Dr. James earned her DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) degree from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, in 2001. She enjoyed several years of private practice as a general dentist in St. Paul, Minnesota, before commencing advanced training at the University of Iowa. Dr. James spent three years of extensive study in oral rehabilitation and rejuvenation, and earned her advanced degree in prosthodontics the specialty of esthetically restoring or replacing teeth in 2006.

After completing her residency in prosthodontics, Dr. James was recruited by the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry to teach in her area of specialty. She joined the prosthodontic faculty at the University of Minnesota in 2006, where she taught clinical and preclinical prosthodontics as a Clinical Associate Professor. As an instructor, Dr. James strove to make learning enjoyable while also demanding a high level of clinical skill in each individual student. Dr. Jamess students recognized her own skill and dedication by voting her Instructor of the Year after her first year of teaching. During her six year tenure at the School of Dentistry, Dr. James also maintained a successful dental practice within the University.

In 2012, Dr. James transferred her 11 years of combined academic and dental practice into her own specialty practice, dedicated to implant, fixed and removable Prosthodontics. She continues to teach at the University of Minnesota, and is a frequent continuing education speaker at the School of Dentistry and for area study clubs. Dr. James also lectures nationally on subjects including esthetic dentistry, complex dental treatment planning and implant dentistry.

Dr. James is known not only for her expertise and her personable manner, but also for her artistic eye. As an accomplished artist, Dr. James believes that artistic harmony takes restorative dentistry to the next level. Whether you desire minimal esthetic improvements or need extensive rehabilitative work, you can be assured that in Dr, Jamess hands, your results will not only enhance the comfort and functionality of your bite, but will also harmonize beautifully with your facial bone structure and skin tone.

A crown is a tooth-shaped restoration that fits over and completely encircles your natural tooth. Our goal is to create a crown that is completely undetectable and feels so natural in your mouth that you forget you have it. Your crown can also fix functional chewing problems, relive pain due to hairline cracks in teeth, perfect your bite and support your adjacent teeth.

Fitting you for one or more crowns typically requires two visits: in the first visit, Dr. James takes impressions, gently removes any decay or old restorations and shapes the tooth. You will be fitted with a natural looking temporary crown at that time. Once your new, customized and perfectly shaded tooth is ready, you will return to our office to have it fitted and cemented into place. You will leave our office with a beautiful, natural looking new tooth.

A bridge is a dental restoration designed to fill a space in your mouth by permanently fixing prosthetic teeth to healthy adjacent teeth. Each of your teeth plays an important role in your mouth. Missing teeth can lead to improper stresses on adjacent teeth, increased incidents of periodontal problems, and changes toyour appearance. In addition to filling gaps in your smile, bridges protect your gums, protect alignment and function of your teeth and support your lips and cheeks to prevent a sunken or sagging appearance. Bridges may also improve clarity of speech, which can suffer due to missing teeth.

Fixed bridges may be applied by placing crowns on the adjacent teeth, and permanently fixing the artificial tooth to the crowns. In some cases, the artificial tooth may also be fixed directly to the natural adjacent teeth.

Dental implants are restorations that are placed upon a titanium post or anchor embedded within your existing bone. Over time, the bone of the jaw integrates with the implant and fully secures the implant in your mouth. Dental implants can support crowns, bridges or dentures.

The job of your prosthodontist is to make sure that everything place upon the dental implant the portion that you see when it is placed in your mouth is beautiful and functional. Dr. James will therefore carefully study your bite and your existing teeth to insure that your final implant is so perfectly shaded and shaped that it is undetectable among your natural teeth and any existing dentistry, and so comfortable that you forget you have it.

A beautiful smile projects happiness and self-esteem. If you, like many people, are hiding your smile due to embarrassment over the appearance of your teeth, a prosthodontist can rejuvenate your smile to help you regain and project self-confidence. Prosthodontists are experts in restoring broken, discolored or misshapen teeth. Excessively worn or broken teeth may be covered by esthetic crowns. Your prosthodontist may place custom-shaded veneers over teeth to conceal wear or defects, and/or bond your teeth to close gaps and smooth or fill out misshapen teeth. Professional whitening or bleaching of discolored teeth can remove years of stains and brighten your smile.

If you are dissatisfied with the look of your teeth, please contact us. Dr. James will take the time to listen to your concerns, evaluate your bite and determine how to best improve the esthetics of your smile.

A denture is an appliance/prosthesis that is inserted into the mouth and replaces natural teeth while also supporting the lips and cheeks. Dentures may be made after the teeth have been extracted and the gum tissue has healed, or immediately after the teeth are extracted, in which case the tissues are allowed to heal beneath the denture. Both types of dentures may be fitted over treated natural teeth, or anchored to dental implants. Denture teeth are seated in tissue-colored acrylic, resulting in a beautiful, natural-looking smile.

If you need to replace a full arch of missing teeth (all of your upper teeth or all of your lower teeth), an anchored implant restoration may be an excellent treatment option for you. This system provides you with a beautiful, natural looking and permanent arch of teeth that are immediately functional. An anchored implant restorationoften eliminates the need for bone grafts in patients with low bone volume, and is therefore a great choice for patients who do not have enough bone to support other prostheses, or who for medical reasons or reasons of inconvenience, do not wish to undergo bone grating. Because an anchored implant restoration is permanently placed, patients do not experience the hassles that may be associated with removable devices. There are no forbidden foods, and daily oral hygiene care is easy.

Your new arch of teeth will be supported by four dental implants. These differ from traditional implants, in that the rear implants are placed at an angle to maximize anchoring within your existing bone structure, even if you have lost some bone volume. The new teeth are carefully affixed to the implants, leaving you with a full arch of functional, natural-looking teeth.

At your first visit, Dr. James will conduct a thorough examination to determine whether an anchored implant restoration is right for you. Impressions will be taken in order to study your bite, to insure a perfectly functional, comfortable fit between the newarch and your existing teeth, or between two opposing implantarches. Dr. James will also carefully match the shape and shade of your new arch of teeth to your opposing teeth. Our goal is to create an arch that is so comfortable that you forget you have it, and so perfectly matched to your existing teeth and/or skin tone that no one else knows it is there. When people see our patients, they dont see dentistry. They simply see a natural and remarkably beautiful smile.