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We are a full service family dental practice serving Lawrenceville, Snellville, Lilburn, and Gwinnett.
We can take care of most of your family's dental needs under one roof. Our goal is to provide the highest
quality dental treatment while making you as comfortable as possible during
the process and with results that will make you smile.
Your comfort during treatment is extra important to us. With over 30 years of experience, we are able to make your visits as
pleasant as possible. With modern pain control techniques, including
nitrous oxide and conscious and IV sedation dentistry, fear of the dentist is
now a thing of the past.
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- Cosmetic Dentistry
- Sedation Dentistry
- Crowns and Bridges
- Dental Implants
- Root Canal Treatment
- Gum Treatment
- Oral Surgery
- Dentures
- Orthodontics
- Invisible Braces/Invisalign®
- Teeth Whitening
- Children's Dentistry
- Full Mouth Reconstruction
More About Our
Services
What Our
Patients Say About Us
What Does It Mean That My Dentist
Is Board Certified?
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You will be so happy that finding the right dentist for you and your family can be so easy!
For An Appointment Call:
770-923-3966
En Español
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Dr. Richard P. Gangwisch, D.D.S., M.A.G.D., A.B.G.D.
Board Certified General Dentist
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- Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, Ohio State University
- Assistant Professor, Georgia Regents University College of Dental Medicine
- Former Dental Officer, U.S. Navy
- Former Clinical Instructor of Operative Dentistry, Emory University School of Dentistry
- Fellowship and Mastership, Academy of General Dentistry
- Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition award, Academy of General Dentistry
- Diplomate of American Board of General Dentistry (Board Certified General Dentist)
- Member, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
- Published Author, Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry
- Volunteer Dentist, Ben Massell Dental Clinic
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Dr. John D. Hulsey, D.M.D.
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- Doctor of Dental Medicine degree, Medical University of South Carolina
- General Practice Dental Residency, East Carolina University
- Volunteer Dentist, Ben Massell Dental Clinic
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- 01/21/17Read MoreBleachingTeeth bleaching is the most inexpensive way to cosmetically improve one’s smile. There are two methods of bleaching – in-office or at-home. The in-office bleaching is quicker, only needing a couple of one-hour appointments, however, the final result is not as good nor the satisfaction percentage, it can cause sensitivity, and it still needs to be refreshed or supplemented at home. The at-home bleaching method is much kinder and gentler. It can take from six weeks, however, the satisfaction rate is twice as high as the in-office procedure. And the tray is available to refresh the bleaching job after a few months to keep those pearly whites continue to sparkle.
At Gangwisch Dental Group, we recommend teeth bleaching with the at-home method. With that technique, we make molds of your teeth and make a custom tray that is made just for you. You will place a small amount of bleaching gel in an extremely thin, clear mouthpiece called a tray. This is placed on your teeth at bedtime and is worn while you sleep. The gel that we use is slightly sticky so it gently clings to the teeth while you doze. The active ingredient is carbamide peroxide which breaks down into hydrogen peroxide once it comes in contact with saliva. The hydrogen peroxide will break down further into harmless water and oxygen. It is the oxygen that will essentially oxidize the stains in your teeth and this lightens them considerably. Since the concentrations in the at-home method are significantly smaller than the in-office way, the incidence of tooth sensitivity is much less. It does take a number of weeks, but once you get to your ideal brightness, it will usually stay relatively stable for a number of months. The usual rule of thumb is to refresh the bleach for two or three nights after each teeth cleaning, which happens (or should happen) every six months.
We do offer the in-office teeth bleaching for those patients who need their teeth whitened fast, such as for an upcoming wedding. At Gangwisch Dental Group, we do not try to put on a fake show with a fancy light. Studies have shown that it’s the hydrogen peroxide that does the teeth bleaching, not the hot light. The heat will greatly raise the amount and intensity of teeth sensitivity. We apply a light-cured paint on a rubber dam to protect your gums. Them we let the bleaching liquid soak into the tooth enamel for three - fifteen minute intervals. We then apply a desensitizer to help minimize any discomfort.
Teeth bleaching can be very rewarding in that it will increase your confidence to smile widely and to show off those pearly whites.
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- 04/19/15Read MoreCaring for DenturesDentures require care that is different from natural teeth. For brushing a denture, one must keep in mind that toothpastes that are meant for real teeth contain abrasives to remove stains from the enamel surfaces.
A Denture BrushBut dentures are made from an acrylic plastic that is much softer than tooth enamel and cannot hold up to a frequent brushing with a harsh substance. It is also best to use a brush that is specifically made for dentures. The nylon bristles in a normal toothbrush can be stiff enough to cut grooves into the plastic. Over the years, I have observed dentures that aren't even recognizable due to the meticulous scrubbing with abrasives. Another thing that can help are tablets of denture cleanser that you drop into warm water and they will effervesce plaque away from the denture. You still have to go over the denture with a gentle brushing to get the remaining deposits off. When cleaning a denture, it is usually best to do it over a sink full of water or a towel. All it takes is one slip and the denture could fall against a hard sink and crack in two. If there are any stains or deposits that do not come off with a gentle brushing, it is best to bring it to the dentist and have a professional clean them.Read More
- 04/19/15Read MoreSinus Lift Procedure for Dental ImplantsTo place an implant, there must be an adequate amount of bone to bear the brunt of the bite. In the upper molar area, it is very common to be short of bone for implants since the maxillary sinus is located right above it. Since the bone shrinks once a tooth is removed, it is not unusual to find only a few millimeters of bone remaining. In these cases, a procedure called a sinus lift bone graft is available. In a sinus lift, a flap of gum is retracted from the upper jaw in the molar area, and a small window is cut into the bone being careful to not lacerate the sinus membrane. The sinus membrane is gently "lifted" and a bone graft material is placed in the hollowed out space in between the lower part of the sinus bone and the membrane. The surgical site is closed and allowed to heal undisturbed for a number of months. At this point, the bone will be fully organized and ready for implant placement. A sinus lift procedure has over 90% success rate. The feedback that I have gotten from patients as far as the recovery from the procedure has been very favorable. The technique opens up many more opportunities to restore the upper jaw with implants instead of having to resort to dentures.Read More
- 04/19/15Read MoreMaking Room for Crowded TeethCrowded teeth are a very common problem affecting many people. To straighten these teeth orthodontically, a dentist needs to make room in the mouth to fit all of the teeth in a nice straight line. Many times, the crowding is so severe that teeth have to be removed to make room. However, it is preferable to keep all of the teeth (except for the wisdom teeth) if possible. This way, it is easier to get teeth to mesh properly. The other alternative is to reduce the size of the teeth.
Teeth are coated with enamel, the hard white substance that we see in our pearly whites. It has no nerve endings, just like hair and fingernails, so it can be smoothed and shaped without the need for local anesthetic. A quarter of a millimeter can be safely removed from each side in between the teeth without causing an increase in decay. That doesn’t sound like much, but when that small increment is added up over an entire arch of teeth, that can amount to a few millimeters which can be enough to allow for an adequate amount of space to makes ones teeth picket fence straight.Read More
- 04/19/15Read MoreRelining DenturesWhen teeth have been extracted, the body will slowly resorb the bone that once held the teeth. When dentures are made, a mold is made of the mouth and then the denture is constructed. But as the years go by, the bone continues to erode away while the plastic stays the same. This causes gaps to form between the dentures and the gums, which will eventually cause the dentures to become loose and ill-fitting. The good news is that the plastic can be relined without having to make an entirely new denture.
Hollowing out of the inside of denture.To reline a denture, the dentist will hollow out the inside of the denture without affecting the teeth. An adhesive is painted on and the inside of the denture is filled with an impression paste. This is inserted into the mouth and it sets, thus making a mold of the new form of the gums. A lab tech then makes a model by pouring plaster into the mold. He then cuts aways the old plastic and packs new plastic between the new model and the denture teeth. Voila - a well-fitting denture, almost good as new. This procedure can be done much more inexpensively than constructing new dentures. It can help restore a denture to its original fit.Read More
- 04/19/15Read MoreChildren's Fear of the DentistMany factors can contribute to a child’s fear of the dentist. On top of that list is a bad experience at a previous dental appointment. The younger the age, the higher likelihood that a child will have a fear of the dentist. It has even been shown that parents can pass along their own fear of the dentist. Children are very perceptive and can sense that a parent is stressed when talking about a dental visit. I employ a number of techniques to help allay a child’s fear. We have TV’s in the ceiling with cartoons playing which helps distract the child. Just something as simple as using a gentle, friendly voice and a smile can also put the child at ease. The “tell-show-do” technique works great. I tell them about the “water sprayer” that will flush out all of the “cavity bugs”, then I will take the dental hand piece and spray water on their hand so that they can see that there is nothing to fear. Then, for the “do”, I touch the anesthetized tooth which produces a gentle vibration so that they can see that there is no pain. And speaking of the numbing process, they are never shown the needle. They just get a little “pinch” to put the tooth to sleep. By employing just a few simple techniques can greatly reduce a child’s fear of the dentist and make it a pleasant experience.Read More
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