About Our Office

If you watch any commercial on TV, you know that one of the hot trends in personal care is teeth whitening. Teeth whitening is promised to perform miracles – from making ex-boyfriends jealous to taking Hollywood by storm.  While these things may not happen, removing stains and discoloration from your teeth can boost your confidence and help you show off your smile.  The question is, how do you go about it?  Cheaper, over-the-counter applications, take home kits or an in-office procedure?  Here are the things you need to consider when making your choice.

In-Office

Procedures offered at the dentist’s office offer more dramatic color change in a shorter period of time.  Dentists use a safely applied high concentration of the bleaching agent to teeth.  One visit, usually under two hours, can yield much whiter teeth.  In-office procedures also address more teeth, not just the front teeth as some over-the-counter products do.

Enlisting the dentist to whiten your teeth has the added benefit of having a professional work to make sure your teeth are natural looking.  Artificial surfaces, such as bonding or crowns, will not change color with a whitener.  If you incorporate whitening into your overall dental care program, you avoid the risk of mis-matched teeth.

(Our Office offers Zoom® - find answers about this procedure here )

Take Home Kits

Take home kits are a less-expensive option to the professional application at a dentist’s office.  They contain a higher concentration of the whitening agent than over-the-counter kits offer.  Take home kits also use a custom tray, similar to a mouth guard, which provides a more comfortable fit and covers more teeth than a store kit. We find that sensitivity is reduced with custom trays since more of the gel stays on your teeth and off your gums.

Over-the-Counter

OTC kits provide the cheapest option for teeth whitening.  These kits can contain a generic bite tray, brush-on whitener, or adhesive strips.  Often the kits are designed to only whiten the front, most visible, teeth.  This means your teeth will not match in color.  Because the kits are available without professional supervision, the concentration of whitener is lower and less effective.  This means it takes much longer to see visible results from the whitening. We also observe that these products cause an increased sensitivity to whitening, likely due to the difficulty of controlling where the gel goes and keeping it away from areas that will increase your discomfort.

If you are considering whitening your teeth, you should start by consulting your dentist.  Your dentist will go over your options and realistic expectations.  Once you have the necessary information, you will need to decide what you want and how quickly you want it.  Then you can move forward with whitening your beautiful smile.

Raise your hand if you love the rubber dam. No? Well, we think you're going to be pretty happy about a new technology we've recently begun using.

The Isolite fits comfortably into your mouth in seconds, provides support so you can rest your jaw instead of having to hold your mouth open, and allows us to complete procedures more quickly; all of this adds up to a more comfortable experience for our patients and we think you're going to love it.

The single use mouthpieces are hypoallergenic, latex and silicone free, and come in 5 different sizes so we can get a comfortable fit for everyone. There are no clamps,  no anchoring to your teeth - it simply fits into your mouth and stays there, comfortably. The system also provides constant light suction to keep fluids out of your throat and extra tools out of your mouth. It has an intraoral light, which allows superior visibility for the dentist since his hands won't cast shadows from the overhead light. It protects your mouth beautifully while keeping the teeth we're working on isolated and extra dry, so the materials we use will bond exceptionally well.

All of this means safer, faster, better, and more comfortable dental appointments for you. Now, raise your hand if you're excited about that! Have you used the isolite? We'd love to hear your feedback!

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We Understand Amazonians:

You have a busy life, and we know that it can be hard to prioritize your dental health over work and home life.  So we make it easy for you to get the best dental care possible.

• We take your insurance: In fact we are a preferred provider of Washington Dental Service, which means that unless you have recently tapped your insurance benefits, your standard exam, x-rays, and cleaning shouldn't cost you anything.
• We’re close by: We’re at 5th and Olive, easily accessible on foot, car, bus or trolley.
• We validate parking: Park at Pacific Place (6th and Olive) and we’ll validate.
• Online Appointments: We know you live your life online, so go ahead and request an appointment now.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month, so we thought we'd take a little time to answer some common questions about how to care for your little one's teeth.

Q: At what age should children begin brushing their teeth on their own?
A (Dr. Baker): Usually a child is capable of brushing well when he/she has the manual dexterity to tie shoes. Proper tooth brushing actually takes more dexterity than tying shoelaces, but it is a good time to begin the transition.

Q: My daughter still has little spaces between all her teeth. Does she need to floss?
A (Dr. Baker): Even if her teeth have spaces between them, flossing now is a great way to establish that habit for when she is older. She may also have closer contacts than you realize between her teeth in the back, so starting the flossing habit now will make sure to keep all her teeth healthy - even the ones you don't always see.

Q: I have seen little picks pre-threaded with floss. Are those good for kids to use?
A (Dr. Baker): While regular floss is the ideal, the floss picks are great for kids because they can use them without help. We find that kids are more often willing to use one of those flossers than a regular strand of dental floss. I say any tool that helps them to learn to floss regularly is a good thing!

Q: When should my baby have his first dental appointment?
A (Dr. Baker): I like to see babies in my office as soon as they start getting teeth. We call this a "happy visit" and use it as an opportunity to introduce your child to our office in a non-threatening way. We have lots of fun staff members who are great with kids, an excellent prize box (my kids picked out all the prizes), as well as children's books about oral health and even a multi-layer tooth puzzle.  Since dental fear in one of the main reasons people stay away, we want to make sure your little one starts off with a positive impression of visiting the dentist. We also use this appointment to discuss with you any concerns or questions you might have about your son's dental health and take a quick peek in his mouth to make sure everything is healthy and developing normally. After this initial visit, we usually start seeing kids for cleanings and exams on a regular basis when they are about 4 years old.

Q: What are the main dental issues you see in children?
A (Dr. Baker): The issues I see most frequently are trauma (from a fall or other accident) and tooth decay. Aside from the normal precautions, there's not always a lot you can do to prevent accidents, but the good new is there IS a lot you can do to prevent tooth decay. Sugary foods (even healthy ones like raisins, crackers, and milk) can cause tooth decay. The best way to manage this is to serve food and drinks at meal times and snack times but not have them available for grazing during the rest of the day. Milk carried around in bottles or sippy cups can be especially problematic since your baby's teeth will be constantly bathed in sugar. Fluoride is another important way to fight tooth decay. Since it shouldn't be ingested in large quantities, make sure you don't let your child use fluoride toothpaste until he/she is able to spit. In the meantime, we can apply a topical fluoride "varnish" in our office at around age 4 or sooner as needed.

Hopefully this information has been helpful. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comment area below or send us a message!

From your very first visit to my dental office, I strive to provide superior treatment in a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. I thought we’d ask you, our wonderful patients: Have you been especially impressed by our work? Did my team go out of their way to make your day? Are you in love with your new smile?

Whether you’ve just come in for an appointment or your family has been visiting my office for years, I’d love to hear your feedback. You can write a review on my Google Place Page. Or, you can tell me by posting on Facebook.

Thank you!

I have some exciting news for you. Knowing that so many of my patients are on-the-go, I recently launched a new mobile version of my site! No matter where you are…work, school, traveling or shopping at the mall, you will be able to access my website with speed and ease to request or change an appointment, refer a patient or simply view my blog. You will even be able to dial my office right from the site on your phone, all with a single touch.

The next time you are on-the-go, you won’t be disconnected. Access my website with your iPhone, iPad, Droid, or the smart phone of your choice!

All of us as at my Seattle dental office constantly strive to provide the very best treatment in a relaxing, comfortable environment. It is my goal to offer an advanced approach to dentistry, utilizing the latest technology to put you at ease. Have you had a great experience with us?

Share your story with the world!

Just select the "Write a Review" button above to write a review on my Google Place Page. I look forward to receiving your feedback!

Thank you,

-Dr. Baker

Have you had an exceptional experience at our office? Has our team exceeded your expectations? Do you consider our office the BEST? If so, please share your story by voting for my office in The Best of Western Washington. Simply visit the King5 website to cast your vote!

Thanks in advance,

-Dr. Theron Baker and team

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. Please check back often for weekly updates on fun and exciting events happening at our office, important and interesting information about the dental industry, and the latest news about our practice.

Feel free to leave a comment or question for our doctor and staff – we hope this will be a valuable resource for our patients, their families, and friends!