With the sudden rise and equally sudden fall of at-home teeth straightening titan, Smile Direct Club, many people are being left holding the bag when it comes to their dental health.

As it turns out, the warning signs against using at-home teeth straightening companies were there all along. At Pillar Dental, we’re dedicated to turning your smile into one of your best features. That’s why we want to help anyone affected by the closure of Smile Direct Club and alert anyone else to the pitfalls of using at-home kits to straighten your smile.

The Pros of Clear Aligners

At-home kits utilize clear aligners to help straighten teeth and ultimately keep them in place. This method of teeth straightening is a proven method after decades of testing. Still, the products are becoming more affordable and sought after thanks to advances in technology.

The Dangers of Using At-Home Aligners

The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to companies looking to make money off the fact that a lot of us stayed home for long periods of time. Teeth straightening companies took advantage of the decrease in dental care by offering clear aligners with affordable payment structures.

However, therein lies the problem. Without adequate dental care, those seeking clear aligners are opening themselves up to a whole host of issues. Several groups, such as the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontists, came out against at-home kits. The groups cited concerns over the lack of quality and personalized care that only a dentist or orthodontist can provide.

Dentists with the ADA made that a specific point in their warnings about these at-home kits, saying that patients are putting their dental health at risk by choosing groups like Smile Direct Club.

Choose a Dental Professional Today!

Pillar Dental is one of many local dentists who can help you achieve that straight, white smile in no time! Choose us, and we’ll help you decide on a path to perfect dental health. To learn more, contact us today!

Are you looking for how you can improve the appearance of your teeth? Are chips or cracks in your teeth leading to more damage? Are whitening toothpastes and daily whitening strips not enough? Cosmetic dentistry at Pillar Dental might be your answer!

There are several ways that cosmetic dentistry can help, which we’ll go over in more detail below.

Teeth Whitening | This is probably the most popular, and well-known types of cosmetic dentistry. It can be performed at Pillar Dental, and sometimes takes only a single visit to do. The procedure is done by the dental hygienist, who will clean the teeth to start by removing any plaque, tartar or other buildup. This restores the natural appearance of your teeth. After that, your teeth can be whitened with a safe bleaching agent, to achieve an even lighter shade.

Inlays and Onlay | Also known as “indirect fillings, inlay and onlays are made in a dental laboratory, and used on patients when a tooth has mild to moderate decay or lacks enough tooth structure to support a typical filling. If the cusps of your tooth have no damage, an inlay will be placed on the tooth surface. If there is damage, you might need an onlay over the entire tooth surface. These options are utilized to provide support to your teeth to strengthen them, to restore them to their original shape, or to avoid any other further decay.

Composite Bonding | With this procedure, a composite material is used to repair discolored, damaged or decaying teeth with a material that resembles your tooth enamel in color. The dentist will drill out any decaying tooth, apply the composite, and sculpt the tooth into the right shape. After that, a high-intensity light sets the shape in place. This procedure is one of the more cost-effective options for those patients who have tooth decay, chipped teeth, cracked teeth, or worn down teeth.

Dental Veneers | Veneers are custom-fit caps that are made to go over your natural teeth. Because they are often made from medical-grade ceramic, dental veneers look incredibly realistic and can correct many issues, including crooked teeth, cracked teeth, damaged enamel and gapped teeth. The veneer is applied by your dentist to the front of each tooth using a strong dental adhesive.

Implants | Used to replace lost or overly damaged teeth, implants are added using titanium screws into your jawline, to support a crown. Often, you cannot tell the difference between an implant and natural tooth. After your bone and tissues grow around and fuse to the implant, it’s permanently secured in place.

Orthodontia | Often known as braces, orthodontia is for more than just teenagers. With so many options on the market today, such as Invisalign, you can get straighter teeth. Ask your dentist what options might work best for your lifestyle, teeth shape and timeline.

If you’re considering cosmetic dentistry procedures, or have questions about the other services offered at Pillar Dental, please contact us today!

How Dental Clinics Are Sanitized: What You Need to Know

Have you ever visited the dentist and thought, “How clean is this place?” To answer that, it’s very clean. In fact, dental clinics in Sioux Falls, SD strictly follow the guidelines and recommendations for disinfection and sterilization set by American health authorities and the local government. These include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), as well as the SD State Board. 

Dental clinics ensure that both their medical experts and patients are protected from pathogens and microbes before, during, and after an operation. To help you understand further, here’s how they keep the whole place well sanitized.

Cleaning

Everything inside the clinic must be cleaned. It’s done to remove proteins, blood, microorganisms, and visible impurities from the equipment, devices, and instruments, to all surfaces, joints, serrations, and lighting.

Cleaning is a vital first step before disinfection and sterilization. Dentists in Sioux Falls, SD, and their teams accomplish the procedure mechanically or manually with water, detergent, or enzyme remover. This prevents items from contamination and prepares them for safe handling. 

Disinfecting

This process kills most, if not all, microorganisms. Disinfection of contaminated surfaces is done between each patient. The dental staff follows the product label and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) instructions for safety, efficacy, and proper disinfection of all surfaces, including: 

• Housekeeping Surfaces: These are the walls and floors of the clinic. Aside from regular cleanings, housekeeping surfaces also need to be disinfected after contact with infectious material, like blood and protein, or when visibly soiled.

• Clinical Contact Surfaces: These are surfaces, like dental units and countertops, which have come into contact with patients and the medical staff. While these are mostly barrier-protected and cleaned by the end of the day, a low- to intermediate-level EPA-registered surface product is used when disinfecting.
  

Disinfections are completed with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectants for healthcare settings. This means that the products used in dental clinics have shown to be effective against pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella choleraesuis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and Mycobacterium bovis (TB).

Sterilization

Sterilization is a process that kills all microbes. Single-use items, like disposable needles, saliva ejectors, and high-speed suction tips, are sterilized, packed, and opened only by the dental staff when about to be used. 

Meanwhile, reusable instruments, such as scalpels, scalers, dental mouth mirrors, and burs, undergo in-lab cleaning, packaging, and sterilization before they can be used for the next patient. 

Schedule a Dental Appointment With Us

Our staff diligently follows the recommendations set by national health authorities to ensure that our dental clinics in Sioux Falls, SD are sanitized above the client’s expectations. Call Pillar Dental to schedule an appointment with us.