Snoring disrupts more than a night’s rest. Learn how sleep apnea treatment from Owasso dentists, Drake & Voto, improves air exchange and overall health.
Is it snoring or something more serious? Owasso dentists, Dr. Gene Drake and Dr.Jayson Voto, evaluate patients for sleep apnea and offer relief from this potentially serious health condition. (more…)
Dental checkups are very important. Why, do you ask? Well, do you like having a mouth that functions properly while looking and feeling great? That’s what general checkups can help ensure. Opting out of receiving a regular checkup is like playing with fire. Sure, your mouth could be in the best shape it’s ever been health-wise, and you could be brushing and flossing like a pro. All of that is great! But, it’s important to know that even though you’re practicing the best dental-health hygiene, it doesn’t mean your mouth can’t be invaded by diseases. Sometimes, the symptoms for some oral diseases go unnoticed. That’s why it’s vital to receive a proper oral health check, or regular dental exam. Our office in Owasso, OK wants to ensure that everyone in your family is living their life with a healthy mouth. Deciding on how often to bring them in for a checkup is sometimes confusing, but we’re here to clear it up. Dr. Gene Drake and Dr. Jayson Voto are the family dentists Owasso can trust!
(more…)
Bruxism is an oral health condition that is characterized by the involuntary grinding of the teeth, usually at night while the patient is asleep. At Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Owasso, OK, Dr. Gene Drake and Dr. Jayson Voto offer a comprehensive menu of general and preventive dentistry solutions, including treatment for bruxism and disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Saving Your Smile with Bruxism Treatment
Persistent teeth grinding causes a variety of undesirable oral health effects and the discomfort it causes can interfere with your daily life in a number of ways. Patients with untreated bruxism frequently suffer from one or more of the following symptoms:
Though you are most likely not bothered by your own teeth grinding or jaw clenching at night, there’s a possibility that your sleep partner is. In many cases, the extreme force with which the teeth grind together causes an audible scraping sound that can disrupt the sleep of others in the room. A custom oral appliance – often referred to simply as a nightguard – can be fitted to your unique dentition to reposition your jaw and cushion your teeth while you sleep. Most patients report relief from their bruxism symptoms within just a few nights of wearing their nightguard.
Schedule Your Bruxism Consultation Today
Do you suspect that you or your partner may be suffering from nighttime teeth grinding? Perhaps you often awaken in the morning with pain in your jaw or your head. Why wait another day to get the relief you need and deserve? Our team genuinely wants to help you get out of the daily grind and say goodbye to the pain and damage associated with bruxism. Contact us today to schedule your consultation with Drs. Drake and Voto in Owasso, OK. Our family-friendly, high-tech office warmly welcomes patients from throughout communities in the surrounding areas of Collinsville, Sperry, Tulsa, Skiatook, Claremore, and beyond.
You hear a lot about plaque in toothpaste commercials on television, but what is it, really? How does it affect your oral health? At Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Owasso, OK, Dr. Gene Drake and Dr. Jayson Voto provide patients with a variety of general dentistry services, including comprehensive cleanings to keep plaque, cavities, and other problems at bay.
Understanding Plaque and Bacteria
Plaque is a sticky substance that gradually builds up on the surfaces of your teeth and gums, harboring millions of acid-producing bacteria. When not properly removed during brushing or flossing, this bacteria causes dental caries, or cavities, in your tooth enamel.
Failure to remove plaque from all surfaces of the teeth can lead to the development of tartar along the gum line, a major factor in periodontal disease. More commonly referred to simply as gum disease, this widespread oral health condition affects three out of four American adults and can lead to a variety of health problems when left untreated. In fact, gum disease has even been linked to an increased risk for heart disease, some forms of cancer, dementia, and complications during pregnancy.
Fortunately, routine general dentistry visits to Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry – in conjunction with a daily brushing and flossing regimen at home – can help protect your teeth and gums from plaque and tartar buildup.
Quality General Dentistry Services for Families in Owasso
If it has been more than six months since your last routine checkup and cleaning at Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, contact our office today to schedule your appointment with our caring, experienced team. Our doctors and staff proudly serve families from throughout the Owasso area as well as surrounding communities in Skiatook, Sperry, Tulsa, Claremore, Collinsville, and beyond. We can’t wait to show you how our commitment to quality dental care can help you achieve your healthiest, most beautiful smile.
Try as we might to avoid emergencies, they do occur from time to time. Knowing what to do to address an unexpected dental emergency ahead of time is key to ensuring a favorable outcome. At Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Owasso, OK, Dr. Gene Drake and Dr. Jayson Voto offer same-day emergency dental services so you’ll never have to wait to receive the urgent care you need.
What is a Dental Emergency?
While every patient is unique and each set of circumstances is bound to be different, there are a few universal situations that can be aptly called dental emergencies. These include the following:
When you or a member of your family suffers from an injury to the teeth, gums, tongue, or soft tissues of the mouth, you want to be sure that you receive quick, caring service from a professional with experience in all aspects of dentistry. That’s where Drs. Drake and Voto come in to help, assuring you that you’re being treated to only the best care available when you need it most.
Emergency Dental Care for Your Entire Family
If you or someone in your family has suffered any of the injuries listed above, or you’d like to know more about what constitutes as a dental emergency, contact our office in Owasso, OK and speak to our caring, compassionate team. From our family-friendly, conveniently located office, we also warmly welcome patients from communities in the surrounding areas, including Collinsville, Skiatook, Tulsa, Sperry, Claremore, and beyond.
At Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we’re always excited about seeing new patients. If you’ll be visiting us for the first time, we hope you’ll take a moment to look at our New Patients page. Here you’ll find helpful information about a range of topics.
First of all, you’ll find a link to our new patient form. We recommend printing this out and completing it before you come in. Doing your paperwork in advance will help us streamline your appointment. We can start processing your form immediately while you wait to see Dr. Gene Drake or Dr. Jayson Voto.
Also on our New Patient page is some helpful information on CareCredit and the range of payment options we accept. We want care to be as accessible as possible, which is why we’ve included this information on our website.
Finally, we want to encourage you—whether you’re a new patient or not—to give us a call if you’re experiencing a dental emergency. No emergency happens when it’s convenient—then it wouldn’t be an emergency. Give us a call immediately if you need urgent help.
Are you visiting Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in the near future? Explore our website and give us a call if you have any questions. We serve patients from Owasso, Claremore, Sperry, Collinsville, Tulsa, Skiatook, and nearby communities.
What if we told you there was a connection between oral and overall health. Would you be surprised? Recent data suggests that there is indeed a connection and that the specific link is gum disease, an incredibly common oral health condition that’s also the number one cause of tooth loss in adults.
Gum disease is the result of bacteria and plaque building up around the gum line. Symptoms of the condition include:
The first half of this list applies largely to mild cases of gum disease. The second half of the list describes more advanced cases. Once pockets have developed, the bacteria and plaque of gum disease can use them to travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.
A wide variety of health problems have been connection to gum disease, including:
Enjoying good oral and overall health means doing two things. First, it means sticking to a good oral health routine. Second, it means visiting Drake & Voto at least twice a year for regular cleanings and checkups with Dr. Gene Drake and Dr. Jayson Voto.
Is it time for your next appointment with our Owasso dental team? Call us today for an appointment. Dr. Drake and Dr. Voto serve patients from Owasso, Claremore, Collinsville, Tulsa, Sperry, Skiatook, and beyond.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and from all of us at Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we hope you have a happy, safe, and fun holiday. We also hope you’ll take advantage of all the holiday has to offer. Watching what you eat and caring for your smile are both important, but there’s also a time to splurge, and what better day for that than Thanksgiving?
Whether you’re spending time with friends, family, or a combination of both, we hope you’ll enjoy all the season has to offer, whether it’s a second helping of turkey or another piece of pie. Brushing and flossing are still important, but tomorrow is a time to put food and loved ones first.
If you need to schedule one more appointment for 2013, we look forward to hearing from you after the holiday. Call us with your questions or just to reserve an appointment. Dr. Gene Drake and Dr. Jayson Voto are happy to serve patients from Owasso, Claremore, Sperry, Collinsville, Tulsa, Skiatook, and nearby areas.
Enjoy your holiday!
With November starting tomorrow, the rest of 2013 is going to slip by quicker than you might think. Thanksgiving is on the horizon and after that all the holidays of December. From now until the end of the year, you have to be careful about how you use your time. That means that if you need dental care, or if you’d like to do something with a cosmetic service, you need to start making plans now.
At Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we would be happy to talk to you about any of your dental needs. We offer a wide range of the best general, cosmetic, and restorative services to help patients achieve optimal oral health, as well as improving patient confidence.
During your appointment, Dr. Drake and Dr. Voto will assess your oral health and talk to you about what goals you have for your smile. Based on the conversation we have, we’ll put together a customized treatment plan designed to address your exact situation.
Even if you’re not in need of cosmetic or restorative care, though, why not come in for one last visit while your current dental benefits are still in play? For most people, dental benefits don’t rollover from one year to the next. If you’ve already paid your deductible for this year, your insurance may help you pay for important care.
Do you want to schedule an appointment with Dr. Drake or Dr. Voto before the end of the year? Call us today for an appointment. We serve patients from Owasso, Claremore, Sperry, Collinsville, Tulsa, Skiatook, and surrounding areas.
Halloween is just a few weeks away; after that, there’s one holiday after another until the end of 2013. With these holidays come a string of parties and a parade of treats. Sweets high in sugar are bad for your overall health, but they also post a threat to your oral health. That’s because sugar spurs the production of bacteria and acid, which wreak havoc on the layer of enamel protecting your teeth.
But despite how harmful sugar is, you don’t have to give up on holiday sweets. Xylitol, a natural sweetener derived from the fibrous part of plants, will give your treats that great taste you’re looking for but with far fewer calories and without putting your smile in danger. That’s because xylitol doesn’t lead to the creation of bacteria and acid; it creates a neutral environment instead. Some toothpaste brands even use xylitol to protect teeth from decay.
How can you include xylitol in your treats this holiday season? If you’re baking it’s as simple as just substituting sugar for xylitol, with a ratio of 1:1. For Halloween, you can look for candy sweetened with xylitol. Natural food stores sell xylitol candies, but you can also find plenty of options online at Amazon and other online retailers, like Dr. John’s Candies and Ice Chips.
Do you have questions about xylitol, or do you need to schedule a checkup with Dr. Gene Drake or Dr. Jayson Voto? Call Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry. We serve patients from Owasso, Claremore, Sperry, Collinsville, Tulsa, Skiatook, and beyond.
