Dr. Vellequette is a skilled cosmetic dentist that provides complete smile makeovers to those seeking a better smile. His practice is focused but not limited to cosmetic dentistry. He offers comprehensive dental care, many of the services are described below. Whatever your dental need may be Dr. Vellequette and his staff will have a solution for you.

Comprehensive Care

Comprehensive care includes prevention and basic dental health care, aesthetics and cosmetic care, and reconstructive care. The care options we will give you will recommend for you will depend on your current dental oral health and your personal goals.

Basic Care
If you initially came to us because of a specific dental health problem, our goal is to address that problem immediately. After resolving your initial concerns, we will discuss with you any other conditions in your mouth that also need attention to restore optimal health to your teeth and gums. Basic care is usually limited to minor fillings and restorations.

Reconstructive Care
Reconstructive care provides a solution for multiple worn, broken down , or missing teeth. Implant, bone-grafts, non-removable tooth replacements and full mouth reconstructions are all available through our office.

Preventative Care
Other than at home maintenance procedures for brushing, flossing, rubber-tip tissue massage and water pick usage, the frequent preventative care by our dental hygienist is your best defense against dental problems. Our hygienist will clean your teeth and gums by using antimicrobial solutions with ultrasound instrumentation to interrupt the life cycle of the bacteria that colonize in your mouth. These bacteria are responsible for tissue changes, bad breath, and tooth loss. For stains, we use a "gentle" jet stream of baking soda to remove surface stains due to coffee, foods and smoking.

Lifetime preventative care includes regular checkups, cleanings, and monitoring of the healthy attachments of the gums to the teeth. The frequency will be determined by the condition of your gum tissue and your goals for health.

Laser Teeth Whitening

When Laser energy of a specific wavelength is applied to the teeth painted with a special chemical paste (35% carbamide peroxide and Beta-carotene), the organic part of the enamel (which is about 4% in composition) will be whitened. The inorganic part of the tooth enamel is quite white and translucent. It is the 4% of the organic material that pick up stains. That is why teeth stain as the person gets older. The teeth act just like a sponge, which absorbs the stain from the food over the years and get yellowed.

The other method of teeth-whitening involves wearing a special tray at home for a few days or a few nights. The same chemical, at a much lower concentration acts on the teeth and makes them whiter.

The advantages of Laser teeth-whitening over home bleaching include speed and convenience. It can be done in a one-hour appointment on the chair and the patient doesn't have to worry about wearing bulky trays at home. Also the chance of ingesting the bleaching chemical, however harmless it may seem, would be greatly reduced in the Laser teeth-whitening because it is professionally controlled and is limited to the teeth alone.

The disadvantages include higher cost (which is inevitable because it involves chair-time) and quicker relapse. However, since relapse is a matter of time because of the nature of the teeth, our office will provide a touch-up kit for our patients to do a single home bleaching touch up whenever feels necessary.

There has been teeth sensitivity associated with both methods of teeth whitening, especially Laser whitening. However, it is totally reversible and once the treatment stops, it will go away within a day.

Veneers

Porcelain Veneers are a fantastic way to repair or enhance the appearance of front teeth. They can be used to whiten teeth, close spaces and create a great smile. Using veneers, we can even perform virtually "instant orthodontics" to straighten crooked teeth and give you the bright smile you always wanted.

• Reduce or Eliminate Spaces Between the Teeth (Diastemas)
  
• Repair Broken or Chipped Teeth
  
• Whiten Dark, Yellow, Permanently-Stained or Discolored Teeth
  
• Correct Misshapen or Crooked Teeth
  
• Bleaching
  
• Bonding
  

Crowns

We can replace large, worn-out fillings with natural-looking, ceramic crowns. These state-of-the-art, high strength, metal-free crowns will restore dark teeth and eliminate lines at the gum line to provide a completely natural-looking appearance.

With new materials now available we can create beautiful results for:

• Spaces Between the Teeth (Diastemas)
• Unnatural Porcelain-to-Metal Crowns
• Dark Lines at the Gum Line of Crowns
• Broken or Chipped Teeth
• Unsightly, Stained or Washed-out Fillings
• Permanently Discolored Old Fillings
• Misshapen or Crooked Teeth
• Other Esthetic Services . . .
• White Fillings
• Bridges
• Dentures

Dental Implants

In many situations, dental implants can give back patients their confident smile. The benefits are improved esthetics, the ability to eat comfortably and a clean, healthy oral environment for the patient.

Dental Implants are small prosthetic posts that are placed into the bone of the upper or lower jaw. They act as replacements for the root portion of lost natural teeth and also serve as an anchor for replacement teeth. Dental implants look and feel exactly like natural teeth -- in fact, no one other than you and your doctor will be able to tell the difference. Dental implants are appropriate for almost anyone who is currently missing teeth or is at risk of losing teeth.

There are many different types of dental implants available. Dr. Vellequette has extensive experience in dental implants and would be pleased to discuss the benefits of implant prosthetics with you. Ask about implant restorative treatment at the time of your consultation.

Dentures

• Removable Partial Denture
  Replaces one or more teeth
• Fixed Partial Denture or Bridge
  Replaces one or more teeth
• Overdentures
  Fitted over natural teeth or root canal treated teeth
• Implants with Overdenture
• Complete Dentures
• Immediate Dentures

The remaining anterior teeth will be extracted at the day of delivery. the denture will require several adjustments, due to constant shrinkage of the extraction site.