The Truth about Oral Piercings and Your Oral Health
August 14, 2015
For some people, oral piercings are a means of self-expression and individuality. The truth of the matter is, however, that piercings have been practiced by most civilizations throughout history. Preserved bodies, such as those of Egyptian pharaohs, have piercings. Mayans practiced the art of tongue piercing, and as a mark of puberty, Eskimo young men pierced their lower lips. So the trend is hardly new. What is new, though, is what we know about the connection between oral piercing and oral health. Committed to your complete oral health, Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, offer the facts about oral piercing and the health of mouth.
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Always have a White Smile with Bright White Forever from Blanco Circle Dental Care
May 22, 2015
So, you’ve decided to whiten your teeth. Good for you! Really. After all, researchers have found that people with white teeth are considered to be smarter, more out-going and—no surprise—more attractive than people whose smiles are not white. Now, you must decide how you’re going to whiten your teeth. What if you could choose a treatment that kept your smile bright and white indefinitely? Bright White Forever is a plan that Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care offer to patients in and around Salinas, CA, to help them not only maintain white smiles, but healthy smiles, too.
At Blanco Circle Dental Care, we do offer both in-office and take-home teeth whitening with Opalescence products. These treatments, however, can cost as much as $350. With White Bright Forever, you only pay an initial membership fee of $89! For this price, you’ll receive bleaching trays that are custom-made to fit your mouth, as well as professional grade whitening gel. Simply fill the trays and wear them whenever you have the time, and you’ll soon have a whiter and brighter smile right in the comfort of your own home.
Bright White Forever and You
In return for this great deal, the dentists and their staff at Blanco Circle Dental Care only ask that you:
Schedule regular dental checkups. To remain a member-in-good-standing in the Bright White Forever program, we’ll need to see you in the office at least twice each year for regular exams. These checkups help ensure your dental health. In addition, when you come to our office for one of these visits, we’ll give you more bleaching gel.
Provide 48 hours notice if you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment. We’re happy to reschedule your checkup, but please let us know in advance so we can offer your time slot to another patient.
Call Our Office Today
If you’d like to learn more about Bright White Forever, or if you’re ready to schedule a checkup, then call Blanco Circle Dental Care. We conveniently serve patients in Salinas, CA, as well as Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Dental Implants from Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA
May 8, 2015
If you have any missing teeth, then think of all the things you’ll be able to do better and more easily if you replace those teeth. For one, you’ll be able to speak more clearly. Secondly, you’ll maintain a healthier diet because you’ll again be able to chew nutritious foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. And last but certainly not least, you’ll smile and laugh more often and just plain look better without missing teeth. Now are you ready to replace those gaps in your smile with natural looking replacements? If the answer to that question is, “Yes!” then Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, are ready to restore your happy smile with dental implants.
Dental implants are one of a few options available for tooth replacement. What makes dental implants different is that they don’t just replace the portion of your tooth that is visible above the gum line; they also replace a tooth’s root. As such, a dental implant more closely resembles a natural tooth than other tooth replacement choices.
Dental Implants for You
At Blanco Circle Dental Care, our dentists will first conduct a thorough examination of your oral health and the density of your jawbone in order to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for dental implants. Most patients are, in which case you are only two appointments away from have a full smile again. At the first appointment, a titanium post will be surgically implanted in the bone beneath the space of your missing tooth. If you have more than one missing tooth, then posts can be implanted at points along an arch; these post can then anchor a full or partial denture.
Once you’ve healed and the post and surrounding bone tissue are tightly bonded, a porcelain crown is attached and your new tooth is complete.
Call Our Office Today
To learn more about dental implants or to schedule an appointment, call Blanco Circle Dental Care. We conveniently serve patients in Salinas, CA, as well as Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Straight Teeth and a More Beautiful Smile with ClearCorrect in Salinas, CA
April 22, 2015
If you didn’t have the opportunity to have traditional braces when you were a child, then you may still want to have orthodontic treatment, but not the mouthful of metal. No worries. With ClearCorrect Invisible Braces, Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care have made many smiles around Salinas, CA, more attractive and they can do the same for you.
ClearCorrect straightens teeth using a series of clear, custom-made and removable aligners that move teeth gradually. You’ll need to wear your ClearCorrect aligners for the better part of the day, removing them only to eat, drink or brush and floss your teeth. ClearCorrect can be used to treat a number of orthodontic conditions, including:
- Teeth that are crooked or rotated
- Underbites
- Overbites
- Gaps between teeth
- Teeth that are overcrowded
The ClearCorrect Process
When you come to Blanco Circle Dental Care for ClearCorrect, we’ll take impressions, photographs and x-rays of your teeth. These, along with a detailed prescription from Dr. Klugman or Dr. Bianco will be sent to the ClearCorrect lab where a 3D model of your teeth is created. From this, a treatment plan is developed to show you how and where your teeth will move through each phase of your ClearCorrect orthodontic course. If you and the dentist approve the treatment plan, then your aligners will be fabricated in the ClearCorrect lab and sent to Blanco Circle Dental Care.
The aligners arrive in a series of sets. You’ll need to wear each set for about three weeks before moving on to the next set. As you progress, you’ll see your teeth gradually move into position. Depending on your unique situation, treatment may take one to two years. Then, you’ll see the beautifully straight smile you’ve always wanted.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If you’d like to learn more about what ClearCorrect can do for your smile, then call for a consultation at Blanco Circle Dental Care. We conveniently serve patients in Salinas, CA, as well as Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Children’s Dentistry in Salinas, CA
April 8, 2015
Your children depend on you to take care of them, look out for them, teach them and guide them. That includes, well, about a million different things and one of those is making sure they are on the path toward a lifetime of good oral health. Naturally, that means you need to find a dentist who can properly care for your children’s teeth. Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, provide children’s dentistry that is professional, compassionate and comfortable.
Actually, parents are the ones who first make sure their kids take dental care seriously. When you model a good at-home regimen of brushing and flossing your teeth every day, then your children know that this is important to you and it is more likely to be something they’ll want to do, too. In fact, you can make brushing teeth a family activity that you do each night before bed!
Visiting the Dentist
Sometime before their third birthdays, we want to see them at Blanco Circle Dental Care. Their first appointment will be as relaxed and pleasant as possible. We’ll count their teeth and examine carefully for any signs of tooth decay, and we’ll also evaluate the health of their gums. Yes, children can get gum disease. If they seem ready, we’ll also clean their teeth, too.
Many times, children need a little help in the battle against the bacteria that causes decay. To help, Dr. Klugman or Dr. Bianco may recommend fluoride treatments or dental sealants. Fluoride is a mineral that has been proven to strengthen teeth’s enamel, your children’s natural and first line of defense against cavities. Dental sealants are white or clear plastic coatings that are “painted” on to your children’s molars to create a physical barrier between teeth and bacteria.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If it’s time for your children to see the children’s dentist Salinas depends on, then call the office of Blanco Circle Dental Care. We conveniently serve patients in Salinas, CA, as well as Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Cosmetic Dentistry for a Beautiful Smile in Salinas, CA
March 22, 2015
The first and foremost responsibility of a dentist is the health of your teeth and gums. But sometimes, you want a dentist who understands how important it is for you to have a smile that looks good, too. And that’s where cosmetic dentistry comes into the picture. Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, offer a number of cosmetic dentistry treatments, so you can have a smile that is beautiful and confident.
Teeth Whitening
Probably the most common and the most popular cosmetic procedure is teeth whitening. Whether you prefer to whiten quickly in our office or at home on your own time, we have the right whitening system for you. Both of the systems we use at Blanco Circle Dental Care are by Opalescence®.
Cosmetic Bonding and Porcelain Veneers
For teeth that are deeply stained, or are chipped, cracked or slightly crooked, the solution may be cosmetic bonding or porcelain veneers. With cosmetic bonding, one of our dentists uses a tooth-colored composite resin to correct your smile imperfection. The composite material is bonded to the facial surface of your damaged tooth to create a new form or finish. Porcelain veneers, made of ultra-thin layers of dental porcelain that are bonded to the front of the teeth in your smile zone to create a new and beautiful smile, conceal your teeth’s flaws.
ClearCorrect
ClearCorrect is an orthodontic system that uses clear plastic aligners to straighten teeth, rather than traditional metal braces. If you missed the opportunity to have braces as a child and you would now like to straighten your teeth as an adult, ClearCorrect can be the inconspicuous option you might prefer.
Call Our Office Today
If you would like to schedule a consultation to learn more about any of the cosmetic dentistry procedures that Blanco Circle Dental Care offers, then call the office today. We conveniently serve patients in Salinas, CA, as well as Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Calm Your Nerves with Sedation Dentistry in Salinas, CA
March 8, 2015
If you can’t remember the last time you had a dental checkup because you are fearful of anything having to do with dentistry, well then, you are in good company. Millions of adults count themselves among those who are dental-phobes. Nowadays, however, you don’t need to fear the dentist. With sedation dentistry, Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, can soothe your fears so you can have that long overdue dental work.
Most people don’t realize that regularly seeing your dentist is more than just a matter of your oral health—it’s also a matter of your overall health. The health of your teeth and gums is connected to the health of other bodily systems. For example, gum disease has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, obesity and low infant birth weight among many other conditions. Therefore, when you take care of your oral health, you take care of yourself.
Sedation Dentistry at Blanco Circle Dental Care
At Blanco Circle Dental Care, we want to help you overcome your fear of dentistry so you can enjoy good health. Therefore, we offer three kinds of sedation dentistry. One option is nitrous oxide sedation. With this method, you breathe a regulated amount of nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, through a nose mask. The nitrous oxide and oxygen mixture relaxes you, so you can have your dental work completed in comfort. Once the gas is stopped, the effect wears off immediately.
Another option is oral conscious sedation. In this case, you will be given a prescription for a mild sedative that you will take before coming to our office for you dental appointment. You will feel calm, but remain conscious so you can communicate with the doctor during treatment. Because the medication is a sedative, you will need to have a friend or family member drive you to and from our office.
Finally, there is IV sedation, which is reserved for longer appointments, such as those involving oral surgery, or for people with a sensitive gag reflex or painful TMJ symptoms that prevent them from keeping their mouths open for a long time.
Call Our Office Today
If you would like to learn more about how sedation dentistry could help you overcome your fear of the dentist, then call Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA. We conveniently serve patients in Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
General and Family Dentistry from Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA
February 22, 2015
Beautiful and healthy smiles don’t just happen. Like anything worth having they take work. And in this case, the work is completed by a partnership: you and your dentist. With general and family dentistry from Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas CA, you can rely on Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco to be your trusted partners in achieving beautiful and healthy smiles for you and your entire family.
Dental Checkups: the Foundation of General and Family Dentistry
In keeping with the recommendation of the American Dental Association, Drs. Klugman and Bianco would like to see you and each member of your family every six months for checkups. With these regularly scheduled visits, we can better track your oral health and spot any developments before they become painful or expensive problems.
At these checkups, we will clean your teeth and remove plaque buildup; we’ll check the health of your gums and other soft tissue; and we’ll carefully examine your teeth for decay. If we do find a cavity—or any other concerning issue, such as gum disease, signs of TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) or teeth clenching and grinding—then we will want to treat with the most up-to-date procedure. Thus, we offer tooth-colored fillings for cavities, TMJ therapy to relieve your pain and nightguards to protect your teeth from nighttime teeth grinding.
Your Role in General and Family Dentistry
Dr. Klugman and Dr. Bianco want you to take a proactive role in your dental care. Therefore, we encourage you to contact our office immediately if you or a family member is experiencing discomfort or any visible concern. Beyond that, our dental hygienists will show you how to properly brush and floss your teeth, so that you can maintain your oral health in between your regularly scheduled checkups.
Schedule an Appointment Today
For the best in general and family dentistry in Salinas, CA, call the office of Blanco Circle Dental Care today. We conveniently serve patients in Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Repair Those Minor Flaws in your Smile with Cosmetic Bonding in Salinas, CA
February 8, 2015
When you see your smile in the mirror or in a picture, is your eye drawn to that one little flaw? If there was just something you could do to fix it, then you’d have the greatest smile imaginable. Well, cosmetic bonding might be the fix your smile needs. Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco at Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, have used cosmetic bonding to improve many patients’ smiles and they can do the same for you!
With cosmetic bonding, the dentists at Blanco Circle Dental Care can repair a number of imperfections in your smile, including teeth that are chipped, cracked or stained and discolored; teeth that are somewhat misaligned or have irregular gaps between them; and teeth that are overly worn down.
What is Cosmetic Bonding?
Cosmetic bonding is a relatively simple procedure that Dr. Klugman or Dr. Bianco can usually accomplish in a single visit. In fact, if you’ve ever needed a dental cavity filled, then chances are you have some of the same material dentists use for bonding in your mouth already. In the case of cosmetic bonding, this same material—a tooth-colored composite resin—is applied to the surface of your flawed tooth or teeth to create a more pleasing appearance.
To restore your tooth, the dentist applies the composite resin to the tooth’s surface, and then carefully shapes it and quickly hardens it with a curing light. This process is repeated until the flaw is repaired and the desired appearance is achieved. Finally, we make sure the bonding material is polished to match the sheen of your existing teeth. In one short visit, that one little flaw is fixed and you have a beautiful, new smile!
Call Our Office Today
If you’d like to schedule an appointment for cosmetic bonding, then call the office of Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA. We conveniently serve patients in Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.
Repair Your Smile with a Crown & Bridge in Salinas, CA
January 22, 2015
If you are missing teeth—even if you are only missing one tooth—then you know the consequences can be dire. You may be reluctant to speak or smile because you are self-conscious about missing teeth. And then there is the issue of not having a fully nutritious diet because you are unable to eat certain foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables. Obviously, replacing missing teeth is imperative. Fortunately, Dr. Gary Klugman and Dr. Christina Bianco of Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA, are highly experienced in the art of crown and bridge restorations.
What is a Crown and Bridge?
A bridge is a prosthetic dental device that spans the gap left by a missing tooth or teeth. The gap is filled with what is called a pontic, or false tooth. The bridge is firmly held in place by crowns that are attached to the teeth on either side of the gap. Hence, the complete prosthetic is commonly referred to as a crown and bridge.
If you and your dentist determine that a crown and bridge is your best option for tooth replacement, then we’ll take x-rays and impressions of the area that is missing teeth in order to fabricate a bridge that looks natural with your other teeth. The anchor teeth—those on either side of the missing tooth—will be prepared for crowns. Another impression of the prepared teeth will be taken in order to ensure the bridge fits snuggly in place. While your custom crown and bridge is made in a dental lab, we’ll give you a temporary to wear. Then, in a few weeks, you’ll return to the office of Blanco Circle Dental care to have your permanent crown and bridge fitted and cemented into place.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If you would like to learn more about a crown and bridge for tooth replacement, call the office of Blanco Circle Dental Care in Salinas, CA. Our dentists and their team also serve patients from Hollister, Monterey, Seaside, Prunedale, Marina, Greenfield, Gilroy and King City and beyond.