Teeth Whitening – a Woodland’s Holiday Smile Celebration

The holidays are just around the corner and you have probably been busy gearing up for all the festivities and social gatherings involved. You dragged the decorations out of the attic. You have shopped for your outfits and made your appointments with your favorite salon. But don’t forget – your smile will be on display during the holidays more than any other time of the year. Smile whitening from Shirley, E. Cagle DDS in the Woodlands can help get your smile ready to dazzle. I offer both in office whitening with Zoom! and take-home teeth whitening so you can whiten your teeth at your convenience. Zoom! Whitening is a very quick procedure – you’ll be in and out of the office in about an hour – and the results are instantly dramatic. If you prefer homewhitening, you can be sure that your experience will be comfortable and customized. I take impressions of your teeth and create whitening trays that are designed just for you. Simply fill them with our prescription-strength gel and bubble away the stains whenever you need to. If I have already made you a whitening tray, just call or stop by and pick up a refill! For more information or to schedule a whitening appointment, call me, Dr. Shirley Cagle, at my Woodlands, Texas office at 281.681.9442 or visit www.shirleycagledds.com.

Inlays and Onlays for Stronger Woodlands Restorations

Any kind of damage to your tooth is a drag. So, isn’t it nice to know that you have a variety of repair options that are both tooth conserving and beautiful? In addition to our white fillings for smaller repairs, we also offer porcelain dental inlays and onlays to our Woodlands patients. These are a bit like a crown but smaller and are used when more than half of your tooth’s chewing surface has been damaged. They are custom made to fit your tooth and because master ceramicists make them in our trusted labs, they look completely natural in your smile. I think inlays and onlays are a great choice because they wear so well and are not forced into your tooth the way old-fashioned metal fillings were. This helps your tooth maintain its own strength and integrity for a longer lasting smile. For more information about porcelain dental inlays and onlays, call me, Dr. Shirley Cagle, at my Woodlands, Texas office at 281.681.9442 or visit www.shirleycagledds.com.

Keeping Up With Dental Cleanings and Exams in the Woodlands

 When was the last time you were in our Woodlands office for a dental cleaning and exam? Life these days is so busy it is easy to forget to take time for the basics. But dental cleanings and exams aren’t actually so basic. They are a crucial factor in keeping your mouth – and your body – healthy. Why? First, your gums and their health can have a huge impact on the rest of your body. When gums are infected, that infection can cause an inflammatory response, and that response has been shown to lead to heart attacks, strokes, cancers, Diabetic concerns, respiratory issues, joint replacement problems – the list goes on and on! Dentalcleanings and exams are also important to help diagnose oral cancer in its earliest stage and to protect your teeth by finding cavities while they are still almost invisible to the naked eye. To schedule your regular dentalcleaning and check up, call me, Dr. Shirley Cagle, at my Woodlands, Texas office at 281.681.9442 or visit www.shirleycagledds.com.

Regular Dental Cleaning Keeping You Healthy in the Woodlands

Some people only schedule their hygiene or dental cleaning visits once a year or even once every other year. They feel that they can take care of their teeth themselves, keeping them clean with regular brushing and flossing. The truth is that much of what is happening to your teeth doesn’t happen on the chewing surfaces but between your teeth and at the edge of and below your gums. This means that no matter how well you brush your chewing surfaces or floss, the bacteria of plaque and tartar could still be building up – and that build up of bacteria gets in your blood stream, causing all kinds of problems – even if you do not have active gum disease. If you do, things get a lot more serious.

Gum disease, as I have mentioned before, can lead to strokes, heart attacks, premature babies, diabetic complications, inflammatory disease, even certain kinds of cancers – and the list is growing!

Another important reason to come in for your cleaning more than once a year is that we can keep an eye out for early signs of oral cancer, decay and other oral health issues. If no one is looking, it is hard to catch small problems before they turn into big ones.

Of course, one of the nicest and most immediate benefits of regular cleanings is how great your teeth look and feel directly after a cleaning. Cleaning makes teeth positively lickable! To schedule your cleaning and check-up, call me, Dr. Shirley Cagle, at 281.681.9442 or read more about oral hygiene and the benefits of regular dental cleanings at http://www.shirleycagledds.com/dental-health-the-woodlands/oral-hygiene.asp

Artful Dental Bonding for a Gorgeous Woodlands Smile

Do you have some minor chips or cracks in your teeth? Are your teeth discolored or stained and can’t be whitened effectively? Do you have cavities at your gum line?  I have found that when dental bonding is done properly, it can be a great solution for repairing and covering all kinds of cosmetic and restorative issues.  I have even used it to effectively close gaps and lengthen short teeth for folks who don’t want porcelain veneers. Best of all, it can be completed in one office visit so you don’t have to wait for a laboratory to create your restoration.

The secret to beautiful and strong cosmetic dental bonding is in the new bonding materials and techniques. The newest resins are stronger and more stain resistant, and while they won’t resist stains and breakage as well as porcelain, these resins are pretty impressive.

I also use layering and shading techniques to make a much more translucent and naturally shaded tooth surface. To me, it is an artistic process, similar to sculpting, and I really enjoy the challenge of mimicking nature. I am a perfectionist so I don’t quit until it looks just right. Most patients tell me that they have a hard time distinguishing the teeth I have bonded from the surrounding natural teeth!

For more information about the benefits of dental bonding visit my website www.shirleycagledds.com or give me, Dr. Shirley Cagle, a call at 281.681.9442.