The Mountain View Dental Team

Welcome to Mountain View Dental, the office of Benjamin Crusan DDS. I have been practicing dentistry for over 20 years and am currently a Ridgefield, Washington general and cosmetic dentist. When you come to Mountain View Dental for any kind of treatment, we strive to make your dental visit the most relaxing and pleasant experience you have ever had at the dentist.

Whether you come to have a porcelain veneers consult or a more extensive procedure, Mountain View Dental will make your visit a unique one with our spa environment. Our entire staff here at Mountain View Dental shares a common philosophy – patient satisfaction.

Thank you,
Benjamin Crusan, DDS

Visit Mountain View Dental for Your Oral Lesion Screening

Dr. Crusan has always made oral cancer evaluation an important part of our examination process here at Mountain View Dental. But now we have a real weapon in the fight against oral cancer, the Sapphire Oral Lesion Detection System. This process is quick and painless. It can be done at your regular check up appointments. We use a specialized light with a specific wave length. By shining this light in your mouth and looking through the viewing scope we can see normal tissue that reflects light and cancerous areas which show up much darker. It is a simple process yet technologically amazing. We are excited to offer this life saving diagnostic tool to our patients.

Oral Cancer Numbers on the Rise

Mountain View Dental's Sapphire Oral Lesion Detection System could save your life!

While Medicine has been making incredible strides in the fight against breast cancer, and a host of other forms of cancer, oral cancer is one of the few cancer types that has actually seen an increase. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 28,500 new cases of oral cancer, resulting in approximately 6,100 deaths, were expected in 2009. Additionally, the death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, laryngeal cancer, cancer of the testes, endocrine system cancers and melanoma. Most recently there has been a disturbing jump in the number of young women diagnosed with oral cancer related to Human Papilloma Virus. What’s more alarming, certain types of the Human Papilloma virus (HPV), the virus commonly associated with cervical cancer have been linked to about one –fourth of oral and oropharyingeal cancers. HPV has caused an increase of cases in young non-smoking individual with low levels of alcohol consumption; a group that until recently had a low rate of oral cancer incidence.

The Importance of Early Detection

When it comes to combating oral cancer, early detection of oral lesions is a key factor. While most oral lesions are benign, there are some lesions that could lead to cancer or may already be cancerous. Getting screened by your dentist is an effective way to discover oral cancer at an early, highly curable stage. The traditional method of examination is by visual and physical inspection of the oral cavity, throat, and neck. This method can be effective, but often oral cancer doesn’t show symptoms until later stages when it is harder to treat.

We Are Excited to Share This Technology with You

Early detection is why we are so excited to incorporate this technology into our care of your oral health. I have witnessed the devastating affects of late stage oral cancer in a friend’s mother who I will call “Mary.” Mary came to me as a new patient complaining of a sore under her tongue. At her initial examination it was obvious that cancer was present. Originally her prognosis was grim. Fortunately, we were able to diagnose the problem and get her into the hands of qualified specialists who were able to remove the cancer. Amazingly her life was spared, but there were heavy costs. All of Mary’s lower teeth had to be removed and more than a third of her tongue.

The Sapphire Lesion Detection System will help us to detect these types of cancer at an early stage when they would be more difficult to detect by our normal manual oral cancer evaluation. If you have questions about Oral cancer or our early detection system, please ask Dr. Crusan or our hygienists Brenda and Holly at your next appointment.

Your smile may be communicating a message that you aren’t aware of before you’ve even had a chance to say a word for yourself. But nobody had to conduct a study to tell you that a smile can affect how others perceive you. Nevertheless, a scientific poll on behalf of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry confirmed that good-looking incisors can give you a sizeable advantage in your professional and social life.

The study conducted by Dr. Anne Beall, a market research expert social psychologist. A cross section of 528 Americans were shown pictures of eight individual before and after undergoing cosmetic dentistry. The participants were asked to quickly assess how the eight people measured up in 10 categories:

• Attractiveness
• Intelligence
• Happiness
• Career success
• Friendliness
• Interesting
• Kindness
• Wealth
• Popularity with the opposite sex
• Sensitivity to other people

The study revealed that getting your pearlies looking their whitest can help you make a splash in your career. And an attractive se of ivories may be just the thing for making a first impression that’ll get that certain some one to notice—and remember—you. In fact, the study found that an attractive smile could make you be perceived as being more intelligent, interesting, successful, and wealthy to others.

But in our work of a coffee shop on every corner, stained teeth are almost inevitable. Even if you don’t drink coffee, alcohol, smoking, certain foods and drinks, and genetics can take a toll on the greatest of smile. Additionally, gaps and misaligned teeth add to the distraction.

As you meet new people and make connections, you don’t want anything to get in the way of an opportunity. A smile makeover, from either whitening to more comprehensive solutions, such as Snap-ON Smile or LUMINEERS, can be the solution for you to improve your smile, confidence, prospects for romance, and opportunities for career success. It could be that “something different about you” that others will notice—in the best of ways!

Poll Results

• A smile is an important social asset 99.7%
• An attractive smile makes a person more appealing to the opposite sex 96%
• An unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success: 74%

The fist thing noticed about a person’s smile:

• Straightness
• Whiteness and color of teeth
• Sincerity of smile
• Missing teeth
• Sparkle of smile

Factors considered to make a smile unattractive:

• Discolored, yellow, or stained teeth
• Missing teeth
• Crooked teeth
• Decaying teeth and cavities
• Gaps and spaces in teeth
• Dirty teeth

Affordable Lumineers or Snap-on-smile may be the solution for you. Schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Crusan to get more information on these revolutionary advancements in cosmetic dentistry.

Have you ever thought of your smile as a work of art? Cosmetic dentists often do, as they strive to create the perfect smile. Some people might be thinking, “My smile is far from art.” The truth is, nobody’s smile is perfect, but through skilled smile design with Lumineers, everyone’s smile can be a work of art.

“Lumineers allow dentists to create ideal proportions for teeth in order to give their patients the most naturally beautiful smile without damaging sensitive tooth structure,” Said Dr. Cyrus Tahmasebi, Vice President of Clinical Development of DenMat. “Dentists are increasingly adopting minimally invasive Lumineers as the procedure of choice over traditional veneers when it comes to smile design.”

Lumineers are high-strength, ultra-thin laminate (or veneers) that are made from a proprietary type of porcelain exclusively through Lumineers Smile Design Studio. Lumineers were the first of their kind and have seta standard in cosmetic dentistry.

The goal in creating Lumineers was to create a veneer that didn’t require extensive destruction of precious, not to mention sensitive, tooth structure. It was to offer a minimally invasive, pain-free procedure that preserves patients’ natural tooth structure.

In order to accomplish this, the veneers had to be extremely slender, which means the material also had to be strong and resilient, considering the harsh environment of the mouth. Equally important are the esthetics of the final product. Once the final product is placed, it has to look natural and beautiful.

Through a great deal of research and development, a unique porcelain called Cerinate was developed. It meets every requirement, allowing Lumineers to be ultra-thin, high strength, and beautifully natural-looking. This accomplishment means virtually any smile can now be perfected through a no-shot, pain-free, minimally invasive procedure in just two visits.

In contrast to LUMINERS, traditional veneers involve drilling or grinding of the teeth – often down to the nubs. Patients require anesthetic shots for the procedure and painkillers for recovery. Because the sensitive tooth structure is destroyed with traditional veneers, the process is irreversible. Conversely, the conservative procedure of Lumineers allows the sensitive tooth structure to remain intact, making it completely reversible in most cases.

“Lumineers are revolutionary because they allow dentists to create incredible results in a manner that preserves natural teeth,” said Tahmasebi.

LUMINEERA can be placed over existing crowns and bridgework. They can straighten crooked teeth, fill gaps, correct chips, lengthen short teeth, whiten stained teeth, and overall revitalize almost any smile while preventing further wear. In some cases, they also can be a quick and convenient substitute for braces. Incredibly, Lumineers are proven to last over 20 year once placed, and they are backed by an unprecedented limited lifetime warranty.

Patients are impressed and pleased with their results. Lumineers patient Marissa Michaels said, “For years I’ve wanted my teeth to appear white and a little bit larger, but I always thought I’d have to have them ground down. So when I found out that I could do all that without any pain, I knew I wanted to get Lumineers.”

To find out more about this revolutionary development in cosmetic dentistry contact Dr. Ben Crusan at 360-887-1177 and set up your complimentary consultation appointment today.

ClearCorrect invisible braces are the clear and simple way to straighten your teeth and make your smile it’s best! With the results and convenience ClearCorrect offers and the advantages it has over other treatment options, it’s an easy decision.

With ClearCorrect you can get the obvious benefits and confidence you’ll enjoy with straight teeth so you too can show off your smile.

What is ClearCorrect?

ClearCorrect is the clear and simple alternative to braces. No wires. No brackets. No reason not to smile. It’s a series of clear, custom, removable aligners that gradually straighten your teeth as you wear them in order, each aligner moving your teeth just a little bit at a time.

Is it right for you?

ClearCorrect is the perfect solution for the majority of people with misaligned teeth who want to do something about it without it severely impacting their lives. If that sounds like you, then ClearCorrect is likely a perfect fit for you as well. Of course, every case is different and only your doctor can determine if you’re a good candidate. Let’s just say your chances are pretty good.

Compare ClearCorrect

ClearCorrect provides the benefits of braces without the limitations found in other clear aligner products:

• Superior Clarity – ClearCorrect is one of the clearest aligner products available.
• Excellent Hygiene – ClearCorrect is removable so you can brush and floss like normal; plus the smooth surface finish of ClearCorrect aligners won’t trap bacteria so you can clean them easily, unlike braces and other aligner products.
• Enhanced Control – ClearCorrect gives your doctor a level of control during treatment previously only available with braces, ensuring at the end of treatment, you get the straight smile you’ve always wanted.

What can it do?

Whether it’s minor crowding and spacing or a more severe case of malocclusion and misalignment, ClearCorrect can help you straighten your teeth and achieve your best smile, one aligner at a time. Call for an appointment and learn what ClearCorrect can do for your smile!

The crown can now be made to look like a tooth in shape and color and is quite strong. The metal needs to be strong and not flex. If it flexes, the porcelain will fracture off. Also, the metal is dark. It needs to be blocked out by opaque porcelain.

Thin the color porcelain can be layer on to give the desired color. The problem is that unlike natural tooth enamel, a porcelain fuse to metal crown does not allow light to come through. This leaves a dark line at the gum line of the crown, which can be less than unattractive.

Today, technology has evolved so that porcelain crowns can stand on their own with no metal involved. These all porcelain crowns transmit light through them and look natural; no dark gum line, no “opaqued” look.

However, all these crowns require at least two dental appointments to produce:

1. First dental visit to prepare the tooth and take impressions. The impressions are then sent to the dental lab which is where they produce the crown. In the meantime, a temporary crown is placed for about two weeks.
2. On the Second dental visit, the temporary crown is removed and the permanent crown is then cemented into place.

However, once again, technology has taken the crown process to the next level…

The Solution is CEREC!

With our CEREC machine, the entire process in about an hour, saving you that second dental visit and hours of your time:

1. First, the crown is made of 100% porcelain. It is cintered which means it is put under pressure and heat to make its qualities like that of enamal in hardness and wear.
2. Second, There is no impressions to take and send to the lab. The Cerec crown is made with a CAD / CAM machine. CAD stands for Computer Assisted Design and CAM is for Computer Assisted Machine. With the Cerec an infrared photo is taken of the tooth and brought into the computer. In the computer the dentist now designs the crown. Next, a block of porcelain is placed in a milling machine. The dentist then sends the crown design to the milling machine. The Cerec milling machine then takes that block of porcelain and mills out the crown. The milling process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Third, the porcelain crown is then removed from the mill. The dentist now cements the porcelain crown using a new generation of cements that bonds to the tooth and to the porcelain. This gives the new restoration additional strength. A good example is a thin piece of laminate is very weak and brittle on it’s own, but when bonded to wood it gains a great deal of strength.

Cerec crowns are very natural looking, have a very precise fit, are durable and can be made in one dental visit in about one hour saving you hours of your time. Call us for an appointment to learn how Cerec same-day crowns can transform your smile!

Mountain View Dental offers state-of-the-art dental care technology, including our CEREC system, which can be used for a full range of single-unit indications: inlays, onlays, partial crowns, posterior crowns, anterior crowns and veneers. In most cases, we can perform these services in a single visit, making your treatment as painless and convenient as possible!

Contact us today for an initial exam.

You should have your teeth checked and cleaned at least twice a year, though your dentist or dental hygienist may recommend more frequent visits.

Regular dental exams and cleaning visits are essential in preventing dental problems and maintaining the health of your teeth and gums. At these visits, your teeth are cleaned and checked for cavities. Additionally, there are many other things that are checked and monitored to help detect, prevent, and maintain your dental health. These include:

• Medical history review: Knowing the status of any current medical conditions, new medications, and illnesses, gives us insight to your overall health and also your dental health.
• Examination of diagnostic x-rays (radiographs): Essential for detection of decay, tumors, cysts, and bone loss. X-rays also help determine tooth and root positions.
• Oral cancer screening: Check the face, neck, lips, tongue, throat, tissues, and gums for any signs of oral cancer.
• Gum disease evaluation: Check the gums and bone around the teeth for any signs of periodontal disease.
• Examination of tooth decay: All tooth surfaces will be checked for decay with special dental instruments.
• Examination of existing restorations: Check current fillings, crowns, etc.
• Removal of calculus (tartar): Calculus is hardened plaque that has been left on the tooth for sometime and is now firmly attached to the tooth surface. Calculus forms above and below the gum line, and can only be removed with special dental instruments.
• Removal of plaque: Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth. It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva. The bacteria produce toxins (poisons) that inflame the gums. This inflammation is the start of periodontal disease!
• Teeth polishing: Removes stain and plaque that is not otherwise removed during toothbrushing and scaling.
• Oral hygiene recommendations: Review and recommend oral hygiene aids as needed (electric dental toothbrushes, special cleaning aids, fluorides, rinses, etc.).
• Review dietary habits: Your eating habits play a very important role in your dental health.

As you can see, a good dental exam and cleaning involves quite a lot more than just checking for cavities and polishing your teeth. We are committed to providing you with the best possible care, and to do so will require regular check-ups and cleanings.

Keep your teeth healthy for life!

Brushing and flossing help control the plaque and bacteria that cause dental disease. Plaque is a film of food debris, bacteria, and saliva that sticks to the teeth and gums. The bacteria in plaque convert certain food particles into acids that cause tooth decay. Also, if plaque is not removed, it turns into calculus (tartar). If plaque and calculus are not removed, they begin to destroy the gums and bone, causing periodontal (gum) disease.

• Plaque formation and growth is continuous and can only be controlled by regular brushing, flossing, and the use of other dental aids.
• Toothbrushing – Brush your teeth at least twice a day (especially before going to bed at night) with an ADA approved soft bristle brush and toothpaste.
• Brush at a 45 degree angle to the gums, gently using a small, circular motion, ensuring that you always feel the bristles on the gums.
• Brush the outer, inner, and biting surfaces of each tooth.
  Use the tip of the brush head to clean the inside front teeth.
• Brush your tongue to remove bacteria and freshen your breath.Electric toothbrushes are also recommended. They are easy to use and can remove plaque efficiently. Simply place the bristles of the electric brush on your gums and teeth and allow the brush to do its job, several teeth at a time.

Flossing – Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gumline. Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.

• Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.
• Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
• Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gumline. Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.
• Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.

Rinsing – It is important to rinse your mouth with water after brushing, and also after meals if you are unable to brush. If you are using an over-the-counter product for rinsing, it’s a good idea to consult with your dentist or dental hygienist on its appropriateness for you.

At Mountain View Dental we pride ourselves on creating a soothing environment for our patients. Our primary goal is to make your experience as relaxing as possible. Even with our comfortable atmosphere the option for sedation dentistry may be best for you.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Here at Mountain View Dental we use oral conscious sedation. This is a very safe method of sedation that allows the patient to relax without being completely “put under.” The sedation is generally accomplished with two tablets that are taken in our office.

While we allow the medication to take affect we use an advanced monitoring system to observe your vital signs. Once the medication begins to relax you, we then add nitrous oxide. Within a few minutes the sedation is achieved and we can begin to take care of your smile.

Am I a candidate for Sedation Dentistry?

During our complimentary sedation consultation Dr. Crusan will discuss in detail your comprehensive health history evaluation to determine if you are healthy enough for Oral Sedation. Most patients meet the health requirements to have Oral Sedation.

Are there any special requirements to have Sedation Dentistry?

There are just a few. Most importantly you must have someone to drive you home from the appointment and stay with you for the first few hours as you will still be medicated.

There are a few simple dietary requirements for the day before your appointment. Dr. Crusan will go through the details with you at your consultation and you will be on your way to a comfortable dental experience.

What have our patients said about their sedation experiences?

The most common comment we hear is “I don’t remember a thing about the appointment”. Would you be able to say that about your last dental procedure? Even though you are conscious, the medication has an amnesic effect that often results in our patients not remembering the experience at all.

Here is how one of our patients has described her experience: “I had a root canal by Dr. Crusan recently while also using the conscious sedation for my appointment. I had a wonderful experience. By the time the sedation wore off, I had no recollection of my visit to the dentist. My tooth feels great and I didn’t have to endure a long, anxious appointment.‎” -Chelle

If you feel sedation dentistry would be right for you, give us a call to set up an appointment with Dr. Crusan to talk about this wonderful option.