Before Facelift Dentures

After Facelift Dentures

   Facelift Dentures™ is our highly efficient and comfortable technique for replacing missing teeth, developed by Dr. Rod Strickland of Savannah, Georgia. This process results in stunning “facelift-like” results.

Gum disease, a common and aggressive oral infection that causes destruction of the jawbone, is the number one reason people lose their teeth. After bone loss, the teeth no longer have a support structure to dig into. So, when a person loses all of their teeth and gets a set of dentures, the already weakened jawbone continues to dissolve away at a rapid rate. This is because after teeth are lost, the jawbone is programmed to shrink away. Eventually, the face begins to get a “sunken-in” look. The chin and nose get closer together as the face begins to collapse, causing rapid aging.

Facelift Dentures™ help to restore the soft facial tissue by supporting the face in the same way natural teeth and bone usually do. At Port Warwick Dental Arts, Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha has been creating beautiful smiles since 1982, including custom designed dentures. But many hours of appointment time and try-ins were needed in order to accomplish what she can now do in a fraction of the time with the Facelift Denture™ technique. With this method, she is quickly able to determine where the teeth would have ideally been located when you were in your twenties or thirties – giving you the most natural looking smile, while totally rejuvenating your entire facial structure.

In early 2010, Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha and our talented Dental Lab Assistant, Leah Quillopo, completed their advanced training for the highly successful, state-of-the-art Facelift Dentures™. This process allowed PWDA to become the first practice in Virginia (and one of the first in the world) to be educated in this technique. When we create Facelift Dentures™, the outcome can be dramatic – like a facelift – often in a few short visits. This restorative dentistry facelift, however, is totally without pain, bruising or swelling because no facial surgery is needed! For some, the jawbone has melted severely away due to many years without teeth. There is no longer any bone to hold a denture in place. However, there is a great option available.

Dr. Samaha is also experienced in the placement and restoration of dental implants, which are small titanium posts that are gently secured in the jawbone and can snap onto tiny attachments inside your denture. The procedure is quick and easy, allowing the denture to fit securely, no longer rocking or slipping while eating or speaking. To learn more about this or the Facelift Denture™ technique, we invite you to visit our website, call us, or ask at your next cosmetic dental appointment.

We encourage you to share our excitement with family and friends so we can help them, too. Your referral will secure a complimentary Facelift Denture™ consultation with our doctor. We look forward to helping more of them to smile with comfort and confidence!

With the rapid advancements in dental technology, we are able to treat many conditions more conservatively and more gently. As you may know, at Port Warwick Dental Arts, we are constantly researching scientifically-proven opportunities for enhancing and even improving our patient care. We invest heavily in technology and the education required to master that technology. Our dental laser is one of our many treasured technologies because of what it can do for you. What is so special about laser dentistry? Our laser is a pulsed CO2 laser, and because ours has one of the lowest levels of tissue penetration of all lasers available, it is incredibly safe and gentle. We can provide a myriad of surgical and non-surgical treatment, often without local anesthesia – while also promoting quick healing! What can our laser do for you?

• Provide the non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease
• Treatment of herpes, canker sores and fever blisters
• Removal of excess gum tissue
• Removal or discolorations or hereditary hyper-pigmentation of gum tissue
• Biopsies of diseased oral tissue
• Removing hemangiomas of the lips

What does it feel like to have dental laser treatments – or even laser surgery? Most often, it doesn’t feel like much of anything. Some patients have reported feeling a slight rubbing, warmth, and/or tingly feeling. Who performs our laser treatments? Cosmetic dentist Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha performs all laser treatments. She has had over two decades of laser training, and has developed protocols which utilize a dental laser for treatment of periodontal disease. She teaches these protocols to other doctors throughout the country.

Let your smile shine this summer … with the KöR™ Whitening System

In our hearts, we are always ready for the excitement and social events that warm weather brings. Let our cosmetic dental team turn anticipation into dazzling results in time for that June wedding, prom or graduation by booking your spring smile update! Scheduling ahead is a must if you want your smile to blossom in time for any planned occasion. As weddings, graduations, and other photofilled events approach, you will want to call for an appointment as soon as possible. We want you to have time to enjoy the process – to consult with us to ensure that your terrific updated look is exactly what you want.

Be prepared and smile for the camera – with confidence! The KöR™ Whitening System produces the deepest whitening with the least sensitivity and is considered to be the most reliable and effective teeth whitening system ever developed! Since we began using the KöR System, we haven’t looked back. We are always striving to stay at the forefront of technique and we are very proud to offer this system to our family of patients. So, if you’re too embarrassed to smile, have dark-stained teeth, or just simply want a whiter smile, the excellence of KöR Whitening is just what you might need. Other transformative techniques like Six Month Smiles® (quick orthodontics for adults), bonding, cosmetic veneers, dental implants, and even a gum lift can completely rebalance and enhance your smile. Don’t wait for the camera to find you – Call or click today for more Cosmetic options –after all you deserve a smile worth smiling about!

“Sleep is a vital phenomenon, like food and water.”

~Joyce Walsleben, A Woman’s Guide to Sleep, 2000

Starting every day with a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our overall wellbeing, along with a healthy diet and exercise. In turn, nothing increases the aging process more than sleep deprivation or decreases it more than restful sleep, and it is estimated that up to 70% of Americans are chronically sleep-deprived.

In the words of Sleep Physician, Dr. Frank Lipman, “We simply weren’t built to just go, go, go. We were built to go, go, go and then rest, rest, rest.” Even when we do get enough sleep, quality is seriously lacking for most of us, particularly as we age. We tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep, and sleep disorders such as snoring and sleep apnea, (when one stops breathing while sleeping), significantly increase with age.

Here are the answers to some of the more common sleep disorder questions my cosmetic dentistry patients ask me…

How Common Are Snoring And Sleep Apnea?

Over the age of 40, 60% of men have sleep apnea, and 40% of women have sleep apnea. However, according to a 2010 article in the scientific journal, Sleep Breath, once menopause begins, the prevalence and severity of sleep apnea in women rivals that in men. Alarmingly, 85% of those with sleep apnea are undiagnosed, according to research published by Simmons, May 2010. And of those diagnosed, over 50% are not being treated for their life-threatening disorder.

What Causes Snoring and Sleep Apnea?

Snoring and sleep apnea are most commonly caused by the tongue falling back in the throat, causing vibration while partially or fully blocking the exchange of air in and out of the nose and mouth. When we sleep, the muscles in the back of the throat become softer and when relaxed, the tongue closes off the airway. Air cannot flow freely between the mouth, nose and lungs. In essence we are suffocating on and off through the night.

Could My Health Be At Risk?

Sleep apnea is linked to many serious and often life-threatening degenerative disorder, and accidents. They include: heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity and cancers. Sleep apnea also contributes to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, depression, mood swings, irritability, erectile dysfunction, low libido, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.

Further, according to Gale Skousen, MD, if you have sleep apnea, you are:

•  7 x more likely to have a motor vehicle accident
•  4 x as likely to have a heart attack
•  2-3 x more likely to have a stroke
•  2 x more likely to have diabetes
•  2 x as likely to die in your sleep

What Can I Do To Improve The Quality And Length Of My Sleep?

There are some lifestyle changes that you can implement to help you restore healthful sleep habits. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, exercising regularly, and creating a restful environment are basics, and with experience in the field, I can recommend many other simple and affordable strategies to improve the amount and quality of your rest. In addition, I have found that wearing a small comfortable oral appliances, worn at night, has been a very effective solution for many of my patients who are snorers and sleep disorder sufferers. (Getting treatment for snoring always seems to improve the intimacy in a marriage too!)

Can I Do A Self-Check For My Sleep Apnea Risk?

Go ahead – if you’re not sure, go straight to the mirror and open wide! Look straight to the back of your throat. What do you see? Do you see anything beyond your tongue and the roof of your mouth? Or can you see your uvula – the little piece that hangs down in the back of your throat? Can you see any part of your throat? Your tonsils? Are they enlarged? Does your tongue sit above the tops of your bottom teeth when you are open and relaxed? When you stick your tongue out, can you see scalloping (indentations) on the borders of your tongue?

Depending upon your answer to these questions, you might be at risk for sleep apnea, particularly if you snore, are overweight and/or, over 50.

For more information, call the office for a complimentary screening for snoring and/or sleep apnea. Visit our website: www.PWDentalArts.com to learn more and to receive our free, extensive report on sleep hygiene.

-Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha, cosmetic and restorative dentistry for the Newport News area

In addition to providing outstanding cosmetic dental care for Hampton area patients, this past fall our own Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha was invited by DCEdental to host a ground-breaking webinar and share her professional expertise in Periodontal Nutrition.

Dr. Samaha, known for her vast knowledge in oral disease and its impact on the human body, has developed a highly successful protocol for the non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease which includes the targeted nutritional support of the delicate periodontal (gum) tissues. It’s clear that nutrition is a ‘hot topic’ in periodontics, the knowledge is scarce, and Dr. Samaha is considered at its leading edge. Doctors and dental hygienists joined her online from England, Spain, Mexico, Australia, the U.S. and Canada – and even from as far away as a remote island off Madagascar! This is a true testament to the profound interest in non-surgical periodontal therapy and the critical importance of nutrition for ultimate, long-term oral health.

Although you are all used to seeing Dr. Samaha here at our busy general dental practice, you may not be aware that she is also the Founder and Director of The Perio Arts Institute, and has dedicated nearly three decades to the development of the Institute’s protocol for diagnosing and treating periodontal disease. The Institute’s mission – and Dr. Samaha’s passion – is to maintain the most leading-edge protocol for periodontal treatment and other oral/systemic conditions based upon sound scientific research, technology, communication, and collaboration with other health care professionals. Not surprisingly, our Dr. Samaha is a much sought after resource for her ability to inspire not only her patients, but other dentists and physicians, and their teams, as well!

You may have even had some cosmetic or restorative dentistry done to improve the appearance of your smile. However, did you realize that good oral health and hygiene is not only beneficial to your mouth, but your whole body? Taking good care of your teeth means that you could lower your risk of cancer and heart disease.

If you’re curious about how well you are taking care of your health, take the Real Age test today! It’s a fun, unique calculation of your body’s ‘health age’ based on how well you take care of it. Created by top doctors that include Dr. Mike Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, this test offers helpful tips to help you continue improving your health. Simply follow this link and click on the orange button on the top right of the screen: http://www.realage.com/?eid=1010662898&memberid=29772841&cbr=sens_mn

Be sure to take care of your mouth for a younger, healthier appearance. Cosmetic dentist Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha at Port Warwick Dental Arts in Newport News loves ensuring her patients have beautiful, healthy smiles.

Brian Cole, Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Brian Cole and Associates in Port Warwick, reminds us that “Some of our best works of art have come from those solo times of reflection. When our next direction is unclear, we have time to think.”

Here is Brian’s advice: “Start by reserving some quiet time for yourself. Be Specific. Try taking a daily walk with no cell phone. May sound strange, but it can be done. We have to reduce the chatter with others before we can slow the chatter in our own minds. Walk and relax. Calm our thinking. “With a calm mind, identify and confront what we’d like to improve. We all have room for improvement. Physical improvement can have a positive impact on blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, cholesterol, diabetes, strength, energy, etc. and that should be all the incentive we need. But, there is also a positive effect on our emotional well-being. “Aside from physical improvements, we can also look inward. We live in the most desirable conditions. Yet, instead of appreciation, we hear ranting and anger. Relax a bit. Enjoy all we have. Just adopting that frame of mind has proven health benefits. It’s a short, short life. Be nice. And take care of yourself so you can enjoy it even more.”

Thanks for your insightful reflection, Brian. Now here’s my addition: Don’t forget that scientific research now tells us that good oral health is a basis for all health. So if you’ve been putting off cosmetic dental care, call today to schedule an appointment. We will address your dental needs and also check for periodontal disease. We look forward to seeing you soon, listening to your concerns and of course, sharing a smile with you!

-Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha, cosmetic and restorative dentist in Hampton

At Port Warwick Dental Arts in Newport News, we pride ourselves on the high quality and warm, caring, attentive service we provide. There’s no better sign that we are serving you well than the number of new patients who walk through our door. Referrals and word of mouth are our number-one source of new patients.

When you refer your friends, family and coworkers to us, we won’t let you down!

A vibrant patient base helps our practice grow and expand so that we can continue to offer our very best in cosmetic dental treatment. So, if you’re wondering whether or not we accept new patients – the answer is YES, because once we get you healthy, you typically just need maintenance visits with us. So, not only do we accept new patients, we encourage them! There’s no higher compliment for us than to be given the privilege of meeting and serving the needs of a new patient. We are pleased to offer a wide variety of cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures including teeth whitening, dental implants and periodontal treatment. Schedule an appointment with restorative dentist Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha today!

For example, to replace a mercury filling or metal crown with a beautiful strong white porcelain filling or crown, the prepared tooth is scanned by a special digital camera the size of a magic marker and its precise image appears immediately on a computer monitor right in the treatment room. Newport News cosmetic dentist Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha personally designs your porcelain crown or filling while you watch. You can even view the progress of the Cerec 3™ machine as it mills an extremely accurate three-dimensional restoration from the scan. The precise restoration is then fitted and bonded to your prepared tooth … all in less than an hour!

A beautiful, perfectly natural looking Cerec 3™ restoration is almost as strong and long-lasting as natural tooth enamel. Talk about an amazing technology for your amazing smile!

Now we want to tell you about our new and even more sophisticated Cadent iTero™ Digital Impression System…. ITero™ allows us to do the same thing as Cerec 3™ only for bridges and reconstructions of the entire mouth when necessary. It ensures a precise, comfortable, and great looking result without time-consuming, unpleasant, tray-and-putty impressions. Not only that, the iTero™ System provides an accurate impression the first time around. Less precise traditional methods can cause distortions requiring retakes and delays of up to three or more weeks. For more info visit http://www.cadentitero.com. With our great technology ”duo”, Cerec 3™ and iTero™, you spend less time in the chair, and more time smiling! To schedule a restorative dentistry appointment fill out a new patient form to the right of this article or give us a call!

Whether you’re tired of hiding your smile, or think it’s time to add a little pizzazz, KöR custom teeth whitening is fast, simple, and will give you superior long-term results without the sensitivity created by other methods – and with results!

Once we began using the KöR System here at Port Warwick Dental Arts in Newport News, we’ve never considered using any other technique. In fact, we’re immensely proud that we are one of a select few practices in Virginia that are offering this unique tooth whitening system.

If you’ve only ever dreamed about a brighter, more youthful looking smile, we can help you make your wish come true. Stain-resistant KöR whitening can last virtually for years – making it one of the best investments you’ll ever make in your smile!

We sincerely encourage you to visit our Before and After Gallery online at http://www.pwdentalarts.com/before-and-after/ and see what you have to look forward to, or call 757-223-9270 for your a consultation with Newport News cosmetic dentist Dr. Lisa Marie Samaha. Make your smile reflect the joy of you!