Dr. Jordan Harper was born and raised in Bluewater Bay. At the age of 15, he decided hewanted to be a dentist. He is a graduate of Niceville High School and attended the University ofFlorida where he earned a bachelors degree in Biology. He then attended Nova SoutheasternUniversity's College of Dental Medicine where he earned his Doctorate of Dental Medicine. Heis a member of the American Dental Association, Florida Dental Association and the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Harper is the current Honorary Commander for the 58th Fighter Squadron on Eglin AFB. Heserves as the chairperson of the FDA 's Council on the New Dentist where he serves as a voicefor newly licensed dentists in the state of Florida. He is also the current treasurer of theOkaloosa Walton Dental Society. When he is not in the office, Dr. Harper enjoys spending timewith his wife Cayleigh and their English bulldog 'Nixon' and French bulldog Hamilton. Dr.Harper has a variety of hobbies including traveling, snowboarding, and hiking, but his favoriteactivity is utilizing his private pilots license to fly! He is a passionate aviator and loves the pilotcommunity.
Dr. Ralf Zapata, DDS, is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and theUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He served four years in the US Air Force as a general dentist prior to establishing the private practice of Niceville Family Dental Center in October 1991. Dr. Zapata is a member of theAmerican Dental Association, Florida Dental Association, and the Okaloosa Walton Dental Society. Dr. Zapata is now accepting new patients and looks forward to meeting you and helping to achieve your dental goals!
We accept most traditional insurance plans, contact our office to verify acceptance of your plan.Niceville Family Dentaldoes not participate in Health Management Organizations; however, we will be happy to file your insurance claims for you. We accept checks, cash or credit cards. We also offer a flexible payment plan. Please see our Financial Coordinator for details. We are happy to file insurance for your reimbursement as long as you are free to choose your own dentist.
We accept checks, cash or credit cards. We also offer a flexible payment plan. Please see our Financial Coordinator for details. We are happy to file insurance for your reimbursement as long as you are free to choose your own dentist.
CareCredit is here to help you pay for treatments and procedures your insurance doesnt cover. We offer No Interest* financing or low minimum monthly payment options so you can get what you want, when you want it. You can even use CareCredit for your family and favorite pet.
With three simple steps, including an instant approval process, its easy to apply for CareCredit. After youre approved, youre free to use CareCredit for the services you choose including LASIK, veterinary, dentistry, cosmetic, hearing aids and more.
CareCredit is endorsed by some of the most credible organizations specific to each healthcare profession we support. And CareCredit is a GE Money Company, so you know you can count on us. For over 20 years, weve been helping over five million cardholders get the healthcare treatments they want and need.
What makes a smile beautiful? That's a complex question, but some qualities of a lovely smile are immediately identifiable: good tooth color, shape and alignment are a few of the most important ones. If your teeth could use improvement in any of these categories, porcelain veneers could be just what you're looking for.
You may already know that a veneer is a thin covering over another surface. In dentistry, a veneer is a wafer-thin layer of super-strong porcelain that convincingly substitutes for natural tooth enamel. When bonded to your teeth, veneers can create a natural-looking, beautiful new surface. That's because dental porcelain, like natural tooth enamel, is translucent and tough. But it doesn't stain like tooth enamel does.
Recent years have brought remarkable advances in dental porcelain technology. These days, veneers can be made so thin that they can sometimes be bonded directly onto your existing tooth surface. In other cases, a very thin layer of tooth enamel as thin as the veneer itself needs to be removed to fit the new porcelain surface and make it look as lifelike as possible. Either way, the results are sure to make you smile.
There are some situations in which veneers would be inappropriate. For example, if you have significantly misaligned teeth or a large gap, orthodontics might be a more appropriate solution than veneers. And if you have lost a lot of tooth structure from decay or trauma (or a particularly severe grinding habit), it might be better to restore your teeth with porcelain crowns that cover the entire tooth.
The first step in creating a new smile with porcelain veneers is to communicate exactly what you don't like about your smile as it is now. It's a great idea to bring in pictures of smiles you do like, as a starting point for discussion. It's possible to see how veneers would look on your teeth in one of several ways. A model of your teeth can be created over which wax veneers can be placed; sometimes acrylic (plastic) or tooth-colored filling material can be placed directly onto your teeth to demonstrate the effect veneers would have on them.
Once the plan has been agreed upon, your teeth will be prepared by removing a small amount of enamel, if this step is necessary. Molds of your teeth will be taken and used by a skilled dental laboratory to create your veneers, and you will receive a temporary set of veneers to wear during the few weeks it will take to create your permanent veneers. When the veneers come back from the lab, they will be cemented onto your teeth.
Just like the teeth nature gave you, teeth restored with veneers need gentle brushing and flossing every day. This will remove dental plaque and ensure good gum tissue health around the veneers. Regular checkups at the dental office will remain as important as always to your oral and general health. And keep in mind that as tough as veneers are, they may not be able to withstand forces that come from using your teeth as tools (to open packages, for example) or biting into very hard foods like candy apples which isn't good for your natural teeth, either! And if you grind or clench your teeth at night, you might be advised to get a custom-made nightguard to protect your veneers and your investment.