Proper care will keep

keep teeth on the job

There’s something that dentists like to say.

“If you are not true to your teeth, they will be false to you.”

Dr. Robert Odegard, a cosmetic and implant dentist in the Renton Highlands, is no different.

He knows what happens when we don’t take care of our teeth. He has built a busy practice in the Highlands and has added to his own knowledge so that he can provide what could be called one-stop dentistry. And that’s especially true if a patient needs a dental implant.

Odegard has practiced at his current location in the Highlands on Northeast Fourth Street at Duvall Avenue since 2005. Before that, his practice was just a few blocks away at Duvall and Sunset Boulevard.

His practice runs from young to old. Most people, he says, will undergo major dental work in their 40s or 50s. How long natural teeth remain at work depends on the type of care they’ve received. And, of course, he said, people are living longer and teeth do wear out.

However, for young people today, “they have the opportunity to keep their teeth for life,” he said.

Still despite the warnings, some people think that dental care is an elective service, he said. But there is a link between a person’s dental health and their overall health, especially as it relates to heart disease, he said.

“I think we will work closely with a physician to coordinate a person’s overall health,” he said.

So, for whatever the cause, a trip to Odegard may involve a mini-implant. The implant, in essence a new root, is placed into the jawbone. The new tooth is then attached to the implant, the anchor.

Typically, a patient will need teeth replaced that were missing at birth or perhaps the tooth was damaged, either from an accident or from lack of proper hygiene.

Odegard’s training allows him to do some of the surgery normally done by an oral surgeon, so that the entire process is completed at his office.

Odegard has two full-time hygienists, two front-office personnel, one schedule, an associate dentist, Dr. Michael Cho, and four clinical dental assistants.

Dean A. Radford can be reached at 425-255-3484, ext. 5050, or at dean.radford@rentonreporter.com.