Dr. Kelly OHara is a compassionate, Lincoln family dentist that takes excellent care of every patient. Although Dr. OHaras skills are sure to impress, some may find it hard to believe that she hasnt always been a dentist. As a matter of fact, having received both a bachelors and a masters degree in English, Dr. OHara taught English at Northstar High School before becoming a Lincoln family dentist.
Dr. OHara is extremely passionate about helping people of all ages and always strives to impact their lives for the better. Dr. Travis Antholz (former Nebraska football player), who is also Dr. OHaras brother, told her that she should consider becoming a Lincoln family dentist. Chiefly, he suggested that because there were so many people that avoided getting dental treatment for various reasons, he felt Dr. OHara would be the perfect fit.
Surely, he knew she would excel academically, but most importantly, she is exceptionally kind with a nurturing personality. For this reason, Dr. OHara gave it some thought and decided to follow her brothers advice. All things considered, she found dentistry to be everything she hoped: full of many opportunities to make patients feel comfortable while providing gentle dental care and improving their overall health by providing the proper education. For this reason, Dr. OHara is now a general dental practitioner and Lincoln family dentist that enjoys doing all dental procedures and loves teaching children about dental health and taking care of them.
Dr. Kelly OHara performs gentle dentistry for the entire family and focuses on childrens dentistry, extreme smile makeovers, cosmetic dentistry and placing mercury-free dental fillings. Moreover, this gentle Lincoln family dentist also provides a better quality of life to patients who have lost their teeth by making implant retained dentures. Furthermore, Dr. OHara has many goals, but one that is very important to many of us: to keep dentistry affordable by taking all of the primary dental plans and by also offering dental payment plans to patients that seek them. In short, Dr. OHara is fully committed to making sure all patients feel comfortable while in her care.
My proudest accomplishment was something that I shared with my husband. That accomplishment was graduating dental school and starting my second career, becoming a Lincoln family dentist, all while raising four children.
We have a very busy family with four young children. My husband, a lover of technology, is a computer programmer. Together, we enjoy visiting the park, the library, hanging out in our backyard, or taking family bike rides.
I treat every patient as I would want myself or my family treated. It might mean just a little more time explaining things, referring out for a higher level of care, a nice warm blanket, or even a follow-up phone call. As your Lincoln family dentist, I can provide all of those things, and more!
Dental anxiety or dental phobia affects nearly one in five adults. I have family members who have dental anxiety, and I see it every day in our dental practice. If theres one thing I want to tell all anxious patients, it is that you are not alone. Please do not feel embarrassed with us. Like myself, dentists at our practice are compassionate, empathetic and committed to taking care of anxious patients.
Patients with dental anxiety are often so fearful that they delay dental treatment for years. Their oral hygiene suffers as a result, leading to gum disease, tooth infection, and abscesses, or cavities. Through research, we now know that untreated inflammation in the mouth spreads throughout the body. Inflammation leaves patients more susceptible to several health issues. These include heart disease, uncontrolled diabetes, kidney disease, and low birth-weight babies in pregnant patients, among other things. It is important to address your oral and overall health byseeing a dentist regularly.
Sometimes anxious patients are embarrassed by their anxiety or have been told things in the past like dont worry, stay calm, or you will be just fine. This causes patients to feel even more embarrassed about their condition. Instead, seek out a dentist who listens to your concerns and offers a variety of options to help you manage your concerns.
Negative past experiences with dental offices often trigger anxiety in patients. Triggers can be simple, like the sounds and smell inside a dental office, or from other things like getting numb, having a strong gag reflex, fearing instruments in the mouth, or fearing a general lack of control. Some patients arent sure what causes their anxiety. Others have a combination of things that trigger their fears. Below are some of the things that Lincoln Family Dentistry offers to help manage your worries.
If you fear having dental instruments placed in your mouth, sometimes your gag reflex will react. Sometimes this can make it difficult to breathe. At our office, we use a device called an Isolite that protects your tongue to prevent and control your gag reflex.
If you have past experiences with unsympathetic dentists, you may fear they will ignore your concerns. I am a mother of 4, and I was a high school teacher before becoming a dentist. Ive carried my passion for teaching into dentistry. I will explain everything we do beforehand in an approachable way. I find that many patients understand visuals well, so I prefer to use an iPad with pictures to explain treatments. Like students, patients with concerns often need a non-traditional approach or extra time to complete treatment. Find a dentist who hears to your concerns and who helps you manage them, and you can overcome your anxiety.
Many anxious patients worry about getting numb for a procedure. I use a topical anesthetic to comfort the area first, before administering anesthesia slowly and comfortably. We also have excellent distraction techniques, like massaging another area of your mouth while we administer anesthesia to minimize the pressure.
Many patients say that being in a comfortable atmosphere surrounded by the caring people in our office makes them more at ease than they have felt with prior dental treatment. We offer a blanket and pillow, headphones and television. We also offer several breaks to help you feel comfortable. Ultimately, we want you to be in control of your dental treatment. We want to ensure your comfort while you are in our office. From the moment you walk into our office and meet our friendly front desk team to the moment you leave with a care package and post-care instructions, well take good care of you. Your comfort is our number one priority.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our passion for treating anxious patients. Again, please do not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable discussing your dental anxiety with us. We value having the discussion and finding ways to help you work through your concerns. After all, its most satisfying to see a patient gradually overcome their anxiety, only to soon become empowered and confident with a healthy mouth!
OurLincoln family dentists have designed all of our dental offices with your comfort and convenience in mind. We want you to feel calm and relaxed in our care, so we offer amenities to make your visit to the dentist more pleasurable.
We also know that your time is valuable and you need a dental practice that will work with your schedule, so we offer online scheduling options that work with even our busiest patients schedules. Our friendly team strives to make each visit as comfortable as possible.
We strive to provide exceptional customer service to you! We have trained our teams to provide great customer service during every interaction with you. We take patient feedback very seriously and are constantly improving to become the most outstanding team we can be. Check out our reviews to find out why we are Lincolns top rated dentist!
The mouth has a lot of bacteria that can accumulate along the gum-line over time. This bacteria hardens onto the tooths surface and is not removable by brushing and flossing. Professional dental cleanings are recommended at least twice a year for the majority of people in order to remove this bacteria and help control the spread of harmful bacteria that can lead togum disease if left in place.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that six months after a childs first tooth erupts, or approximately 12 months of age as an excellent time for a child to see a Lincoln family dentist for an evaluation.