How Long Does Numbness Last After a Filling?
Restorative Dentistry7 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerFor an upper tooth, usually one to three hours. For a lower back tooth, where the injection blocks the whole nerve rather than just the area around the tooth, three to five hours is normal and it can run longer. Your lip and tongue stay numb well after the tooth itself has woken up....
Best Water Flosser: The One You’ll Actually Use, and How to Pick It
Products & Reviews9 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerThe best water flosser is the one that ends up on your counter instead of in a drawer, which usually means a countertop unit with a reservoir big enough to finish your whole mouth without a refill, an adjustable pressure range, and the right tip for whatever is in your mouth. Water flossers...
Where Your Dental Bill Actually Goes
Costs & Insurance8 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerPeople assume the number on a dental bill is close to what the dentist takes home. It is not. In a typical private practice, most of every dollar collected goes back out the door before anyone gets paid: staff wages, the lab that made your crown, materials, rent, equipment, sterilization, and the discount...
Dentist Near The Colony, TX: What Families Should Actually Compare
Choosing a Dentist6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerThe Colony sits close enough to the FM 423 corridor that most of the town is inside a fifteen minute drive of a Frisco dental office, which means your realistic options are wider than the ones inside city limits. What matters is not which side of the county line the office is on....
DDS, DMD, Specialist, Board Certified: What the Letters Mean
Choosing a Dentist8 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerEight years to become a general dentist: four years of college, four years of dental school. Specialties add two to six more years of accredited residency on top of that. DDS and DMD are the same degree with different letters. Board certification is a separate voluntary process after residency, which is why it...
What Our Patients Say, and How to Read Dental Reviews
Practice News & Community7 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerWe have over 200 five star reviews on Google, and you should read them. You should also know what a review can and cannot tell you. Reviews are an excellent measure of how an office treats people and a poor measure of clinical quality, because nobody can evaluate the margin on their...
Why Is Your Face Swelling Up? A Dentist’s Triage Guide
Emergency Dental Care8 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerFacial swelling from a tooth means an infection has spread out of the tooth and into the surrounding tissue, and it is the one dental symptom that can genuinely turn serious. Go to an emergency room now if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling under your jaw or in the floor of...
Can You Cure Gum Disease Without a Dentist?
Oral Health & Conditions9 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026The short answerPartly, and the honest answer depends entirely on which stage you are at. Gingivitis, the early inflammatory stage, genuinely can be reversed at home with consistent cleaning, and it is one of the few dental problems where that is true. Periodontitis, once the infection has moved below the gum line and started...