Kelowna Dental Services

During pregnancy your body undergoes many changes. Your mouth is no exception. Dental care during pregnancy is safe and recommended, especially since pregnancy can actually cause dental issues. Gum disease, characterized by sore or inflamed gums can occur during pregnancy. Acid wear caused by morning sickness/vomiting can wear away the enamel of the teeth.

When enamel breaks down, teeth are more susceptible to cavities. Remember, pregnancy cravings for sugar can also make teeth vulnerable to cavities.

Please let us know if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. We will work with you to ensure your mouth is healthy, as well as provide recommendations to minimize dental problems during pregnancy.

Phone: (250) 869-4138

Our office is specially designed for the whole family, including children and it contains state-of-the art operatories and the latest technologies. Our aim is to provide family dental services ranging from preventative dental care to the treatment of complex dental issues.Your children and you as parents will appreciate our calm and inviting office. Dr. Kim has two young boys and understands the fears that can arise when having to go to the dentist.

Our team will go above and beyond to make sure you and your family are comfortable and any fears or apprehensions are alleviated. We want your whole family to feel comfortable and feel like you are at home when you visit us. At Mission Creek Dental, we pride ourselves in the fact that children often ask to visit our office (to play in the kid’s room) and patients often come early just to relax, enjoy the view and have a cup of tea in our lovely reception area.

Unfortunately, dental emergencies happen and often after office hours. Dr. Kim is committed to responding to all emergency calls and to getting you the care you need in a timely manner. There are few things worse than dealing with untreated dental pain and we are here to help.

Root canal therapy is a commonly treatment that can save your natural teeth and prevent the need for extraction. At the center of your tooth is pulp – a collection of blood vessels and nerves that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or multiple dental procedures. Signs and symptoms of a diseased pulp can be identified by visible traumatic injury or decay of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature, spontaneous pain in the tooth, or swelling of the gums or adjacent tissues.

If you experience any of these symptoms, Dr.Kim will most likely recommend endodontic treatment to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This therapy involves local anesthesia and may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Oral sedation is available for patients anxious about having root canal therapy.

A bridge is fixed dental device used to replace one or more missing teeth. Bridges fuse an artificial tooth to adjacent teeth and/or dental implants (depending on the health of the other teeth). If several teeth are missing, a fixed bridge may not be possible and you may be recommended a denture or an implant.

A bridge is a long-term restoration used to replace a missing tooth and when well cared for, can have a very long lifespan. The lifespan of a bridge is also dependent on the strength of the material used (porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, metal, composite), the length of the span of missing teeth bridged (longer bridges must withstand higher stress) and the quality of the underlying teeth that are supporting the bridge.

As with natural teeth, it is important to care for your bridge – exercise excellent oral hygiene practices of brushing and flossing, eat a balanced diet and see your dentist regularly to ensure that the bridge is being cleaned underneath and to prevent decay at the margins of the supporting teeth.

Dental implants are titanium posts that are placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. The bone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth. Dental implants are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth. If you have lost teeth, implants let you eat virtually anything and speak, laugh and smile with confidence, knowing that your teeth are secure and appear natural. Dental implants can also help preserve facial structure, preventing the bone deterioration that occurs when teeth are missing.

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth. When wisdom teeth are properly aligned and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, wisdom teeth are often not well aligned. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone. Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to successfully erupt.

These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems. When they are partially erupted, the opening around the teeth allows bacteria to grow and will eventually cause an infection. The result: swelling, stiffness, pain, and illness. The pressure from the erupting wisdom teeth may move other teeth and disrupt the orthodontic or natural alignment of teeth. The most serious problem occurs when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom teeth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted teeth usually resolves these problems. Early removal is recommended to avoid such future problems and to decrease the surgical risk involved with the procedure. Oral sedation is available for patients who are anxious about wisdom tooth removal.

With an oral examination and x-rays of the mouth, Dr. Kim can evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth and predict if there are present or potential future problems. Studies have shown that early evaluation and treatment results in a superior outcome for the patient.

Bruxism, also known as clenching and grinding, occurs in most people at some point in their lives. These actions usually occur during a person’s sleeping hours, but occasionally they occur during the day. Bruxism is one of the most common known sleep disorders. Chewing is a neuromuscular activity controlled by a subconscious process, but more highly controlled by the brain. During sleep, the subconscious process may become active, while the higher control is inactive (asleep), resulting in bruxism. The most common symptoms are earaches, headaches, depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and chronic stress.

Seeking treatment for bruxism is important as it may cause gum recession, facial pain, occlusal trauma or wearing down of the teeth and in the most severe cases, bruxism can eventually lead to painful arthritis in the temporomandibular (TMJ) joints that allow the jaw to open and close smoothly.

If you suffer bruxism, Dr. Kim will often recommend an acrylic mouthguard that can be designed from teeth impressions to minimize the abrasive grinding action during normal sleep. Mouthguards must be worn on a long-term basis to help prevent tooth damage.