Our newly remodeled office incorporates the latest dental care technologies:  digital radiographs with 90% less radiation exposure than conventional dental radiographs, latest in sterilization equipments, ONE day crown restoration with the CEREC 3D technology. To emphasize patient comfort, our amenities includes personalized DVD entertainment, cable TV, music and hand paraffin wax treatment.

See the video tour of the office.

To ensure our patients receive the best dental comprehensive care, we maintain a close working relationship with a group of top-rated dental specialists.  Dr Yang regularly attends meetings with these specialists to review and update ongoing patient treatments.  It is through this team approach that quality dental care is achieved for our patient.

Below is an explanation of services with frequent patient inquiries.

Teeth Whitening   |  Crowns and Bridges  |  Dental Implants

Teeth Whitening
Our dental practice currently offers two methods of teeth whitening: (1) in-office professional whitening with the ZOOM LIGHT (as seen on Extreme Makeover), (2) take home whitening trays kit. The different methods offered ensure we find the best treatment suited for our patients depending on factors such as lifestyle, price, and need.

Take Home Whitening Kit:

• Water-based, fast acting bleaching gel
• Minimum to no sensitivity
• Able to whiten more teeth than Crest Professional Strength Whitening Strips because the Crest Whitening Strips covers only the anterior teeth while the take home whitening kit covers the anterior as well as the posterior teeth. The take home kit also allows whitening of a specific discolored tooth.
• Use once per day and wear time of 30 minutes for 2 weeks

In-Office Professional Whitening:

• Water-based, stronger concentration of bleaching agent with UV light to increase whitening action
• Minimum sensitivity
• Perfect for patients who are on the go or who would like to achieve a bright smile the day!
• 1 ½ to 2 hours in the office

What ingredients are in tooth whitening?

Depending on the method chosen to whiten your teeth, the ingredients may differ. The active agent that actually whitens teeth is either 1)carbamide peroxide or 2)hydrogen peroxide. A thickening agent of glycerin, glycol, or glycerol helps to contain the whitening agent to stay on your teeth instead of spilling onto unintended areas such as the gums. All of the thickening agents have a drying effect on the teeth. The drying effect may lead to discomfort such as temperature sensitivity but will not inhibit the health of your teeth. To counteract the drying effect of thickening agents, some thickening agents are water-based which work to re-hydrate the teeth. Since tooth whitening may lead to sensitivity, some methods, but not all, may contain desensitizing agents of fluoride, potassium nitrate, or chitosan. In addition, some brands have flavoring additives to improve the whitening experience.

Will teeth whitening work for everyone?

Teeth whitening will not whiten crowns, veneers, or fillings. Teeth stained with tetracycline may take longer than normal to whiten and the result may not be as drastic. In addition, moderate to heavy use of products such as coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco may eliminate any effects of tooth whitening. Furthermore, since teeth are more porous for about three days after bleaching and thus are more susceptible to teeth staining products, patients should refrain from those products during bleaching.

What causes teeth sensitivity?

The main disadvantage of teeth whitening is short term temperature sensitivity. As mentioned above, thickening agents in whitening gels may dehydrate the teeth and as a result, the teeth may be sensitive to thermal changes in the oral environment. In addition, some patients just have sensitive teeth. Studies have shown that when most patients complain of teeth sensitivity after whitening, the main reason is due to sore gums and not teeth sensitivity. It may be difficult for some patients to differentiate between teeth sensitivity and gum sensitivity. However, with careful patient screening, use of new generation whitening materials, and properly fabricated whitening trays, the incidents of dental sensitivity have decreased dramatically.

What are the common reasons for teeth sensitivity?

• Poor fitting whitening tray may irritate the gums and allow the whitening gel to migrate off the teeth and onto the gums.
• Wearing a tray for several hours increases the time for the whitening gel to migrate to the margins of the gums and thus causing irritation of the gums.
• Wearing a tray for several hours at a time increases the dehydration of teeth.
• Too much whitening gel in the trays causing an overflow onto the gums.
• No desensitizers in the bleaching gel.

Crowns and Bridges
Crowns are recommended for a broken and weakened tooth or tooth having undergone endodontic treatment (root canal). A root canal treated tooth is more brittle and has a higher chance of cracking and breaking. A tooth may be weakened due thin enamel walls because of the large size of a filling, cracks, or having undergone a root canal. Crowns protect and strengthen a tooth in the broken and weakened condition. There are several different kinds of crowns available. The materials range from all porcelain, porcelain fused to metal and full gold crown. Choosing the type of crown to use is dependent on many factors such as esthetics, position of the tooth and condition of the tooth. There are two steps involved in getting a crown. First, during the preparation stage, impressions are made and a temporary crown is placed on the tooth. The second and final step is the placing and cementation of the permanent crown.

Bridges are recommended for replacement of missing tooth or teeth. Dental bridge are permanently cemented to abutments, which are the adjoining teeth acting as the anchors for the bridge. The materials could be all porcelain, porcelain fused to metal and full gold bridges. The steps involved in getting a bridge are the same as those involved for crowns as mentioned above.

Dental Implants
In the past, when people lost their tooth or teeth, partial dentures and full dentures were the solution. However, in the 1950s, Professor Per-Ingvar Branmark of Sweden unintentionally discovered the present day dental implant mechanism. Professor Per-Ingvar Branmark noticed that when titanium metal was surgically placed into the bone, the implant adheres to the bone with great tenacity. With the advancement of dental procedures due to the professor's discovery, implants instead of dentures offer a great solution for replacing missing dentition. Not only does the implanted tooth give patients the look and feel of a natural tooth, chewing and speech problems caused by the missing tooth may be restored or improved. More importantly, wearing partial or full dentures overtime may cause the loss of bone structure in the jaw and having dental implants will help preserve the bone structure of the face and maintain a more pleasing facial profile.

Dental implants are performed with the collaboration of the dental team consisting of the treatment coordinator, the general dentist, and the surgeon: either the periodontist or oral surgeon. There are three major steps to the dental implant. First, an operation performed by the surgeon places the implant into the jaw bone. The implant acts like the root or anchor of the tooth. A waiting period of about 4-6 months will allow healing and fusion of the implant to the bone. Second, another surgical procedure performed by the surgeon consists of placing a healing cap on top of the implant. Allowing approximately 2 weeks of healing, the general dentist will then remove the healing cap and replace it with an abutment. An abutment is an attachment that connects the implant to the crown. In the third and final step, the crown is placed on top of the abutment. Some implant procedures may combine steps one and two, but regardless of the method chosen, the final result of the dental implant provides the look and feel similar to natural teeth.