Specialty Services

What Are Specialty Dental Services?

In addition to the preventivecosmetic, and restorative dental treatments we offer our  patients, Lake Michigan Dental also diagnoses and treats a variety of specialty dental issues.

Specialty dentistry goes beyond the common dental procedures to improve the appearance of a patient’s smile or eliminate dental decay and discomfort. The most common specialty issues we encounter include:

Using many of today’s advanced dental procedures, our dentists will work with you to determine which specialty dental treatment is right for you.

Sleep Apnea & Snoring

Our dentists will help you tackle sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and snoring that can disrupt your daily life, and lead to more serious medical problems if left untreated.  Lake Michigan Dental can offer you a safe and effective solution to relieve snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea and snoring can be potentially serious disorders, causing breathing to stop and start during sleep. Lake Michigan Dental’s expert dentists can provide you with safe and effective options to reduce or eliminate these frustrating, often dangerous issues.

Obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when throat muscles relax, is treated with:

  • Oral devices designed to open your throat by bringing your jaw forward
  • CPAP medical appliances for severe cases

Once you find the right fit, you will still need to follow up with our dentists at least every six months during the first year, and then at least once a year after that to ensure the fit is still good. We’ll use these follow-up appointments to reassess your signs and symptoms.

TMJ Bite Splint Therapy

Our dentists at Lake Michigan Dental can help diagnose and treat patients who show symptoms for temporomandibular joint disorder, better known as TMJ disorder.

Multiple issues can lead to TMJ disorder, including misalignment of the teeth, oral trauma, or excess muscle tension. If you’re wondering if you may have TMJ disorder, symptoms include:

  • Headaches
  • Earaches
  • Trouble or soreness when opening or closing the mouth
  • Clicking or popping of the jaw
  • Pain in the jaw muscles
  • Soreness in the area, sometimes extending to the face

Dental treatments for TMJ can include replacing missing teeth, moving teeth, adjusting your bite, or filling gaps between teeth. In some cases, a plastic mouthpiece can prevent clenching or grinding that may be contributing to the problem. If untreated and taken to extremes, surgery may be necessary to repair a badly damaged joint.

As with many specialty dental procedures, there is no single solution to TMJ disorder that is right for all patients. Our dentists can help you determine which option is best for your specific situation.

Lake Michigan Dental offers several different types of splint therapy for specific conditions.

Through proper evaluation and fitting, our dentists help alleviate misalignment of your bite and correct subsequent issues like TMJ disorder.

A bite splint is a restorative device used to support, protect, or immobilize oral structures that have been loosened, replanted, fractured, or traumatized. We offer splint therapy options for:

  • TMJ disorders
  • Nighttime teeth grinding
  • Mouth or jaw problems resulting from bite misalignment
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