Lakewood Dental of Colorado - Lakewood
Dr. Tariq Sawaqed is a graduate of the University of Colorado, School of Dental Medicine, where he received training in all aspects of general dentistry. Through a combination of state of the art technology, sensible treatment plans and genuine devotion to the unique needs of each patient, Dr. Sawaqed preserves healthy teeth and gums, alleviates oral discomfort and improves the appearance of smiles on a daily basis.
He is innovative and inquisitive, yet very conservative when it comes to treating patients. His goal is to provide the most appropriate care with evidence-based dentistry. He is always available to follow up with the dental care he provides so that no patient will be left alone after receiving treatments. Dr. Sawaqed is dedicated to lifelong learning through continuing education courses.
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Business Operation Hours
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Monday
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9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
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Tuesday
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8:00 AM to
6:00 PM
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Wednesday
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8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
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Thursday
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8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
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Friday
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8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
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Saturday
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Closed
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Sunday
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Closed
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Additional Information
The intra-oral camera is a valuable tool dental professionals can use to help you understand your examination, diagnosis and treatment. This small, handheld video camera is about the same size as a dental mirror (or an oversized pen) and comes with a disposable plastic sheath for contamination prevention.
It is used to take actual pictures of your teeth with up to 25 times magnification and project them onto a screen for your review. It can also be used to give you a video tour of your entire mouth so that you can see things such as plaque deposits, decay, worn teeth, and broken or missing fillings. Lastly, pertinent images can be printed for your patient file for future reference — or even for you to take home.
Your anesthesia will be delivered through a syringe-free wand or pen-like device that is connected to a computer. Before the tiny needle attached to the wand is inserted, the computer delivers a small amount of anesthetic so that the insertion site starts going numb before the needle enters the skin.
Once the needle is in place, the computer delivers an accurate, consistent amount of anesthesia so that you remain comfortable — typically below the threshold of pain. The computer's microprocessor automatically adjusts the injection pressure for different tissue densities, maintaining a constant, comfortable flow of anesthesia. This is important because the culprit with most injection anxiety is discomfort from anesthetic being injected too quickly, not from the needle entering the skin.
Product and Services
It's almost impossible to imagine the practice of dentistry without x-ray technology. Radiographs (x-ray pictures) allow dentists to diagnose and treat problems not yet visible to the naked eye, including early tooth decay, gum disease, abscesses and abnormal growths. There is no question that since x-rays first became available a century ago, this diagnostic tool has prevented untold suffering and saved countless teeth. Now, state-of-the-art digital x-rays have made the technology even safer and more beneficial.
Digital x-ray technology uses a small electronic sensor placed in the mouth to capture an image, which can be called up instantly on a computer screen. When digital x-rays first became available about 20 years ago, they immediately offered a host of advantages over traditional x-ray films, which require chemical processing. Most importantly, they cut the amount of radiation exposure to the dental patient by as much as 90%. While faster x-ray films have been developed over the years that require less exposure, making that difference less dramatic, a digital x-ray still offers the lowest radiation dose possible.
While digital technology has minimized the health risks of x-rays, it has not entirely eliminated it. X-rays are a type of radiation used to penetrate the tissues of the body to create an image. In doing so, there is always a slight possibility of causing changes at the cellular level that might lead to future disease. Of course, there are sources of radiation present in the daily environment — the sun, for example — that can also cause disease.
It's important to note that the chance of this happening is thought to be cumulative and not based on a single exposure. Still, x-rays are not considered risk-free regardless of how technology reduces your exposure. That's why dentists will only use them when the benefit of obtaining better diagnostic information outweighs the procedure's small risk.
This is particularly true of computed tomography or CT scans, which can raise the level of exposure, yet yield a tremendous amount of information per scan. No matter which technology is being used, each case is considered individually, and your safety is always paramount. If you have questions about why an x-ray is being recommended for you, please feel free to ask.
Languages Spoken
English
Payment Options
Visa,Master Card,Cash,American Express,Check
