Peoria Family Dentistry is a Peoria based family dentist practice that treats patients of all ages. We are committed to delivering the highest quality dental care and do so using advanced dental equipment. We are a cosmetic dentist that offers services like checkups, teeth cleaning, crowns, veneers and more.

Treating patients like family and putting their needs first are top priorities for Dr. Tyler Ehrick. Born in Minnesota, but having lived in the Phoenix area since he was 4 years old, Dr. Ehrick considers himself an Arizona native. He loves working within the community and building relationships with his patients. Dr. Ehrick graduated from Thunderbird High School achieving the prestigious Presidents Scholarship to attend Arizona State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education with Emphasis in Chemistry graduating Summa Cum Laude. Dr. Ehrick started his career teaching high school chemistry at Westwood High School in Mesa, AZ and Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, AZ before pursuing his true calling in dentistry by earning his Doctorate of Dental Medicine from Midwestern University.

Dr. Ehrick holds memberships through the American Dental Association, American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry and the Arizona Dental Association. Each year, Dr. Ehrick spends a considerable amount of time learning new techniques and procedures in order to provide the very best, up-to-date care. Dr. Ehrick and his team focus on oral disease prevention and conservative patient-centered care.

Outside of the office, Dr. Ehrick enjoys spending time with his wonderful wife Stephanie and 2 adorable children, Sophia and Andrew. Despite the woes of being an Arizona sports fan, Dr. Ehrick still supports his alma mater ASU Sun Devils and local professional sports teams. With parents from Wisconsin, Dr. Ehrick also grew up an avid Green Bay Packers fan and continues to support them along with the University of Wisconsin Badgers. Dr. Ehrick is committed to providing the highest quality care to each of his patients and hopes to meet you soon!

Tracy has been practicing dental hygiene in our office for 13 years. Tracy and her daughter were the first mother daughter graduate team in both Dental Assisting and dental hygiene at Phoenix College. she received her AAS degree with highest distinction in Dental Assisting as well as an AAS degree with honors in dental hygiene. She is an Arizona native and has been married for 41 years. Tracy enjoys being with her family and dogs as well as traveling and off roading.

Taylor graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She is originally from Logan, Utah. She prides herself in being gentle, yet thorough. Outside of the office Taylor enjoys spending time with family and traveling.

Laramie has worked in our office as a dental hygienist since 2007. She graduated with her AAS degree from Phoenix College in 2005 with her mom, Tracy. She has worked part time in our office for 11 years. Laramie enjoys being the only girl in her house filled with three wild and crazy boys, best friend/hubby and two French bulldogs! She loves hiking, coffee, and Arizona.

She married to her high school sweetheart 20+ years ago. She is a mother of two children and a momma of a 1-year old furry child named Migo. In her spare time, she enjoys watching football, hiking with friends, playing fetch with Migo, volunteering at Cehs and traveling.

Greetings from Moneta (MOE). I am a part of the front office team that keeps Dr. Ehrick busy. I have been a part of this dental family since February 2018. I moved to Arizona from Michigan 2.5 years ago. I have now experienced what y'all call a dry heat. I could not have landed at any better office. We have joy and laughter.

Monica has been a dental assistant for 29 years, 6 of those in our office. She loves helping our patients achieve a healthy smile. She's been married to her high school sweetheart, Clint, for 27 years. They have 3 married children, one grandson, and another on the way. She enjoys watching sports, reading, and crafting.

Leticia (Lety) has been in the office for 7 years now. She does both chair side assisting and some front office work. Leticia is married and has two beautiful little girls. She loves to spend time with family and playing in the water.

Missing teeth can be embarrassing, causing people to hide their smile and lose their self-esteem. The space that missing teeth create can easily become infected with bacteria, causing other teeth to shift out of place, and making it difficult for people to speak or eat correctly. The team at Peoria Family Dentistry are sensitive to the hardship a missing tooth can create. We provide dental implants so that our patients can regain their self-confidence, improve their health, and approach life boldly.

Installing implants is a complex procedure that requires us to replace their missing teeth in a safe and natural way. We know that there are multiple dental providers to choose from, so the team at Peoria Family Dentistry are constantly looking for ways to improve the overall experience of our patients. Our office is located in Peoria and we offer patients the opportunity to restore missing teeth in a way that looks natural and beautiful.

Once you are cleared for the procedure, the staff at Peoria Family Dentistry will take an impression of your mouth to create a new tooth in a dental lab. Each synthetic tooth will match the size and shape of the surrounding teeth, along with having a perfect color match. This way your smile will appear completely natural once we complete the procedure. Many patients are satisfied with the results since no one can tell the difference between which teeth are real and which ones are synthetic.

Teeth restored with implants will not get cavities. A replacement tooth, or crown, does not decay like a natural tooth. However, you still need to brush, floss and care for it and your surrounding natural teeth in the same manner as natural teeth. Regular professional cleanings and dental checkups are also essential.

The next step in the procedure is to implant a metal post under the gum line. This aspect of the procedure is what sets an implant apart from other forms of cosmetic dentistry. The metal post is secured to the jawbone in order to create a durable, synthetic root system that rivals the strength of natural roots; with one exception that the metal cannot face infection. Over the course of a couple of months, the metal post and jawbone will fuse together. This creates a level of durability that cannot be replicated in other types of procedures.

Afterward, we will secure the new synthetic tooth to the metal post at the surface of the gums. The new tooth is attached so securely, that patients can eat their favorite foods, maintain an active lifestyle, play sports, and more, without fear of their tooth becoming loose or falling out. Patients can enjoy the benefits that come from never having to worry about their tooth again.

The team at Peoria Family Dentistry provide dental implants in a way that is comfortable and functional. We take the time to make sure that every aspect of the procedure is completed correctly the first time.

Once implants have been installed, they are extremely easy to care for. We hear patients throughout Peoria ask questions that range from 'Do implants come out' to 'How do I brush my teeth'. Fortunately, the answers are not as complex as some people might believe. Since we install dental implants by creating a synthetic root system, they are durable and secure. The dental implants will not fall out or become loose. This means you can go play basketball, run in a 10k marathon, and wrestle with your kids without worrying about your tooth coming out.

In order to care for your implants, we advise patients to brush and floss their teeth throughout the day like normal. Additionally, it is important to schedule dental exams and cleanings with Dr. Ehrick at least twice a year. The staff at Peoria Family Dentistry will help to clean your teeth and ensure that they stay healthy. While dental implants cannot become infected themselves, the teeth around them can. If, in the future, you suffer from a severe case of gum disease or a dental abscess, the infection can spread into your jawbone. This puts your implants in jeopardy because in order to stay secure, the jawbone must be in good health. If it becomes infected, your dental implants and all of your teeth will be in jeopardy.

A. Generally, this is not a good idea. We find that it is generally much better not to attach implants to teeth. We frequently attach implants to each other, which can improve strength and works well. So in a case like this, although it may be more expensive in the short term to place two implants instead of one, the long-term success is likely to be much better with the two implants.

Q. I lost my upper back teeth on one side and have gone for years without doing anything about it. My sinuses always seem to bother me more on that side than on the side that I have back teeth. Could these problems be related to one another?

A. In a large majority of people who are missing their upper back teeth for a long period of time, is the increasing downward growth of the maxillary sinus. At birth, it is the size of a pea and progressively grows as the skull matures. This growth is at the expense of the surrounding bone. If you are considering replacing those upper back teeth with fixed teeth that stay in all the time, it may be necessary to perform a sinus elevation procedure to allow room for placement of dental implants into this area to support those teeth. This involves placement of bone and/or bone substitutes into an area which was previously occupied by the lower part of the maxillary sinus. Most importantly, this procedure increases the available bone use to place implants and restore the missing back teeth.

A. In most cases, with the new options available today in the field of dental implants, some form of treatment is possible. We encourage people to get help as soon as possible if they are already having some problems with their current situation. These problems include excessive use of denture adhesives, chewing only soft food, unable to taste some foods, constant mouth sores, unhappy with the appearance of one's teeth and bite position (in some cases the nose and chin getting closer together). The sooner we correct the problems with dental implants, the more choices one has available for treatment. If you have any or all of the above symptoms, implants can very well be the answer for you.

A. It is not necessary to have an implant for every tooth that is being replaced. The number of implants necessary to provide support depends on the type of implants used and the type of teeth (removable vs. non- removable) that will be attached to the implants. A thorough oral exam and panoramic x-ray is all that is necessary in most cases, to determine which implant can be used and how many must be used. Sometimes additional X-rays or CT scans are used in more complicated cases.

Q. I consulted a dentist several years ago about using implants to replace my lower denture and he told me that I did not have adequate bone available to place enough in-the-bone implants without danger of fracturing my now fragile jawbone. Are there any alternatives?

A. Because of the advances in the field of implantology, there are now more choices and techniques. It is rare for a person to not be able to receive an implant or a combination of implants. Today we have available many types of implants designed to accommodate multiple problems.

A. Teeth that have root canals can fracture more easily than other teeth because they are weaker and somewhat dehydrated. They can sometimes be as brittle as glass. In the past, the best available treatment was to remove the tooth and file down the adjacent teeth to make a bridge - caps on the adjacent teeth with an attached 'dummy' tooth between. Sometimes this still is the only way. However, in many cases an implant can replace the fractured tooth and we will not need to grind down a tooth to at all.

If you are thinking about getting dental implants, you should first understand the benefits and challenges of this procedure. It is also good to recognize that the process is lengthy and invasive. However, the results of getting an implant to replace a missing tooth can transform your smile. You can also once again enjoy the

Gum disease, if left untreated, often results in tooth loss, leaving many patients to wonder if they can get dental implants. Even gum disease patients who do not develop the advanced form of the disease, known as periodontitis, may want to replace missing or decayed teeth with implants. Is this possible, or will unhealthy gums