Sinus Augmentation

Sinus Augmentation

Here at Orland Dental Wellness Center, we provide dental treatments our patients need for a variety of conditions. One of the treatments we offer is sinus augmentation, also called sinus lift. This is often needed in patients that have lost their posterior teeth and therefore have pressure being placed on the teeth that are remaining. In some cases, they can get a dental implant to help with the problem, but if there is insufficient room for implants, a sinus augmentation procedure is performed.

Dr. Wook Kim uses the sinus augmentation procedure to reposition the sinus floor and create enough room for a dental implant. He uses grafting materials to allow the bone to grow more efficiently and at a faster pace, encouraging enough room and growth for an implant in this area of the mouth.

Sinus augmentation is a simple and routine procedure performed often in our dental practice. Patients that want to get a dental implant are encouraged to get the sinus augmentation so they have a chance at a permanent replacement. Visit us in Orland Park, IL to discuss getting the sinus augmentation before getting your dental implant.

Extractions

Extractions

Many patients here at Orland Dental Wellness Center are in need of having one or more teeth pulled, which we refer to as extractions. There are several reasons a patient might visit us for an extraction, which include having an overcrowded mouth, wisdom teeth or impacted teeth, severe periodontal disease, or severe infection.

Dr. Wook Kim performs the following steps to complete an extraction:

1. A local anesthetic is applied to the area to numb it, or general anesthesia is used for more serious extractions, like wisdom teeth or impacted teeth. The latter lets the patient sleep during the procedure.


2. For impacted teeth, the gum and bone tissue is cut away before grabbing the tooth with forceps and pulling it out.


3. A back-and-forth motion is often used to loosen the tooth before pulling it.


4. Once it is removed, the dentist makes sure a blood clot begins to form. Gauze is packed in the socket and occasionally self-dissolving stitches are needed.

If you are in need of an extraction, visit Dr. Wook Kim in Orland Park, IL. We make sure patients feel as comfortable as possible with this intimidating procedure.

Mini Implants with Dentures

Mini Implants with Dentures

Dentures replace multiple missing teeth, but can be frustrating for patients when they are constantly moving and shifting. This can be embarrassing because it may happen while talking or eating a meal. By getting mini implants with dentures, our patients have more stability as the denture is placed securely over implants in their jaw bone.

The great thing about mini implants are that require less bone for implantation than regular size implants. Mini implants are smaller than traditional implants and include a titanium post being installed in the jaw bone of the missing teeth. They also can be placed by Dr. Wook Kim in a much shorter time than traditional dental implants. In fact, mini implants can be affixed in one procedure. Once the mini implants are placed, the dentures can be snapped right on the top of the post to hold them in place.

Mini implants with dentures are provided here at Orland Dental Wellness Center as a convenience to our patients. They allow the patient to wear their custom-made dentures without worrying about them shifting or falling out while eating or talking. The mini dentures are permanent and stable as the bone has closed around the post to hold it securely. Learn more about mini implants with dentures by visiting our clinic in Orland Park, IL.

Partial Dentures

Partial Dentures

At Orland Dental Wellness Center, we offer options when it comes to dentures. One of these options is partial dentures, which are great if you don’t need to have all of your teeth removed.

The main difference between a partial denture and a bridge is that the bridge is not removable as it is connected by two crowns, while the partial is removable and similar to full dentures. Not all patients need to have all their teeth removed, making partial dentures an excellent alternative.

Like full dentures, partial dentures are made with a flesh-colored base to go over the gums. The teeth in the dentures are made to match the patient’s natural teeth as well. In the beginning, they take a little adjusting to, but in time eating and talking with them becomes natural and automatic.

Patients that receive partial dentures from Dr. Wook Kim are encouraged to take good care of their dentures like they would with their teeth, including soaking them daily. If you have questions about partial dentures and whether or not they are for you, call our dental clinic at 708-460-6666.

Periodontal Health

Periodontal Health

Here at Orland Dental Wellness Center, we take our patient’s periodontal health very seriously. Oral health and proper hygiene practices are necessary to maintain healthy teeth and gums.

However, patients with gum disease are at risk of periodontal disease, which causes the loss of bone density and many other issues. For this reason, we offer dental services to help protect and maintain good periodontal health. It is important to understand the causes of periodontal disease which include:

• Family history of periodontal disease


• Poor oral hygiene


• Smoking and other bad habits


• Taking certain medications that affect the teeth and gums


• Illnesses and diseases like diabetes, cancer, and HIV


• Lack of treatment for gum disease

Some of the periodontal health procedures Dr. Wook Kim offers in our Orland office include deep cleanings, root planing and scaling, gross debridement and gum grafting. With continued periodontal treatment, patients are able to protect and save more of their natural teeth and prevent more serious complications. To have Dr. Wook Kim assess your current periodontal health, call us at 708-460-6666.

Dental Hygiene

Dental Hygiene

Here at Orland Dental Wellness Center, we offer our patients a variety of dental procedures, which begin with the dental hygiene appointment. This appointment includes education to teach patients about the right tooth brushing and flossing technique, reiteration of the importance of oral hygiene, and a dental exam to look for signs of other dental issues. Patients in Orland Park, IL visit Dr. Wook Kim for dental hygiene and check-up appointments twice a year to benefit fully from proper oral health.

Daily dental hygiene is essential for patients to begin doing at home. Patients are advised to brush and floss their teeth twice a day, and visit our office every six months. This ensures the best preventative measures for avoidance of future costly dental procedures. It also reduces the risk of gum disease, including periodontal disease. If a patient does have periodontal disease, we offer treatments for it, including deep cleanings, root scaling and planing.

Oral cancer screenings are also performed during each check-up in our office, which involves examining the teeth and gums, tongue, inside and outside of the mouth, the cheeks and the lips for signs of oral cancer.

Call our office today at (708) 460-6666 for a dental hygiene appointment.

Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening

Dr. Wook Kim provides many cosmetic dental procedures for our patients, including teeth whitening. This includes the tray whitening system and ZOOM! whitening, depending on the patient’s preferences. Some patients at Orland Dental Wellness Center love the ZOOM! whitening system because it is completed in just a single visit to our practice, while others love the customized tray whitening system.

Tray whitening is done in our office and at home. Custom trays are made to fit the patient’s teeth perfectly. They are filled with a whitening gel and placed on the patient’s teeth for a short period of time. After leaving our office, they will use the trays on their own for several days, during certain increments each day. Teeth are less sensitive after using the trays, and they work well due to being customized.

The other type of whitening offered in our office is ZOOM! teeth whitening, which uses a low intensity light and whitening gel, made from hydrogen peroxide. The lamp is placed over the teeth with the gel on, which activates the gel whitens the teeth by getting deep into the enamel. This is beneficial for patients wanting the whitening done in just an hour.

Visit our website at www.orlanddental.com to find out more about our teeth whitening procedures. We'd love to give you a whiter, brighter smile!

Dentures

Dentures

Dentures and partials help patients in Orland Park, IL replace their missing teeth with a removable oral device. It is one of the most common ways to make up for missing teeth, letting patients eat the food they want and smile confidently, without having their missing teeth obvious.

There are two main types of dentures provided here in our practice, including the following:

1. Immediate Full Dentures – Immediate dentures are created before the patient’s teeth are removed, and impressions are made of their teeth. These are made when the patient’s teeth must be removed for a medical or dental reason and they have enough natural teeth for the impressions. Once the teeth are removed, the dentures are already prepared for the patient.

2. Conventional Full Dentures – Conventional dentures are created after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue is healed completely. This is a better option for patients who are already missing several or most of their teeth, prior to needing the dentures.

Patients are advised to take good care of their dentures by soaking and brushing them daily. This helps extend the life of the dentures. Partial dentures are also provided here at Orland Dental Wellness Center by Dr. Wook Kim. Contact us for more information about the denture process.

Mini Implants

Mini Implants

Mini implants are a type of dental implant that helps patients replace missing teeth. Here at Orland Dental Wellness Center, we offer mini and traditional implants. Both versions are completed by Dr. Wook Kim, who implants a titanium post into the jaw bone of the missing tooth, with a permanent crown placed over the top of the implant. With mini dental implants, the post is about half the size, so much less bone is needed. They work on patients with minimal bone left in the jaw, and is great for those that don’t want to wait months before getting the crown fitted.

The benefits of getting mini dental implants include those that are related to implants in general, and the mini version. They include the following:

• They require less bone and can be done during a single visit.


• They allow patients to continue eating like normal.


• Mini dental implants are as permanent as traditional.


• They have the same stability as traditional implants.


• The healing time for mini implants is shorter.

Mini implants are done in one visit and provide a permanent solution to missing teeth. They should be cared for like other teeth, including brushing them daily. To find out more about the mini implant procedure, call our Orland, IL office at (708) 460-6666.

Digital X-Rays

Digital X-Rays

We at Orland Dental Wellness Center are committed to providing our patients with state-of-the-art dental technologies.  This helps us provide quality dentistry and comfortable dental visits.  One of the many ways we maintain excellent dental care is with digital x-ray technology.

Digital x-rays offer several benefits over the conventional film x-rays they have come to replace.  They are safer, more precise, and provide more detailed images.  Digital images make monitoring your oral health and maintaining dental health records simple.  The technology also emits 80% less radiation than film x-rays have in the past.  This improves patient oral health on a number of levels.  In just a few moments, digital x-ray images can be displayed and examined without any loss to the quality of the image.

We invite patients to learn more about digital x-rays and how they can improve your dental care on our website.  You can also schedule an appointment with us at Orland Dental Wellness Center to experience the technology firsthand.

Periodontal Disease and Cardiovascular Disease

Periodontal Disease and Cardiovascular Disease

We are always stressing the importance of good oral health to our patients.  You should always remember to brush, floss, and visit us for biannual cleanings and exams for your smile health.  However, good oral health habits mean more than a healthy smile.  More and more studies are showing a link between the prevalence of periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease.  When you care for your smile, you are also caring for your overall health.

When plaque inducing bacteria enter the bloodstream through inflamed gum tissue, they can cause your blood vessels to thicken.  Just as this bacteria causes plaque buildup on your tooth surface, they can also cause plaque to build up on your artery walls.  This increases an individual’s risk for heart attack, among other forms of cardiovascular disease.  We remind all of our patients to care for their teeth not just for smile preservation, but also for overall health and longevity.

Zoom! Teeth Whitening

Zoom! Teeth Whitening

Do you wish your smile was just a few shades brighter?  Many of our patients share your same concern.  Although our number one priority is your oral health, we want to make sure you are happy with the appearance of your smile too.  This is why we offer professional Zoom whitening at our practice.

Zoom whitening is a safe and efficient whitening method that provides patients with dramatic whitening results.  Zoom whitening is one of the best ways to professionally whiten your smile.  There is no need to wait for your results.  Patients leave our practice with a brighter smile just about an hour later.  This cosmetic service is a great choice for patients with busy schedules who want to find confidence in a bright, beautiful smile.

In addition to the aesthetic benefits, teeth whitening ostensibly improves your oral health.  When our patients treat their smile as an asset worth showing off, they also work harder to maintain it.  This means better flossing, brushing, and eating and drinking habits.  Thanks to Zoom whitening, our patients have improved their smile health and beauty.

If you are looking to improve the aesthetic appearance of your smile, contact our office and learn more about Zoom whitening.  We are happy to help you find confidence in a brighter, more beautiful smile.

Inlays/Onlays

Inlays/Onlays

There are several ways to restore the health of your smile.  While fillings and crowns are both very effective, sometimes a tooth needs more support than a filling can provide, but doesn’t quite need a full crown.  In these cases, inlays and onlays are the perfect restorative solution.  We work hard to provide our patients with beautiful inlays and onlays that improve the health and beauty of your smile.

Inlays and onlays are sometimes referred to as partial crowns.  They cover just a portion of your tooth and require less preparation time.  At Orland Dental Wellness Center, we want to make sure that all of our patients are happy with their smile restorations.  If you need to restore a cracked, chipped or decayed tooth, we encourage you to contact our practice.  During a consultation, we can determine if inlays and onlays are the right restorative choice for your oral health needs.

Bonding

Bonding

Unfortunately, it’s fairly easy to chip a tooth.  You could slip and fall, bite a tough piece of food, or even clink your tooth against a coffee mug, and in an instant you’ve noticeably damaged the structure of your smile.  Tooth chips can also occur as a result of night grinding and enamel weakening due to decay.  Thankfully, the solution to chipped or moderately damaged tooth is affordable, easy to place and provides a beautiful result. That solution is bonding.

Bonding allows us to correct small structure issues that concern individual teeth, including chips, fractures, cracks, and even gaps created by teeth that are too narrow or short.  Bonding is very efficient, versatile and provides an aesthetically pleasing result. If you’re ready to fix that chipped tooth or makeover a minor tooth flaw, contact us to learn how our bonding services can help.

Dental Bridges

Bridges

Here at Orland Dental Wellness Center we offer our patients a number of solutions to the problem of missing or damaged teeth.  When you need a full tooth replacement, or if you need to replace multiple teeth in a highly visible portion of the mouth, the bridges we provide are an affordable, functional and aesthetic and choice.

Aptly named, bridges work by bridging the gap created by one or more lost teeth. They are permanent dental restoratives that do not have any external framework like partial dentures.  That’s because bridges use adjacent teeth to serve as a means of support.  The supporting teeth are modified slightly to fit below two crowns, which are attached to the bridge and create a full tooth prosthetic.  We can plan and place your bridge over the course of two to three visits, leaving you with a newly revitalized and beautiful smile.

Bridges can be an alternative to dental implants and partial dentures, which we also proudly offer. To determine which of these options will be best for you, simply give us a call at 708-460-6666.    

White Fillings

White Fillings

While metal amalgam fillings were once the norm for fixing cavities and the effects of tooth decay, dental offices like ours now offer a better solution. White fillings are comprised of specialized dental resin rather than metal.  As a result they look more natural on the surface of the tooth, they don’t expand or contact with temperature changes, and they don’t cause tooth sensitivity that can occur after filling a tooth with metal amalgam.

White fillings are also an excellent way to update old amalgam fillings that are creating sensitivity issues or compromising the aesthetic appearance of your smile.  To learn more about the process of placing white fillings and to find out if they’re right for you, give us a call at 708-460-6666.

 

Dental Crowns

Crowns

When a tooth becomes damaged, it’s very important to save the structure while restoring the aesthetic appearance of the smile. The surface of your tooth may need to be restored due to decay or an accident, or as the result of a procedure such as a root canal.  Fortunately, these are very easy issues to address.  For such needs, we here Orland Dental Wellness provide our patients with beautiful and long lasting dental crowns. We also provided the added benefit of crown placement and milling services that can be completed in a single visit.  This is possible thanks to CEREC capabilities.

We use CEREC to prep the damaged tooth and create a new, custom crafted surface from compressed porcelain. The resulting crown will look immaculate among your surrounding teeth, while providing full functionally.  To learn more about the advantages of crowns as a dental restorative, and how CEREC helps us improve your experience, give us a call at 708-460-6666.   

Minimally Invasive Dentistry

Minimally Invasive Dentistry

We believe that a comfortable dentistry is a minimally invasive dentistry. One of our goals here at Orland Dental Wellness is to ensure that you experience a calm and thorough visit.  We accomplish this through various capabilities and processes that are performed with your comfort foremost in mind.

Laser periodontal therapy, rotary endodontic tools, electric handpieces, and other procedural resources allow us to complete once complex procedures in a precise and easy manner.  Even our diagnostic and examination capabilities, including the diagnodent and intraoral camera are designed to make the exam process incredibly thorough with minimal prodding.

To learn more about the minimally invasive dentistry options we provide and how we can ensure your comfort here at Orland Dental Wellness, please contact us directly to arrange an appointment.

Laser Periodontal Therapy (LANAP)

Laser Periodontal Therapy (LANAP)

We all want a healthier smile but some necessary oral health procedures can make us hesitant if not phobic when it comes to properly caring for our teeth and gums. Here at Orland Dental Wellness, we understand this concern and offer our patients the benefit of laser dentistry, specifically laser periodontal therapy. Our very own Dr. Kim is one of just seventeen dentists in the Chicago area who is licensed to perform the Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure.

Patients in need periodontal treatment can enjoy a procedure that involves no incisions, no stitching, and is more precise, comfortable and efficient overall. If you are in need of gum surgery and you’re dreading the prospect, ask us how we here at Orland Dental Wellness can provide you with a comprehensive alternative through laser periodontal therapy.

Smile Makeover

Smile Makeover

If you want to transform your smile to perfectly suit your features, appear flawless and serve as a genuine asset to your confidence and the impressions you make, a smile makeover is just what you’re looking for. Here at Orland Dental Wellness Center, our comprehensive array of cosmetic dental services can correct a range of aesthetic issues and renew your smile.

We’ll work closely with you to discuss the changes you wish to make and determine which of our capabilities are best utilized to complete your smile makeover.  We can provide you with a combination of teeth whitening, bonding, veneers and other services that will bring you closer to the result you envision.

We invite you to arrange a smile makeover consultation with us here at Orland Dental Wellness.

CEREC Machine

CEREC Machine

Exciting new dental technologies are always improving the efficiency of patient visits.  Now, patients that are in need of a smile restoration can have their procedure completed in minimal time.  3D printing technology allows objects to be designed and milled in just minutes.  This CEREC machine does just that; custom forming restorations layer by layer and producing your new dental crown, inlay, onlay or veneers right before your eyes.

At my practice, I use CEREC to create ready-to-place restoratives in just a single visit.  While this process once required two to three weeks to complete, these crowns, veneers and more can now be completed in as little as an hour.  I’m happy to offer this convenience and quality to all of my patients.  If you are in need of a restoration, schedule an appointment and experience this convenient procedure firsthand.  I welcome questions and the opportunity to show you how this exciting technology can help improve your smile.

Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain Veneers

Many of us would love the opportunity to makeover our smile and create a look that we love.  When our smiles are bright and beautiful, we feel more confident in ourselves.  For my patients who want to correct misalignment, cracks, spaces or overall brightness, I offer a complete smile makeover services with veneers.  Veneers are an excellent way to completely makeover your smile’s appearance by covering your teeth with a strong, long lasting dental porcelain.  Each veneer is customized to fit your individual smile, covering each tooth with a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing solution.  The veneers are then bonded to the tooth’s surface with a specialized material that ensures your new smile is secure.

Veneers are capable of providing you with the smile you have always wanted.  Since the needs of every patient differ, it is best to schedule an appointment at my office where we can discuss how veneers can work for you.  I look forward to helping all of my patients find confidence in their smiles.