Our Services
At Ostenson Dental, your East Vancouver family dentist of choice, we offer a wide range of preventative, cosmetic, and restorative dental services. Whether you need a routine dental cleaning or orthodontic appliances, Drs. Gary and Kyle Ostenson can provide the care you need in a comfortable and relaxing environment. Our Vancouver dental care staff have over 35 years of experience treating patients of all ages and oral care needs. After leaving our office, we guarantee you’ll feel that all of your expectations have been met and standard of care exceeded.
We offer a range of services that include:
Preventative Dentistry
Dental Exams & Cleanings
In recent years, a growing amount of research has found links between poor oral health and a variety of chronic, long-term health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even cancer. While the cause of this connection remains unclear, researchers have established that individuals with poor oral health have an increased risk of developing a number of systemic health problems. This research makes it clear that maintaining and improving your oral health matters when trying to protect your overall health.
In addition to brushing and flossing daily, scheduling regular dental exams and cleanings rank as the most important steps you can take to protect not only the health of your teeth and gums, but your overall health as well. Dental exams allow Dr. Ostenson to spot any signs of dental disease early on before it has time to progress into a more costly problem, while cleanings provide our staff of dental hygienists to remove built-up tartar and plaque from the surface of your teeth and below the gum line.
Fluoride Treatment
The application of fluoride helps reduce the risk of tooth decay by making the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque and other harmful oral bacteria found in the mouth. It also reverses early stages of tooth decay by remineralizing tooth enamel. By undergoing regular fluoride treatment, you can provide your teeth with the strength needed to last a lifetime.
Tooth Sealants
A thin, plastic coating, dental sealants are applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth – typically the back molars and premolars – to prevent tooth decay. The sealant quickly bonds into the grooves and depressions of teeth, forming a protective barrier over the enamel of each tooth. While brushing and flossing typically remove food and bacteria from the surface of teeth, younger patients tend to have difficulty cleaning the hard-to-reach areas of the mouth, which makes tooth sealants a great choice for parents who want to reduce their child’s risk of tooth decay and cavities.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Tooth Whitening
Tooth whitening helps to lighten teeth and remove stains and discoloration. Teeth whitening has quickly become one of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures performed by dentists because of how dramatically the procedure can improve the appearance of teeth.
To transform the color of your teeth to a lighter shade, we provide our patients with a custom tray whitening system. We start by taking an impression of your teeth to use in the creation of a custom made whitening tray you can repeatedly use. Fill your tray with the whitening solution we provide, and place the tray over your teeth for the directed amount of time. You’ll start noticing a whiter, brighter smile in just a few days!
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are thin pieces of porcelain used to replicate the natural appearance of teeth, while also providing the resilience and strength afforded by natural tooth enamel. Porcelain is often the material of choice for patients looking to slightly reposition, or to change the shape, size, and/or color of their teeth.
The placement of veneers typically takes two to three office visits. The first visit begins with a consultation where we will try to determine what necessary steps are needed to achieve the smile you desire. Once we establish a plan, we will then begin the process of placing the veneer by preparing your teeth. To place a veneer, a minuscule amount of tooth enamel must be removed, typically less than a millimeter. The removal of the tooth enamel creates room for the porcelain veneer to fit comfortably inside the mouth and most accurately restores the natural function of your teeth while also improving their appearance.
Dental Bonding
Dental bonding is a procedure that uses tooth-colored resin and a special UV light to bond, harden, and apply the resin material to a patient’s tooth in order to improve the appearance of their smile. Dental bonding makes a great option for:
- Repairing decayed teeth
- Repairing cracked or chipped teeth
- Improving the appearance of discolored teeth
- Eliminating space between teeth
- Lengthening teeth
- Changing the shape of teeth
- Protecting the root of a tooth that has become exposed
Periodontal Dentistry
Periodontal disease, more commonly referred to as gum disease, is an infection of support tissues that hold your teeth into position. Your teeth are supported by gum tissue, connective fibers that hold the tooth root into the socket, and underlying bone structure. When an infection spreads to the support tissue and bone structure that hold your teeth into position, permanent damage can occur that could lead to tooth loss. Treatment is needed to remove the infection and restore the tooth to health.
A thorough cleaning is performed that includes Periodontal Scaling, a procedure that carefully removes tartar and plaque deposits from under, below, and around the gum line. In some cases, patients may also need to undergo Root Planing, a procedure that involves smoothing the surface of a tooth root in order to allow the gum tissue to heal and reattach to the tooth, to repair the damage caused by periodontal disease. Root planing also makes it harder for plaque to build up on the surface of tooth roots. Undergoing these types of procedures helps prevent bleeding gums, reduce swelling and tooth sensitivity caused by gum recession, and prevent bone loss and tooth loss.