:: Welcome to Our Seattle Dental Practice
December 17, 2009
Dr Timmerman only chooses materials and brands for his patients that he would use on his family. In many cases, brands DO matter. One such situation is dental implants from Nobel Biocare.
Nobel Biocare is a leader in dental products and innovation. Their implant systems are designed for patient comfort and satisfaction, and that leads to long term success. Replace Select® Tapered is the fastest growing implant on the market because it is so easy. It can be used for both one- and two-stage surgery.
If you are looking for an implant that is produced by a market leader and want a dentist that can both place AND restore your implant, call Dr Timmerman at 206-241-5533!
December 13, 2009
When deciding on what treatment to choose, cost is usually a factor. How much does a dental implant cost? It is not always a straightforward answer, as the alternative cost should be considered.Â
The cost for a dental bridge is NOT just the fee, but also the fact that the adjacent teeth are treated as well. Economists call this “opportunity costs” and should be considered. In time, these teeth are subject to getting decay, breaking, needing root canal therapy and other issues.
But most relevant to a discussion on cost for dental implants are the fees associated with the dental implant.
Dental implants come in three parts, the implant body, the implant abutment and the implant supported crown. When asking around for fees, you will be told ranges, from around $1200 to $2200 for the implant body, from around $400 to $800 for the abutment, and $1200 to $1800 for the implant supported crown.
Fees range from city to city and office to office, as the skills and materials used in each office are different.
December 12, 2009
Dr Timmeran gets asked frequently “what EXACTLY is a full mouth rejuvination?”
Essentially, this is a process. The goal is to restore the entire mouth to the state it was in when the person was around age 23 (assuming everything was GREAT when they were 23). The teeth are not worn very much, they are white, they look FABULOUS.
What does it take to get this? It depends.
Call Dr Timmerman at 206-241-5533 to find out what can be done for YOU…
November 14, 2009
Dr Timmerman is asked all the time for cheap esthetic or cosmetic dentistry. Honestly, nobody wants this. Dr Timmerman wants to provide care that people want and are proud of, and people want care that warrants pride.
He often talks of the “3 E’s of Dentistry”. These are esthetic, economics and efficiency. You can have 2, but not all three. If you want them to be pretty and quick, they won’t be cheap. If you want them to be cheap and efficient, they won’t be pretty. If you want them to be pretty and cheap, they won’t be efficient (quick or convenient).
We ALL want our cake and to eat it too. Sometimes, cutting corners is not a good idea. Do you want cheap brain surgery? You might not like the outcome. Same with cosmetic dentistry.
Low fees come at a premium. What corners are being cut in order to save you money? Do you want veneers created in China, where we don’t really know what they are made from? There are many cases of materials made in Asia where the results are NOT what one would want. When it comes to one’s health, is that REALLY a wise thing?
October 14, 2009
Beautiful smiles have an interesting affect on people. Some people have their self esteem affected when their smile is not what THEY feel is beautiful. A spiral effect happens, where the lower self esteem leads to other things. People in sales sell less. People in the dating scene date less often or with people that are less than they desire.
Dr Timmerman knows that everyone loves a beautiful smile. Popular shows like extreme makeover showcase how a nice smile can transform a person. People that work in sales report that their confidence increases and their sales improve. People in the dating scene share that prospects improve. Many people report that their self esteem increases. The value of a smile is personal and hard to measure.
So how much does that cost? What is that WORTH? The short answer is “It dependsâ€.
Veneers take time and have lab costs involved. Less time and less lab means less fee. A truly artistic dentist with a fantastic lab, displaying their care and skills, take more time and have a higher fee. Materials used play a factor, as some veneers are made out of one material and yet other veneers are made from layering materials, creating works of art.
Dr Timmerman likes to give people choices. If someone simply wants a NICER smile, but not the BEST, there IS an option for them. No-prep veneers that take no time at all to create will have a lower fee, but they will NOT look as nice as layered porcelain veneers that required some removal of tooth structure.
Some people ask how much per tooth, yet smile makeovers are not only a factor of teeth involved. The fee to restore ONE tooth is not 1/10th of the fee to restore ten. The case complexity and lab work involved to restore ten teeth is exponentially more than one.
Depending on budget, number of teeth involved, materials, goals and expectations, you should plan to spend between $4000 up to $30,000.
September 23, 2009
There are some things in life that finding the lowest cost makes sense. Video equipment in one store is the same as another, so the lowest price is a wise search. But in health care, is that really a good idea? Would a discount brain surgeon be worth the savings (although in the end, if you are a vegetable, do you really care?)?
A fair amount of our cosmetic cases are redoing work from another dentist. There are many fantastic dentists out there that really do a wonderful job with cosmetics, but there seem to be MORE that just “prep and pray†that the end result is nice. And for some people, that is all they want.
If I am redoing work done by others, did the people REALLY save any money? The fee is NOT less when redoing the work, it is often MORE expensive, since there is MORE work needed when fixing a botched case. Sometimes when originally 8-10 veneers is all that was needed, a redo is 8-10 veneers AND a few root canals or implants.
Consumers need to do some homework. Not all dentists are trained equally. Not all have experience in cosmetics. If you would like to know more, call 206-241-5533.
September 22, 2009
Dr Timmerman is proud of his education and his continuing education. One of the programs he has participated in is the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (or LVI for short). This world renowned institute teaches modern materials and techniques the dental schools just don’t cover. Dental schools just cover the basics, so if your dentist has not kept up with 21st century dentistry, you are truly missing out!
From cosmetic smile makeovers to complex reconstructions, from TMJ disorders to sedation dentistry, LVI trains dentists to help people that otherwise are not helped.
If you would like to be treated by LVI trained Dr Lance Timmerman, call 206-241-5533 today!
September 21, 2009
One of the greatest challenges Dr Timmerman (and all dentists) have is to restore a single front tooth. Matching the color of one front tooth can be difficult, as the shade on one side of the tooth is often different than the other side. Surface texture, if not done well, can be too smooth, so when the light interacts with the smile (like during a cocktail party or other social gathering) the appearance is less than desireable. Material selection is important as well, since light reacts with different mediums in a variety of ways. Old fashioned crowns are made with a metal substructure that can block light and make a tooth look opaque and lifeless.
Here is an example of a single front tooth restored. Can YOU tell which is fake?
An enhanced smile does not always mean restoring multiple teeth, especially if one is satisfied with how everything looks in the first place! If you would like to know more, call 206-241-5533 today for a free consultation!
Simply put, bruxism is “grinding your teeth”. It can annoy neighbors, it can break teeth and dental restorations, and it can contribute to TMJ or jaw disorders. It can also make the teeth look very short and unesthetic.
Dr Timmerman helps people deal with bruxism. He has several methods to help, from the simple to the complex. If you grind your teeth, or if you know someone that does and would like to get treatment, call 206-241-5533!
September 17, 2009
Dr Timmerman is often asked what is involved in a cosmetic smile makeover. Hopefully this presentation will help explain the 4 simple steps!
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