Excellence In Dentistry

Are you wondering what general dentistry is all about? To explain it simply, when it comes to general dentistry, it involves everything from diagnosis and prevention to dental hygiene and treatment. It includes the care of the overall system of your general health, oral health, diet, habits, medicines taken, posture, airway, teeth, gums, bone, muscles and our jaw joint. General dentistry is the firm foundation on which all other dentistry is built.

If you’re looking for a dentist who can help preserve, protect, and promote your oral health, please call (907) 891-8045 or Contact us today for an appointment at Excellence in Dentistry.

Does smiling in public make you uncomfortable? Do you always try to get out of pictures, or make an expression that hides your teeth? Do you lack confidence when meeting new people because of your smile? Cosmetic dentistry can help. No matter what makes you self-conscious about your smile, cosmetic dentistry can correct it to give you an attractive smile you’ll be happy to show off in public, in pictures, or when meeting the possible love of your life or that next big business connection.

Dental Implants look and feel just like your natural teeth and are a proven and effective replacement for teeth that have become lost or damaged beyond repair.

A dental implant is simply a titanium replacement for a natural tooth that is placed in the jaw and remains permanently fixed. An artificial tooth (crown) is then permanently cemented to the dental implant, giving you a strong, natural-looking replacement, allowing for comfort and returned function with the look of natural teeth.

At Excellence in Dentistry in Anchorage Alaska, we truly provide excellence in implant dentistry. Dr. Kendall’s professional goal has been to be a full service dental implant office from start to finish. He has undergone extensive implant dentistry training and is an expert in placing the dental implant as well as designing the finished result—providing patients with the highest quality, one-stop service that few other dental offices can provide.

Not happy with your teeth being out of alignment? Not comfortable smiling? Well, you no longer have to feel that way because now Dr. Kendall Skinner at Excellence in Dentistry can give you your smile back. They saw the need for Invisalign for the people in Anchorage, Alaska and introduced this amazing technology so you can have a smile full of sparkling, straight teeth. No longer do you have to put your teeth behind bars with those metal braces, those days are long gone.

With Invisalign, you get an orthodontic treatment approved by the FDA. Not only is it virtually invisible to wear, it frees you from ever having to wear metallic braces. Invisalign also goes by the name ‘Clear Braces’ or ‘Invisible Braces’. The best part about these braces, they are removable, allowing you to take them off before meals and when you need to floss or brush your teeth.

Compared to traditional metal braces, Invisalign technology is more convenient and comfortable for patients. These are easy to clean and do not cause any mouth abrasions. You don’t even have to go for regular adjustment appointments either!

As we mentioned above, porcelain veneers are a very flexible treatment. They can help with many common complaints you may have about the appearance of your smile. Porcelain veneers can fix:

Chipped teeth
Discolored teeth
Gaps between teeth
Short teeth
Worn teeth
Crooked teeth
We can give your smile a completely new appearance with porcelain veneers. You have your choice about whether you want to restore the smile of your youth or enjoy an entirely new smile.

Teeth whitening is a chemical process that removes the stains from your enamel. Most teeth whitening chemicals use peroxide to attack the stains embedded in your enamel. This breaks them down and leaves your teeth whiter.

Teeth whitening can be done either in-office or at home. In-office teeth whitening can significantly whiten your teeth quickly. In under an hour, your teeth will be left noticeably whiter. In this procedure, we will paint the whitening compound on your teeth after putting protective coating on your gums to avoid irritation.

At home whitening uses custom whitening trays to apply the whitening compound to your teeth and protect your gums. This process is slower, and may take several weeks to show noticeable results, but ultimately your teeth will become whiter and can stay white permanently with periodic maintenance.

Unlike other dental practices where you have to visit multiple offices to complete the full mouth reconstruction procedure, Dr. Kendall at Excellence in Dentistry is an expert in all phases of a full mouth reconstruction, ensuring you can have your dental care done at one place in Anchorage, Alaska. You won’t have to run here and there, Excellence in Dentistry is all you need!

Our full mouth reconstruction services include:

Tooth-colored (Composite) fillings
Porcelain Crowns and Porcelain Veneers
Smile Designs
Replacement of Old Mercury and Metal Fillings
Dental Bridges
Precision partials and dentures
Laser-Assisted Endodontics (Root Canals)
TMJ diagnosis and treatment
“Same day implants” a remarkable way to get missing teeth replaced in one day!
Teeth Whitening, both In-Office and Custom Trays for optimal results
Excellent non-surgical periodontal treatment and care
Once the treatment is completed, you will look and feel great as you start enjoying the smile you have always dreamed of. And you’ll love the restored function and comfort that lets you get back to eating all your favorite foods.

A dental crown is like a helmet that completely covers the visible portion of your tooth. The goal is to restore the strength of the tooth and protect it from future damage. In the past, you had to compromise between appearance and strength, but modern dental crowns made with porcelain can be both attractive and strong. That makes them useful for a wider range of cosmetic and restorative dental applications, including:

Cracked tooth
Replacing a large filling that has secondary decay
Worn teeth
Infected teeth treated with root canal therapy
Teeth straightening (instant orthodontics)
Small or poorly shaped tooth
Topping a dental implant
When a tooth has a significant crack in it, it needs to be protected against further cracking and damage. A porcelain crown can do that in most cases. For bad cracks, it may be necessary to use root canal therapy to remove the pulp from the tooth because it’s at risk of infection. For cracks that go all the way to the tooth root, it may be necessary to remove the tooth.

Fillings are adequate to treat small cavities, but when a filling gets to a certain size, it can jeopardize the tooth. Fillings–especially metal amalgam fillings–often don’t add strength to a tooth, so they can lead to cracking. And they can also experience decay around the edges, requiring that they be removed before the tooth experiences too much damage.

Teeth that are worn down as a result of TMJ or other bite problems may need to be protected and built up again to support your bite.

When the pulp of a tooth is removed as part of root canal therapy, the tooth has to be protected, and a porcelain crown is used for this.

Instant orthodontics is an alternative to braces or Invisalign for teeth straightening. Instead of moving your teeth, we reshape them. This is normally done with porcelain veneers, but sometimes porcelain crowns are used when your reshaped teeth need more strength and support.

The same is true for small or poorly shaped teeth, like retained baby teeth or peg laterals. They can be built up with veneers, but sometimes they need a more comprehensive restoration like a dental crown.

Dental implants are just the artificial root. To achieve a complete tooth replacement requires a dental crown or bridge.

Root canals are small passages that branch from beneath the top of the tooth downward until they reach the tip of the root deep in the bone. Many tooth problems involve infections that have spread from the inner part, or pulp, of the tooth. As infections worsen, it can begin affecting the roots of the tooth. As the infection affects the living pulp in the tooth, it begins to swell, and in the confined area of the tooth, this causes pressure and pain. This spreading of infection can cause small pockets of pus to form, what we describe as an abscessed tooth. You might see these abscesses on your gums. Or they may be inside your mouth. The pus may leak out of the tooth into your mouth, causing a foul taste or odor.

We can save these teeth with the advent of “root canal treatment”. Root canal therapy involves treatment of the canals using a special cleaning process to remove the damaged tissue. Once the damaged tissue is removed, the tooth is filled with supportive material, then topped with a dental crown to protect it.

Studies show that root canal therapy has a success rate over 95%. Teeth treated with a root canal look and function like natural teeth. They will not get infected again, and they can remain healthy and functional for decades.

Sedation Dentistry, sometimes called “sleep dentistry”, does not actually cause unconsciousness. Instead, Dr. Kendall will use his specialized training to prescribe oral sedatives for use before and during your visit, as needed. These sedatives will cause you to become extremely relaxed and calm, putting you into a state that helps to be less aware of your visit. This is a good way to eliminate all anxiety, stress, or fear so you can have your dental visit in comfort. No treatment is ever started until we are certain that you are in a sedated state: relaxed, comfortable, and ready.

Since our sedation dentistry involves oral medication, it will take a while to wear off. This is great for your dental visit, but requires that you have a responsible person who can help you get to your dental visit as well as stay with you afterward until the sedation has cleared your system.

We also offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) , which is a more mild form of sedation. We can start it when you enter our office. It takes effect quickly and wears off quickly. With nitrous, you can drive yourself to and from your appointment.

A painless, calm, and relaxing way to perform your dental procedures—now that should put a smile on your face! However, if you have any additional questions regarding sedation dentistry, please feel free to contact us at Excellence in Dentistry for a complimentary meeting and we will be more than happy to talk to you and help remove remaining doubts or fears.

Several factors contribute to periodontal disease: plaque buildup, heredity, and lifestyle choices. By far, the most controllable factor is bacterial plaque, the sticky, colorless film produced by normal oral bacteria. Bacteria release toxins that break down the natural fibers that bond gums to teeth. When this occurs, pockets between the gums and teeth form, and more bacteria and toxins hide, flourish, and destroy your gums and teeth. Over time, this process can affect not only gums, teeth, and bone within the mouth, but also overall health. Bacteria in your mouth will be inadvertently ingested and will pass through your bloodstream, and this can compromise your whole-body health. Not only that, but your body’s immune response (often described as chronic inflammation) can be damaging not only to your gums, but to your body as a whole.

Wisdom teeth can cause many serious complications. These can include:

Damage to neighboring teeth
Cysts and (usually) noncancerous tumors
Oral hygiene challenges
Decay
Gum disease
Infection
Crooked and crowded teeth
When there isn’t enough room for wisdom teeth to emerge, they can become impacted against your second molar. This can damage the second molar, which may be due to the actual impaction or it may be related to hygiene difficulties.

Cysts occur when the sac around an impacted wisdom tooth fills with fluid. This can cause it to grow, which can damage the jawbone, nerves, and other teeth. Sometimes this even leads to the development of a tumor in the area. If this occurs, oral surgery will have to remove more than just the impacted tooth.

Third molars are very far back in the mouth, which can make them hard to clean. If they’re impacted, they can create spaces where food can get trapped, fueling the rapid growth of large colonies of bacteria that can damage your teeth, infect your gums, and spread throughout the body.

And the effects of wisdom teeth aren’t limited to the teeth directly adjacent. When your wisdom teeth try to crowd in, they can push all your teeth forward, causing significant crowding in the front of your mouth, causing teeth to rotate or tilt out of place.

Some oral health problems and reconstructive procedures involve complex oral surgery procedures. At Excellence in Dentistry, we offer many of these procedures so you can get the treatment you need from the dentists you trust, in a comfortable and convenient fashion. The oral surgery procedures we offer include placement of dental implants, bone graft procedures, and wisdom tooth and other tooth extractions.

To give their patients unparalleled oral health protection, Dr. Kendall at Excellence in Dentistry have partnered with CariFree to offer their patients the best in preventive dental care. Bacterial infection, genetic predisposition, and lack of saliva can lead to cavities. While bad eating habits and poor oral hygiene certainly have their role to play, some people have already been dealt a bad hand by nature. CariFree can help you make the tough draw and show a winning smile.

With a culture test and a one-minute swab of CariFree, these Anchorage dentists can determine whether you have the bacteria that causes tooth decay and gum disease. They can also measure and identify the level of decay caused by the bacteria.

In case you do have the bacterial infection, you will be prescribed a rinse protocol that is personalized for your specific disease and risk criteria. This rinse will fight the infection and treat it, minimizing your chances of getting any additional cavities. CariFree is the best product system that has been introduced to this day to prevent cavities. It battles the bacteria by neutralizing the mouth’s pH levels, leaving the teeth healthy, strong and cavity-free.

Dr. Kendall will recommend the use of CariFree after doing a thorough checkup of your oral health. If there are signs of dental caries caused by the growth of cavity-causing bacteria, they will recommend the best mode of treatment, reducing your risk of future dental decay.

One serious problem some people have with local anesthesia is a tendency to bite their cheeks, tongue, or lips while they’re numb. Because you can’t feel the bite, you don’t know how hard you’re biting, and you can suffer serious injury. This can happen either as a complete accident or as a nervous habit. With OraVerse, your feeling returns sooner so you have less time to injure lips, tongue, and cheeks.

Another potential problem is drinking hot liquids. Many of us enjoy a cup of hot coffee or tea. If you are numb, you might not realize quite how hot it is, and you can burn yourself seriously. You may also spill the drink on yourself, causing burns elsewhere. Getting back feeling sooner will help you avoid this risk.

Finally, there’s the embarrassment that comes with residual numbness. You may feel self-conscious if one part of your face is sagging, you can’t speak clearly, or you experience drooling because your lips are numb. Trying to avoid people seeing you like this can limit your ability to schedule dental appointments or make you take too much time off from work.

Lasers are often used instead of traditional dental drills by experienced and trained dentists. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Kendall are thoroughly trained in the handling of dental lasers and have incorporated the latest and the best in laser technology at Excellence in Dentistry in Anchorage, Alaska. The benefits of laser dentistry are:

Comfort. Lasers produce no heat or vibration, reducing the need for anesthesia
Drill-free. In many cases, the laser replaces the need for the dental drill
Promotes Healing. When treating soft tissues and gums, the laser is comfortable and promotes healing
Sterilizes. Also used to sterilize the area that requires work, precise and conservative
Quick. With no drill prep or clean-up and often no anesthesia, lasers can be much faster than other treatments

For many people, the primary symptoms of TMJ are not jaw symptoms but headache. Tension headaches can be caused by TMJ because the muscles in the head partner with those in the jaw. TMJ can also be linked with migraine through irritation or overstimulation of the trigeminal nerve, known to the a key trigger point in migraine.

In order to become healthy, Dr. Kendall will start by relaxing tense muscles in the jaw so you can experience complete comfort. We use two relaxation techniques: the “NuCalm” muscle relaxation system and the K5 Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) system. Then, using removable or sometimes fixed dental appliances bonded to your teeth they will help get your teeth and bite to fit comfortably and predictably at this correct jaw position. After you are comfortable and free of pain, they will talk with you about the best long-term solution to stay that way without dental appliances. These options can include smoothing and reshaping your teeth to a harmonious position, or considering orthodontics (braces) , to possibly rebuilding some or all of your worn down teeth to regain dental comfort and optimal appearance for your lifetime. Our Anchorage dentists have been getting our patients pain-free for over 20 years. See what they can do for you.

One of the most important things to understand about TMJ is that most cases are transitory and don’t need professional care. You should start by treating your symptoms at home. Here are some types of home care to try for your TMJ:

Switch to a soft diet
Don’t chew gum or chew on nonfoods
Avoid excessive talking or loud talking
Try to avoid stress
Try to limit jaw opening to an easy, comfortable width
Perform self massage
Apply heat to sore muscles, cold to swollen joints
Take over-the-counter pain medication
The goal is to rest your jaw and encourage natural healing. Avoid anything that works you jaw, and that includes stress-related jaw clenching, if you can control it.

Heat can significantly sooth sore muscles, but it can increase inflammation. Avoid applying heat to swollen joints. Instead, apply cold.

Over-the-counter pain medications not only help with pain, but can help heal. Pain leads to stress and can stimulate muscle activity. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) can reduce swelling and help your jaw heal. Always follow the recommended dosage on the label or your doctor’s instructions. Never exceed recommended dosages unless your doctor clears it.

Headache treatment can be a major challenge. Headaches are a very common symptom that can be related to many different conditions, making diagnosis a challenge. Often a diagnosis is made and treatments begun only to discover that the treatments aren’t working. The problem is probably that the diagnosis isn’t right. If you’ve been diagnosed with migraine headaches but you aren’t responding to treatments, it may be that you do not actually have migraines, or that your migraines are secondary to another condition.

A true sinus headache is caused by inflammation, swelling, and blockage of the sinus, air chambers in the skull that are found around the eyes and nose. However, most sinus headaches are misdiagnosed and are actually migraines or tension headaches. They may even be toothaches. Sometimes, chronic sinus infections are linked to tooth infections.

Dr. Kendall Skinner
Anchorage implant dentist Dr. Kendall Skinner graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry in 2004. He is no stranger to Alaska, having served an externship for the Indian Health Service in Bethel, Alaska. He has trained extensively, adding many skills to his repertoire since graduating, with a focus on dental implants and advanced surgical training. He is able to place dental implants, including implants for All-on-4 implant dentures. Dr. Kendall is also able to handle some complex implant cases, including those that require a sinus lift–a surgical procedure for augmenting the bone around an implant. He is also able to handle complex extractions, including impacted wisdom teeth. To help ensure the comfort and safety of his surgical patients, Dr. Kendall is trained in IV sedation