Prehn Dental Office

There are five appointments that are usually needed for dentures to be made:

• At the First and second appointments, impressions are taken. 

• The third appointment, measurements are determined to set the vertical, "position of your teeth".

• Fourth appointment is a try-in with the teeth set in wax and any necessary changes are made at this time.

• And at the fifth appointment the denture or dentures are now completed and ready to be put to use by the patient.

It is common to have an adjustment period to the dentures.  Sore spots can occur that require adjustments by the dentist. Chewing ability and speech comes with practice over time.  The time frame for the initial five appointments is usually about 3 weeks.

Dr. Ron Prehn is my brother and he is becoming quite the sleep apnea and snoring expert.  He practices both in Houston, Texas and on a limited basis in my Wausau office.  His practice is devoted to head and neck pain with TMJ and now also with the common concerns of snoring and sleep apnea.  There is a big difference between the two.  If any of my patients have any concerns or questions regarding snoring appliances, he is the guy.  He will go through a series of tests with you and refer you to your personal Physician to rule out sleep apnea.  If you do have sleep apnea, he makes an excellent oral appliance that fits much better than the mask that many normally prescribe.  If you do need to have a snoring device, he is becoming quite the specialist in this field.  I am proud to have my brother practice here periodically to help take care of my patients who have these problems.  Please call his office (715-845-6419) and he will be happy to set you up with an appointment.

I had a post-op check today with my patient, Julie Meyer.  She brought in a magazine ad for Dove Soap where she was featured with her new and enhanced smile!  Julie lives in New York City and was stopped on the street by an advertising specialist.  It is sure nice to know that some of the small things we do in this office reach out into the world and affects people’s self-esteem and life.  We take a lot of pride in this office to do the best we can for all our patients and it certainly showed with this case.  “Outstanding care…exceptional results!”  It was clearly evident that when Julie came to me 1 ½ years ago, she had an inhibited smile and was very self conscious.  Now, with her newly restored mouth, she is obviously incredibly proud!  Here is a link to her picture on my website:  http://www.prehndental.com/cosmeticquestions.php.  Also feel free to take the cosmetic test off my website to see if cosmetic dentistry can enhance your situation.

Just today, I pulled out my Diagnodent; which is a laser that helps me detect decay in an early state.  I am amazed at this technology.  Prior to me using the Diagnodent; which I purchased about eight years ago, I would have to use the explorer technique.  This is basically sticking an explorer into the decay and seeing if it “sticks”.  Today it is still a very useful diagnostic tool for the Dentist but the Diagnodent tells me, with utmost certainty, whether decay is present.  What I have seen over the last eight years, is that patients have had very small restorations placed with minimal tooth reduction because of Diagnodent—instead of waiting until the decay is so big that it forms a good sized cavity and filling.  When taken care of early, this should not happen.  If my hygienist, or myself, pull out a “dental laser” to check for decay, it is because we care about noticing decay in an early state on your teeth.

A crown or "cap" is a restoration that covers a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size. It's purpose is to strengthen or improve its appearance.

Crowns are placed for a variety of reasons:

• Restore fractured teeth
• Restore teeth when there isn't enough tooth remaining to support a large filling
• Cover badly shaped or discolored teeth
• Attach bridges
• Cover implants
• Protect a tooth that has been root canalled.

In most dental practices, the use of an outside laboratory is necessary to fabricate crowns, dentures and other dental appliances.  Here at Prehn Dental, we use two laboratories.  Both demonstrate excellence in craftsmanship and are located here in the city of Wausau. Dr Prehn works very closely with each lab technician to ensure that his patients are getting the best possible product available in todays market. Not only "made-in the U.S.A" but right here in your hometown Wausau, Wisconsin!!

Do you know that Prehn Dental offers the top of the line in Sonicare products for a fraction of the price you would pay in the stores.  Sonicare not only gives you a deeper cleaning than the standard toothbrush but can also help with gingivitis. 

Toothpaste just isn’t toothpaste anymore.  In today’s market, toothpastes containing many different types of ingredients, which can help reduce sensitivity, gingivitis, tartar build-up and some even claim to help whiten teeth.  But the consumer has to be wary of the toothpaste they are using.  Some can be too abrasive to the teeth or start causing sensitivity.  At Prehn Dental, we like to offer some simple guidelines to follow when selecting toothpaste.

1.                  Always look for toothpaste that contains fluoride (fluoride helps to reduce cavities and sensitivity).

2.                  Use toothpaste that has a pleasing flavor to you.  (If it doesn’t taste good, you won’t use it).

3.                  Tartar control toothpastes:  be careful of these, for some people they work great, but for others it can cause tooth or gum sensitivity.  If this happens, discontinue use and just use a paste or gel with fluoride only.

4.                  Toothpastes for sensitive teeth:  these work great if directions are followed.  Most sensitivity toothpastes need to be used every time you brush for at least 1-2 months in order for the ingredients to work and reduce the sensitivity.

5.                  Whitening toothpastes:  be careful of toothpastes that say that they can whiten teeth.  Some may be abrasive, thus we think we are scrubbing the teeth clean.  This causes extreme sensitivity.  It is actually a chemical that whitens teeth, not the abrasives added to the toothpaste.

As we all know, insurance can be a bit overwhelming.  Explanation of benefits (EOB’s) can also be difficult to understand.  At Prehn Dental, we take pride in the fact that we are meticulous when it comes to submitting claims on behalf of our patients.  We will go the extra mile to insure that your claim is processed correctly.  If claims are denied, in most cases we will appeal the decision with a letter from Dr. Prehn along with needed photos, x-rays or clinical notes so that the Review Board has a total understanding of why the dental work was necessary.  We have had patients compliment us on going “above and beyond” to help them obtain the coverage for claims we have submitted—after all, our patients pay their monthly premiums and deserve to have their claims processed correctly to insure as much coverage as possible.  Obviously, dental insurance may not pay 100% of your claim but any coverage is better than none!

For our patients who have dental insurance, we can also submit pre-treatment estimates to their dental insurance carrier so they know the amount covered by their insurance and the amount that they will be responsible for.  We are happy to submit PTE’s for you.  Generally it takes about 3 – 4 weeks to hear back on the predetermination.  Usually the patient will get their copy first and when we receive our copy, we will contact our patients to see if they are ready to schedule the necessary appointment(s). 

PLEASE BE SURE TO UPDATE US ON ANY INSURANCE CHANGES YOU MAY HAVE.  IN ORDER FOR US TO SUBMIT YOUR CLAIMS ACCURATELY, IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY THAT WE HAVE THE CORRECT INSURANCE INFORMATION!

If you have any dental insurance questions, please do not hesitate to ask---Mary, Kathy or Lori will be happy to help you!

As an assistant at Prehn Dental I get to see first-hand how Dr. Prehn changes a life by changing their smile. One of our patients, Lynn Sala, came to us and wanted to get her smile back again, especially for her wedding Day.  Lynn had told us that all her life she didn’t smile much and when she did she hid her teeth.  After her cosmetic treatment she couldn’t stop smiling. I could see how Dr. Prehn really put confidence back into her smile.  She was proud to wear it.

:  I see eating disorders on a limited basis in my practice.  When you do see this, it is usually a serious situation.  Many times eating disorders, like bulimia or anorexia, can lead to dental concerns such as erosion of the teeth--not to mention the long-term medical affects of such a disorder.  Most patients deny ever having this but the ones that do and seek treatment are much better off.  If a patient has an eating disorder that is clearly evident by your teeth, I think the Dentist has the responsibility to inform you of what is happening to your dentition.  What you do with this information is then totally up to you.

Vicki and I recently attended a seminar presented by Dr. Ron Prehn about sleep apnea and dental sleep medicine.  We learned about different dental appliances that treat sleep apnea and how a custom appliance can help make using a CPAP easier to comply with.  Dr. Prehn also discussed that when people brux and clench at night, they do so to protect a collapsing airway, which is the problem in sleep apnea.  When a patient presents in the office with wear on teeth, we should investigate their sleep habits and if they snore.  We may find that they have some sort of sleep apnea problem that they were unaware of.

As the sun emerges for the summer season, we all like to add a little color to our skin to have a healthy glow.  You can do the same for your teeth with zoom whitening.  Like they say, a smile is worth a thousand words. 

We love it when patients share amazing stories with our office, especially when we have played a part in their story.  One of our patients, Julia Meyer came to us wanting to fix her implants on her front teeth. She didn't like how her implants looked cosmetically or the position of the implants. Dr. Prehn re-positioned the implants and placed Procera "metal-free" crowns on her front teeth. Julia was extremely pleased with her results and the story gets better. When she was back in New York her and her friends were stopped on a street corner by a Dove soap representative.  They were asked to be photographed for a national ad campaign and the picture really shows off her new smile!  How cool is that!

The recent economy has put a change on how many people perceive their dental health.  For the most part, patients are staying up with their constant cleaning appointments and examinations and having necessary procedures performed.  Yes, some cosmetic procedures have been put on hold—such as veneers, teeth bleaching, etc… but for the most part I think patients clearly understand that letting things go can cause more problems, pain and expense!  Clearly this is the case in my practice where I have seen some patients put off needed dental procedures and now six to ten months later, the decay has become more extensive.  There is now nerve involvement; which requires root canal therapy or the periodontal disease has been left untreated and progressed to a more serious state.  I strongly urge my patients to at least come in for routine care.  If financially things are difficult, we will try to work out some type of situation with the office to at least maintain their dental health during this difficult economic down-turn. 

Think positive!