Complete Health Dentistry Integrating Mind, Body, & Soul
by Betha Merit
“Your mouth ‘talks’ to your body and your body ‘talks’ to your mouth.” The professionals at Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry embody this quote in their approach to your dental health, and go beyond your mouth to treat your mind, body, and soul.
“We know that oral health is a critical part of systemic health. So when patients have heart conditions, diabetes or other medical health issues, the state of their oral health matters even more. It’s not just about dental versus medical conditions anymore,” says Dr. J. Derek Tieken, DDS. Renowned providers like the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics are avid supporters of this new approach to overall health.
Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry remains a technology frontrunner in general and cosmetic dentistry, and now partners with your physicians to focus on your overall body, mind, and functional health issues as they account for all of your health concerns in your treatment planning. “Our alliance with community physicians is unique—needed, and adds a new level of overall quality care and understanding for every patient we treat. The Tieken Smiles team is proud to be a part of this great new approach to health for our community,” says Dr. Tieken.
For almost 25 years, Dr. Tieken and his team have served 1000’s of families offering state of the art dentistry. A native of Bay Area Houston, Dr. Tieken graduated from the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. His passion and training for cosmetic dentistry offers local residents the latest skills and technologies available in the field. Dr. Tieken has been named a Top Dentist by the Consumer Research Council, Texas Monthly’s Best Dentists for years, and has been selected as Best Dentist of the Bay, for the past 11 consecutive years. Associate, Dr. Eric Broberg, DDS grew up in Texas, and is also a University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston graduate. Dr. Broberg has been with the practice since July 2012. He was an instant hit and is a perfect fit, as he comes from a family of physicians, which contributes to his ease in integrating the mind, body, and soul approach to overall dental health.
Dr. Tieken and Dr. Broberg explain how their mind, body, and soul approach works. It begins with their minds, including professional experience and continuing education, which they pursue as new techniques and discoveries are made in the dental health and cosmetic field. Their desire to grow with dental advancement leads them to invest in the state of the art technologies and equipment now offered. The mind approach also involves educating their patients on the connection of their mouth to their body, and also about what dental treatment plan will benefit them. Interacting with patients’ own physicians brings in the mind and expertise of each physician to enhance and balance all treatment plans for the individual.
Secondly, the body is a focus. Periodontal disease is linked to many health issues. Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry offers Lutronics CO2 laser technology for soft tissue periodontal treatments that are painless and require no anesthesia. The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health lists the following: bacteria in your mouth travels to other parts of your body in your bloodstream; gum disease increases the risk of head and neck cancer; diabetes and bleeding gums increase your risk of premature death by 400-700%; mouth bacteria can cause heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke; cavities are caused by a germ that spreads while kissing and sharing food; 93% of people with gum disease are at risk for diabetes; the Surgeon General reports that at least 80% of American adults have gum disease. There are more health risks listed, but that would take another page. Suffice it to say that your body is affected by your dental health. And, vice versa.
Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry offers treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition that interrupts your breathing and ability to get a restful night’s sleep and may cause snoring. Sleep Apnea affects your body’s health as well as the health of anyone within sound of your snoring or affected by your lack of sleep. Tieken Smiles has invested in technology that provides in-office diagnostic testing and calibrating of the patient’s exact breathing specifications, in order to provide an orthodontic appliance that maximizes what angle and size works to open that individual’s airway. No more small, medium, large, or one size fits most! Follow up sleep studies may be done with the patient’s physician, depending on whether this is a case of simple snoring or health issues are already part of the equation.
Tieken Smiles has invested in the VELscope, which is an oral cancer screening system to detect abnormalities while they are still easily treatable. Additionally, Tieken Smiles utilizes digital x-rays, which require up to 90% less radiation and are quickly viewable on a computer monitor. And there are other faster, smarter, painless systems and procedures to make your Tieken Smiles experience a breeze.
Thirdly, your soul is a part of your dental health. A beautiful smile is still a goal that Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry gets behind. “We like to say that the mouth is a window of your soul,” says Dr. Tieken. “We are well-known in Bay Area Houston for our cosmetic dentistry results, and we continue to pursue state of the art technology towards this value.” A healthy smile can affect a person’s self esteem and confidence, and Tieken Smiles will always support the effort to achieve just that. Their website, www.tiekensmiles.com has a page highlighting their Smile Makeovers that will blow your socks off. And yes, your mouth will drop open and you will either smile or laugh out loud. You might even tear up. Amazing.
Other cosmetic procedures are listed on the website and include Invisalign (for which they are a Premier Provider), veneers, lumineers, crowns, bridges, bonding, implants, dentures, and teeth whitening. “We aim to make the patient’s experience both soothing and high level clinically,” says Dr. Tieken. “We will always pursue the cutting edge of technology. If there is something out there that benefits our patients, we will have it.”
Giving back to the community is a huge part of the heart of Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry. The Tieken Tooth Fairies is a program that offers dental services to local students in grades K-12 at the beginning of the school year. They are ongoing in educating and speaking to local schools and students about oral hygiene and healthy practices. A candy buy-back is a Halloween competition organized by Dr. Broberg and Tieken Smiles, where individual classes compete to raise the most money by bringing their Halloween candy in to be counted/weighed. Proceeds go to the local school, with the winning class receiving a bonus. “Our community has been so great to us,” says Dr. Tieken, “we want to give back.” A list of other community outreach areas is listed on the website.
There you have it. Tieken Smiles Complete Health Dentistry is changing lives one smile at a time and applying the strengths of mind, body, and soul (both yours and theirs) towards making that happen. Professional affiliations include the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the Greater Houston Dental Society. Dr. Tieken is also a graduate of LVI Global—the prestigious Las Vegas Institute—a premier post-graduate institute for advanced dental studies. Now Located at 3033 Marina Bay Drive, Suite 230, League City, Texas 77573; 281.334.4944.
Best Cosmetic Dentist.