I am a Washington native and grew up in the small town of Steilacoom, WA. I attended the University of Washington where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. I then went on to receive my Doctorate of Dental Surgery from New York University. Following graduation, I completed a hospital-based General Practice Residency program at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, where I was able to further my training in dental implants, oral surgery, root canal therapy, pediatric dentistry, and sedation dentistry. For the past nine years, I have been honing my skills as a family and cosmetic dentist in private practices in downtown Manhattan, NY, and more recently in downtown Seattle, WA.
As a natural-born perfectionist, I am committed to delivering exceptional results and ensuring the longevity of my patients oral health. My highest priority is making sure that the needs and comfort of my patients are always met, and my philosophy is to always treat my patients with the same care and compassion as I would for my own family members. I take pride in my ability to properly treat patients with dental phobia and anxiety by exhibiting a calm demeanor and gentle touch. I am a certified Invisalign provider and routinely take Continuing Education courses in esthetic and reconstructive dentistry. I am also a member of the American Dental Association, Washington State Dental Association, Seattle-King County Dental Society, and Academy of General Dentistry.
I was born and raised in Thornhill, ON, Canada, which is just outside of Toronto. I attended Queens University, where I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Life Sciences. I then earned my Doctorate of Dental Surgery from New York University, where I was ranked #1 in my class of over 350 students. Upon graduation, I was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society, and received the William S. Kramer Award of Excellence for demonstrating the most scholarship, character, and potential promise to the field of dentistry.
I knew early on (from the time I was a brace-faced teenager) that I wanted to become an orthodontist. The transformation from never wanting to smile to always wanting to smile was a life-changing experience that I wished to share with as many people as possible. After dental school, I was accepted into Columbia University, where I completed a three-year residency program in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. I served as Chief Resident of my program and received a Master of Science degree for my research on the cellular mechanisms that occur during orthodontic tooth movement and fixed retention. For the last five years, I have been practicing in downtown Seattle and Bellevue, WA, and have made it my mission to help patients of all ages achieve beautiful, healthy smiles that they can take pride in for the rest of their lives. I am an Invisalign Preferred Provider and also specialize in braces, accelerated orthodontics, temporary anchorage devices (TADs), early childhood treatment, restorative planning, and treatment in conjunction with orthognathic jaw surgery. I am a member of the American Association of Orthodontics, Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists, Washington State Society of Orthodontists, American Dental Association, Washington State Dental Association, and Seattle-King County Dental Society.
One of my main passions outside of orthodontics is music. I enjoy playing the piano and used to perform in musical theater productions and at events, but now I mainly sing in the shower and in my car. Here I am channeling my inner Beyonc and Alicia Keys at the NYU Talent Shows!
Drs. Daniel and Christina Lee met at New York University where they both attended dental school. Dr. Daniel went on to complete a hospital-based General Practice Residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and then worked at private practices in Manhattan honing his skills as a general and cosmetic dentist. Dr. Christina attended Columbia University where she completed a three-year residency program specializing in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. She served as Chief Resident of her program and received a Master of Science in Orthodontics. The two got married during this time and once Dr. Christina finished her residency, they decided to embark on a new journey and move to Seattle, which is Dr. Daniels hometown.
After working together at a private practice in downtown Seattle for a few years, they realized how great it was to combine their areas of expertise and treat patients together. Cosmetic and implant cases benefitted greatly from having orthodontic treatment prior to having restorations placed, and patients in braces or Invisalign were able to have their dental needs assessed and taken care of all throughout their treatment. The amazing results and feedback they were getting inspired them to pursue their own dream practice - a hybrid dental and orthodontic office where patients can have all of their needs met under one roof.
Of course they wanted to do this all in style too, so they designed a beautiful space that mimics the warm and comfortable feeling you get when you walk into a nice hotel or spa. The Smile Space is the first of its kind in Seattle and the Drs. Lee are thrilled to be able to establish their new office in the heart of the city. They are located in Belltown at 2nd Ave and Broad St, just a few blocks away from the Space Needle and Olympic Sculpture Park. If youre looking for a new dentist or orthodontist and want an elevated dental experience, The Smile Space is the place to be.
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Keeping your mouth in tip-top shape requires regular cleanings and exams. During these visits, you can expect to have your teeth cleaned of any tartar or plaque buildup, as well as a check-up for any signs of disease or decay. Whatever we come across, there will always be a heartful discussion to figure out the best possible game plan for treatment.
The first step to maintaining a healthy mouth is to simply begin with the exam and cleaning. The initial exam will involve us taking diagnostic records, which are used to identify any areas that may require special attention. Safe digital x-rays and intraoral images aid us in providing a comprehensive evaluation. An oral cancer screening will also be conducted at every visit. If there are any issues that need to be addressed, together we will formulate a customized treatment plan that is tailored to your specific needs. As always, we will provide any tips or insight on how to keep your oral health in great condition.
For regular dental exams and teeth cleanings, we recommend scheduling biannual visits, or once every six months. Regular dental visits will allow you to maintain a healthy mouth and ensure that you dont have any major dental issues that may go unnoticed, such as cavities, misaligned teeth, tooth wear from grinding, infections and more. For patients who require deep cleanings and more extensive care, we recommend visits every three to four months to prevent tartar and plaque from building up underneath the gums.
To put it simply, establishing routine dental care will often spare you from major oral health problems in the long run. A common misconception is that you only need to see the dentist when theres a problem. There may be several issues in the early stages that you may be completely unaware of, including tooth decay, gingivitis, bone loss, teeth grinding, and TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder). If left untreated, these conditions may continue to worsen over time, leading to more extensive treatment and requiring oral surgery at times. Diagnosing these problems early on will allow us to treat them in the most conservative manner.
Your initial visit will take about an hour and a half. This time is needed to capture safe digital x-rays and intraoral images along with a comprehensive clinical examination to carefully identify any areas that require special attention. A gentle and thorough cleaning will have you leaving with a fresh new mouth! If you plan on visiting with a family member, please let us know and we will gladly accommodate a time for all of you to be seen in the most efficient manner.
The Smile Space offers a full range of emergency dental services in downtown Seattle. Some common dental emergencies include a broken tooth, a missing tooth, severe tooth pain, dental abscess, swelling or bleeding of gums, or a loose or missing restoration such as a crown, veneer or filling. Whatever the case may be, rest assured that you can count on us to receive a quick response, as well as to provide you with an immediate assessment and thorough treatment options to solve the issue. We know these situations can be stressful, so our friendly staff will help you throughout the entire process of restoring your oral health.
A dental cavity often requires treatment with a filling. If left untreated, the decay will continue to grow and break down tooth structure, ultimately leading to infection of the pulp (a tooths nerve and blood supply) and possible loss of the tooth. Identifying these cavities early on will allow us to treat the teeth with a conservative tooth colored filling.
First, local anesthetic is used to completely numb the tooth. The tooth is then isolated and the decay is carefully and thoroughly excavated. A custom matched shade of composite resin is used to fill the cavity, restoring the natural contours, anatomy, and color of the tooth. Before your leave, your bite will be checked and adjusted accordingly, and the filling will be polished to a high shine, making it virtually unnoticeable.
Gone are the days of choosing between metal or tooth colored fillings, at least at The Smile Space. We are proud to use the best composite resin materials available. Not only are tooth colored fillings much more esthetic, allowing us to precisely match everyones unique tooth shade, but they also require less drilling, or preparation of the tooth, than traditional metal amalgam fillings.
If you currently have metal fillings, you can elect to have them replaced with tooth colored fillings to improve the esthetics of your smile.This procedure is done under the isolation of a rubber dam, which will allow us to effectively remove the old metal filling while ensuring no residual debris is inhaled or swallowed. The result is a natural-looking tooth comprised of the most reliable materials that do not contain any mercury.
When it comes to whitening your teeth, we recommend using a system that gives reliable and long-lasting results with as little to no sensitivity as possible. Weve tested many different brands of whitening products and systems over the years and have come to learn that there are few on the market that can predictably whiten the teeth and allow them to stay whitened. That was until we discovered the KR Whitening System. We do not have a vested interest in KR, weve just seen the results for ourselves and can attest to the fact that it provides exceptional outcomes for every patient, every time.
We begin by digitally scanning your teeth for fabrication of custom whitening trays, which you will use at home for two weeks prior to your in-office whitening session. The in-office visit lasts for an hour and a half. A unique combination of whitening gel will be applied to the teeth while they are isolated by a dental dam to prevent any tissue contact or swallowing of the gel. No lights or lasers are used as recent studies have shown that photon energy from these lights or lasers can actually trigger sensitivity of the teeth during the whitening process. Once complete, the result is a significant increase in teeth whiteness that will have you smiling from ear to ear.
Fear no more! Although this procedure has a notorious reputation, it is a surprisingly painless procedure. If you find yourself with an infected or damaged tooth that needs to be saved, a root canal is the answer.
The very first step is to numb the tooth. This will allow the doctor to perform the procedure while you feel no pain at all. Once numb, the doctor creates an opening in the tooth to access the interior portion so that the infected tissue can be thoroughly cleaned out. The fully cleaned roots will then be filled with a special sealing material. Depending on how much infected tooth structure needs to be removed, the tooth may need extra support and a crown to be able to save it and restore it to its natural function.
One of our main goals at The Smile Space is to give you a confident smile that you love. Sometimes a small transformation can create a lifetime of difference. Veneers are shells of porcelain as thin as a contact lens that can be bonded to the surface of your teeth to brighten and straighten your smile. Teeth that are worn, chipped, discolored, or misshapen can be enhanced by veneers. Not only will they improve the esthetics of your smile, they will also keep them strong and protected. For the most ideal esthetic results as well as for complex cases, orthodontic treatment may be recommended first to bring your teeth into the proper position and then restore them with veneers.
Your teeth are the workhorses of your mouth. All the stress and force they bear can possibly result in cracked teeth, broken fillings, severe wear, discoloration and more. A porcelain crown is the go-to method for restoring these types of teeth with optimal function and nature-mimicking esthetics.
A porcelain crown is a tooth-shaped cap that fits perfectly over your natural tooth. By doing so, we can restore teeth that have been damaged or decayed to its proper strength, shape, size, and color while being virtually unnoticeable. A properly fitted crown will not only provide a perfect seal around the tooth, but it will keep it protected from further fracture or decay. A custom shade match is performed to ensure optimal esthetics resulting in a natural looking tooth.
Bridges are used to replace a missing tooth or missing teeth. A bridge simply fills in the space with an artificial pontic tooth, which is connected to two crowns that are cemented on the adjacent teeth. By utilizing the best porcelain materials for a bridge, we can functionally restore a missing tooth while providing fantastic esthetics.
Delivering a perfectly fitting crown or bridge is a two-visit procedure. The first visit will involve us preparing the tooth under local anesthesia and taking a 3D scan of it for the lab to fabricate your crown or bridge restoration. While the restoration is being carefully designed and made by the lab, a temporary crown or bridge will be placed until you return for the final delivery at the second visit.
Your second visit will be after approximately two weeks, which is considered a trial period for you to get comfortable with how the crown or bridge fits and functions. At the final delivery, we can address any concerns before permanently cementing your lab-fabricated crown or bridge. If there are no issues with your temporary crown or bridge, we will simply remove it and replace it with your brand new porcelain crown or bridge.
Say goodbye to gooey impression materials! At The Smile Space, we are a fully digital dental practice and utilize a 3D intraoral scanner to capture your prepared teeth without the use of the traditional messy impression materials. Aside from keeping things clean and simple, a digital scan can result in a more accurately fitting crown or bridge.
Dental implants are able to replace missing teeth with a predictable, long-term success rate. With proper placement and home care, dental implants can last a lifetime.From single implants to full mouth reconstruction, we are able to restore your smile and allow you to function normally and with confidence.
When placed properly, dental implants are more secure and sturdy than other tooth replacement options. They are independently placed into the jaw bone of the missing tooth site, thus offering a fixed permanent solution that will not come loose like a denture or Maryland bridge, for example. Unlike dentures and bridges, implants will also not compromise the adjacent teeth in any way, allowing you to preserve the health of those surrounding teeth.
Sometimes, a tooth just has to go. Despite our aim to always treat conservatively and save the teeth, certain teeth may present with a hopeless prognosis. Our main goal in these circumstances is to provide care with minimal discomfort while presenting you with all of your options to restore or replace the teeth. While extracting a tooth can sound so final, it can actually help improve your oral health. Removing a severely infected tooth can prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of the oral cavity and body. In orthodontic treatment, sometimes healthy teeth are recommended for extraction to resolve severe crowding or bite issues. No matter what the case is, we will always provide you with a comfortable procedure and treatment options that will not affect your appearance.
Your comfort is our entire teams top priority when it comes to oral surgery. The first step prior to touching the tooth is to completely numb the area with local anesthetic. This will ensure a pain-free procedure. If you are feeling anxious, we are happy to offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to shake away any jitters you may have. Once you are fully comfortable and anesthetized, we will then gently carry out the procedure.
Carefully following post-op instructions will greatly ensure a speedy recovery. You will be provided with a specific set of post-extraction instructions with a list of certain foods and activities to avoid. We will schedule you to return in one week for a follow up visit to make sure everything is healing properly and to remove any sutures if placed.