Drs. Blanchard and Richardson are proud to have been providing general and family dentistry to Colorado families for over twenty years. We have many multi-generation families who trust us for their care. Whether you are in retirement, or just a toddler, we welcome you to our office.

General dentistry focuses on the routine treatment of dental needs which improve not only dental health but overall health of the patient. This includes prevention of decay, repairing damaged teeth, restoring your smile, and educating you about your oral health. When you visit, we will work to explain treatment on a personalized and understandable level, without selling you unnecessary treatment.

We offer a variety of general dental treatment:

• Dental Cleanings and Examinations
• Tooth Whitening (Zoom and custom trays)
• Mouthguards for Clenching and Grinding
• Sleep Appliances/Snore Guards (DreamTap, Silent Nite)
• Dental Sealants
• Fluoride Treatment
• Oral Cancer Screenings (VelScope)

Please contact our office at 303.794.9271 to schedule an appointment for your general dental needs. We look forward to meeting you soon!

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Drs. Blanchard and Richardson recognize the stigma associated with root canals. These words often are associated with painful tooth experiences. Root canal treatment should not be an uncomfortable procedure, it's designed to relieve infection and pain. Root canals may be needed for a variety of reasons: decay, past dental work, trauma, or age related issues. Regardless of the reason behind needing the root canal, the process is generally the same. The doctor will get you numbed up really well and then typically place a rubber dam around the tooth to help keep things isolated. The tooth is opened up and bacteria cleaned out of the canals that go down the roots of the tooth. Often patients have a misunderstanding that the roots of the tooth are removed but this is not the case, they are simply cleaned out with specialized tools and sometimes a microscope is used to improve predictability. After thoroughly cleaning out the roots, a filling material will be placed in the roots to seal the tooth. Often, following a root canal, a crown will be placed on the tooth to help protect it from breaking.

Although Dr. Blanchard has performed numerous root canals during his career, there are times where our office may advise seeing a specialist, an endodontist, to best serve your root canal needs.

These are the most frequent signs of needing a root canal:

• Pain that wakes you up at night
• Pain when eating or drinking warm items
• Large decay and/or holes in a tooth
• Broken teeth causing the nerve to be exposed

Dental treatment has come a long ways over the years. Technology has played an integral role in helping dentistry become more predictable, quicker, and most importantly, more comfortable. We invest heavily in technology in our effort to provide the best care for you and your family. All of our records are digital which provides for more accurate assessment of your mouth. Through the use of digital x-rays we provide clearer x-rays with far less radiation than traditional films. We have recently purchased a 3-D X-ray machine to help improve diagnostic skills and planning for procedures. Our office believes in High Definition scanning and have multiple Carestream Scanners in house to help provide detailed models of your mouth. This technology helps limit the amount of impression taking that we do. Not only is accuracy improved but not having a mouth full of material for an extended time is also more comforting. With our in office milling center we can fabricate zirconia (tooth colored) crowns, bridges, and veneers without having to send things out to a lab. Not only does this hands on approach lead to improved quality, it also allows us to keep costs controlled. Many of our regular fillings and gum procedures can be handled using our SOLEA laser. This laser, the only FDA approved hard and soft tissue CO2 laser, allows us to perform endless procedures without having to utilize anesthesia. Although not perfect in every situation, patients often appreciate the ease and comfort associated with laser dentistry.

We are confident the technology we have invested heavily in will provide you with a more positive experience as a patient

Our team of hygienists have extensive training and experience. They routinely attend
continuing education classes to learn about the newest products and latest treatment to help maintain your oral health. Regular cleanings are an integral part of your overall care. Through examination of the gums, bone, and other structures within the mouth, we are able to help keep your mouth functioning at its best.

You can expect regular measurements of the bone and gums in your mouth, as well as x-rays to help diagnose possible disease at its earliest stages. All of our hygienist have years of experience, giving them great insight in to how to manage your particular situation.

While regular cleanings usually suffice, there are times when a different approach is needed. On occasion, it is necessary to get to more tenacious build up in certain areas. You can be confident that our team will assess problem areas and identify the underlying causes. Sometimes a "deeper" cleaning is needed in areas and anesthetic may be used to help treat any gum disease that is present.

Our team has years of experience helping rebuild smiles. Whether it's due to a broken filling or a broken tooth, a crown can function as a great way to return you to normal function. If a tooth is missing, a bridge may be an option for replacement. Perhaps you are looking to improve esthetics and don't want to go through orthodontic movement of the teeth. Veneers may be a choice for you.

You can be assured, no matter what treatment you need, we have extensive experience working to improve smiles. Our computerized technology allows for the integration of HD scanning, computer assisted designing, and manufacturing of crowns, bridges, and sometimes veneers. Our Amann Girbach milling unit is state of the art and allows us to be in complete control of whatever is fabricated for your mouth.

Dental implants involve the replacement of a missing tooth with a screw which is placed in the space of the missing tooth and then a porcelain tooth placed on top of that screw. Implants are a terrific way to help maintain both the function and cosmetics of a natural dentition.

Implants may be used to replace a single tooth, multiple teeth, or as support for a full mouth denture. The restorative options revolving around implants are many. We can help guide you as to what direction may be best for you and your specific needs.

Our team uses the latest technology to develop 3-D scans of your mouth in order to determine proper placement of the implants and where bone may be available to support an implant. In cases where anatomy may not allow an implant, or if we feel the treatment is too complex, you may need to see an oral surgeon for your implant placement. Even if we cannot place the actual implant, we will always be able to do the restoration of the implant in our office.

Botox is a neurotoxin, which works by inhibiting the action of neurotransmitters, often referred to as the body's chemical messengers. Neurotransmitters are molecules that the nervous system uses to transmit messages from one nerve cell to another, or from a nerve cell to a muscle. Neurotransmitters pass messages from the brain to the muscles, for example, when the brain wants to tell muscles to move.

Inhibiting these chemical messengers with Botox can prevent muscles from getting the message that they should move. Specifically, the toxin in Botox inhibits the release of acetylcholine (ACH), which is a neurotransmitter that tells muscles to contract. In other words, Botox prevents muscles from getting the message that they should move

A number of dental problems are the result of overactive muscles. These musclegenerated dental problems include:

• Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) that cause pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) where the lower jaw joins the skull
• Bruxism, or grinding of the teeth
• Excessive clenching of the jaw
• Masseter hypertrophy, a condition characterized by enlargement of the muscles responsible for chewing food

Ask us about Botox for both cosmetic applications and for the treatment of clenching and grinding of the teeth.

Many advances have been made in dental technology through the years but perhaps the most exciting for patients is the use of lasers in dentistry. While success with first generation lasers was mixed, the latest technology in CO2 lasers has revolutionized the patient experience.

Although not every procedure can be performed using a laser, many of our procedures can be done using a laser. This allows simple removal of decay or modifications to the gum tissue without a patient needing to be numb. That's right, no more needles.

Please visit the following link to learn more about this terrific technology we've invested in: Click Here