Clear Correct at The Gentle Dentist in Shelby Township, Michigan

February 3, 2012 by · Leave a Comment


Hi, this is Dr. Antolak from thegentledentist.com in Shelby Township Michigan, (586) 247-3500 is our phone number. What things do people mostly want to see when they have their smile? They want to show bright white straight teeth. And what happens when people don’t have bright white straight teeth? Well, they want to get them straightened out and whitened.  Well we can do the whitening through a number of different options. But one of the ways that we’ve found that works really well in our office, in my hands, is something called ClearCorrect. ClearCorrect is an aligner, just like Invisalign is an aligner and this aligner in ClearCorrect is great because what it does is it gives us a little bit more versatility than the Invisalign product does, it also is a bit more reasonably priced and so we can pass that savings on to our patients. In fact I am using one right now as I’m speaking and it looks like this.

What it is- it goes in the, in the mouth, in the teeth and it moves the teeth, it’s made by care designs. So it’s made where you can actually see each step of the way, it actually moves the teeth so you put a new one every 3 weeks and when you put it in you feel a lot of tightness for a day or so and then it slowly goes away and the teeth moves a little bit and every 3 weeks you put in a new one. Can you put this back and.

So it’s that easy to put it back in, people don’t notice. So the way that, the differences between Clear Correct and Invasalign is that with Clear Correct the brace itself, the aligner is actually clearer than other aligners. This is according to their literature they have. But in my hands, it also handles better too.  Also it does able to control what happens with the teeth. For ClearCorrect they actually send, which is pretty neat they send their little templates that are made. They make a model and so then if you for example, lose them you can come in, we can make another alignment for you right here as you lose, if you lost it then you can do it. And, there is no additional charge for that up to a couple of aligners if you do misplace those or lose them.

The other thing is that, that since we do it remove the teeth actually a little bit slower, so is actually the end result is predictable, and the nice thing is because it’s shaped like a lightning tray, we can use those also at the final end product to, to whiten your teeth up. So there are many different advantages to Clear Correct. And it’s something that we use in our office and we use it mighty effectively to move teeth without braces, just like the Invisalign does. And it’s a more beneficial product. They’re a little bit easier for us to work with as dentists than the Invisalign product. So if you’re having any questions about your crooked teeth or if your teeth are crooked and you don’t like what they look like give us a call because sometimes there’s something that we can do about it.

If this sounds like something you are interested in, please give us a call. 586-247-3500

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Videos Tagged With: , , ,

Dr. Antolak from Shelby Township, Michigan Discussing Crowns

February 2, 2012 by · Leave a Comment


Hi, this is Dr. Antolak from thegentledentist.com. We’re in Shelby Township, Michigan. (586)247-3500 is our phone number. Today I want to talk to you about dental crowns and specifically cosmetic all porcelain dental crowns verses porcelain fused metal crowns.  When you look at somebody in the front and they’re smiling and you see a gray line around the edge of the gums, it’s not so sight, it’s kind of unsightly and the reason why that is because porcelain crowns allow light to show through and what you’re looking at, the grayness at the gum line or, a dark line is a porcelain infused development.

Now, porcelain fused to metal crowns were the standard years ago. But nowadays, with no new current technologies, we’re mostly doing actually all porcelain crowns. Not only for the cosmetic benefits of having a beautiful smile with, with cosmetic with all porcelain. But also because they now are stronger than they ever have been. What I’d like to do is just demonstrate to you a couple things. I have here a light and then that light is showing.  If you can see that, it’s showing through a porcelain fused to gold crown. This is a porcelain fused to gold crown and there is actually porcelain that’s baked on the outside on the outside of a tooth and then there is gold that’s ore metal that’s on the inside and that does give it the strength it needs. Now, the problem is, is that they actually and the actual teeth, and the actual teeth allow light to show straight through them. So for example, on this all porcelain one that I have you and see that there is light that is allowed to emit right through that and when light is allowed to be emitted right through the tooth, what it does is give it a natural appearance, just like a natural tooth. A natural tooth there is no metal in it of course, and it allows light to penetrate through it, just like I demonstrated to you with the all porcelain ones. The reason why it looks dark underneath it is it may have a band of metal that’s at the gum line but also

There’s no light allowed to be emitted to the root of the tooth. And so you’re basically looking at a shadow that’s coming into the root structure of the tooth.

Now many, many times I have patients who have come in and asked me, why is my gum line looks so dark there at the, at the top and so when I smile, I don’t like when I smile because I see how that looks and, and the tooth looks a little unnatural, because the naturalness of it comes from the fact that it’s level and we have to, they have to put an opaquer on there like a real whitener that blacks out the metal look from the porcelain. And then they have to make it look natural. So rather than lighting emitting through the tooth on a natural tooth or an all porcelain crown.

Like it’s trapped inside and when you’re looking at a porcelain crown.  Light only goes up to that one specific spot where the crown is, where the opaquer is, and light reflects back off of it. That’s what not, does, that’s what gives it the unnatural look to a porcelain, I mean a porcelain to metal crown.

So, if you’d like more clarification on that, or if you don’t like the way that your smile is, or if you have issues that you have at the gum line that seem to be really an irritant. Or, you know, you may have had someone who’s noticed that. Or you just don’t feel comfortable smiling, please give us a call, you know? We’ll provide for you a free consultation, just to take a look and see what you have going on there with your teeth and if it’s a crown what we can do to change that and make teeth look beautiful again. Thank you and this is Doctor Antolak from TheGentleDentist.com.

Have a blessed day.

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Videos Tagged With: , ,

10 things to look for when selecting a dentist for your family in Shelby Twp, MI

September 3, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

There are many ways to select a dentist to select for you and your family and I would like to have you consider some of the factors I feel that are important when selecting a new dentist for yourself and family.  10 traits customers look for when choosing a new dentist and a new dental home are as follows:

  1. Personal Referrals- The most trustworthy way to find out who a dentist is they can use is to ask their friends and family. We find that many of our new dental patients come from personal referrals and reputation in the Macomb, Shelby Twp., Clinton Township community.  Facebook is a wonderful way to find out who a good dentist is by just posting the question “who is  a good dentist I can trust?”
  2. Homey atmosphere-Since dentistry is such a personal thing, selecting a new dentist for you and your family must assure that you will feel comfortable with the environment, people who serve you and total atmosphere.  Details from the reception area to the bathroom must feel like yours at home.  I is critical to be treated with respect and feel listened to during all steps of the process.  Since your time is so vital, it is important to get in when your dental appointment is and not be waiting for an extended period of time.
  3. Sterility of equipment and Cleanliness-A new dental home needs to be not only comfortable, but must conform to the strictest OSHA guidelines to make certain that you and your family are safe.   Everything must be sterilized or thrown away that was previously used in someone else’s mouth.  The sterilizer must be monitored to make certain that it is always working properly.  Treatment rooms must be wiped down all the time and be very clean.  Before choosing a new dentist home it is your right to ask for a tour and ask how things are sterilized and taken care of.  We love to show off our level of attention to detail at our dental office so please ask.
  4. Technology- Computers and high technology are a must to make sure the new dentist you choose is current. The advancements in dentistry require technology such as computers in each room, digital x-rays that reduce radiation exposure up to 75% over regular x-rays, digital photos to relate with the patient. Paperless charting and paperless forms help to speed the process of filling all necessary forms before even stepping into the dental office.  This makes the office green and is more friendly to the environment.  Lasers and sonic cleaners used to clean the teeth help improve the comfort in treating dental patients.
  5. Full spectrum of dental services including emergency care-This is important because it allows for consistency of dental treatment.   Communication can be difficult between general dentists and specialists so if  you find a new dentist who provides a complete level of dental care you can also have more dental treatment done in fewer visits and therefore it is more convenient.   For our high fear patients or those who  require that multiple procedures be done at one visit oral sedation is available.   At our dental office we perform both the surgical placement and restorative aspect of implants; complete cosmetic dentistry including porcelain veneers, Zoom whitening, white fillings, and bleaching.   Root canal, tooth extractions, dentures, crowns, bridges and other general dental treatment is performed in the office.
  6. Interest Free Payment Plans-Because dentistry can be a large financial investment finding a new dentist who has interest free plans available is important.   This gives the customer the ability to have more procedures done at one time and spreading out the payments over time.   They must also accept all of the major credit cards including Master Card, Visa, American Express and Discover.
  7. Accept dental insurance plans-Each dental insurance plan is different so it is important to call the new dental office to see if they participate with your dental insurance plan.  You certainly get what you pay for especially when it comes to dental insurance.  Be aware that if it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t.   The expertise of the dentist and dental team are a reflection of the fees they charge.  We accept Delta Dental, Blue Cross and other dental insurance plans and or fees are in the middle of the road so we may or may not be the dentist for you, but it is worth it to see if we take your denal insurance plan.
  8. Time spent Explaining and having all of your questions answered- This is important because in this rushed world our biggest commodity is the time we have so it is important to respect the patient’s time- giving them the time they need for all of their questions to be answered.   And at the same time, not spend too much time and too much detail if the new patient doesn’t need the detail to make a decision.
  9. Community involvement-it is important to give back to the community both locally and internationally.   I believe that your new dental team should give back to those who they serve.   We do this through our Candy Buy Back program, our Good Deed contest and through Christian mission in Haiti to treat the under privileged people there.
  10. Convenient location, wheelchair access  and office hours-It is important to have easy access with ample parking, wheel chair access and convenient office hours including evenings and Saturdays.  If you choose The Gentle Dentist as your new dental office we have Saturdays and evening appointments.  Since we are in a detached medical office building located on 22 Mile Rd. just west of Hayes in Shelby Township, it is easy for us to treat “wheel chaired” patients.

Dr. Antolak treats his dental patients in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere where you are treated like a guest in the home.  His motto is to “relax while we take care of your smile”.   He specializes in cosmetic dentistry, implant dentistry and general dentistry using sedation dentistry if necessary for his high fear patients. He has been treating patients for the past 24 years and is located in Shelby Township, Macomb County, Michigan.

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, General Dentistry, Green Dentistry, How to choose a dentist, Payment Plans, Sedation Dentistry, Welcome
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