Profile Dr. Lance Ostrowski Dr. Ostrowski as a dentist... Dr. Lance Ostrowski is a member of Northwestern University's graduating class of 1983 He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Illinois State Dental Society, as well as the Chicago Dental Society. To stay current with new and emerging technology, Dr. Ostrowski spends many hours in continuing education. Held in high esteem by his contemporaries for his work with implant restoration, many of them have referred their own patients to Dr. Ostrowski when the damage was either too extensive or when their own corrective attempts had failed. In addition to the daily responsibilities that his practice brings, Dr. Ostrowski has partaken in the study of the effects of oral health on overall health, along with several well-respected microscopic scientists and microbiologists at a leading dental school in Japan. Although this area of study is only recently coming to the forefront, Dr. Ostrowski and his Japanese counterparts have been involved during the last 20 years. To this end, he is currently giving regular lectures at Loyola and the University of Chicago; presenting his paper titled "Relationship of Gum Disease and Cardio Vascular Disease". Lance outside the office... He spends so much of his time as "Dr. Ostrowski" that people never get to know the many faces of Lance. Outside the office, Lance is gifted in the culinary arts. He has studied the cuisine of Italy's Tuscan region with the head chef of the Carlucci Restaurant in Rosemont, Illinois. Always the avid musician (as can be seen by his CD collection numbering in the thousands), Lance plays the keyboard and composes his own music. The other side of Lance that his patients rarely see is his benevolence. He and his wife, Lillian, spend many hours doing volunteer work at the House of the Good Sheppard, senior centers, and hospice treatment. They are also generous contributors to their favorite charities - Anti Cruelty (www.anticruelty.org) and Thresholds. Lance is also known for having toured grade schools to give the children lessons on dental hygiene. Children are no stranger to Lance, as he is also father. He takes an active role in his son's life, including coaching his son's junior high school basketball team to the state championship tournament in the 2001-02 season, a rare achievement in recent times.
Profile Lillian Ostrowski Lillian as a dental hygenist... Lillian Ostrowski graduated from Loyola University at the top her class in 1980. She is a registered dental hygienist and a member of the American Dental Hygienists Association, the Illinois State Dental Society, and the Chicago Dental Society. In line with her need to stay at the top of her game, Lillian puts in her time at continuing professional education seminars. Lillian outside the office... As devoted as Lillian is to her work at Devon Dental, she also enjoys her life outside the office. If you saw Lillian's garden from a distance, you would immediately know that she is a master gardener. See it up-close and personal - its abundance of oriental and other exotic plants, her Japanese maple - and suddenly the term "master gardener" does not do her justice. Her academic background extends far beyond dental hygiene, as Lillian majored in French literature and graduated from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern in 1994. Lillian Ostrowski R.D.H. will also soon be Lillian Ostrowski C.P.A., as she is a candidate for the exam that is sought by many in today's business world - the C.P.A. exam.
Devon Dental Services General Dentistry General dentistry is something we can never overlook. The best cosmetic dentistry in the world is no good if the teeth it is done on aren't healthy and strong. It would be like building a house on a sandbar. That's why we won't start any cosmetic procedure without a good base on which to build. Prevention & Cleaning We're big believers in Preventive Dentistry. Our goal is to keep your teeth and gums healthy and comfortable throughout your lifetime. We can help you accomplish this by showing you how to prevent tooth and gum disease. If disease has occurred, we will perform the necessary treatment in the most gentle and comfortable way possible. Implants There are two parts to every tooth. The crown and the root. The crown is the visible part and the root is the unseen part which anchors the tooth in your jawbone, providing stable support for your crown. When an entire tooth is lost crown and root - shrinkage of the jawbone may occur making the face look older. Dental implants can stop this process. There are many ways to replace tooth crowns, but only dental implants can replace the entire tooth including both crown and root. Dental implants look, feel and function like your own natural teeth. Dental implants eliminate the pain and discomfort of removable full or partial dentures. Since dentures sit on top of the jawbone and gums, continuous shrinkage of the jaw bone alters the fit of the denture resulting in slipping or rocking of the dentures. Exposed nerves and irritation of the gum tissue may add to the discomfort. Implant supported replacement teeth are like natural teeth because they are anchored securely to your jawbone. Gum irritation and the pain of exposed nerves associated with conventional full or partial dentures are eliminated. Dentures Dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth typically made out of an acrylic resin which may at times incorporate porcelain or metal for additional structural support. There are two main types of dentures - complete and partial. Both Complete dentures and partial dentures are finely crafted and customfitted to the patient. If you properly maintain your dentures they will appear natural and provide a perfect smile. Additionally, dentures help strengthen muscles controlling your expressions that require the support of your teeth, rid you of pronunciation problems caused by missing teeth and aid with chewing. Tooth Colored Filling Composite fillings have been around for quite some time now and have proven to be a perfect replacement for the older amalgam fillings. Not only are they strong and durable, they can also be colored to match your own teeth so no one ever need to know that you have a filling, allowing you to smile with more confidence and a brighter smile.
Periodontal Cleaning & Whitening Devon Dental Services (continued) Periodontal Disease (also known as gum disease or pyorrhea) is an infection of the underlying supporting structures of the teeth. Periodontal disease is quite common. According to the American Dental Association 75% of all adults over age 35 have some form of periodontal disease. One major problem is that periodontal disease is usually painless, with few obvious symptoms in its early stages. If left untreated, periodontal disease can eventually result in tooth loss. In fact, periodontal diseases are now the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. The first line of defense against periodontal disease is actually prevention. This includes a good oral hygiene routine at home. Brushing at least twice a day and cleaning between teeth once a day with floss helps prevent plaque from accumulating. Depending on the severity of the disease, more in-depth oral hygiene instructions may be recommended. Our dental office staff may provide instructions on additional cleaning methods or oral hygiene products to use at home depending on your specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions Do you accept insurance? Your smile and, more importantly, your overall oral health is very important to us and is taken very seriously at Devon Dental. Our belief is that your dental care should be dictated by your needs, not restricted by the rules sanctioned by an insurance company. If your mechanic told you that both your brakes and your steering system had to be replaced but you only had the funds to repair one of them, what would you do? Would you repair one and not the other? Of course not, they're both equally important. Would you repair both, but opt for inferior parts and labor? Obviously, no, because as the old adage says - "you get what you pay for". Why should your oral care be any less important than the vehicle that you drive? At best, your car will give you 10 years of service. Treated properly, your teeth will last a lifetime. Why sacrifice your oral health for the sake of a dollar amount that was arbitrarily allowed to you by your insurance company? Although we would be more than happy to complete any insurance forms on your behalf, our practice does require payment at the time of service. What options do you offer for whitening? Bleaching is a form of cosmetic dentistry where the teeth are whitened through a process of adding a bleaching agent to the surface of the teeth. Within this procedure there are various ways of doing it, each way having advantages and disadvantages. The quickest way is to use a special light to speed the whitening along. The advantage is that the whole procedure can be completed in about 1 hour and you can go home the same day with a bright smile. The disadvantage is that the teeth cannot be later "touched up" from stains received from drinking coffee, smoking, etc. The other procedure we perform in the office is to make a splint (which looks like a sports mouth guard) from an impression taken from your own teeth. The advantage of this is that you can whiten your teeth to the exact shade you wish and can perform your own "touch-ups" any time you wish. The disadvantage of this procedure is that it can take up to a week before you get the results you want and it requires you to wear the splint for a short period of time while the bleaching agent does its thing. What options do you offer for damaged teeth? Bonding - Chipped, cracked discolored or misaligned teeth can be fixed by rebuilding the surface using a plastic or porcelain material. This material is color matched to your own teeth so that no one can tell that any work has been done. Veneers - These are porcelain laminates that are literally glued on to the front of the tooth. The exact size and color are taken and the veneer is made to those specifications. The tooth is then prepared for the veneer which is then glued on. Veneers are good for covering discoloration, damaged or misaligned teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions (continued) What options do you offer for tooth replacement? Implants are one of the best options when it comes to tooth replacement. An implant, as the name suggests, is a process a titanium "post" is surgically placed into your jaw (this is done under anesthetic) to support a crown or even a bridge. New bone is literally grown around the post, this can take 3 to 6 months to complete during which time you where dentures. Once completely healed a crown is placed onto the post giving you your new tooth. The big advantage of Implants are that it is just like having you original tooth back only sometimes even better as we can shape and color the crown to exactly how a perfect tooth would look. Click here for more information. Why does your office not have set hours? Our practice's philosophy is centered around the patient. This fact is the very basis for our policy of hours of operation. We want to focus on the patient at hand - not worry about the next one sitting in the waiting room. The time set aside for your appointment is time devoted solely to you so that we may take care of your personal needs. By scheduling only a set number of appointments each day, this ensures that each patient gets the proper attention.