Patients Under Cancer Treatments
Castañeda Dental provides important services for dental patients before, during, and after cancer treatment. The oral cancer examinations that we perform regularly can make the difference in a patient's survival from life-threatening oral cancers. Oral and pharyngeal cancers are treatable in their early stages.

Routine Examinations
At Castañeda Dental, routine, comprehensive oral-cancer screening examinations are conducted at every visit. Our professional team works closely with oral cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy, radiation and surgical procedures that make oral care difficult. We work closely with patients to insure satisfactory home care.

Signs and symptoms of oral cancer:
• A sore on the lip or in the mouth that does not heal.
• A lump on the lip or in the mouth.
• A white or red patch on the gums, tongue or lining of
the mouth.
• Unusual bleeding, pain or numbness in the mouth.
• A sore throat that does not go away, or a feeling that
something is caught in the throat.
• Difficulty or pain with chewing or swallowing.
• Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly
or become uncomfortable.
• A change in the voice and/or pain in the ear.


Sleep Apnea
It is estimated that more than 80 million people in North America snore while sleeping. Considering the snorer’s spouse and children, as many as 160 million people are negatively affected by snoring every night. Dr Castañeda prescribe an affordable, custom-made intra-oral device.  This is an oral device that is flexible, thin and quite comfortable. It has also exhibited clinical success for preventing annoying and unhealthy snoring. When compared to the moderate success rate of surgical procedures our snore prevention devices can be the first course of treatment for simple snoring. Only an impression of the upper and lower arch is needed to make it.

What causes snoring?
During sleep, the muscles and soft tissues in the throat and mouth relax making the breathing airway smaller. This decrease in space increases the velocity of air flowing through the airway during breathing. As the velocity increases in the constricted space, the soft tissues like the soft palate and the uvula vibrate producing the classic snoring sound. It should also be noted that sleep studies have shown that excess body weight, heavy alcohol consumption and sedatives have been shown to increase the severity of snoring.

How Does this device Prevent Snoring?
This snoring prevention device gently positions the lower jaw into a forward position by means of special connectors that are attached to transparent flexible upper and lower forms. These upper and lower forms are custom laminated with heat and pressure to a model of your mouth. They have an excellent fit and are very comfortable since they have a soft inner layer. With your lower jaw slightly forward, the airway stays open and prevents soft tissue vibrations which cause snoring. Even with congested nasal passages, The device prevents snoring and does not inhibit oral breathing. It has been proven effective in cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.






Medically Compromised Patients

Dr. Castañeda is highly trained and has considerable experience in the dental management of patients who are medically compromised.
For some medically compromised patients, poor oral health threatens their medical condition or their general health. An example of such a situation is a patient who develops a dental abscess while in an immuno-compromised state following bone marrow transplantation. Because the patient is immuno-compromised, the dental infection could lead to a more generalized infection and become a life-threatening event. In other situations the patient's medical condition can adversely affect their oral health. An example would be a patient on chemotherapy who develops painful mouth ulcers. Another consideration for patients who are medically compromised is that their condition may necessitate an alteration to the normal delivery of dental care. An example would be administering blood factors before extracting teeth in patients with bleeding disorders.

Castañeda Dental provides the following services for patients who are medically compromised:
In-patient consultation
Oral rehabilitation
Pre-procedural screening and treatment prior to surgical procedures
Out-patient preventive and treatment services

TMJ (jaw Pain)
TMJ jaw pain can be in the jaw muscles, the jaw joints, or both. Most of it comes from the muscles that move the lower jaw. One of the muscles, the temporalis, spreads out like a fan on the side of the head and reaches downward to grab the lower jaw. Many physicians are not familiar with the temporalis muscle and mistake the pain from this muscle for migraine.

Some patients with actually have pain inside the jaw joint itself. If there is discomfort in the jaw joint itself, the joints will hurt when you press directly on them.

This problem can be devastating. You can't smile, you can't eat, and you can't speak. It's terrible. TMJ jaw pain can start with an accident, a long dental visit, or without any good reason. Acute TMJ jaw pain is when the pain begins suddenly. Chronic TMJ jaw pain is when the pain persists and doesn't go away.

Dental Implants
Naturally, our teeth are important to us. But when your smile actually affects your standard of living, the appearance and function of your teeth take on a whole new meaning.

Nobody wants to endure the embarrassment of slipping dentures or missing teeth. When these circumstances are simply unacceptable, it's time to ask your dentist about dental implants.

With dental implants, your dentist can provide you with ideal esthetics. You'll smile with confidence. No other procedure can give you a natural look or anchor teeth more securely.

Dental implants can offer a far more desirable alternative for replacing missing teeth than conventional bridges or dentures. With implants, the dentist does not have to cut down adjacent teeth, and you can avoid bulky removable partials.

The implant acts as an artificial root, integrating into the jawbone. Implants can be used to support single crowns, bridges and dentures. So, whether you are missing one tooth, several teeth or all of your teeth, dental implants may be an option for you.

Partial and Complete Dentures
If you are missing only a few teeth scattered over either arch (upper or lower teeth), or even if you have a minimum of two teeth on both sides of the arch, then you can most inexpensively replace the missing teeth with a removable partial denture (RPD). 

There are several types of RPD's.  All of them use standard plastic denture teeth as replacements for the missing natural teeth.  The differences between them are the materials that are used to support the denture teeth and retain the RPD in the mouth

The Treatment RPD (flippers) Affectionately known in dentistry as a "flipper", this is the least expensive of all the removable partial dentures. The one pictured on the top replaces 4 missing teeth, leaving spaces for 7 natural teeth. Two of the natural teeth are clasped with wrought wire clasps which are cured into the structure of the denture base. The pink plastic of the denture base is brittle acrylic, the same material used to make standard full dentures. The largest single advantage to this type of RPD (aside from the cost) is that new teeth and new denture base can easily be added to an existing treatment RPD. These are frequently fabricated even if the remaining teeth have existing decay or periodontal disease and their prognosis is doubtful. If later in the course of treatment some of the existing natural teeth are extracted for any reason, new false teeth can be added quickly to the partial, maintaining the patient's appearance. In spite of the fact that they are considered a temporary solution, many people keep this type of appliance for many, many years, because as long as they are properly maintained, they look outwardly as good as the more expensive permanent appliances described below .




Orthodontic
For patients who have crooked or gapped teeth, we offer a wide range of orthodontic services. With different kinds of braces and appliances, Dr. Castaneda’s Associate will design a plan to fit each patient’s needs and lifestyle.

No matter what their age, our patients don’t have to live with crooked teeth. Contact us today to learn more about our orthodontics options.



Whitening One Hour (Zoom)
Castañeda Dental offers the Zoom! Professional Whitening System.

Do you want to Zoom?
The Zoom! Chairside Whitening System is a scientifically advanced, patent pending tooth whitening procedure. It's safe, effective and fast, very fast. In less than an hour your teeth will become dramatically whiter. Zoom! Chairside Whitening is ideal for anyone looking for immediate results. The convenience of Zoom! in comparison to days of wearing trays or strips, makes it the perfect choice for the busy individual.

Get ready to Zoom!
The Zoom! In-Office Whitening System will make your teeth dramatically whiter in less than an hour. The procedure is simple. It begins with a short preparation to cover your lips and gums, leaving only your teeth exposed. The Zoom! clinician then applies the proprietary Zoom! Whitening Gel, which was designed to be used with a specially designed light. The Zoom! light and gel work together to gently penetrate your teeth, breaking up stains and discoloration. With proper care your smile will sparkle for years

Tune in to Zoom!
Take your first step to feeling good, looking great and making a memorable impression every time you smile.

Tooth Extraction
The removal of teeth is at times necessary and appropriate; and although no one wants to have it done, we take every effort to make the procedure as comfortable and painless as possible.

Dr. Castañeda is able to extract most teeth, including "wisdom teeth", depending on the complexity of the surgery, or if the patient desires complete sedation. If appropriate, Dr. Castañeda will refer you to the oral surgeon for treatment and help arrange the initial visit for you. Whether the extraction is done at our office or that of an oral surgeon, you will be comfortable during the procedure, as you will be "numb" from local anesthetic that is delivered to the area of treatment. Prior to the treatment, the post extraction instructions for optimum healing will be reviewed with you and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions. After treatment, you will be followed to ensure proper healing and comfort.

Tooth extraction can be a necessary procedure that while no one wants to have it done, it has to happen anyway. We take every effort to make the procedure as comfortable and painless for you as possible.

When having an extraction, today's modern procedures and follow up care as recommended by your dentist are there to provide you the patient great benefit and comfort.