elan by Dr. Meghan Hodges

General dentistry is focused on preserving your oral health. In order to maintain good oral health, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that you see your dentist every six months for a dental checkup. At your dental checkup, we will inspect your soft tissues for oral cancer, periodontal disease, and other problems that require professional evaluation. Dr. Hodges will also look at each tooth in your mouth to assess problems like tooth decay or cracks.
Our dentist will also evaluate old dental work to make sure it’s still protecting your teeth. Old dental work such as metal fillings, inlays, onlays, and crowns can wear out and need to be replaced. We will be happy to replace old dental work with tooth-colored alternatives that are both durable and natural looking.

If you are overdue for a dental checkup in the Tulsa area, please call (918) 528-3330 or email élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges today for an appointment.

Are you unhappy with the effect that aging is having on your facial appearance? If so, then you might want to consider injectable treatments. These nonsurgical treatments can dramatically improve the appearance of many common facial signs of aging. We offer three of the most popular injectable treatments available today: BOTOX® Cosmetic, Juvéderm, and Kybella. These treatments can be used individually or combined to make a nonsurgical facelift.

If you want to learn which of these injectables might be right for you, please call (918) 528-3330 today for an appointment with Tulsa cosmetic dentist Dr. Meghan Hodges at élan.

Oral surgery focuses on the diagnosis and surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects related to the functional and esthetic aspects of the face, mouth, teeth and jaws (maxillofacial area) . Also called oral maxillofacial surgery, this type of dental surgery is highly involved and can help remedy such dental problems such as pain, swelling and infection associated with oral health issues. Dr. Hodges is experienced at performing oral surgeries such as tooth extraction and placing dental implants while taking into consideration the esthetics of your appearance.

Most dental patients have some level of anxiety. Even if it doesn’t stop you from getting the dental care you need or the smile makeover you desire, it can make dental visits unpleasant and uncomfortable. Going to the dentist is probably your least favorite chore of the week. What if your dental visit was just the opposite: the thing you look forward to all week? That can be the reality with NuCalm, a drug-free approach to being relaxed at the dentist. NuCalm can help if you have anxiety, or if you just wish you could relax and enjoy your dental visit.

About 95% of people who have used NuCalm say they would use it again. Do you want to see if NuCalm can be the secret to an awesome dental visit for you? Please call (918) 528-3330 today for an appointment with a Tulsa cosmetic dentist at élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges.

A cosmetic gum lift is recommended for patients who have what is commonly known as a “gummy smile, ” or excessive gum tissue that makes the teeth appear stubby. A cosmetic gum lift can reveal the beautiful teeth that you have under the overgrown soft tissue. This procedure is performed with a soft tissue laser, and is otherwise known as a gingivectomy, gingival sculpting, or gingival contouring. This procedure can not only reinvent your smile but is good for your oral health.

To learn whether you can benefit from a cosmetic gum lift in Tulsa, please call 918-528-3330 or email élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges.

Gum disease is the single most prevalent disease in the United States affecting more people than heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and cancer combined. About 80% of the US population has some form of gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, periodontitis (advanced) , and gingivitis (mild) . Gum disease is an infection of the gums and bone that support teeth. It starts when the plaque in your mouth hardens into tartar (also called calculus) below your gum line. The result is irritated soft tissues that can lead to infection. If you combine this with decaying food particles lodged between teeth and bacteria emitted by plaque, the infection can spread quickly.

Did you know that up to 40 percent of all sports injuries involve the face? You can protect your smile and your mouth with a comfortable, custom-molded mouthguard designed to reduce the risk of sports-related oral injury. élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges offers mouthguards that comfortably fit over your teeth and can help protect your smile as well as your lips, tongue, face, and jaw. There is new research that indicates that mouthguards can even reduce the severity of concussions.

You have no doubt seen athletes in hockey, boxing, and rugby wearing mouthguards, but others, like bicyclists, weightlifters, and gymnasts, made the ADAs list of athletes who need mouthguards. The recommendation is justified as studies show that 13 to 39 percent of all dental injuries are sports related. Because the face is such an important part of a person’s image, self-confidence, and sometimes success, it’s better to be safe than… toothless!

Before facemasks and mouthguards were required in football, half of all injuries occurred in the mouth. During the playing season, players had a one in ten chance of mouth injury. Once high schools and colleges began requiring facemasks and mouthguards, the number of injuries reported dropped by 200, 000 per year. Naturally, dentists and the ADA recommend mouthguards for adults and children in any recreational activity that poses the risk of injury to your mouth.

Dental crowns, also known as “caps, ” are used to preserve the functionality of damaged teeth. They are used to protect a cracked tooth, restore a tooth that has excessive decay, and for providing strength and protecting a tooth against breakage. When used to protect a tooth, a dental crown can take a tooth that was in danger of failing and give it renewed life. Once protected with a dental crown, a tooth can potentially remain functional for the rest of your life, even if the crown has to be replaced.
élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges uses precious metal, porcelain pressed (or fused) to metal, or all-porcelain crowns. For the a smile that is maintained easily, we recommend all ceramic-crowns that benefit from our precise color-matching system that allows us to find the right shade of porcelain to blend with your natural tooth color. Porcelain dental crowns are also extremely durable and long lasting, and these benefits make them popular with dentists as well as patients.

If you would like to talk to Dr. Hodges in Tulsa, OK about what type of dental crown is best for you, please call (918) 528-3330 or email élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges today for an appointment.

If you’ve lost teeth due to accident, injury, or gum disease, we can create a permanent bridge to restore your solid smile. A bridge not only fills the gap, but it also prevents repositioning of remaining teeth. It can also correct a misaligned bite, improve chewing function and speech articulation, and provide internal structure for the face to give you a more youthful appearance.
A dental bridge is a great tooth replacement option, but it’s not the right tooth replacement for everyone. If you would like to talk to us about your tooth replacement options in Tulsa, OK, please call 918-528-3330 or email élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges today.

Invisalign is a popular alternative to traditional braces because they straighten teeth invisibly and improve smiles quickly. Patients like it because it requires no metal brackets or wires and because they can maintain their professional image while correcting their smile. The secret to Invisalign is the clear, comfortable aligners that exert gentle pressure to move teeth into their ideal position. To begin an Invisalign treatment, a patient must first schedule a consultation with Tulsa Dentist Dr. Hodges and check to see if they meet the requirements for the treatment.

Invisalign works with most orthodontic issues however Dr. Hodges will have to evaluate your teeth before you can follow through with a treatment plan. Most patients can expect that it can help to correct the following dental concerns:

If you are avoiding the dentist because of anxiety, you’re not alone. Millions of people postpone or avoid dental care altogether because of their anxiety. But just because it’s common doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable. Putting off dental care leads to worse dental problems (which, ironically, can increase your anxiety) , and can even lead to widespread health problems. The good news is that sedation dentistry can allow you to relax through dental visits so that you can get the dental care you need or the cosmetic dentistry you desire. And sedation dentistry can help people who experience other unpleasant feelings at the dentist as well.
To learn whether sedation dentistry (such as NuCalm) can help you overcome anxiety and get needed or desired dental care, please call 918-528-3330 or email élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges in Tulsa today.

Not every situation is right for an inlay or onlay, but Dr. Hodges will assess your problem and determine the best solution for you. Because they are created in a lab like a crown, inlays and onlays require two appointments. At the first visit, we will prepare your tooth by removing your tooth decay or old filling and cleaning the area. We will take a dental impression and send it to our dental lab so that a technician can create a custom inlay or onlay for you. The dentist will determine the best material to use, but in most cases, teeth that show when you smile or speak can have a white restoration. Back teeth incur extreme pressure, so a metal inlay or onlay may be indicated. You’ll wear a temporary until the lab delivers your final restoration. At the second appointment, the dentist will remove your temporary and permanently cement your final inlay or onlay into position. After polishing and modifying the restoration as necessary to ensure proper bite alignment, you’ll enjoy your stronger, healthier smile for years to come.

To learn whether you can benefit from porcelain inlays or onlays in Tulsa, please contact élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges today.

Teeth whitening offers a quick solution to brighten a dull smile and restore brilliance to create sparkling, eye-catching smiles. Professional teeth whitening services by élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges will remedy the effects of stains and discolorations that leave teeth dull and lackluster to make them white again. We offer in-office and take-home teeth whitening solutions for quick results in just one day or for those who prefer to whiten their teeth from the comfort of their home.

A smile makeover exists that so that people can receive the smile of their dreams. This type of treatment typically involves multiple cosmetic dentistry procedures so that a patient can get the smile that they have always wanted. This may include teeth whitening, veneers, Invisalign or a number of various procedures that help you get a healthy, bright smile that you are proud of. As a cosmetic dentistry practice, the team at élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges can help you determine which treatments will give you the smile you’ve always wanted. We actually encourage patients to bring photos of some of their favorite celebrity smiles so that we can pinpoint attributes to incorporate in a smile makeover plan. The first step in finding out more about how a smile makeover can benefit you is to have a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Hodges so that we can examine your oral health, discuss your vision of a gorgeous smile, and study the dynamics of your face, mouth, and skin tone.

Dental bonding is a cosmetic dentistry restorative procedure that helps correct the problems associated with chipped, slightly misaligned, or otherwise imperfect teeth. Dental bonding is also used as an alternative to fillings, or to protect a portion of the tooth’s root that has been exposed when gums recede. A tooth bonding procedure can generally be completed in one-appointment. Your cosmetic dentist will apply a liquid composite resin that is shaded to blend with your tooth’s color, to rebuild a pleasing shape of your tooth.

If you are a denture wearer, you probably know how uncomfortable they can be. Not only that, but they slip out, and it’s hard to eat the foods you enjoy. And they make you look older. Since you started wearing dentures, you may have noticed that your skin hangs down more, your lips fold in, and you’ve developed more wrinkles everywhere. But they can be better. We’ve found that FOY® Dentures, the Denture Fountain of Youth®, are more comfortable, more functional, and they can make you look years, even decades younger–like a nonsurgical facelift.

If you would like to learn more about FOY® Dentures in Tulsa and how they can give you a facelift without surgery, please call (918) 528-3330 or email us for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges.

Almost everyone who has lost teeth is a candidate for dental implants. The ideal candidate:

Is in good oral and general health
Not in Good Health? Treatments are available.

Is a nonsmoker
Smoker? You’ll have to quit while implants heal—and it’s best if you quit altogether.

Has good bone density at the implant site
Limited bone? Bone grafting can make the site ready for implants.

Is committed to caring for dental implants
Not Committed? We can help you make the commitment or find a better option.

Besides the cosmetic and other benefits of tooth-colored fillings, there are other reasons why many people choose to avoid metal amalgam fillings in the mouth. Some people are concerned about the risk of mercury contained in metal amalgam fillings. Although the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assert that metal amalgam fillings, and there has been no conclusive evidence of harm from them, other people are not so sure.

There is a worldwide movement to attempt to phase out mercury in dental fillings, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to make dentists use expensive filtering techniques to collect mercury that is known to pollute rivers, lakes, and other waterways. We know mercury is toxic and we know that it doesn’t stay in your teeth, but migrates throughout the body. It may be better to be safe than sorry.

Whether metal amalgam is toxic or not, we know that it interferes with the movement of Qi (chi) through the body, leading to a disturbed energy flow. The holistic dentistry benefits of tooth-colored fillings are an added benefit for many people.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of tooth-colored fillings, please contact élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges today.

Before we begin teeth bleaching, we will evaluate your oral health and make sure your teeth will benefit from bleaching and don’t need additional procedures such as root canal therapy (infected teeth can turn dark in color and won’t respond to bleaching) .

Teeth bleaching is an at-home teeth whitening approach. It benefits from the long-term contact with your teeth. You will receive custom whitening trays that are designed to fit snugly against your teeth. This keeps the whitening gel on your teeth from being diluted by saliva. It also keeps the gel off your gums, which can lead to gum irritation and recession.

The teeth whitening gel is a very strong concentration whitener, and the tooth’s natural ability to absorb oxygen draws the peroxide deep into the tooth. This whitens the tooth by dissolving stain molecules. The broken-down stains wash out.

You will use the whitener every night at first to bleach your teeth. Once your teeth reach the color you desire, you can switch to a maintenance program where you only use the whitener occasionally.

If you are interested in dental veneers, we invite you to explore Lumineers here at Tulsa Dental Care. Lumineers are a popular smile improvement choice due to the fact that they correct a wide variety smile deficiencies that brighten, straighten, and beautify a smile. Not only do Lumineers look beautiful but they are typically done in just two painless visits to your dentist.

Visit #1: We will create a mold to have customized Lumineers created for you.
Visit #2: Your Lumineers are applied to your teeth.

Sleep apnea occurs when air passages become blocked and airflow stops for periods of ten seconds or longer, repeatedly. Sufferers often feel groggy upon waking and can’t seem to shake that foggy-headed feeling. Snoring is also a side-effect of sleep apnea as snoring is related to a disrupted breathing passage. It is a very serious health problem and has been cited in increasing the risk of stroke, obesity, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and high blood pressure. It is also the leading cause of car accidents because of the way it reduces the quality of your sleep and contributes to daytime sleepiness. To help patients find relief from the problems associated with sleep apnea, Dr. Hodges creates custom-fitted oral appliances to alleviate snoring and apnea and help patients get a good night’s rest.

If you are looking for a more comfortable sleep apnea treatment option in Tulsa or if you need help finding a sleep clinic, please call (918) 528-3330 or email élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges today.

We believe that practicing holistic dentistry is a vital part of providing excellent patient care. Holistic dentistry involves using biologically compatible materials, like composite resin fillings instead of amalgam fillings, which contain mercury. We also take measures to ensure safe removal of dental amalgam for the protection of our patients, as well as our team members.

Mercury is a heavy metal making up approximately 50% of dental amalgam. Recently, Sweden has joined several other countries in banning the use of mercury fillings. The US Food and Drug Administration changed positioning on dental amalgam from stating that it is safe to, now, stating that dental amalgam containing mercury poses a hazard for pregnant women, as well as children and people with mercury sensitivity. Our philosophy is, if we would not place it in our or our family members’ mouths, we will not place it in yours.

In the past, all fillings were made of amalgam. Modern dental materials give us an attractive alternative to mercury/amalgam – composite resin. Fillings made with composite resin contain no metal or mercury. They are a major component of holistic dentistry. In addition to biocompatibility, composite fillings mimic the appearance of natural tooth structure. We can tint the composite for your fillings to make it blend with the color of your damaged tooth.

If you have amalgam fillings that you’d like removed, whether for health reasons, because they are worn, or for esthetics, we will be happy to replace them with composite resins. In our holistic approach to amalgam removal, we will make sure that toxic materials in the amalgam don’t become airborne when we remove the fillings. This procedure involves a special vacuum system, and use of the system is not required by any governing dental entity. We have invested in the system to provide you with holistic dentistry for your optimal health and peace of mind!
Advanced Dentistry for Distinctive Smiles. Call our Tulsa dental office today at (918) 528-3330 to schedule your consultation with a holistic dentist at élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges. We give Jenks, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Owasso, and surrounding areas personalized service and exemplary care.

Persistent grinding of the teeth can have a negative effect on tooth enamel, bone, gums and the jaw. The causes surrounding bruxism vary but are generally attributed to stress, anxiety, tension, misaligned teeth, posture, diet, sleeping habits, and other factors. Teeth grinding is most prevalent in women and generally found in about one-third of the population, estimated at 20 percent of the population doing so during waking hours and 8 percent during sleep. The common symptoms of grinding teeth are:

Teeth Grinding and Bruxism Tulsa
Sore jaw
Headaches
Earaches
Worn front teeth
Migraines
Micro-cracks and broken fillings
Sensitive teeth caused by teeth that are worn
Gum recession
Loose teeth
Teeth grinding as it relates to stress and anxiety tie a direct correlation to people who react to these feelings with anger, pain, frustration, aggression or competition. Individuals with bruxism may have other biting habits, such as biting fingernails, pencils, lips, or the insides of their cheeks.

The constant grinding or clenching of one’s teeth can often contribute to TMJ (temporomandibular joint) dysfunction, which has a long list of side effects associated with pain in the head and neck. The constant rubbing of teeth will result in surface wear over time, which will cause dental problems as well as insomnia, eating disorders, and depression if left untreated.

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) occurs as a result of complications with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) , jaw muscles and nerves on one or both side of the head that result in jaw, face, and head and neck pain. People with TMD suffer from TMJ pain which can lead to jaw pain, headaches, migraines, and unexplained facial neck, or shoulder pain. Fortunately patients can find TMJ relief with the effective TMJ treatments that Dr. Hodges and the knowledgeable team at élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges provide. A TMJ dentist will assess your jaw function and provide customized TMJ treatment to alleviate discomfort and restore healthy function.

Creating Strong, Healthy Smiles through Comprehensive Dentistry
Patients trust élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges to provide them with the best service dentistry has to offer. They know that her practice uses only proven therapies and the latest dental technologies to provide the highest quality dentistry to patients in all stages of life. Below is a list of the services élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges provides, feel free to familiarize yourself with the following treatments to learn more about the ways we help create bright, beautiful smiles that our patients love!

Dental Services
élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges has a reputation for creating strong, healthy smiles through comprehensive dentistry through proven technologies and our dedication to our patient’s oral health. If you have any questions, feel free to email us or give our office a call at (918) 528-3330. Below you can find links to the areas of dentistry we specialize in and educate yourself on the procedures we provide:

élan by Dr. Meghan Hodges receive excellent reviews as a Tulsa cosmetic dentistry practice. Our dentists have superb training and experience with veneers and Lumineers, as well as other cosmetic dentistry procedures.

Our office provides you with a comfortable and professional environment and we offer a variety of cosmetic, general, and restorative dentistry procedures. At our Tulsa dental office we strive to put your oral health and your comfort first while we do our very best to give you a reason to smile!

Dr. Hodges is passionate about cosmetic dentistry, highly detail-oriented with an eye for esthetics. She strives to provide her patients with the best treatment options modern dentistry has to offer. This includes orthodontic treatment (both traditional and clear braces), dental crowns, and porcelain veneers. She is dedicated to ensuring positive patient experiences. She is trained in the placement of CEREC crowns, which allows her to offer her patients with the convenience of same-day dental crowns. She also has certification in conscious sedation, so she can offer sedation dentistry to help anxious patients have a more relaxing experience.