True Smile Dentistry | Provide the highest quality dental care in the most efficient way possible
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Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

TRUE SMILE

YOUR SMILE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY

Our goal at True Smile is to provide each and every one of our patients with the highest quality dental care in the most efficient way possible. We pride ourselves in utilizing the most modern equipment and methods available in an atmosphere that’s relaxing, comfortable and friendly.

cleaning
General Dentistry

Fillings
Root Canal
Toothaches
Dental Extractions
Dentures

cosmetic
Cosmetic Dentistry

Bonding
Dental Implants
Porcelain Veneers
Teeth Whitening
Crowns and Bridges

restorative
Preventative Dentistry

Dental Examination
Digital X-Rays
Dental Cleanings
Periodontal Disease
Night Guards

MEET DR. HAI TRIEU

As a long time resident of Virginia, Dr. Trieu has always wanted to provide quality care to the people in his local community. He grew up in the area and has 5 siblings, 4 sisters and 1 brother. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from New York University and attended the Advanced General Dentistry certificate from the University of Maryland.

Prior to starting his new practice Dr. Trieu worked as a dental associate where he constantly tries to stay on top of latest advancements in dental care. As there are many and treatment modalities available based on the patient’s remaining teeth, he feels confident in empowering his patients with a sound foundation where they in turn can make an informed decision regarding their dental care and needs.

COMMON DENTAL MYTHS AND QUESTIONS

Tooth pain can always be traced to a tooth.

Description

False. Sometimes a medical condition can result in tooth pain. Referred pain from your muscles can result in referred pain to certain teeth. Neuromuscular issues need to be eliminated as the actual cause prior to considering teeth related diagnosis.

Issue

Patient had herpes simplex virus infection which resided in the nerve ganglia. The issue is that due to stress at work and current temperature change including a dental cleaning patient is having a HSV event. He came with vesicular lesions on his palate and gums. Interesting enough the infection vessicles only showed up on one side of the face, coincides with how nerves are separated in terms of your left and right sides.

Treatment

Patient given acyclovir and felt better the same day.

Filling in the Front tooth is all the patient needs when it chips

Description

Yes and No.
Yes, if the persons bite is balanced and the area affected does not have excess forces.
No, if they have grinding/bruxism issues that resulted in the first place. Fixing with filling only does not take care of the real cause which is the exceptional high forces and irregular bite dynamic that will cause it to fracture again.

Issue

How teeth relate and the unique function of the lower jaw as it is moved by your muscles and joint is not taken into consideration. All bites are unique and again must be assessed by your dental professional.

Treatment

Could be anything from a simple composite filling to veneers, crowns, orthodontic repositioning prior to any dental restoration.

I broke my partial can you just glue it together

Description

Yes but there is no guarantee it will last. Most importantly it is NOT as strong as it was when it is first fabricated.

Issue

Dentures are made by pressure cooking a material to remove porosity thus generating a denture that is homogeneous. When you break a denture, it is only strong as the weakest link, hence the area of fracture as it is NOT homogeneous.

Treatment

Unfortunately a new denture is needed.

You fixed my tooth how is it possible I can have another cavity?

Description

Your filling is bonded to an existing tooth surface. If you did not have a tooth it would have been an implant. Hence, all restoration on existing teeth can still get a cavity because the rest of your tooth as well as bone is still susceptible to bacterial attack.

Issue

All teeth surfaces are susceptible to decay, back teeth in particular as they are the hardest to clean. Having a crown or filling placed makes it easier for bacteria to try to adhere to that surface. Underneath a microscope, you will always see a difference, signified as a ledge between any 2 different surfaces. Bacteria are tiny, less than 10 micros (10 thousands of a millimeter).

Treatment

Oral hygiene at home is critical, prevention through rinses and dental agents, regular dental checkups.

How can I get cavities as I go to dentist every 6 months?

Issue

Home care is the most important but many factors such as nutrition, genetics, and ….
All influence the incidence of caries. Dentist may only see you 1 day out of 180 days (6 months)

My child needs to have all the adult teeth in before we can start Ortho/Braces.

False. Certain conditions warrant early intervention and should be addressed early to prevent and possibly avoid long extensive treatment. Crossbites, excessively worn teeth, parafunctional habits.

Do I really need a crown after root canal therapy.

Mostly True. It depends on the amount of remaining tooth structure, less tooth structure will require full crown coverage. In all cases a buildup or post however is always required prior to placing a crown.

Rebuilding a tooth makes it stronger.

False. Everytime a tooth is prepped or fixed its never as strong as compared to the original tooth. Everything attached to that tooth is now dependent on the bond strength layer between the existing sound tooth and new restoration.

I am getting way too much radiation at the dental office.

False. There have been studies that prove that your dental radiation dosage is equivalent for being alive for about 7 to 8 days. We constantly get background radiation from just being alive, people just don’t know it. You can get more radiation from taking an airplane flight but you do not think twice.

Bleaching always cause sensitivity.

False. Everybody has different thresholds of pain and each person’s specific tooth anatomy dictates the level of response.

My insurance will pay for treatment.

False. This is the most asked question in any office. There are soo many facets to consider and find out whether your insurance will cover any procedure. First and foremost is the TYPE and LEVEL of your coverage, not all insurances are the same, even health plans have bronze, gold, platinum, and even higher levels of coverage. Second, Dental insurances groupings such as preventive, basic, or major treatment determines percentage of coverage. Third, you have a cap of insurance coverage whether it be $1,000 or $10,000. Most plans fall around $1,500 max for the year. Lastly, there are exclusionary clauses such as when and how long you have to wait to qualify for treatment. As an office we do this on your behalf and it is not required. It is solely the responsibility of the patient to followup with your insurance as you own your plan. Approvals may take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks, and once approved you may have months to possibly a year before approval expires. Each individual insurance verification has the possibility to consume over 1 hour for followup. Thus patients need to really take action once they are approved and informed of their treatment needs.

DIGITAL DENTISTRY

In order to provide nothing but the best to our patients, our office uses state-of-the-art technologies in all our procedures. These new technologies allow us to detect dental concerns at early stages, treat your dental issues with precision, and provide stunning and customized restorations.

Our premium dental software system maximizes your time and our office efficiency. When you visit our office you can be confident that you are receiving the finest and most advanced in dental care.

CONTACT US

We would love to hear from you. Feel free to call or email our office with any questions.

If you are a current patient of our office and are experiencing an after-hours dental emergency, you may call our main number,(703) 663-8759.

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