Advanced Dentistry of Tarrytown

It often produces its most obvious symptoms in and around the jaw. Common TMJ symptoms include:

-Clicking or popping in the jaw joint
-Pain or swelling around the jaw
-Limited jaw movement

However, because major nerves that run through your jaw also run through your entire face, symptoms can be far-ranging. They may include things such as migraine-type headaches and pressure in the ears and eyes as well. Some studies indicate that as much as 80% of TMJ sufferers also experience ear-related symptoms, such as tinnitus, ear pain, ear fullness, vertigo, or dizziness.

This joint condition is often detected during your regularly scheduled dental visits to our office. If you experience any of the symptoms in between visits you should contact our office at 914-332-4402 to schedule a neuromuscular evaluation with Dr. Wanda as soon as possible.

If you are one of the millions of Americans suffering from frequent migraine headaches, you know how debilitating they can be. To treat migraine pain, many people look to prescription medications which serve to dull the pain. However, the side effects can also interrupt your ability to work and enjoy life. What’s more, these medications can become addictive and result in internal damages, all without addressing the underlying problem.

A common cause of migraine headaches is TMJ, a disorder in the jaw joint that can produce pain throughout the face, head, and neck. If TMJ is the cause, only a neuromuscular dentist can provide you with the treatment you need for long-term relief.

Probably the most common source of jaw pain in TMJ is sore and tired muscles. With this type of jaw pain, you will likely notice your jaw pain comes and goes in relation to jaw activity. It gets worse after eating or talking, and especially if you are clenching your teeth due to stress. You may also notice your jaw hurts a lot when you wake up in the morning due to clenching your jaws at night. Other times, though, you might just experience a constant, dull ache.

Your jaw muscles typically work together in teams. When your jaw system is in alignment, these muscles help each other efficiently. If your jaw is out of balance, though, your jaw muscles won’t be helping each other—they might even be working against one another. If your jaw is enough out of balance, your muscles won’t be able to find a comfortable rest position. This means that your muscles are constantly working, even if you think your jaw is idle.

Tense muscles often spread tension to muscles they work with in the head and neck, leading to headaches and neck pain.

Whether used as a foundation for a dental crown or to support full or partial dentures, dental implants provide superior hold for full functional and aesthetic restoration.

Unlike dentures that sit on top of the gums or dental bridges that rely on adjacent teeth for support, dental implants are placed directly into your jawbone. This allows dental implants to provide benefits including:

-No risk of slipping or falling out
-No damage or reliance on adjacent teeth
-Maximum restoration of biting and chewing abilities
-Natural looking, superior aesthetics

However, the largest benefit of dental implants is that they replace your tooth’s root. This makes dental implants the only tooth replacement option that not only restores function and beauty, but prevents bone loss in the jaw, allowing implants to preserve your natural facial structure.

How can you use just four dental implants to do the work of the 14-16 teeth? There are two secrets. First, the strength of the materials. Dental implants are made of titanium, which means that individually they’re stronger than your natural tooth roots and capable of supporting more force. The bridge itself is made of some of the most advanced zirconia ceramics with a solid titanium substructure.

Second, it’s the placement of the dental implants that allows for restoration of the entire arch with just four dental implants. Years of study have shown the places where your body is most likely to retain bone, even if you lose your teeth or have gum disease. Two of the implants are placed in the front of the mouth, and two of them in the rear. These rear implants will have to bear most of the bite force, so they’re angled to give them maximum support in your bone.

One common complaint about dentures is that they make you look old. But they don’t have to. The problem is that most dentures aren’t made to accommodate for the loss of volume in your lower face that comes with tooth loss. Not only are your teeth lost, but your jawbone loses volume because it isn’t supporting teeth so the body removes what it considers to be “unnecessary” bone. When this happens, your face can shrink, and if your dentures don’t replace that lost volume, you can end up with:

-A sunken appearance
-Hanging jowls
-Deep facial folds around the mouth
-“Witch’s chin”

Our denture dentists use neuromuscular dentistry to figure out the original dimensions of your teeth and jawbone. They “read” your jaw muscles to discover the optimal vertical dimension of your face. This means they replace volume lost not just in your teeth, but your jawbone as well. This restores your face to its youthful proportions, which can dramatically reverse the apparent aging of your face.

Every smile has unique needs and no single option is ever ideal for every problem. Dr. Mejia is an experienced cosmetic dentist who strongly believes in providing individual attention to each patient she sees. When you come to our office, Dr. Mejia will take the time necessary to understand your particular concerns and work to customize your services to meet your specific needs. This may include combining general and cosmetic dentistry services as well as correcting underlying issues such as malocclusion or TMJ.

Our primary concerns are your health and happiness. Working with you on a personal basis, we are confident we can provide you with all of the services you need to obtain and maintain a stunningly beautiful smile.

Dr. Wanda and Dr. George received their cosmetic training at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) . As LVI-trained dentists, they have access to the LVI smile catalog, an incredibly useful tool in the planning of your perfect smile makeover.

The LVI smile catalog includes pictures of different shapes of anterior (front) teeth. This allows us to work together closely. We can consider and hand-pick the type of smile you find most attractive. Plus, we can use the tool to provide our dental lab partners with a visual aid that ensures you always get the exact smile you desire.

We value your input and strive to provide you with the highest level of service. By taking your goals into account and combining your desires with your cosmetic dentist’s experience in aesthetic and functional dentistry, we can tailor your treatment options to tackle even the most nuanced imperfections, producing a smile you’ll be proud to show off.

Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition in which breathing stops for several seconds at inconsistent intervals while you are sleeping. With central sleep apnea, this is caused by miscommunication between your brain and your breathing muscles. This condition often requires medical devices such as CPAP machines that provide a continuous flow of oxygen while you are sleeping. Tarrytown sleep apnea dentists can assist you in treating your symptoms.
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused when your airways are blocked by overly relaxed muscles in your mouth and throat. CPAP machines are often unnecessary for the treatment of this more common form.

Treating obstructive sleep apnea may require little more than a customized orthotic device that is worn while you are sleeping. Dr. Wanda Mejia and Dr. George Sepiashvili can work with your sleep doctor to determine if this solution would be effective for you.

Snoring is caused by narrowing of your airways. When your airways are broad, air flows smoothly through them. When your airway narrows, the airflow becomes turbulent, causing your tissues to vibrate, which is what we hear as the sound of snoring. There are many reasons why your airway might narrow, including:

-Narrow nasal passage
-Large soft palate
-Sagging tongue

Large throat poorly supported by the jaw
Of these, the last two tend to be the most serious. They have the most potential to seriously restrict and even close your airway.

Teeth whitening will brighten your smile. Tooth discoloration is perhaps the most common cosmetic dental problem dealt with at our comfortable Tarrytown office. Because so many factors can combine to make teeth dingy, discolored, or stained, and a regular dental hygiene routine is often ineffective at addressing these issues, more people look to teeth whitening solutions every year.

Porcelain veneers, also known as dental veneers, offer one of the most effective solutions for addressing common cosmetic dental problems. These wafer-thin shells are custom created by our dental lab partners to cover cosmetic imperfections and produce a seamlessly beautiful appearance to teeth that are:

-Unevenly spaced or crooked
-Irregularly shaped or sized
-Chipped or cracked
-Discolored underneath the enamel

The health of your teeth and gums relies on more than a good dental hygiene routine. In fact, the entire branch of general dentistry is focused on preventing, detecting, and treating oral health issues, helping ensure your teeth remain strong for a lifetime.

However, general dentistry is about more than just the health of your mouth. Several studies have found that infections in the teeth and gums can heighten your risk for certain heart conditions as well as complicate preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes.

Many of our patients find Invisalign preferable to traditional braces for aesthetic reasons. However, the invisibility of these aligners is far from their only benefit. Because they can be removed, the trays offer many benefits including:

-Removable for special occasions
-No dietary restrictions
-No interference with dental hygiene

In addition, soft plastic aligners are much more comfortable than hard metal braces and will not cut or irritate sensitive oral tissue. Many people also find switching aligners to further treatment less invasive than the manual adjustments required for wire and bracket braces. However, most people experience slight discomfort with Invisalign. It’s usually worse when you first switch aligners. Typically, you can control discomfort with over-the-counter pain medicine.

Anxiety about visiting the dentist keeps many people from getting regular dental care. Sometimes it even drives people to avoid treating tooth pain until they can no longer stand it. Waiting causes severe damage to occur, including gum disease, bone damage, and tooth loss. Your dental visits don’t have to strike fear in your heart, sedation dentistry can make your dental visit a calming experience.

If you experience high levels of anxiety, or have other conditions that make visiting the dentist an ordeal, you might benefit from sedation dentistry. This calming procedure allows you to relax during your visit so that you can get the dental care you need. We also offer NuCalm relaxation dentistry to patients who commonly feel dental anxiety.

Family dentistry can be better for your oral health. The family that eats together stays together, but it also develops cavities together. When we treat your whole family, we can see how this affects you. That lets us make recommendations about diet changes or other lifestyle changes that can benefit everyone’s oral health.

We can also look out for genetic risks in your family. Gum disease relates to how your body responds to oral bacteria. This is partly controlled by your genes. So if parents have gum disease, we know to watch for it in children. The same is true for bite problems like TMJ.

We offer two types of tooth colored fillings. One is made from a composite resin and the other is made from advanced ceramics similar to all ceramic dental crowns or porcelain veneers. This type is called dental inlays and onlays. This allows Dr. Mejia to preserve much more of your natural tooth structure. Temperature fluctuations in your mouth don’t affect the white fillings material. This allows tooth colored fillings to provide consistent protection with no risk of falling out.

They can also protect your teeth from breaking. Dental inlays and onlays are more reliable and stronger than their metal alternatives. Composite resin fillings preserve more of your natural tooth structure, are much better for the health of your smile. Due to the aesthetic and functional superiority of white fillings, they are the only option our dentists offer. If you have metal fillings you would like to have replaced with this superior option, Dr. Mejia can discuss your options with you during your initial consultation.

Missing teeth are unsightly, but they also have a significant impact on the health of your other teeth. When you are missing teeth, the strength of your bite is diminished. In addition, teeth adjacent to those missing will eventually begin to slip into the empty space. This movement can further alter the strength and tension of your bite, and can also result in additional tooth loss.

By placing a dental bridge, Dr. Wanda or Dr. George can restore strength and beauty to your smile. Dental bridges are effective at restoring bite strength, preventing tooth slippage, and helping ensure continued function for a number of years. They’re also a great way to restore adjacent teeth that have been damaged or decayed.

Dental crowns are tooth-shaped caps that can be placed over existing teeth or used in conjunction with a dental bridge or implant to replace a missing tooth. In addition, Dr. Wanda Mejia and Dr. George Sepiashvili commonly use dental crowns to:

-Strengthen a tooth weakened by decay
-Protect a tooth with a large dental filling
-Preserve a tooth that has been broken, chipped, or worn down
-Guard against damage following a root canal
-Support the bite as part of TMJ treatment

The role dental crowns play in strengthening and protecting your smile will be dependent on your unique dental issues. Our cosmetic dentists can discuss this with you in more detail during your initial consultation.

The state-of-the-art technology used by Dr. Mejia at Advanced Dentistry can often spot infection during your regularly scheduled dental hygiene visits. However, symptoms of infection include:

-Toothache
-Increased sensitivity
-Tooth discoloration
-Swelling of the gums

Formation of an abscess (like a pimple on your gums)
If you are experiencing any of the signs of tooth infection, please call us at 914-332-4402 to schedule an examination today.

Since its recent introduction, laser dentistry has grown dramatically in popularity. That’s because it offers many benefits, including:

-Precise targeting–doesn’t harm surrounding tissue
-Minimally invasive
-Less discomfort–you may not need anesthesia
-Stitches may not be required
-Less risk of infection
-Less bleeding
-Faster healing

A laser allows us to precisely target the area to be treated–and they don’t harm the tissues around the treated area. This allows us to perform minimally invasive procedures that accomplish results with less discomfort. Some people may even find they don’t need anesthesia for their procedure.

Gum disease is when bacteria living in your mouth begin to infect your gums. In its earliest form, gingivitis, gum disease may be spotted by gums that bleed easily or become red and swollen. As soon as these symptoms appear, it is important that you contact a dentist to schedule an examination. Left untreated, gingivitis can progress into periodontitis, a much more serious condition.

Periodontitis is the advanced form of gum disease. Symptoms of periodontitis may include:

-Gum recession
-Gums pulling away from teeth
-Pus between teeth
-Loose or shifting teeth
-Chronic bad breath

With periodontitis, infection below the gum line can begin to spread into the bone and connective tissue that hold teeth in place. Not only can this result in tooth loss, the infection can spread throughout the body and increase your risk for heart attack, stroke, and a number of other medical issues. To prevent these issues it is vital that you contact Dr. Wanda or Dr. George for periodontal treatment as soon as possible.

Your at-home routine should be consistent, but must be complemented by visits to our office for optimal oral health. These visits should take place every six months and will include a professional cleaning along with a thorough examination of your teeth and gums.

The examination performed by Dr. Wanda or Dr. George is essential for detecting small problems before they become serious issues. When caught early on, even serious problems like gum disease can easily be treated, helping keep your teeth healthy and beautiful for years to come.

Our professional general dentistry services may include routine cleanings and examinations. They may also include treatments such as:

-Dental fillings
-Root canals
-Dental crowns

The services you require will be based on your unique needs and customized to help preserve your natural teeth and keep your smile strong and healthy.

The goal of reconstructive dentistry is usually to make your smile as close as possible to the way it was before it was damaged. There are many potential causes of smile damage:

-Dental decay
-Dental erosion
-Bad bite
-Traumatic accident

Each comes with its own pattern of damage which requires a special approach to fix. But these types of damage are fixable, and it’s vital that they are fixed.

Damage to your smile is more than just a physical harm. It can be emotionally damaging, especially if you’ve lost one or more teeth. Your smile is a vital part of your self-image, as well as a vital part of how others see you. Restoring it can help you achieve a full physical and emotional recovery.

Functional orthodontics offers many benefits above and beyond straight teeth. With functional orthodontics, we can achieve:

-Balance between the upper and lower jaws
-Improved facial appearance
-A healthy bite
-An open airway
-Results without surgery or tooth extraction

One of the key problems facing children as they grow is that their jaws aren’t developing in balance. One jaw is typically developing more than the other. With functional orthodontics, we can expand the jaw with deficient development to match the more developed jaw. This improves the appearance of a weak chin, receding chin, or jutting chin.

Knowing that a cosmetic dentist must also have a strong background in the function of the jaw, Dr. Wanda took a residency with the famous Dr. Jay Gerber, a pioneer in the field of TMJ treatment and orthodontics. Adding additional training in neuromuscular dentistry at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Study (LVI), and certification in Invisalign, Dr. Wanda is a cosmetic dentist with a broad foundation in jaw function and orthodontics, which helps to make sure her dentistry is as functional and long-lasting as it is beautiful.

Dr. Wanda is also certified in obstructive sleep apnea treatment, so she can utilize her understanding of the jaw and airway to help improve the health of her patients.

Dr. George Sepiashvili
Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. George Sepiashvili Tarrytown New York
Cosmetic dentist Dr. George was born in Georgia—the one that used to be part of the Soviet Union, not the one that used to be part of the Confederacy—and received his first dental degree at the University of St. Petersburg. He also came to New York to study dentistry and received a second dental degree at New York University, where he met Dr. Wanda. He began his advanced training as a cosmetic dentist in the same way, with a two-year residency focused on dental implants.