Dear Patient:

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up-to-date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You'll be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
- We have hand sanitizer that we will ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office for you to use as needed.
- You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at (509) 485-8620 or visit our website at www.drweigand.com

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,
Richard D. Weigand, DDS

How Dental Veneers Help Correct Malocclusions

Posted By: Dr. Richard Weigand | Published On: Nov 5, 2019 | Blog

A malocclusion is defined as a misalignment between teeth in two arches. When people bite down, the teeth should fit together reasonably well. However, due to a litany of reasons, such as genetics or gum disease, people will develop problems that make chewing more difficult. It is paramount to correct this issue before it gets out of hand. While orthodontics can help, many patients will want to pursue dental veneers to cover up the problem.

Veneers Cover Up an Array of Issues

To ensure a proper fit, our dentist in Spokane, WA will remove a small portion of the enamel. This is to ensure the veneers do not bulge past the rest of the teeth too much. Through this, the restoration fixes any misalignment issues. When you bite down, your upper and lower arches will feel more comfortable, allowing you to eat better. However, veneers can be used for many flaws, such as:

Chips
Cracks
Differing lengths
Wornness
Flattening

While these problems are uncomfortable, they can also make people feel self-conscious about their smiles. Once you have veneers, you will want to smile wide for everyone to see. No one will even be able to tell you got a restoration because the veneers are designed to look like the rest of your teeth.

Our Dentist Can Tell You If Veneers Are Right for You

There are several different types of malocclusions, and only some of them can be corrected with veneers. You will first need to schedule an examination with Dr. Richard D. Weigand who will see if your malocclusion can be treated with dental veneers. Our team will determine if you have a neutrocclusion, distocclusion or mesiocclusion and develop a treatment plan from there.