General Dentistry
Improved Oral Health For The Whole Family
Having a healthy, beautiful smile is something we all deserve. That’s why Dr. Leitner helps Michigan patients in the Norton Shores, Ferrysburg, Spring Lake, and surrounding areas achieve a healthy smile that can last a lifetime with our general dentistry services. General dentistry consists of treatments and procedures designed to protect the longevity of your natural smile.
Whether that’s providing regular screenings for oral cancer, cosmetic treatments like teeth whitening, or restorative solutions like cavity fillings, Dr. Leitner can help protect the oral health of you and your family.
Scheduling regular dental visits are crucial as they prevent and treat oral health problems, keeping your smile healthy, strong, and picture-perfect.
Children’s Dentistry
We appreciate the enthusiasm kids bring to our office and our staff will make sure they feel at home. During their appointment, we’ll teach your kids about the importance of effective dental hygiene so they can maintain a healthy smile. Dr. Leitner has extensive experience dealing with typical childhood dental issues ranging from retained baby teeth to issues caused by secondary tooth eruption.
Proper dental care doesn’t end when we get our adult teeth. Adults and seniors alike need continued high-quality care. Learn how Dr. Leitner can help ensure you and your family maintain a healthy and natural smile.
When you visit Dr. John Leitner every six months, we’ll keep your smile fresh, clean, and shining bright. Your regular checkups include professional cleaning and a complete dental examination to ensure your teeth both look and feel great.
Daily brushing and flossing are essential for maintaining your oral hygiene. During your appointment, we’ll check the overall health of your teeth and gums, perform an oral cancer screening, and thoroughly clean your teeth, making sure to remove any built-up plaque.
Oral cancer kills tens of thousands of people every year. In many cases, the disease goes undetected until it’s too late. That’s why every dental exam with Dr. Leitner includes a full screening for oral cancer. We’ll check for early signs of this serious disease to protect your long-term health. Catching oral cancer as soon as possible makes it much easier to treat — in some cases, it can even save your life.
Periodontal Care For Healthy Gums
Another important part of a regular dental exam is checking on the health of your gums. We call this periodontal screening. When bacteria infect your teeth above the gum line, cavities form. But when bacteria get into your gums, it can develop into periodontal disease, also known as gum disease.
Without treatment, gum disease causes pain, swelling, and even tooth loss. Fortunately, Dr. Leitner offers effective periodontal care, including innovative laser therapy using PerioLase®. This painless treatment is fast, easy, and doesn’t require any cutting or stitching.
The deepest, inner section of a tooth is called the pulp. This is the sensitive bundle of nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels that nurture a living tooth. If the pulp becomes infected, it can be very painful and the infection can spread to other parts of your mouth and body.
Root canal therapy heals an infected tooth, making the pain go away and helping you avoid an extraction. And thanks to advancements in dental technology including anesthetics and sedation, root canal therapy is more comfortable and less invasive than ever before.
Dr. Leitner will remove the decayed portion of the tooth and fill your cavity using a customized, tooth-colored filling. This restores the look and function of your tooth while protecting it from further infection. If you currently have metal fillings and would prefer tooth-colored ones instead, we can safely replace them using our amalgam removal system.
Treatments For Cavities
As part of your dental exam, we’ll take digital x-rays of your smile. This provides a clear picture of your oral health, allowing Dr. Leitner to detect early signs of tooth decay.
We also use the Canary System® in our office, a laser-based diagnostic tool that measures tooth structure. This allows us to discover cavities in areas where they’re hardest to find, such as underneath sealants and around restorations.
A cavity is a hollow space in your tooth caused by decay. Using our advanced diagnostic equipment, we catch cavities early, before they get a chance to disrupt your smile.
Other General Dentistry Treatments
Frequent snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder. Sleep apnea blocks your airway while you sleep, causing you to stop breathing several times each night. This dramatically reduces the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, causing you to feel tired and irritable during the day.
Sleep apnea contributes to serious health concerns such as strokes, heart disease, and diabetes. At our Grand Haven dental practice, Dr. Leitner treats sleep apnea using convenient oral appliance therapy. Many of our patients prefer oral appliance therapy to the loud and awkward CPAP machines that are often prescribed for sleep apnea.
If you snore and often feel fatigued or listless during the day, you may have sleep apnea. Rest assured, Dr. Leitner will help you get a proper diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Your TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, is the hinge that allows your jaw to move in several different directions. You have two TMJs, located beneath your ears where your jaw connects to the skull. TMJ disorder (TMD) refers to various types of pain in the region and problems with motion in the jaw.
Does your jaw make clicking or popping noises? If so, this could be an indication of TMD. Additional TMD symptoms include jaw pain, headaches, earaches, and more.
Dr. Leitner diagnoses issues related to your bite that can cause TMD using the T-Scan® bite analysis system and Joint Vibration Analysis (JVA). He’ll use this information to design a personalized treatment plan for your TMD that will provide the relief you need.
If your TMD is caused by teeth grinding while you sleep, also known as bruxism, Dr. Leitner may recommend a customized bite guard to wear at night.
We understand that dental anxiety is a common issue, but there’s no need to feel anxious when visiting our offices. Your care and comfort are always our priority. For patients who have trouble relaxing, we offer nitrous oxide sedation. Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide allows you to feel calm throughout your dental visit while still remaining conscious.
Nitrous oxide sedation wears off quickly. After a brief waiting period of about 15 minutes, you’ll be able to drive yourself home following your procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend getting a dental cleaning every six months. For some patients who have a higher risk for bacterial infections, Dr. Leitner may recommend more frequent appointments.
Yes, we accept most dental insurance plans at our office and we work with Delta Dental and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
We partner with CareCredit to offer convenient options for breaking up your bill into affordable monthly payments. In some cases, you can even finance your dental treatment interest-free.
If patients don’t notify us 48 hours in advance of any changes or cancellations to your appointment, a fee of $25.00 will be charged to your account. We do reserve the right to waive the fee when there are extenuating circumstances, however.
Complete Care for the Whole Family
Dr. Leitner and our staff provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for you and your family. Our family dental services will enhance your oral health and put you at ease. If you’re a Michigan patient in Norton Shores, Ferrysburg, Spring Lake, or the surrounding areas and want to learn more about keeping your natural smile healthy give us a call at (616) 842-2850. Or, feel free to fill out the form at the bottom of this page and one of our dedicated team members will reach out to you.