FAQ

Yes! Many dentists will make you come in first for an exam before scheduling another appointment for a cleaning, but we want to make things easy for you. Your first visit includes a comprehensive exam, x-rays, and cleaning. Expect the first visit to be around 1.5 hours.

Yes. According to the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners, a licensed dentist in the state of Nevada is required to complete an oral examination before beginning teeth treatment (including cleanings) on a new patient. This includes x-rays every 18 months. This policy ensures that a thorough diagnosis is obtained. See Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 631.210. At Elegant Smiles, we complete a Full Mouth Series (FMX) at the first visit and update Bitewing x-rays yearly. X-rays from another dentist may be accepted as long as they were taken within 6 months and are readable.

Yes, we do. We believe every child should be seen by the time their first tooth erupts. We are happy to see kids in our office starting at the age of 1 and up. We provide dental treatments in our office for cooperative children. If a child has more specific needs, we will recommend a referral to one of our trusted pediatric dentists.

Having anxiety or fear of dental treatment is nothing to be ashamed about. We are often considered a favorite amongst those with fear because our doctors are very gentle, patient, and caring. Some of our amenities to help alleviate stress include TVs on the ceiling, headphones, blankets, stress balls, and dental chairs that massage. We also offer a computerized anesthetic delivery system, which helps deliver dental anesthetic virtually pain-free. For high anxiety patients, we may recommend an oral sedative or a referral to a sedation dentist.

Sadly, it is true that there are many dentists out there just to make money. Our doctors have seen it themselves. Our new patient appointments are 1.5 hours, and our doctors sit down with you to review x-rays and even photos of your teeth. We even have demonstration models to help those who are more visual. Our doctors are praised daily by their patients for the amount of time they spend with patients and the clarity they receive.

We are in-network with most major PPO insurance networks. Check out our Insurance & Financing page to see a list of insurances we are in-network with. This list is ever-changing, and there are a lot of insurance companies out there. So if you don’t see us on the list, please call your insurance company to check.

Absolutely. We are considered an unrestricted provider with some insurance plans. As an unrestricted provider, we do not have to cut corners. We can continue to use the highest quality materials and continue to deliver your great experience by only seeing 1 – 2 patients at a time. We do not believe in sacrificing the quality of care by being forced to increase the number of patients. Often, our patients experience little difference in copay when it comes to going in network vs out of network. Your copay is slightly higher, but the experience is unparalleled.

Dental insurance can be confusing as it is very different from medical insurance. Often with medical plans, once the deductible has been met, most services are 100% covered with no limit. Most dental plans come with a $1000-$2500 yearly limit. The deductible often applies to the first treatment, and thereafter, all treatment still has a copay of usually between 20% to 50%. If you need several dental restorations, your limit will often be reached quickly. You also need to pay attention to waiting periods and missing tooth clauses. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us.

We don’t want anyone to have barriers when it comes to being able to afford great dental care which is why we created our Elegant Smiles Membership Pan. Please see our Membership Plan page for more details.

We use the information your insurance companies provide us to provide an accurate estimate as possible. However, sometimes your dental insurance does pay the bill differently than expected, and we don’t find out until we receive the insurance payment 3 - 4 weeks later. While it is impossible to have a 100% accuracy rate, Dr. Huynh herself trains her insurance coordinators on the exact math and methods required to accurately estimate the copay, and our office prides itself on accounts that frequently go to $0 after the insurance payment is received.

Yes. We offer third-party financing through Care Credit.

Amalgam restorations are the older "silver fillings." They are an alloy mix of metals, typically mercury, silver, and tin. Amalgams are not placed too often anymore because many advancements have been made with dental materials. The disadvantage of amalgam is that over time, it expands inside the tooth, causing fracture lines and eventual fracture of the tooth. Amalgam also is not bonded to the tooth, thus bacteria and decay can access the gaps between the amalgam and tooth.

Composite restorations are the "white fillings." They are made of resin materials that are tooth colored and very esthetic. The advantages are that composite restorations look very natural. They are also chemically bonded to the tooth and thus there is a very nice seal between the tooth and the restoration. The disadvantage of composite restorations is that the patient may experience mild cold post-operative sensitivity. They also do stain and shrink in the tooth over time and require eventual replacement. However, advances in dental material and a properly trained dentist who places them under great isolation greatly minimizes any of these disadvantages, and they now last a long time.

Cavities or tooth decay do not hurt until they get deep enough and approach the nerve. In the center of the tooth is a nerve. There are 2 main layers of the tooth: Enamel and Dentin. The cavity must break through all of the enamel and dentin before it reaches the nerve. Once it reaches the nerve, it hurts. Just because a tooth is not hurting does not mean a cavity is not present. We much rather prefer to fix a tooth when the cavity is tiny vs. when the cavity is in such an advanced stage it involves the nerve. If it involves the nerve, a root canal and crown is needed which is 10x more expensive than a small filling restoration. Also, we drill smaller holes in the teeth when the cavities are small. One more thing, the tooth is still alive when we do fillings. If a root canal is needed because the nerve has been infected and contaminated, we have to remove the nerve, and they break easily and just never feel the same.

With the advances in digital dental technology, the radiation exposure with dental x-rays is lower than the radiation you are exposed to from flying in an airplane or even going outside for a few minutes. We use the newest form of radiographic imaging, and the extremely minimal amount of radiation present in dental radiographs is far outweighed by the diagnostic advantage provided by the radiographs.

Many dentists have varying opinions on this, but here is ours. Generally, we recommend most patients get their wisdom teeth out before they turn 25. The reason for this is they are not yet fully developed and are much easier and safer to remove. After the teeth have fully developed, the roots become long and can be located very close to the IA nerve. If they are too close to the IA nerve, it is much riskier to remove, thus removal is much more ideal when the patient is in the late teens. We usually recommend removal of wisdom teeth in patients who have a high cavity risk. Wisdom teeth are far in the back and often overlooked when brushing. If cavities/fillings are present near the front, we may be certain the wisdom teeth will get cavities one day too. In these cases, we recommend removal in the late teens rather than waiting until there is a full-blown cavity requiring extraction in an older patient. We believe the surgery is safer and easier when the patient is young. There are certain patients who have 0 cavities and enough space for their wisdom teeth to come in ideally. In these cases, it is perfectly fine to keep them.

No, unfortunately we do not. Our doctors work with a trusted local dental lab that consistently produces the best crown margins and best fit. The mill used in a dental lab has more axels than the mills any dental practice has access to. Thus, at this time, in order to provide the same quality of work we are known for, we have chosen not to invest in same day crowns at this time.