Phone Number: (361) 867-1800
Our Services
Preventive Care
We emphasize preventive care to all of our patients and provide individualized home care instructions. When you come to us as a new patient, we begin our relationship with you by conducting a 1-1½ hour exam and consultation. During this visit, we will discuss your dental history and do an oral cancer screening, a gum disease analysis, a TMJ analysis, a soft tissue exam, and a tooth-by-tooth analysis. We will then formulate a treatment plan, explaining what needs to be done and why. We will use X-rays and photographs to illustrate any problems we see. We believe in providing our patients with as much information as possible to help give you the best dental experience!
Restorative & Cosmetic Treatment
We use superior, state-of-the-art products and materials for all of our procedures. Beyond restoring good health to teeth, we look for solutions that contribute to a tooth's longevity and will help to prevent future problems. As practitioners of sedation dentistry, we offer our patients pain-free oral sedation.
Implants & Oral Surgery
Gage Dental offers implant dentistry, oral surgery, and extractions for our patients. You may need a tooth extraction for various reasons. Sometimes, teeth need to be extracted because they are severely decayed; others may have advanced periodontal disease (gum disease), or they may have been broken in a way that is impossible to repair. Teeth may need to be removed due to crowding (such as impacted teeth) or for orthodontic treatment. Extraction is usually a last resort option, but sometimes it is the only viable option.
Preventive Care
Adults & Pediatrics
In addition to regular checkups and cleanings, we offer the following preventive services:
- Oral Cancer Screening ---Our lesion detection system will let us know if oral cancer is present. When cancer is discovered late, survivor rates are as low as 28%; when it's discovered early, survivor rates are as high as 82%.
- Dental sealants ---an excellent and necessary adjunct to preventive care; by filling in the grooves on teeth, you can lock out bacteria and prevent decay for an extended period of time
- Patient education - you can take home information on a variety of topics
- Nightguards - are necessary to protect and extend the longevity of work performed as well as reducing headaches and sleeplessness
- Mouthguards & Sleep Apnea Devices
Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is often called a "silent disease" because there may not be any symptoms you are aware of. Some symptoms you may experience include:
- Bleeding gums when brushing
- Persistent bad breath
- Red, swollen, or tender gums
- Loose or separated teeth
- Pus between the teeth and gums
- Gums pulling away from the teeth, causing your teeth to appear longer
- A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
How is it treated?
There are many different methods of treating gum disease, including both nonsurgical and surgical methods. The methods used are dependent on the severity of your disease. Nonsurgical methods include but are not limited to, scaling and root planing (or deep cleanings), better hygiene, frequent maintenance intervals, and antibiotic therapy. If you are in the advanced stages of gum disease, you may benefit from having surgery. You may also benefit from periodontal laser treatment. There are many items in the marketplace at this time that state there is a "cure" for periodontal disease, or there are items that are commonly used by some practitioners that create great revenue for their offices but do little in terms of actually stabilizing the disease.
Grinding/Snoring/Sleep Apnea
If you experience severe tooth, jaw, or facial muscle pain, it may be from the effects of grinding or clenching your teeth, an involuntary habit called bruxism. The good news is that Dr. Gage may be able to prescribe a custom-made Comfort H/S Bite Splint, which offsets the pain caused by grinding your teeth. A night guard is a device used to protect your existing healthy teeth and temporomandibular joint. This custom-made bite splint is a clear, thin, removable device that is worn over your lower or upper teeth as you sleep. Studies suggest those who grind and clench their teeth may experience up to 80 times the normal tooth wear per day compared to those who do not. The good news is that a simple bite splint can offset the effects of this subconscious habit while protecting your teeth from daily wear and tear.
Have you been formally diagnosed with sleep apnea?
Do you have a CPAP that you cannot use?
Do you or your partner snore, keeping each other from sleeping?
Dr. Gage also specializes in sleep apnea appliances. The DreamTap appliance is a proven device to treat sleep apnea. It is very tolerable compared to other methods used to treat sleep apnea/snoring.
Cosmetic & Restorative Care
Restorative Services
We use superior, state-of-the-art products and materials for all of our procedures. Beyond restoring good health to teeth, we look for solutions that contribute to a tooth's longevity and will help to prevent future problems. As practitioners of sedation dentistry, we offer our patients pain-free oral sedation.
We offer the following restorative services:
- Tooth-colored fillings
- Porcelain veneers
- Fixed bridges
- Full and partial dentures
- Root canals
- Whitening (in-office laser whitening)
- Bonding
- All-porcelain crowns, onlays and inlays
- Pediatric care - stainless steel crowns, Cheng crowns, and tooth-colored fillings
Extractions & Oral Surgery
Gage Dental offers oral surgery and extractions for our patients. You may need a tooth extraction for various reasons. Sometimes, teeth need to be extracted because they are severely decayed; others may have advanced periodontal disease (gum disease), or they may have been broken in a way that is impossible to repair. Teeth may need to be removed due to crowding (such as impacted teeth) or for orthodontic treatment. Extraction is usually a last resort option, but sometimes it is the only viable option.
Cosmetic Services
- Are you embarrassed about smiling in front of people?
- Do you ever put your hand up to cover your smile?
- Do you dislike your smile in photographs?
- Do you wish your teeth were whiter?
- Would you like to change the way your teeth or gums are shaped?
- Do you have gaps or spaces between your teeth?
Today, there are a number of cosmetic services that can enhance your smile.
Dr. Gage will address all of your goals in your initial visit to our office.
We offer the following cosmetic solutions:
- Tooth-colored fillings
- Porcelain veneers
- Snap on smile
- Whitening or bleaching, offered in a variety of strengths to match your needs; we offer Sapphire, an in-office laser whitening procedure, and various at-home whitening products
- Bonding
- All-porcelain crowns, onlays and inlays
- Recontouring
Don't Want Dentures? All-on-4 Could be the Answer
To fully understand this remarkable technique for replacing teeth, you should first understand what a dental implant is.
An implant is a small titanium screw that fits inside your jawbone and replaces the root part of your tooth. Minor surgery is required to insert the implants. Once the implant is in place, a crown is attached to give you a highly realistic-looking and functional prosthetic tooth. You do not need a dental implant for each and every one of your missing teeth. All you need is four precisely placed implants on the top of your mouth and four on the bottom to restore your full smile. That’s the beauty of the all-on-four.
All-on-4 Dental Implants give you the look and feel of natural teeth with the stability of fixed implants. Ordinary dentures sit on top of your gums without stimulating bone growth. They can slip and cause sores and discomfort. All-on-4 dental implants are not only securely fixed, but there’s no plate covering the roof of the mouth, so speaking and eating are more comfortable, and food tastes better. The ‘sunken look’ that happens when teeth are lost is due to the loss of bone in the jaw. When dental implants are put into place to anchor your dentures, bone begins to grow around the implant. This process is called osseointegration. Osseointegration not only keeps your implants secure, but it also fills out the part of the jaw that would have ‘sunken’ without the support of the bone. All-on-4s combine the security of Dental Implants with the cost-effectiveness of Dentures. And because the implant is made of titanium, it has the unique ability to fuse to living bone and function as part of it. So, eventually, the dental implant becomes part of the jawbone and serves as a strong, long-lasting foundation for your new teeth. Besides ensuring that your implants are permanently fixed in place, this bone fusion has another important benefit: it prevents future bone loss in the jaw. This helps to maintain a more youthful facial structure—and better oral health. But perhaps the biggest surprise about the all-on-four is how quickly it can transform your life.