Dr. Sarah Brent DDS and the team at KC Family Dental are pleased to provide professional and caring dental services to their patients from Fairway KS, Kansas City, Roeland Park, Prairie Village, Mission, The Plaza, Mission Hills, Shawnee and the surrounding communities. Our dental services include: adult, children's, cosmetic, family, general, implant, laser, orthodontic, preventive, restorative and sedation dentistry.
‘Smile Makeovers’ in as Little as Two Visits!
When teeth are infected or extensively damaged, extraction is the necessary solution. We are able to perform most extractions in our office, so you won’t be inconvenienced by referral to another office. We can even offer bone grafting at the time of extraction to help preserve vital underlying bone. Dr. Brent’s years of experience allow her to perform this procedure with a gentle approach and minimal discomfort.
Dr. Brent uses a dental laser to cosmetically treat uneven gummy smile lines, perform gingivectomies (treating deep pockets in the gums), and lengthen crowns so you show more teeth, less gum. These small adjustments can have amazing results with your smile, and healing after laser treatment is typically quick and comfortable.
Do you have a sweet tooth, but cringe in pain every time you enjoy a sweet treat? If you have teeth sensitive to sugar, you may wonder if there’s any way to get relief. This likely means that the enamel of your teeth is damaged, and is making your teeth sensitive to sweets and other foods. Fortunately, for those whose teeth are sensitive to sugar, there are solutions to help you enjoy your favorite foods and avoid discomfort. 
Wisdom teeth grow in at the back of the mouth, behind your molars. There is a set on the bottom as well as the top. Wisdom teeth often grow in crooked, sideways, or otherwise misaligned. As they grow in, they can push on other teeth, causing problems of overcrowding and misalignment for them as well.
Dr. Brent will evaluate your gum health and help choose the right treatment for you. Mild gum disease, known as gingivitis, can be treated and even reversed with regular routine cleanings. The longer you may have gone without addressing the condition, the harder we may have to work to treat it, but we have the techniques and expertise to do so and get you healthy again. More advanced periodontal disease may call for scaling and root planing with more regular maintenance visits. In some cases, a laser may be used or an antibiotic therapy called ARESTIN™, which eradicates the bacteria that cause gum disease. And it works painlessly!
Are you wondering why your teeth hurt? If you have aching teeth, it may be due to a dental problem such as cavities, gum disease, bruxism, TMJ or a non-dental problem, such as a sinus infection or even stress.
You want to make the most informed decisions possible in order to improve your dental health. Dr. Brent is making this easier with the intra-oral camera. This high-tech device is a small-scale video camera that presents a close-up picture of the interior of your mouth. You can now see for yourself what work needs to be accomplished and which teeth are in great shape. You’ll love how this works to make you an active participant in every dental decision.
Quick Fixes for Imperfect Smiles
A lot of us recall the embarrassment and challenge of wearing braces as a child. There are times when braces are necessary in order to correct serious malocclusion (bite disorder). However, for many patients, early treatment by a qualified and knowledgeable dentist can diminish the level of orthodontics required or very possibly remove the need altogether! 
Do you recognize that dental occlusion (i.e. your bite) is sometimes the reason behind frequent headaches, aching or popping jaws, or shoulder and neck pain? If your teeth have been worn down over the years or are missing due to accident or dental disease, your jaw is not capable of returning to its intended relaxed position. This creates tension in the muscles of your jaw and can cause a variety of pain that you may have already grown accustomed to enduring. By reestablishing your dental occlusion, your jaw can be returned to the comfortable position that nature intended. Relieving TMJ-related pain can sometimes be as simple as creating a removable night guard to be worn while you sleep. Depending on the cause of symptoms, some may need a full mouth rehabilitation to reestablish natural alignment.
Biofilm: The Culprit to Keep at Bay
Over a decade of research has proven bleaching and other whitening methods to be both safe and effective. Several products in the market today have shown no adverse effects on teeth or gums in substantial clinical and laboratory testing. Be sure to look for clinically proven products, follow directions and consult with your dental professional.
If you find yourself waking up with sore jaw muscles or a headache, you may be suffering from bruxism - the grinding and clenching of teeth. Bruxism can cause teeth to become painful or loose, and sometimes parts of the teeth are literally ground away. Eventually, bruxism can destroy the surrounding bone and gum tissue. It can also lead to problems involving the jaw joint, such as temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).
The appropriate treatment for you will depend on what is causing the problem. By asking careful questions and thoroughly examining your teeth, your dentist can help you determine the potential source of your bruxism. Based on the amount of tooth damage and its likely cause, your dentist may suggest:
A crown will not only save but will even enhance the strength of your damaged tooth. Sometimes when a tooth has been broken or worn-down, a simple filling will not restore it to full functionality. It’s then that a crown may become necessary. At KC Family Dental, we use the most innovative materials to make our crowns look and feel natural.
When you hear the word "X-ray," there's a tendency to envision a youngster sitting around an ER waiting to see if he or she has a broken bone incurred playing sports or just horsing around. But X-rays are just as important to dentists' offices as they are to those of orthopedists. A teeth X-ray is invaluable to any dentist in the maintenance of good oral health when treating a patient. Here's exactly what they are and how dentists incorporate them into their practices.