Okay, let’s face it. No one looks forward to going to the dentist. However, if you are lucky enough to live on Maui, I have some really good news for you. We have a wonderful dentist right in the heart of Wailuku -- Dr. Michael Miyamoto. Dr. Miyamoto is an absolute professional at the top of his field, and my wife and I have been very impressed with the care that he and his staff have provided to us. This is a family-owned business that treats its patients like family. Dr. Miyamoto always takes time to explain his recommended procedures in detail, both before and also during the actual visits. He and his entire staff all do a wonderful job in helping their patients feel very welcomed and comfortable. They also educate you on dental health and hygiene. His assistants and staff are very professional and form a highly functional team. In particular, my dental hygienist (Sara) is, without a doubt, the very best dental hygienist I’ve ever had. Sara is very thorough and extremely gentle while performing all dental procedures. I recently had a crown installed by Dr. Miyamoto. It is hard to believe, but everything was done in just a single visit!!! The installation of the dental crown started in a traditional manner. My tooth was numbed, and Dr. Miyamoto carefully contoured the tooth to shape it for the crown. Then, instead of making a gooey impression of the tooth and sending it to a dental lab, Dr. Miyamoto used a tiny digital camera to create a three-dimensional image of the tooth that needed a crown. This digital image was then electronically sent to a state-of-the-art CAD/CAM -- computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing -- machine in Dr. Miyamoto’s office suite. Only a few dentists on Maui currently use CAD/CAM to create a crown while the patient waits. The result is a highly durable ceramic crown that can be immediately bonded in place. According to Dr. Miyamoto, this ceramic crown does not have a metal alloy base, which means there will be no unsightly looking black line around the gum line. With this new CAD/CAM procedure, the crown was created and installed in just a couple of hours. Wow! Dr. Miyamoto definitely has more advanced equipment than my prior dentist on the mainland, which I very much appreciate.
