleeding gums and loose teeth. Regular professional cleaning is necessary to remove all the plaque and tartar in your mouth, especially in the hard to reach areas. This will in turn reduce the risk for cavities and gum disease.
2. Remove tooth stains
The regular consumption of certain foods and drinks may cause your teeth to gradually discolor, affecting the whiteness of your smile. Coffee, tea, wine, and tobacco are known to stain your teeth. Regular dental cleaning prevents the buildup of these stains, making it easier to maintain your pearly white smile.
3. Prevent bad breath
A combination of poor at-home dental care and bad lifestyle habits like smoking or chewing tobacco can adversely affect the health of your mouth. Poor brushing and flossing can allow food debris to remain stuck between your teeth for too long, causing bad breath. Tobacco, on the other hand, may reduce saliva production, reducing the ability of your mouth to “self-clean” after eating and drinking. Thorough dental cleaning can help prevent halitosis and keep your mouth clean and fresh.
Final Note
Keep in mind that professional cleaning is only one of the procedures during a dental visit. Your dentist will also examine your teeth, gums, and mouth for any signs of problems, while checking for any indicators of chronic inflammatory diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease for early intervention.
Visit your dentist every six months for the optimal health of your mouth and body.
Posted in My Dentist
Tagged dental care, dental exam, prevent cavities
Comments Off on Why Do You Need a Regular Dental Cleaning?