Dentist in Napa, CA - Philosophy
Our Mission
All About Smiles is our name and our promise. Understanding and empathy for our patient's condition is our primary concern. As caring professionals, we promise always to be gentle and to apply the most advanced effective methods in our exquisite artistic Family and cosmetic dentistry. Our education, planning and cosmetic Family and cosmetic dentistry results will always be reflected in our patient's smiles.
Our practice is based on the family; therefore, we cater to children as well as adults of all ages. We are especially effective at treating patients with dental fears. While our services cover a wide variety of treatment needs for our patients, cosmetic Family and cosmetic dentistry is an important focus. Our techniques demonstrate the most current technology and procedures due to Dr. Fenderson's commitment to on-going and regular continuing education course attendance for himself and his team.
Continuing Care
Our office has an active and important continuing care philosophy. You may ask why? Dental health, as well as overall health, requires effort and diligence in order to keep your health status at an optimum level. Since your mouth is the beginning of digestion, the pathways for breathing, part of the speech process and the focal point of your appearance, it is imperative to maintain this part of your body in the best possible condition. But, because it is all of that, your mouth also receives many outside elements-food, drink, air, temperatures, bacteria, tastes, smells (yes, even in your mouth), foreign objects, etc. Your teeth, gum tissues, tongue, hard and soft palates and other structures can be affected by all of these things. In addition, there is saliva, blood vessels, and lymph systems and chewing forces that are at work. So you can see this is a very active part of your body and deserves the best maintenance possible.
Our philosophy is that your continuing care appointment is "not just a check-up and a cleaning." What do we do at that appointment? Well, we review your overall health status, medications you are taking, any treatments you are receiving, current and past illnesses; we update your x-rays, examine all of the hard and soft tissues, do a check for oral cancer; check for broken, cracked or leaking fillings; determine your periodontal health status; remove any plaque, tarter and stains from your teeth; counsel, if needed, your nutrition; polish your teeth; and give you guidance on how to better maintain your dental health.
How do we determine your "schedule" for continuing care? It depends on your oral conditions, how well you maintain your mouth, the amount of plaque and tarter formation you get, the rate at which you get the plaque and tarter, your periodontal status, your past history of decay and periodontal problems, your overall health-all these enter into the 6 month, 3-4 month, or yearly status for your "recall." For those of you who are car buffs or work with machinery, you could view this as "preventive maintenance." Consider your continuing care appointment as an opportunity to catch potential problems and breakdowns before they begin to affect the use of your mouth.
For the answers to most of your dental questions try our Health Library!
Emergency Care
You have access to emergency dental care on a 24 hour basis by calling 707.258.8700. We will make every effort to see you the same day as your call. Should Dr. Fenderson be unavailable, one of his colleagues, often right at Valle Verde Dental building, will be happy to help.
Children
We enjoy seeing children from 3 years up, and believe it or not, most of them enjoy coming to the Family and cosmetic dentist. Dr. Fenderson prefers to use the psychological approach for behavior control rather than sedative drugs. They will love our casual techniques and humor, making them comfortable and relaxed. If this is your child's first visit, all you need to tell them is that the Family and cosmetic dentist will look at and may take a few pictures (x-rays) of their teeth. Leave the rest to us.
Give us a call or e-mail us with any questions you might have about dental health. Check out our "Links" page for more dental information.