About our Dental Office in Lakewood, CA
Come to Dr. Handshuh’s office for all of your dental needs!
A fear of the dentist is a very common phobia in adults. Dr. Handshuh has two different sedation dentistry options for those who need extra help overcoming their anxiety in the dentist’s office. If you have mild nervousness, Dr. Handshuh can provide nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, to help you relax. When inhaled, this gas produces a feeling of euphoria, which allows the patient to feel at ease while they receive the dental treatment that they need. The effects dissipate soon after the gas is shut off, so you should be able to drive yourself home.
For patients who have a more extreme fear, Dr. Handshuh can prescribe an oral medication. You’ll need to have it filled yourself; you will take it the day of your examination. This medicine will greatly relax you, and you may need to arrange a ride home with a trusted friend of family member, as the effects will stay with you longer than they would with nitrous oxide.
Technology
Our office is up-to-date, which means that our efficiency helps us better meet the needs of our patients. We use paperless charting for each of our records to ensure that your paperwork won’t get misplaced, and it is easily accessible to every member of our reliable team.
For our imaging needs, we use digital X-rays, which expose patients to 90% less radiation than normal X-rays do. We keep the health of our patients in mind with everything that we do.
Many of our patients don’t like to hear the sound of a dental drill as we repair cavities. Dr. Handshuh can use air abrasion in certain circumstances, because it eliminates the ominous sound and feeling of traditional drilling. You’ll simply lay back as she sprays and buffers away the decay in your smile.
We use a diode laser to provide relief to patients who need gum treatments. This laser enables us to perform non-surgical periodontal procedures as well as select soft-tissue procedures. This technology also allows our Lakewood team to treat canker and cold sores.
We also have VELscope, which we can use to identify areas of concern in your gums and other tissues. Oral cancer is a silent killer, and Dr. Handshuh does not want to put her patients’ health at risk. We can shine the VELscope light, which is painless, into your mouth to search for any spots that may be developing (or have already developed) into oral cancer. We will respond swiftly when necessary.
Please contact us today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Handshuh. We treat patients from Lakewood, Cerritos, Downey, Norwalk, Cypress, Long Beach, Bellflower, and nearby California cities. If this is going to be your first appointment at our practice, please take a moment to review the information on our new patient page. We’re ready to help you improve your oral health!