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Back in October, Dr. Meyers traveled with his family and other non-profit members for a mission trip to Guatemala! The group they travel with is called "Time and Talents for Children", out of Cedarburg. They have averaged about 3 trips a year for the last five years and this particular trip was Dr. Meyers' family's third trip since 2010! On this this trip Dr. Meyers' son Scott was 16, and his daughter, Kaitlyn, was 17. On their first trip, they were only 12 and 13!

On October 25th they flew out of Chicago, flying first to Panama City, then on to Guatemala City. After spending the night in Guatemala City, they took a large van on a four hours trip to a small city called Panajachel.  This has been the home base for all three of our trips! After arriving in Panajachel, they typically partner with a local group who helps secure a location to provide dental care, as well as provide the patients who are in need, as well as transportation, translators, and lunches while on site.  This trip, the group they were working with was a Mormon group who run a school north east of Panajachel.  Their staff, the students and their families were the patients!

The group had one general dentist (Dr. Meyers), two pediatric dentists, a pediatrician, a small construction crew and several support people.  Over the course of four working days in a gym, the group saw nearly 250 patients, and removed over 300 teeth from patients from 3 to 81 years old. Oral hygiene instruction was provided, as well as supplies to help promote a healthy mouth! The pediatrician was able to do well baby checks on around 20 children, providing care where needed, and educated young mothers on how to care for their infants! The construction crew built a goat pen for the director of the school.

After our four days of treatment, the group traveled to Antigua, the previous capitol of Guatemala to rest for a day! After that, it was a  10 hour, 5000 mile journey home!

Back in September, we shared some exciting Pioneer Dental news and at the most recent House of Delegates meeting, Dr. Meyers was officially installed as the Trustee of WDA! It's been a busy time for our favorite Pioneer Dentist, read more below!

As of October, Dr. Meyers time on the Public Relations Committee of the Wisconsin Dental Association ended.  He was on the committee for six years, and served as the chair for the last two.  Last weekend, it was announced that the WDA had received a Golden Apple Award for its work in promoting preventative care with its newsletter, "Tongue and Cheek".  This award was presented to Dr. Meyers at the House of Delegates meeting on behalf of the entire PR committee!

In addition to the newsletter, and updates to the WDA website, Dr. Meyers has helped craft the public awareness campaign of the WDA, including the "Healthy Choices", "Baby Teeth Matter", "Sip all Day", "Brush and Floss, or Else", and "Own Your Smile" commercials!

Dr. Meyers was nominated for, and accepted into, an international honorary dental fraternity called the Pierre Fauchard Academy!

Lastly, Dr. Meyers was elected to represent the WDA and the American Dental Association House of Delegates meeting next November in Washington DC as an alternate delegate.  Not only will Dr. Meyers be representing the dental profession, he will be representing the state of Wisconsin at the national meeting! There are only 18 delegates and alternates elected each year.

When you are missing teeth, it is critical to replace them. Without all your teeth, chewing and eating can be challenging, as well as uncomfortable. Missing teeth can also destabilize your bite. Dental implants are a great option for replacing teeth that are missing or are badly diseased. A dental implant at Pioneer Dental offers relief, support, and stability to your bite, and often, implants are the most natural and effective option available.

Dr. Carl Meyers and our team have helped many patients using implant dentistry at our West Bend, WI office restore their smiles to look more natural. Each implant is created to fit in perfectly with the look of the rest of your teeth.

Besides making your smile appear more natural, dental implants have other benefits. They include:

• Restoring your ability to properly chew food
• Preventing your teeth from shifting and moving
• Stabilizing your bite, helping you avoid pain or discomfort

If you are missing a tooth or multiple teeth and feel like you are a candidate for dental implants, Dr. Carl Meyers and our team at Pioneer Dental encourage you to give us a call to schedule an appointment. See you soon!

Are you looking to improve the appearance of your front teeth? Dental veneers are widely used to improve the appearance of front teeth and are a much more conservative option than a full dental crown. Veneers can be used to improve the appearance of staining, large gaps, large fillings, chipped teeth, or overall shape. Veneers are a thin covering over the front and biting end of the tooth used to restore the beauty of a smile. Over the years we have helped many patients who opted for veneers and now have the confidence to smile again.

Dental veneers are made in a lab from long-lasting porcelain materials. The shade can be chosen to a desirable color to whiten the appearance of your smile. Dental veneers are usually placed on the anterior, or front teeth, where the chewing forces are not as hard as the back teeth. The process of placing veneers is relatively easy requiring only two dental appointments. In some cases, only one appointment is needed. It depends on the fabrication process.

The first appointment is to “prep” the teeth and take an impression to be sent to a lab to fabricate the veneers. Veneers are fairly conservative in the preparation as it requires a small amount of space to be created on the face (front), bottom, and sides of each tooth to allow space for the veneer to be placed and look natural. You will leave the office with temporary veneers for the next week or two while the permanent veneers are being made.

The second appointment is to place the veneers and make minor adjustments if needed. What a difference it makes in the appearance of the teeth! If you’re interested in learning more, give Dr. Carl Meyers a call today!