Digital X-Rays

Thanks to advances in X-ray technology, we no longer need to wait for chemical processing to see an X-ray image. Dr. Richardson and our team are pleased to utilize digital radiography, or digital X-rays, at Highland Village Smile Studio. This choice is safer both for you and for the environment. To learn more about digital radiography in Highland Village, Texas, and to set up your next appointment with our dentist, we invite you to contact us today at 972-236-4429.

Digital X-rays are one of the advanced diagnostic tools we use to provide you with the best possible care. Digital radiography has changed the way we take dental X-rays by making the process faster, more comfortable, and more convenient than ever before. Digital X-rays use a digital sensor to take images of your teeth, unlike traditional X-rays that use film. Digital X-rays use significantly less radiation than conventional film X-rays, and they require the use of no chemicals for developing the images. Our dentist can then instantly view the high-quality images on monitors right in the treatment room to provide you with efficient, accurate diagnoses and care. Our team is able to use digital radiography to identify and diagnose several types of dental problems, such as:

• Decay in between teeth
• Developmental abnormalities
• Improper tooth root positioning
• Cysts and abscesses
• Fractures in existing fillings
• Tumors
• Infection in the tooth nerves
• Bone loss

We may also use digital dental X-rays to plan certain kinds of dental treatment, such as oral surgery procedures, root canal treatment, dental implants, and more. To learn more about digital radiography and how we use X-rays at our office, we welcome you to call or visit us soon.

Intraoral Camera

As part of your oral exam, our dentist may use an intraoral camera to see the hard-to-reach areas of your mouth. We know that not everyone has crocodile-like jaws that can open to allow us to clearly see every part of your smile, so we use this tool to ensure that we can clearly assess your oral health while keeping you comfortable.

The intraoral camera is a small, pen-shaped handpiece with a small camera on the end that enables Dr. Nicole Richardson to capture detailed images of the inside of your mouth. A small fiber-optic light illuminates the area of your mouth while a digital camera transmits the images to a screen right in our treatment room. This allows you and your dentist to see the small details of your smile that may be missed with the unaided eye. Using the intraoral camera can help Dr. Nicole Richardson to detect and treat dental problems before they become larger, more serious, and more painful. As she analyzes the images provided by the intraoral camera, our dentist will explain her findings, diagnoses, and recommended treatment options.

This state-of-the-art digital technology also creates a digital file of the images that can be easily sent to specialists, insurance companies, and other healthcare providers as needed. These images remain in your chart as well, allowing Dr. Nicole Richardson to compare images over time to monitor oral health changes, such as gum recession or tooth wear.

To learn more about how we use the intraoral camera in Highland Village, Texas, we welcome you to contact us today at Highland Village Smile Studio by calling (972) 317-1406. We look forward to helping you improve and maintain your healthy, beautiful smile!

Patient Comforts & Dental Care

Dr. Richardson and our team are pleased to serve patients of all ages. To provide you and your family with the care and comfort you need to reach and keep healthy smiles, we offer the following patient comforts:

• Sedation Dentistry
• Intraoral Camera
• Digital X-Rays
• Massaging Dental Chairs

Please feel free to click on the links above to learn more about our patient comforts. We are committed to ensuring that each visit to our office is comfortable and positive. For more information and to set up your next appointment with our dentist in Highland Village, Texas, we welcome you to contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sedation Dentistry

Do you ever feel nervous leading up to or during your dental treatment? Ask our dentist at Highland Village Smile Studio, Dr. Nicole Richardson, about sedation dentistry in Highland Village, Texas. Sedation can help you feel relaxed and comfortable during dental treatment.

Sedation dentistry is a wonderful choice for patients who feel anxious or nervous about their dental treatment. Sedation dentistry involves using a sedative medication to help you feel more relaxed and calm during your dental visit. There are several types of sedation dentistry available based on your individual needs and preferences:

• NO2, (laughing gas), which is a sedative gas that is mixed with oxygen. You simply inhale the gas during your treatment to help you feel more relaxed. NO2 is a mild form of sedation that wears off within just a few minutes after we stop the flow of gas.
• Oral sedation, which involves taking an oral medication before your treatment. By the time of your appointment, you will feel calm and at ease.
• IV sedation, which involves administering the medication intravenously (through the veins). This type of sedation enables our dentist to provide the sedation more quickly, and we can also easily control the level of sedation to ensure that you stay comfortable. IV sedation is a form of conscious sedation, meaning that it will not make you unconscious, but you may feel so relaxed that you fall asleep during your treatment. You may also not remember all of the details of your visit.

Sedation dentistry will help you feel more comfortable during your treatment. Our experienced dentist and dental team will ensure that your entire treatment is safe. Each member of our team is highly trained, and we will carefully monitor you during your visit. If you have chosen oral or IV sedation, please be sure to have a friend or family member available to drive you to and from your appointment.

If you suffer from dental anxiety, if you have had negative experiences at the dentist in the past, or if you simply feel nervous about your treatment, sedation dentistry can help you feel more at ease. Sedation dentistry is also a good choice for patients who have difficulty getting numb or who have an extremely sensitive gag reflex.

For more information on sedation dentistry and how it can make your dental experience more pleasant, we welcome you to contact us today.