Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics: Spokane

Braces straighten your teeth by taking advantage of your body’s natural healing and adaptation mechanisms. We think our bones are set, but they’re not. They’re designed to respond to pressure and change their shape, especially the jaw.

By applying constant pressure in a controlled way, braces encourage your body to remove bone from one side of the tooth and build it up on the other side. This allows your teeth to move.

However, this is also what can allow your teeth to drift back--repetitive biting forces can undo the work of braces, so it’s important to wear your retainer after any orthodontic treatment.

Many dentists only offer Invisalign because that’s all they know. They have limited skills and experience in orthodontics, and rely on the manufacturer for their judgement and recommendations about treatment. They think every case is an Invisalign case.

At Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics, we believe in offering our patients a choice whenever possible. You should be able to choose which is the best treatment for you based on a full explanation of the benefits and limitations of each. We’ll let you know when a treatment might not be right for you, not try to make it work just because we don’t have any other options.

Invisalign uses the same basic mechanism to move your teeth as traditional braces. Constant force applied in a precise sequence encourages your body to reshape your jawbone around the teeth. The body removes bone from one side and builds it up on the other side.

But instead of using brackets and wires like braces, Invisalign applies force with clear plastic aligners designed by a computer. These aligners achieve a stepwise progression for your smile, moving your teeth a little bit at a time. Once you’ve gone through all your aligners, your teeth will be in your desired position.

With the aligners, you can have more control over your treatment. There are no tightening visits, just checkups to make sure you’re hitting the right positions for your teeth before going on to the next aligner.

Veneers are thin facades of advanced ceramic that are bonded to your teeth. They always cover the front of the tooth, and sometimes they extend up and over the top of the tooth. Veneers can cover most of a tooth, but unlike a crown, they don’t cover the entire visible surface.

Veneers used to be made of porcelain, which is why they are sometimes called porcelain veneers. The first veneers were very fragile, but now veneers are made of advanced ceramics that are many times stronger than your natural tooth enamel. They are not completely immune to damage, but they are very fracture resistant, and most people will have them for ten years with no trouble. Most veneers in fact last for twenty years without breaking or coming off.

Veneers are one of the most powerful cosmetic dentistry procedures. They can address many common cosmetic concerns, such as:
Discolored teeth
Gaps between teeth
Crooked teeth
Chipped or worn teeth
Small or poorly shaped teeth

And veneers often offer many benefits that make them a better choice than competing options. Among other advantages, veneers let you target just the teeth you want to change, whether that’s one, two, or all visible teeth.

Whiter Than Whitening
Fast Straightening

Dental implants function like natural teeth because they are like natural teeth. Like natural teeth, they have two distinct regions: a root that is designed to bond to your jawbone, and a crown that is made to be attractive and functional.

With most implants, the root is made of titanium. Titanium has the special power to bond directly with your bone. It’s also strong enough to withstand the forces of biting and chewing. Plus, it makes a strong coating on the outside so it doesn’t rust apart.

The crown is made of high-strength ceramics that can also stand up to strong bite force, but is attractive and natural-looking. If you’re replacing multiple teeth, we might use bridges instead of crowns, but they’re still made of highly durable materials.

Dental implants really are the tooth replacement option most like your natural teeth. Dental implants:
Let you eat all the same foods
Don’t slip or fall out of your mouth
Require no special maintenance
Stimulate bone and gums
Can last a lifetime

With dental implants, you can keep eating all your favorite foods, including a healthy, nutritious variety of fruits, vegetables, and meat--even steak.

Implants are anchored in the jawbone similar to natural teeth. They won’t slip or come out, even if you’re shouting, laughing, or sneezing.

Plus, you don’t have to take special care of them. Just brush, floss, and make regular dental checkups to keep implants functioning.

Since they’re anchored in the jaw like natural teeth, implants stimulate the jawbone and gums. This keeps your body from removing the excess bone.

Two Types of White Fillings

If you are considering white filings, you have your choice of two types of filling materials: composite and ceramic. Composite fillings are made of a plastic that contains small ceramic inclusions for added strength. Ceramic fillings, also called inlays and onlays, are made of advanced ceramics similar to what we use for veneers or crowns.

Benefits of Inlays and onlays
Inlays and onlays are made of advanced ceramic materials that are many times stronger than tooth enamel. However, they look so much like tooth enamel that there’s no concern that people will know you have them. Benefits of inlays and onlays include:
High strength--can restore strength to damaged teeth
Usable for large cavities
Most attractive appearance
Stain resistant
The strength and attractiveness of inlays and onlays really make them the best in many situations. They can be more durable than silver fillings. However, they are less popular because they:
Require two visits to place
Are more expensive
People don’t know about their benefits
However, as we move into the future, we expect inlays and onlays to grow in popularity as people realize that for many situations, inlays and onlays are just the best.

Dental crowns are sheaths that fit over your natural teeth. They completely cover the visible portion of the tooth, down to and even a little below the gumline. Dental crowns come in three types:
Metal
Porcelain fused to metal (PFM)
Ceramic
Metal crowns are the oldest. They’ve been around for hundreds of years, and are usually made of gold or other noble metals that don’t corrode.

PFM crowns have an attractive ceramic exterior that is attached to a metal understructure.

Ceramic crowns are made of advanced ceramic materials that are many times stronger than tooth enamel. Some crowns are even stronger than titanium.

Benefits of Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are a great choice for restoring badly damaged teeth. They can:
Look like natural teeth
Protect the entire surface of a tooth
Restore strength to damaged teeth
Last for decades
Resist decay, wear, and stains

When properly cared for, dental crowns can take a tooth that looks like it’s doomed and bring it back into service for years, even decades. Not only that, the restored tooth will look and function like a natural, healthy tooth.

Dental bridges are tooth replacements that use your natural teeth for support. Usually, a bridge is designed with two dental crowns, one on either side of the replacement tooth, called a pontic. The crowns slip over the supporting teeth, and the pontic rests on your gums. Ideally, the pontic actually nestles into the gums, making it look more like a natural tooth.

Dental bridges are a good option for restoring missing teeth. They:
Are secure in your mouth
Let you chew normally
Are Attractive and look natural
Don’t require surgery
Can be completed quickly
Are long-lasting
Dental bridges are bonded to your natural teeth. This means they aren’t removable--and they won’t slip out if you are talking, laughing, or eating. And unlike removable dentures, they let you chew normally, so you can keep eating all your favorite foods.

Modern dental bridges are very attractive. They look like natural teeth with no wires or other visible connections.

Dental bridges are normal tooth restorations, so they don’t require any surgery. This means that they can be completed and heal quickly. You can have a new dental bridge in about a month.

Despite their short preparation time, dental bridges can last a long time: usually 10-15 years if properly designed and well cared for.

If your teeth are discolored, you might decide that it’s best to just buy one of the home whitening kits you can find at the grocery or drug store. However, there are many reasons to work with a cosmetic dentist on your teeth whitening:

Find out if whitening will be effective
Whiten safely
Whiten teeth evenly
Achieve brighter whites
Avoid sensitivity

It’s natural to assume that teeth whitening will help your discolored teeth. However, not all types of stains respond to whitening.

While whitening is safe when used as directed, it’s not always easy to follow the directions and use the whiteners safely. Other times, you might only whiten parts of your teeth, making your smile look worse.

A dentist will make sure your teeth are safe, and that your results are even. And with their stronger whitening compounds, you can achieve a brighter smile than you could on your own. Plus, they can take steps to help you avoid tooth sensitivity.

Many people look at dental insurance as being similar to health insurance, but it’s not. Health insurance partly pays for preventive care, but it’s mostly there for when you have a catastrophic problem that is very expensive and could potentially bankrupt you.

But dental insurance is different. It helps with preventive care, but if you have a major problem the insurance company will often pay little or nothing for it. If you look at a dental insurance policy, you will see that it’s mostly exclusions: what they won’t pay and how long you have to wait before they pay anything. No wonder an American Dental Association (ADA) study found that most people will pay more for dental care if they have insurance than they would pay without insurance.

Meanwhile, dental insurance can interfere with your treatment. The insurance company might deny or alter some procedures so you end up getting worse care.

Instead of counting on dental insurance, it might be best to work directly with your dentist to get affordable quality care.

Convenient Payment Options

At Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics in Spokane Valley, we know that your time is important and in demand. We also know that our patients increasingly like doing payments digitally. That’s why we’ve set up our convenient online payment system. Just click here to pay!

Benefits of a Family Dentist

It’s tempting to try to find a dental specialist for your children, but you don’t really need one. Think about the challenge of finding a dentist you truly trust. It’s hard enough to find one, so why make yourself find two or three? Plus, working with just one dentist for your entire family has benefits, like:
Combining visits for convenience
Have all your records in one place--just one update when things change
Get continuity of care
Build a better relationship with your dentist
Identify oral health challenges that affect your family as a whole
Don’t underestimate the extent to which your family shares oral health risks. Not only does your family share genetic risks, they share environmental risks. Studies have shown that people living in the same house will develop very similar oral bacteria, which can lead to very similar oral diseases. In addition, you will mostly eat the same diet: similar amounts of sugar and carbs, for example, which can increase the shared risk of gum disease and tooth decay. A family dentist can see this and anticipate problems or make recommendations that can save your entire family from future problems.

Modern medicine already fragments your experience with doctors. Why separate it even further by working with more dentists when one dentist can meet all your needs.

Mouthguards can do more than protect your teeth. They can help you maximize your performance thanks to Armourbite™ technology. Using neuromuscular dentistry, this type of appliance can position your jaw in the optimal position to reduce the burden of an imbalanced bite. Since an imbalanced bite saps your energy and obstructs your airway, it can reduce your performance. And if you’re competing at a high level, every little bit can make a difference.

With a performance mouthguard, you can experience:
Greater strength
Longer endurance
Faster reactions
Lower stress
Improved balance
More predictable performance
Lower risk of dental injury
Brochure is available here.

In every sport, you can appreciate improved performance. Even if you’re just striving for a personal best, the difference can be significant.

Gum Disease Treatment
During your visit, we will evaluate your gums and recommend the best treatment depending on the level of your disease. For early disease, we might just recommend changes in your oral hygiene. For more serious gum disease, we might recommend both changes in your home hygiene and more regular visits for professional cleaning.

However, if you have developed serious gum disease, we will recommend more targeted gum disease treatment, including laser gum treatment. This is the equivalent of root planing and scaling, where we clean out the area between your teeth and gums to eliminate bacteria and help your gums reattach.

For very serious gum disease, we might refer you to a specialist for gum surgery.

Daily oral hygiene is a simple approach to preserving the health of your teeth and gums.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that you brush twice a day and floss every day.

Brushing twice a day helps remove plaque from your teeth and minimizes damage from excessive tooth brushing and abrasive toothpastes. You should use a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is bad for oral bacteria and it is a catalyst for tooth enamel to take minerals from your saliva. This repairs your teeth and protects them from future decay. Use a low abrasive toothpaste to minimize damage to your enamel. Brush gently to avoid damaging your gums. Aggressive tooth brushing is a leading cause of receding gums.

If you want to brush more often, you can, but don’t use toothpaste more than twice a day. Flossing is critical for removing plaque that your toothbrush can’t reach. Get floss between your teeth and below the gum line.

If your teeth are sensitive to brushing or flossing at first, talk to your dentist about it. Most often, this is a sign of early disease, and further treatment will improve the situation.

Root canal therapy treats an infected or abscessed tooth. The symptoms of an infected tooth include:
Spontaneous tooth pain

Tooth sensitivity to heat, cold, or pressure
Tooth turns black
Pimple-like sore on gums
Foul taste in mouth
Chronic bad breath
Tooth or gums feels hot
Fever

Severe tooth pain that wakes you up or makes it impossible to go about your normal activity usually means you have an infected tooth. Most people think that an infected tooth always hurts. This isn’t true. Often the tooth hurts because bacteria growing inside the tooth cause crowding. Crowding puts pressure on the tooth nerve, which leads to pain. But if an infected tooth drains regularly, there’s no pressure and may be little to no pain.

Facials stimulate your body’s natural healing mechanisms with a light chemical peel. They also provide your skin with nutrients that help it heal and maintain its beautiful appearance.

The benefits of a facial can include:
Relaxing experience
Fewer blackheads
Less risk of breakouts
Brighter complexion
Softer skin
Smoother skin
Reduction in fine lines and wrinkles
Reduction in skin discoloration, including sun spots

Facials are customized to achieve your goals, so they can have variable benefits. If you are looking for specific results, we will recommend the right formula for you. We offer many different facials, including those listed here.

Facial Waxing
Waxing can be used to address many common sites of unwanted hair in the face. This can include:

Upper lip
Lower lip
Eyebrows
Cheek and sideburns
Chin
Neck

One big benefit of waxing for facial hair removal is that it can precisely target the hairs you want to remove. This can help you achieve the exact style you ‘re looking for with facial hair, including perfectly shaped brows. The lines between the hairy and hairless areas are clear, creating crisp, attractive lines, and the results are long-lasting.
Body Waxing

Waxing offers many benefits for body hair removal. First, it’s a good way to remove hair from almost anywhere, including:
Bikini area
Chest
Stomach
Arm
Underarm
Shoulders
Back
Legs

The speed of waxing really helps here. Treating body hair with lasers or with electrolysis can take a long time. But with waxing, you can get the results you want from just one quick treatment.

You can even use it if you are looking to define precise areas of hair, such as in the bikini area, or a patch of chest hair.

Migraines Linked to TMJ
The link between TMJ and migraines is less certain, in part because migraines aren’t well explained.

In many cases, people diagnosed with migraines actually have tension headaches. There are no good tests for migraines, so misdiagnosis is common.

Other times, tension headaches might be triggering your migraines. And TMJ is triggering your tension headaches.

Finally, TMJ could cause migraines by exciting the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is a key stage in the progression of migraines, and it’s also the nerve that carries signals to and from your jaw muscles. When TMJ causes excitation and pain in the jaw muscles, these signals can jam up and overwhelm the trigeminal nerve in people susceptible to migraine. This sets off the migraine chain effect.
Referred Pain Headaches
Referred pain is when pain from one part of the body is felt as coming from another part. This is why people with a heart attack might feel pain in the arm or the jaw. Or maybe they feel organ pain as being from the shoulder. It’s actually a really common phenomenon.

Referred pain headaches are actually coming from your jaw or teeth, they’re just felt as headaches.
Is TMJ Causing Your Headaches?
In truth, the only way to know for sure that TMJ is responsible for your headaches is with a scientific diagnosis. But you should seek out a TMJ diagnosis if:
Headaches occur after using your jaw (excessive talking, chewing, or teeth grinding)
You have two or more other TMJ symptoms
Treatments prescribed by doctor don’t cause relief
To schedule your TMJ evaluation in Spokane Valley, please call (509) 927-2273 today for an appointment at Collins dentistry & Aesthetics.

Holistic dentistry, sometimes also called biologic dentistry, is based on three guiding principles:
Dental materials should be biocompatible or bioinert
Procedures should be healthy for patients, the environment, and dental team members
The interconnected body means that dentistry should always be mindful of whole-body health
By adhering to these three principles, we not only take care of our patients’ teeth and mouth, we take care of their full wellbeing.

No Toxic Restorations

The first holistic dentistry principle focuses on ensuring all materials we use aren’t toxic to your body. We use only biocompatible and bio-inert dental restorations.

That’s why years ago we stopped using metal amalgam fillings. They might call these fillings “silver, ” but the main ingredient in these fillings is mercury. Mercury is one of the leading toxins in the world. It is not only dangerous to people, it is a major environmental toxin that can destroy ecosystems. The entire world is trying to get away from using mercury fillings.

Instead, we use ceramic fillings and BPA-free composite tooth-colored fillings.

Rejuvenation Services
These days, people are living longer than ever. And we don’t just have more years in our life, we want more life in our years. That means trying to look as young as we feel, despite the ongoing stresses of age and environment.

Good news: modern medicine gives us many ways to help you bridge the gap between your physical age and your psychological youth. We have several treatments that can remove the marks of time and help you look dramatically younger.
Injectables
One of the biggest steps forward in facial rejuvenation is injectable treatments. These minimally invasive approaches can help you look much younger by eliminating signs of facial aging. There are two main types of injectables in use today: BOTOX ® Cosmetic and facial fillers like Juvéderm.

BOTOX ® Cosmetic can erase many wrinkles, such as forehead lines over and between the eyes. It can also eliminate crow’s feet. It can even minimize some wrinkles around the mouth.

Juvéderm works differently. It fills in deep facial folds and replaces volume in the face. It can be used to restore volume lost due to aging in the cheeks and lips. It can also be used to build up volume in the face to alter your natural contours through lip or cheek augmentation.

Juvéderm is a versatile treatment that can be used to rejuvenate and alter your facial appearance. It is commonly used on:
Parentheses lines (nasolabial folds)
Marionette lines
Hollow cheeks
Tear trough (dark, sunken area under eyes)

Thin lips
The combination of rejuvenation and facial sculpting makes Juvéderm a very powerful and popular treatment.

Smile Lines
Smile lines around the mouth have many names (and there are many different lines that get called “smile lines”) . What we’re referring to are the the lines that make parentheses around the mouth, which is why they’re called “parentheses lines. ” They run from the corners of the nose and curve around the lips, which is why they’re called “nasolabial folds. ” They are caused by the curve of the smile pushing up against the descending fat pads from the cheek. Juvéderm can fill these lines in, reducing them significantly.

Marionette Lines
These lines start at the corners of your mouth and run down to the chin. They can make you look like a marionette, which is where the name comes from. Juvéderm fills these lines in to reduce or eliminate their appearance.
Hollow Cheeks

As we get older, our body can remove fat from our cheeks, causing them to grow hollow. In addition, the cheeks can descend, increasing the hollowness. Juvéderm has a stronger formula called Voluma that can fill and lift the cheeks.

Juvéderm is a facial filler that is made of a moisturizing molecule that’s commonly found in your skin, eyes, and joints, hyaluronic acid (HA) . HA is a great material for a filler not only because it’s natural, but because it is good at maintaining volume. HA naturally draws water to it--as we said, it’s a moisturizer. As the body breaks down the HA, the water helps the filler maintain its volume. That’s why Juvéderm can achieve such long-lasting results, at least six months and sometimes as much as two years.

Dr. Ken Collins has studied considerably in areas of cosmetic and neuromuscular dentistry at the world-renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI). LVI immediately recognized his talent and made him the youngest clinical instructor in the school’s history in 2001.

Since then, he has continued to expand his knowledge of dentistry to include new approaches like CBCT planning of dental implants, laser dentistry, Invisalign, and more.
Dr. Marnie Collins attended Creighton University Dental School. She graduated in 1998, and entered private practice. She provides a wide range of dental services, but is mostly interested in orthodontics and family dentistry.