William H. Swearingen's Blog

The Tooth That Never Came In

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:07:00 +0000

As if going to High School isn’t hard enough… now imagine going to High School missing a front tooth. This is what one of our patients had to go through everyday of her freshman year. Megan* a highly-motivated, well-rounded 14 year old cheerleader was congenitally missing her upper left lateral. Megan had spent the past two years of her life in braces preparing to replace her missing tooth. Because of her age and the fact that both adjacent teeth were healthy we were excited to give Megan the option of doing a Maryland bridge. A Maryland bridge allows us to replace the missing the tooth without having to remove tooth structure from the teeth next to it. This was a perfect option in her situation! Megan started with our In Office Whitening procedure, Zoom AP! which brightened her exisiting teeth so we could match her new tooth to a beautiful new shade! We were all anxious for Megan to receive the tooth she had so longed for, but I’m sure not nearly as much as Megan! Within an hour of her delivery appointment Megan had her new tooth…. AND SHE WASN’T EVEN NUMB!!!! Typically, no anesthetic is needed when doing a Maryland Bridge! She was able to smile from ear to ear! Seeing patients as happy and grateful as Megan and her mom is what makes doing dentistry so rewarding for all of us!!!
“Thanks to Dr. Swearingen, I have a beautiful smile, and just in time for gradutation!”

What's the buzz on DaVinci Veneers??

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:47:00 +0000

I’m sure, if you’ve watched the popular television show of a few years ago called “Extreme Makeover,” you’ve heard the term “DaVinci Veneers” at some point. DaVinci Dental Studios is the dental lab that the dentist on the show chose to work with which has given them popularity in the public eye. They are not a specific type of porcelain or procedure, they are strictly referring to the lab that produced the cases. We, however, have been using a lab known as Frontier Dental Lab for many years and have built a fantastic reputation with them. We are so lucky to have them located in El Dorado Hills, basically in our backyard! They are well-known in The United States and Europe. We take pride in the smiles we create. We feel we’ve selected the best lab to help us achieve the natural, beautiful smiles that our patients deserve.

Sleep through your next dental appointment....

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:40:00 +0000

Don’t let your dental anxiety come in between achieving a healthier, more beautiful smile. At Dr. Swearingen’s office we offer a wide range of comforting techniques that may be the answers you’ve been looking for. We pride ourselves in making sure that each patient is treated with TLC, for some people that’s all that has been lacking. For those whose fears go beyond simple courtesy, we offer different forms of relaxation to help alleviate fear or anxiety. This option is also good for patients that may require an extensive amount of time in the chair.
Nitrous Oxide (also known as “laughing gas”) will put you in a peacefully state of mind during the procedure. This is a mild form of sedation and allows you to drive yourself to and from the appointment.
Another option is using an Oral Sedative Medication known as Triazalom. This is considered a conscious sedation, but will put you in an extreme state of relaxation. Dr. Swearingen is a member of the Dental Organization of Conscious Sedation (DOCS) and is also licensed with the State of California which allows him to administer the medication.
We do also have the option of offering an anesthesiologist to come into our practice to use IV sedation. This is an unconscious form of sedation and requires a driver to and from your appointment.
These sedation techniques give patients – who may otherwise avoid the dentist – an opportunity to allow us to help them receive the smile they deserve.

Dr. Swearingen and Staff Go to New Orleans for His Accreditation Award

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Swearingen) — Mon, 19 May 2008 03:01:00 +0000

Dr. Swearingen and his staff recently returned from New Orleans where he received recognition and an award for achieving "Accreditation" status with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). This is a special honor achieved by only a small number of dentists in the world. The AACD has been in existence since 1984. They have just celebrated their 24th anniversary. During that period only 286 dentists worldwide have been able to become accredited out of a membership of over 8000 dentists. Needless to say, the staff and Dr. Swearingen were very excited when he was recognized by his peers at the award dinner. Dr. Swearingen had worked for nearly 5 years on various types of cosmetic procedures as well as a written and oral exam to achieve this award.

While they were there they were also able to see post-Katrina New Orleans and were pleasantly surprised at the progress that appears to be being made there. Various people indicated that the city was about 80% of normal. Hopefully, that beautiful and exciting city will be fully recovered very soon!

What is "instant orthodontics"?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Swearingen) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:18:00 +0000

For people looking to enhance their smiles, the term "instant orthodontics" will be heard quiet often when discussing porcelain veneers or cosmetic dentistry with knowledgeable people. Most people don't understand what is meant by this term. I will try to explain it and show some pictures that demonstrate it.

Essentially what the term means is that by judiciously shaping teeth by removing tooth structure that is in the wrong place and then bonding in its place porcelain that is in the right place you can create amazing results. This procedure is best utilized in severe crowding and space cases when the patient does not want to be treated with conventional orthodontics or Invisalign.

Before:

After:

Among the advantages it offers are speed of completion relative to orthodontic procedures ( 3-4 weeks versus 2-3 years). It also allows you to improve other issues at the same time that many patients are interested in, such as changing the color or shape of their teeth.

Before:

After:

Also, with conventional orthodontics the patient must wear a retainer for the rest of his/her life or the teeth will begin to shift back to their original position. With "instant orthodontics" a retainer is not necessary because the teeth have not been moved, even though it appears that they have. I hope the above pictures demonstrate adequately what I mean. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact my office and I'll be happy to discuss them with you.

A Special New Patient in Our Practice!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Swearingen) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:28:00 +0000

Ed Crane, the new co-host with Amy Lewis on KFBK's morning news and talk show (1530 AM) recently became our patient. He came to Sacramento all the way from New York. Ed went on a search for a cosmetic dentist when he arrived in Sacramento. After coming to our office and having a comprehensive exam and meeting the entire team, he selected us to provide his cosmetic treatment. What an honor for us! Ed is a great guy and is looking forward to his new smile. He will be talking about our office on his program. His "before and after" photos will soon be able to be viewed on KFBK's website as the case moves toward completion. Stay tuned and take a look at the transformation of Ed's smile!

Dr. Swearingen becomes Accredited with AACD

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Swearingen) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:35:00 +0000

February 28, 2008 was an exciting day at Dr. Swearingen's office. He received notice that he had been accepted as an Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Accreditation by the AACD is a difficult process that requires seven levels of achievement including a written exam, five different types of patient case submissions, and lastly, an oral exam. The Academy has existed for 23 years and to date there are only about 300 accredited members in an organization of about 8000 members worldwide. Dr. Swearingen had been working on this process since 2003. There was a lot of "hollering" and "high fiving" by his staff when acceptance finally was received. Dr. Swearingen will be honored at the Academy's annual convention in New Orleans in May.