Bonding describes tooth-colored restorations that usually cover defects in color or texture on front teeth. It can also close excessive space between teeth or correct a tooth’s width that is smaller than normal or smaller than the same tooth on the other side to improve a smile. 

At Advance Dental Arts Center, we make every effort to preserve patients’ teeth. We do this in close partnership with our patients from West Linn, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Gladstone, Milwaukee, Wilsonville, and throughout greater Portland and northwestern Oregon. 

Led by Dr. Kimberly Wright, our team lives up to the Advance Dental Arts Center name. We advance dental techniques, technologies, artistry, and knowledge with exceptional training and targeted investments. 

Honestly, root canals get a really bad rap! But they shouldn’t—a root canal actually relieves the pain caused by an infected tooth. More specifically, it helps a tooth with a nerve that is inflamed due to a deep cavity/filling or crack. This inflamed nerve may be extremely sensitive to hot or cold temperatures, causing extreme pain. 

Modern dental implants were introduced in the mid-1960s; however, it took almost two decades for them to become more commonplace. Before the rise of dental implants, individuals who were missing or holding on to a badly damaged tooth (or teeth) had limited options to fill in those gaps.

After performing a dental exam and detecting a cavity, we may recommend a filling. Amalgam and composite are the two kinds of fillings offered at Advance Dental Arts Center.

Inlays and onlays are restorations that are used when you have a mild to moderate amount of missing tooth structure and therefore, conserve more natural tooth than a crown. If you’re missing too much tooth structure, you may need a crown—but inlays and onlays can often be done instead.

At Advance Dental Arts Center in West Linn, Oregon, we encourage you to rethink your understanding of dentures. Optimally, Dr. Kimberly Wright will be able to preserve most, if not all, of your teeth. In the event that teeth cannot be preserved, there are numerous methods to rebuild them and restore the health, function, and aesthetics of the smile. 

At Advance Dental Arts Center in West Linn, we are proud to advance the oral health and smile aesthetics of individuals and families throughout Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Gladstone, Milwaukee, Wilsonville, Portland, and northwestern Oregon. Led by Dr. Kimberly Wright, our team first supports oral and overall health and well-being with fundamental preventative care.

Many of the smiles featured on this website “speak” for themselves. Just look at how renewed our patients’ faces look! Very worn, stained, unevenly-spaced (and unevenly-shaped) teeth are no more – they have been replaced instead with lovely white, uniformly-shaped, evenly-spaced, and otherwise balanced features.

Have you ever looked in the mirror or at a picture of yourself and thought your smile could be whiter? Dr. Wright can discuss several whitening options with you during an exam.

Dramatic transformations do not require aggressive or invasive treatment at Advance Dental Arts Center. In fact, our team in West Linn, Oregon, supports life-changing transformations in our patients’ smile aesthetics with one of the most conservative procedures available to modern dentistry: porcelain veneers.

Dr. Wright gladly sees children of all ages, recommending an oral examination by the time they’re at least 1 year old. During their first appointment, we may not do a cleaning but may evaluate the mouth for any possible developmental defects or other problems, and advise parents on dental care.

Are you nervous about going to the dentist? You aren’t alone—many people avoid the dentist until they’re in pain. This pain may then increase anxiety, and the cycle never ends.

We test pH at every visit, which only requires a very small saliva sample to determine the acidity level of your saliva. Using this test, we can make decisions about your treatment needs and recommend a way to keep your saliva less acidic, as the bacteria that causes tooth decay and cavities live and thrive in an acidic environment. Keeping your saliva less acidic can also help prevent tooth sensitivity and erosion.

Radiographs are a tool that helps dentists determine dental decay and other problems that may be present in the bone. Dr. Wright determines the frequency to take x-rays—if you often get cavities, you may need x-rays more frequently than if you visit the dentist regularly and don’t often get cavities. 

An Oregon grad (Go Ducks!), Dr. Kimberly Wright intimately knows that our corner of the northwest is a sports-loving bunch. At Advance Dental Arts Center in West Linn, Dr. Wright and the team want to keep the fun and performance in your (or) your child’s favorite athletic pursuits. 

If a tooth can’t be saved, Dr. Wright conducts an evaluation to determine if an extraction can be done in our office, which she does in 80% of cases, or should be done by a specialist. To reduce and eliminate any anxiety over an extraction, we can prescribe anti-anxiety medications. 

Gum disease and tooth decay can cause tooth loss. The best way to fight the progression of gum disease and tooth decay is proper oral care, which includes but isn’t limited to brushing and flossing. Plaque or biofilm removal daily is essential to oral health.

“Prophylaxis” is a mouthful; however, the word simply refers to preventative services. In the dental world, the “prophy” (as we call it for short) is professional cleaning. Cleanings at Advance Dental Arts Center in West Linn, Oregon, are generally scheduled every six months.

Finding a practitioner who effectively treats TMJ pain can be very hard, as it’s a complicated condition. Dr. Wright has been very successfully treating TMJ/TMD for 20 years. With a good differential diagnosis, she can direct treatment to that diagnosis—which is key.