GENERAL DENTISTRY

If you have selected this webpage, you are probably wondering why we have opened it with a picture of a pair of worn out shoes, rather than a brilliant smile. We decided to start with this perspective because it illustrates the fact that your teeth are often like a good old pair of shoes - comfortable - but slowly, slowly deteriorating under the strain of constant use. Just like a pair of shoes, the decline is very often undetectable until something goes dramatically wrong or until you become consciously aware of a growing problem. Hopefully, our comprehensive website will address almost any concern you have. We have structured it to give you information about hundreds of concepts that are related to the decline and restoration of your dental health.

With every new patient, we like to start with a visit to identify exactly where your level of health lies on a scale somewhere between "ideal" to "beyond repair". Are things in an ideal state, or are there some things that are in a declining state of health? In our practice we like to keep our patients completely up-to-date about the predictability of their teeth. Are the teeth wearing down, shifting, bleeding when flossed, cracking around old silver fillings? Do you have bad breath, sleep problems or headaches related to dental issues? Any of these things are much like the signs of wear you would find on a favorite pair of well-worn shoes. They will eventually lead to big problems if not addressed early.

We're here to help you make the most educated decisions possible and to help you reach the goals you have set for yourself as far as your teeth go. Do you want to keep your teeth your whole life? That's not a given. It takes some planning. We can help you do that.

We also like to think that our practice is a model of the kind of "relationship and technology based' environment that people are seeking today for their healthcare. Both doctors Ulrich and Verderber are from a small farming town in Central Illinois where everybody knows your name. Dr. Lynda's father, Ed, was the last in a breed of physicians who took care of you, birth to death. Dr. Chuck and Dr. Lynda had the best kind of role model in Dr. Ed Ulrich. He was the kind of family doctor who made house calls, delivered your baby, took out your appendix, made rounds at the nursing homes, etc. He was the kind of doctor who valued his relationship with patients so much that everyone in town had his home phone number. He often said that his patients always did more for him than he could ever do for them. That's the way our team has been taught to serve our patients at Fiddlehead Dental. Every new technology and system that we adopt is for the expressed purpose of improving our patients' dental experiences and the results of our work together with them.

The essential element in our relationship with our patients is that we share the same philosophy. Our patients are folks who definitely want to keep their teeth their whole lives. Our mission statement says "We will provide the kind of dental care that gives our patients the best chance at keeping their teeth for a lifetime." In keeping with that goal, our first duty is to inform, so that you can make the best choices about your dental future. The key to our patients' "high dental IQ" is a technology that allows us to show you everything we find and do in your mouth. Our office has nine intra-oral cameras, one in every room, so that we can always insure your complete understanding of your dental condition. The camera itself is the size of a toothbrush. It might not sound like something that appeals to you now, but once you are used to being informed by such thorough measures, you will always expect that same sense of partnership with your dentist.

Dr. Lynda and Dr. Chuck are very skilled in most areas of general dentistry and they offer their patients the latest technology available to modern dentistry; PORCELAIN FILLINGS,  tooth whitening, LASER ASSISTED GUM TREATMENT, DENTAL IMPLANTS, INVISALIGN^® ORTHODONTICS, COSMETIC DENTISTRY and PREVENTIVE CONCEPTS. Both are well versed with TMJ (JAW JOINT) THERAPY and both are skilled artisans with CROWN AND BRIDGE TOOTH REPLACEMENT.

In fact, our doctors had each already taken 29 defined hours of continuing education in the first 4 months of 2008. By the end of the year, they will have taken over 46 hours of defined continuing education in the latest techniques and materials. This is four times as much as is required for licensing. They attend continuing education in order to incorporate the best of modern dentistry into our practice as early as possible. In addition, our entire team is required to attend many hours of continuing education each year.

With current advancements in technology, dentistry has become an increasingly complex field to master. The doctors have each developed their expertise in different areas so that we do not have to refer our patients to specialists very often. With two doctors who have similar philosophies with expanded skills in specialized areas, our patients receive a high level of skilled work in a broad range of procedures right here in St. Albans.

Dr. Lynda has an expansive artistic background so she has a gift with COSMETIC DENTISTRY. Our team can show you volumes of "before/after" photos taken of our patients whose smiles have been dramatically changed by Dr. Lynda's work.

Dr. Chuck has made the most of his experience in missing tooth replacement with DENTAL IMPLANTS. As the years pass, people want their teeth to function as well they did in their youth. Our patients over 40 come in asking about regaining lost function, enhancing their appearance, or eliminating painful and annoying dental conditions. Dental implants can help replace individual missing teeth by acting as an artificial root for a completely natural looking crown. Implants can also stabilize partial dentures or full dentures, making them functionally sound.

Please let us know if you are looking for information on a dental issue that is not covered on our website. The best place to look a for specific topic is here on the left side of this page and under our heading "Dental Tips". There you will find all sorts of interesting subjects. Have Fun!