Our Services

Changing the face of healthcare one smile at a time!

We understand that a visit to the dentist can cause some apprehension. We know that the relationship you have with your care team can ease that tension. We are pleased to offer a variety of services right here in our office. In most cases, we can perform even specialty procedures in-house. At every appointment, we will give you a well-care check including blood pressure and vital signs, and we will discuss any health concerns you may have. We want you to be informed and feel comfortable. Our customized care plan for you will include a prevention schedule as well as treatment options, including sedation treatment if you would like. Our main goal at Crosswinds Dental is to provide overall dental health based on preventative care and to restore mouths that have been damaged by injury and/or disease.

Cleaning and Prevention

Education in home care includes brushing twice a day with a soft bristle brush, flossing daily, & rinsing to remove debris and/or use of a fluoride rinse to help re-mineralize weakened enamel. An ounce of prevention goes a long way, and your health is our top priority. A typical preventative maintenance recare appointment includes:

 Health & Wellness check up

  • We take BP at every appointment and discuss medical history with our patients. We also go a step further and discuss family medical history with each of our patients. We can then correlate those findings to the overall health of the mouth and body. We also discuss and address any concerns the patient may have.

 Overall health well-check

  • Includes a blood pressure check and also discussing any concerns.

 Conduct healthy mouth baseline (see form)

  • Our checklist of “What is a Healthy Mouth?”. It is a checklist that helps evaluate the mouth, teeth, gums, and habits of our patients. This form is used at each dental wellness check up and you are able to take it home along with personalized suggestions from our hygienists to improve your overall health and wellness.

 Comprehensive dental exam

  • We examine teeth and gum tissue for disease, inflammation, fractures, etc. This includes a periodontal (gum tissue) exam if periodontal disease is present.

 Radiographs (x-rays)

  • We take the necessary radiographs to assess the health of the teeth, jaw, and surrounding structures. These x-rays allow us to see between the teeth and the roots of the teeth as well.

 Digital photos of the teeth

  • We take digital images of the teeth that are uploaded directly into your chart. This allows us to keep a visual record in addition to our written record of our findings and health of the mouth. We take pictures of thigs such as fractures, old fillings, decay, crowding/spacing, before/after photos, areas of concern, & color of teeth.

 Nutrition & Personal Habits Discussions

  • We discuss how eating habits and other habits can affect our patients overall health and wellness, specifically the teeth and gums. We discuss how some habits such as smoking, thumb sucking, nail biting, ice chewing, etc. can contribute to dental and gum disease.

 Sleep Disordered Breathing Screening

  • We will discuss any snoring &/or mouth breathing if present. We discuss sleeping patterns and ask if our patients are sleeping well at night. We ask if they feel rested after sleep or experience any daytime tiredness. All these factors could be contributing to sleep disordered breathing and affect the overall health of the body. We recommend high resolution pulse oximeter to screen for disordered breathing and patients can take home with them for 2 nights.

 Oral Hygiene Instruction

  • Personalized recommendations for home care from our hygienists based on your needs. Demonstration of proper flossing and brushing techniques.

 Oral cancer screenings

  • Performed at every dental wellness check up visit. We examine intraoral and extraoral structures for any abnormalities or growths. We visually examine all areas of the mouth and upper throat area that is visible. We examine the jaw joint and look for any signs of skin cancer on the head. We also feel the neck for any growths, swollen glands and check your thyroid.

 Professional cleaning (prophylaxis)

  • The removal of tartar and plaque from all surfaces of the teeth. In a healthy state, there is no inflammation and work is mainly done above the gumline and slightly below. After removal, it is followed by a polish and floss. Recommended every 6 months to maintain a state of dental health.

 Scaling & Root Planning

  • Occurs when there is some degree of periodontal disease present in the mouth. Can be done with local or topical anesthetic. In addition to cleaning the tooth above the gumline, we clean the root surfaces of the teeth which extend below the gum tissue and to the base of the periodontal pocket. Once you have this procedure done, it is recommended to come in every 3-4 months to maintain and continue to improve your periodontal disease.

 Discussion of Concerns & Findings

  • We address and discuss any concerns a patient may have, along with any findings during an appointment. We discuss the possible consequences of not treating the disease, concern, etc. and explain how it could relate to the patients overall health and wellness.

 Develop a treatment plan (if patient wants further treatment)

  • We develop a personalized treatment plan to address the patients concerns, as well as ours. At times there will be multiple treatment options which we will discuss at length to help you decide what treatment would be best for you and your lifestyle.

General Dentistry

Some of the services we provide in the office include:

 Fillings

  • Removal of decay from the tooth and replacement of the missing tooth structure with a composite filling material. The fillings are usually white and match your natural teeth.

 Root canal therapy

  • Removal of diseased/dead pulp tissue within the roots of the teeth. The empty space where the nerves/blood supply is then filled in with material. It is usually recommended to have a crown placed after root canal therapy to protect the tooth long term.

 Crowns

  • Covers the entire tooth structure like a “hat”. Placed when there are very large restorations or fractures present in a tooth. By placing a crown, you are protecting the tooth from breaking and prolonging the longevity of the tooth.

 Sealants

  • A protective covering in the grooves and pits on the biting surface of the molars. Recommend placing on 6 year molars and 12 year molars as soon as they erupt. This helps prevent cavities.

 Extractions (including removal of wisdom teeth)

  • The removal of a tooth due to disease, infection, fracture, etc.

 Orthodontics

  • We proudly offer Invisalign Orthodontic treatment. Invisalign is a series of custom clear aligners that straighten your teeth over a period of time. Depending on the severity of correction, treatment time can vary from 10 weeks to over 1 year. This is a great option if you have always wanted a straighter smile, but did not want metal braces. All the movement can be done while no one even notices you wearing them! Call us for more information today and to see if you are a candidate for Invisalign!

 Dentures

  • Replacement when all teeth are missing on an arch of the mouth. Replaces teeth and gum structure.

 Partial dentures

  • Metal or Acrylic in nature - hooks to remaining teeth in the arch replacing missing teeth.

 Fixed bridges

  • Used to replace a missing tooth or teeth that is/are between 2 teeth that are still present. Crowns are placed on the natural teeth and in the middle is the replacement tooth/teeth. The fake tooth is connected to the 2 crowns which are cemented onto the natural teeth.

 Oral Appliances for Bruxism (grinding)

  • Appliance that fits on the upper arch and covers the front 6 teeth. Opens the bite in the back so that your back teeth do not touch while sleeping. This allows to help break the habit of clenching and grinding and protect the teeth. This appliance is also used to treat headaches.

 Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance

  • An appliance that covers all the teeth and moves your jaw down and forward allowing for your airway to open more while sleeping. Titrated to ideal with the pulse oximeter.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Some of the services we provide in the office include:

 Composite fillings (tooth colored)

  • Placement of “bonded” material on your front teeth to close space, reshape, align incisal edges, improve color of the teeth.

 Porcelain crowns

  • Cover the entire tooth and can be done in the anterior of the mouth to straighten, whiten, reshape, and create more esthetically pleasing look.

 Veneers

  • Only cover the front of the teeth (kind of like a “Lee” press on nail for the tooth). Does the same aesthetic change as a crown except preserves more underlying tooth structure.

 Whitening

  • Custom whitening with trays that fit only to your teeth. We have 2 options - at home and in office whitening.

Dental Implants

We provide multiple types of implants in the office:

 Single Tooth Replacement

  • Replacement of one tooth with an implant.

 Multiple Tooth Replacement

  • Replace multiple teeth with implants.

 Implant Retained Full Denture (or Partial Dentures)

  • Replace all missing teeth with a denture or replace many missing teeth with a partial that is stabilized by implants. 1-4 implants per arch could give you the stability and confidence you desire in a removable appliance.

 Fixed Dentures with Implants (on all 4)

  • Replace all teeth with a denture that is “fixed” in the mouth and not removed on a daily basis. It is the closest to real teeth with a denture.

Teeth Whitening

We have two amazing options for teeth whitening:

 Bright for Life

  • For a one-time fee, we provide custom whitening trays and an initial whitening package. At each six month recare visit, our patients are given a complimentary touch up tube of whitening solution at no cost.
  • All the patient has to do is keep their six month recare appointments current and provide at least 48-hours’ notice if they need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

 KOR In-Office Whitening

  • More instantaneous results
  • More powerful results - 6+ shades lighter
  • Can be used for more difficult causes such as Tetracycline staining

Sleep Apnea Appliances

If you have been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea but cannot wear your CPAP machine, we have another treatment option. We can make you an oral device (Mandibular Advancement Appliance) that is custom fit to your mouth and opens the airway. We work closely with you and your sleep physician to curb snoring and get you the restful sleep you deserve.

 Sleep Disordered Breathing Screenings with High Resolution Pulse Oximeter

  • Check out one of our high resolution pulse oximeters to sleep with for 2 nights. The small apparatus measures your oxygen levels and heart rate while you sleep. A report is generated to help indicate if disordered breathing is present. This is NOT a diagnosis - ONLY a SCREENING TEST.

 Referral to Sleep Physician

  • If our pulse oximeter results show there is disordered breathing present, we will refer you to a sleep physician for a polysomnogram (sleep study) for diagnosis. Or we can refer without the pulse oximeter screening if you KNOW you do not sleep well.

 Oral Appliance for OSA

  • A device that moves the jaw down and forward to open the airway. Some of the appliances that we use in our office are the Herbst, SUAD, Somnomed, TAP and others based on each patients individual needs. We titrate the appliance with the pulse oximeter and another sleep study with your physician will be done once the appliance is titrated.

Sedation Treatments

For our patients that are a little uneasy in the dental chair or are fearful, we do provide Inhalation Sedation with Nitrous Oxide or IV Sedation services.

 IV Sedation (Intravenous)

  • Intravenous Conscious Sedation (IV Sedation) is the use of an anti-anxiety drug administered through the blood system during dental treatment. It is also referred to as “twilight sleep”. Sedation dentistry significantly reduces fears and discomfort, allowing patients to feel at ease during dental appointments
  • You may benefit from IV Sedation if you experience one or all of the following characteristics: fear, stress, or anxiety going to the dentist, fear of needles, hard to numb, dental phobias or bad dental experiences in the past, painful or sensitive teeth, bad gag reflex, and/or people with limited time to get a lot of dental work completed.
  • IV Sedation is very effective for moderate to severe dental anxiety. The onset of action is very rapid and the level of sedation can be adjusted easily to keep the patient comfortable. The drugs used for sedation produce an amnesia effect, so the patient will remember very little about the procedure or nothing at all. Most patients feel as though they have slept through the appointment, but in reality, the patient is conscious and is able to cooperate and follow directions given by the dentist and staff.
  • Key things to know if you think IV Sedation is right for you:
    • Nothing to eat or drink 8 hours prior to your appointment.
    • Must have an escort to take you home after the appointment and stay with you until you are alert.
    • No driving the rest of the day.
    • Must rest and take it easy afterwards.
    • No alcohol.
    • Take any medication as directed by the dentist.
    • Should be able to resume normal activities the following day.

 Inhalation Sedation (Nitrous Oxide)

  • Nitrous oxide is a gas that you breathe administered through a special nose mask. It has no color or smell and does not irritate the senses. Usually within 5 minutes of inhaling nitrous oxide, the patient experiences a pleasurable feeling. Typical feelings include tingling in the fingers and toes, floating sensation, and/or a feeling of well being.
  • Nitrous Oxide is very effective for patients with mild to moderate dental anxiety. It is also very helpful with patients who experience a needle phobia. It can strictly be turned on to relax the patient just for the injection and then turned off. Nitrous Oxide is also tolerated very well by children and sometimes anesthetic is not even needed.
  • There are many advantages to Inhalation Sedation, also known as “Laughing Gas”. It works very rapidly, reaching the brain within 20 seconds. The patient will begin to feel relaxed and pain relief within 2-3 minutes. The depth of sedation can be altered as needed by the patient. It is easy to increase or lessen the effects of the gas. We are able to use Nitrous Oxide for the exact time span needed and it is eliminated from the body within 3-5 minutes once shut off. There is no need for an escort to and from the appointments. Laughing gas also is deemed very safe with no ill effects on the heart, liver, lungs, kidney, or brain.

 Oral Sedation

  • A sedative pill called Triazolam that is in the same family as Valium. It is short acting, and half of it is used up by your body within 2 hours.