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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!

It is not uncommon to be concerned about your safety when you have dental X-rays performed. Putting on a heavy lead vest may make you apprehensive. The benefits of dental X-rays far outweigh the risks when safety procedures are followed and the number of X-rays is limited to the required number.

About Dental X-rays

Intraoral X-rays are the most common, and include bitewing X-rays. These allow Dr. Carl Meyers and our team at Pioneer Dental to detect caries (cavities) and check the health of your bone and root structure. Extraoral X-rays provide the information we need to monitor your jaw and temporomandibular joint (TMJ), as well as look for impacted teeth and tooth development.

X-ray Safety

A set of four bitewing X-rays exposes you to about 0.005 mSv (millisievert) of radiation, which is equal to the amount of radiation you receive in an average day from natural sources. A panoramic X-ray exposes you to about twice the amount of a bitewing. In both cases the risk is negligible and worth the diagnostic benefits.

Guidelines from the American Dental Association are offered for individuals who are not at high risk for cavities. Children in this group should have X-rays every one or two years. Teenagers should have X-rays every one-and-a-half to three years. Adults can go two to three years between X-rays. If you are at higher risk, yearly X-rays are not harmful and can save your teeth.

No matter what type of X-ray you are having, it is extremely important to tell Dr. Carl Meyers or one of our technicians if you are pregnant or may be pregnant. If you are concerned about the number of X-rays you are having done, or about any radiation you are exposed to, please give us a call at our convenient West Bend, WI office and talk to us about your concerns.