Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Looking for a friendly, reliable dentist office in Temple, TX? You’ll find us at Lakewood Dental Trails, located at 1010 Marlandwood Rd, Temple, TX, 76502. Our dental office is easy to find and conveniently situated near several local landmarks.

We’re just down the street from Scott & White Memorial Hospital and a quick drive from Temple High School. If you know where the Walmart Supercenter or Lions Junction Family Water Park is, you’re already close!

Here’s how to get to our dentist in Temple, TX:

From I-35 N:

Exit at Midway Dr/Temple exit. Turn right onto Marlandwood Rd. We’re about 1.5 miles down on your left.

From Loop 363:

Take the exit for S 5th St and turn onto Marlandwood Rd. Head east and you’ll find us just past Scott Blvd.

From Downtown Temple:

Take S 31st St south to Marlandwood Rd, turn right, and we’re just a few blocks down.

Let’s Make Your First Visit at Lakewood Dental Trails Easy!

Need help finding us or booking your first visit? Just give our friendly team a call at Lakewood Dental Trails! We’re happy to answer your questions, guide you through directions, or help you schedule a time that works best for you. 

We know that fitting dental care into your budget is important, which is why we offer a variety of flexible payment options designed to fit your needs. 

Your comfort, convenience, and confidence in your care matter to us. From the moment you step through our doors, we’re committed to making you feel at home.

So if you’re searching for a trusted dentist office in Temple, TX, close to home and easy to get to, we’d love to meet you.

Call Us To Schedule Today

Contact us today and let Lakewood Dental Trails be your new dental home!

Patients commonly ask us why we need to take dental x-rays. The answer is that even the most comprehensive visual exam doesn’t give our dentists in Temple TX the complete picture. Much of what can go wrong with your oral health starts inside teeth or under the gums that we can’t see without a dental x-ray.

Dental x-rays provide a detailed picture of your oral health so we can accurately diagnose or monitor a condition. They also become part of your dental history and are always available to view in the future.

How Often Do I Need Dental X-Rays in Temple?

How often we need updated x-rays depends on your dental condition, but the general guidelines from the American Dental Association are as follows:

Bitewing x-rays—These images capture your upper and lower back (posterior) teeth in two x-rays, one for each side. Each patient is different, but we typically recommend four bitewings every six to 12 months.

Full mouth x-rays—If you have no history of cavities or gum disease, we typically recommend one full mouth x-ray. However, if there is a significant lapse in care or other specific concerns, our dentist may recommend an additional x-ray.

Diagnostic x-rays—If you experience a toothache, we need to take an x-ray to see inside and between your teeth. We can’t treat what we can’t see, and a dental x-ray helps our dentist diagnose the problem and plan treatment accordingly.

Your Safety Is Our Priority at Lakewood Dental Trails

At Lakewood Dental Trails, your safety is our priority. Our digital imaging technology minimizes your radiation exposure by as much as 90 percent compared to film x-rays.

We provide maximum protection by using a shielded apron that x-rays can’t penetrate and limiting x-rays for pregnant women and very young children.

If you have other questions about x-rays or how we keep you safe at our Lakewood, TX dental office, please call us at (254) 206-3200.

Trying to juggle dental appointments to accommodate your family’s oral health needs can be a nightmare. You have your schedule to work around as well as your kids’ sports activities or music lessons. How can you ever find a way to make it work and still keep up with all your obligations?

The answer is family dental appointments at Lakewood Dental Trails. Scheduling treatment for your all family members at one time simplifies your life and gives you and your children access to quality dentistry. Schedule one family appointment that fits everyone’s schedule, and that’s it!

We know there are a lot of obstacles that make it tempting to put off dental care, but we don’t want lack of convenient scheduling to be one of them. You’re already responsible for helping your children maintain healthy oral habits at home, so we support your at-home efforts with convenient, quality dental care.

You can also schedule a family appointment at our second office, Temple Dental Trails. Two locations give you even more options for scheduling appointments that fit your family’s needs.

Would you like to schedule a family dental appointment at our Temple, TX dental office? Please call us at (254)-206-3200.

If you’ve experienced tooth loss, modern dentures offer a comfortable and natural-looking means to fully restore your smile and bite. At Lakewood Dental Trails, your trusted dentist in Temple, TX, Dr. David Vu and our expert team provide several denture options tailored to your specific needs and goals. Here’s a quick look at the four main types of dentures available:

1. Complete (Full) — Full dentures replace all teeth in your upper or lower arch. They’re custom-made to fit your gums and restore your bite, appearance, and ability to eat comfortably.
2. Partial — Partial dentures (or "partials") are ideal for individuals who’ve suffered tooth loss but still have healthy teeth remaining. They fill in gaps with lifelike prosthetic teeth that attach securely to your remaining teeth for stability.
3. Immediate — Immediate dentures are placed right after tooth extraction, so the patient never goes without teeth. They’re a temporary solution until the gums heal and permanent dentures are ready.
4. Implant-supported — Implant-supported advanced dentures attach to small titanium implants placed in your jawbone. They’re more secure, comfortable, and natural-feeling than traditional removable dentures.

At Lakewood Dental Trails, we offer full, partial, and implant-supported dentures in Temple, TX, crafted with precision and care to help you smile, speak, and eat with confidence again.

Seamless Smile Restoration with Dentures in Temple, TX

If you’re in Temple and wondering whether full, partial, or implant-supported dentures could restore your smile, bite, and confidence, contact Dr. David Vu and the friendly Lakewood Dental Trails team today to schedule a consultation!

Regular teeth cleaning appointments—recommended every six months—are preventive because the purpose isn’t to treat gum disease but rather to keep it from developing. 

Periodontal maintenance appointments are recommended when our hygienist needs to target existing gum disease to prevent it from advancing. 

Preventive Teeth Cleanings

During your regular or prophy cleaning appointment, your hygienist removes stains, plaque, and tartar deposits on the tooth’s crown. They also measure the depth of periodontal pockets, which is the amount of space between your teeth and gums. 

Periodontal Maintenace Cleanings

Pockets over 4mm in depth indicate the presence of gum disease. In this case, our hygienist would recommend an appointment for a specialized deep cleaning called scaling and root planing. Your hygienist performs this procedure over two appointments, and it involves removing (scaling) plaque and tartar from your teeth and planing or smoothing the tooth’s roots.

Periodontal maintenance appointments occur after the deep cleaning procedure. Your hygienist develops a personalized treatment plan with cleanings scheduled at a frequency that’s right for you.

Most patients require periodontal maintenance appointments 3-4 times a year, including scaling below the gumline to control the progression of gum disease. 

Schedule Your Next Dental Cleaning with Us

Healthy smiles rely on healthy gums, and we can help you achieve both. Please call our Lakewood, TX dental office to schedule your next teeth cleaning appointment.

If you want a straighter smile without traditional metal braces, Invisalign® may be an ideal solution. This modern orthodontic treatment uses clear, removable aligners to gently, discreetly, and comfortably shift your teeth into proper alignment. At Lakewood Dental Trails, your trusted dentist in Temple, TX, Dr. David Vu and our excellent team proudly offer Invisalign for adults seeking a confident, professional smile.

How Invisalign Treatment Works, Step-by-Step

1. Consultation and evaluation — Your Invisalign journey begins with a personalized consultation. Dr. Vu examines your teeth, takes digital impressions, and determines whether Invisalign is an appropriate treatment option for you.
2. A tailored treatment plan — Using advanced 3D imaging, we will create a custom plan that illustrates the planned movements of your teeth, from start to finish. You’ll even get a digital preview of your future smile!
3. 3. Wearing your aligners — You’ll receive a series of sets of clear, removable aligners that should be worn 20–22 hours a day, for a typical treatment time (depending on the complexity of your case) of between 6 and 18 months. You’ll wear each set for one to two weeks, before changing to a new set as your teeth shift into alignment.
4. Progress monitoring — You’ll visit Dr. Vu for periodic checkups to ensure your treatment is progressing smoothly and make any necessary adjustments.

Comfortable, Discreet Smile Alignment in Temple, TX

If you’re ready to transform your smile with Invisalign in Temple, TX, contact Dr. David Vu and the caring team at Lakewood Dental Trails to schedule a consultation and learn more about the transformative benefits of Invisalign clear aligners for adults.

Patients with chipped and broken teeth in Temple, TX may think they have a major dental problem, but they’re really fairly easy to resolve. In fact, depending on the location and extent of tooth damage, we have three cosmetic dental options to choose from:

• Dental bonding
• Porcelain veneers
• Porcelain dental crowns

Of the three, dental bonding is the most conservative and affordable. It’s also versatile and can improve the appearance of other smile flaws. These include gapped teeth, teeth that appear too short or too small, or minor shape and size discrepancies.

Porcelain dental veneers can also address chipped and broken teeth, but the procedure for getting them is irreversible. For this reason, we usually recommend them for more complex smile flaws or a dramatic smile makeover.

If you have a poorly shaped or discolored tooth in the back of your mouth, we might recommend a dental crown. The crown conceals the tooth and also adds strength so it can withstand daily wear and tear.

At Lakewood Dental Trails, we want to provide you with as many options as we can to help you accomplish your smile goals. Our dental care team helps patients with all sorts of budgets and lifestyles make a healthy smile a reality. Whether you have a single chipped tooth or have several cosmetic flaws you’d like to address, we’ll personalize a treatment plan to make it happen.

Please call us to schedule a dental appointment in Temple, TX to get started.

In the real world, dental problems don’t happen on a schedule. You can’t plan for a dental emergency, so you need a dentist in Temple, TX who can accommodate you for same-day appointments.

Our dental care team knows that when you or your child has a toothache or breaks a tooth, you don’t want to wait, and at Lakewood Dental Trails, you don’t have to. Accidents happen that may need prompt attention. Your schedule may not give you the freedom to put off an appointment to a later date in the foreseeable future.

We understand, so we build flexible time into our schedule to make room for those occasions when a patient needs to come in the same day. While we may not always be able to complete treatment that day, we can make sure you’re comfortable and your teeth are protected until our next available appointment. One example of this would be an infected tooth. Our dentists might want to administer antibiotics to eliminate your pain and get the inflammation under control first.

If you can’t wait days for treatment, please call the dental care team at Lakewood Dental Trails. There’s a good chance that we can see you today!

Dental anxiety is a big problem for many people, and your dental care team at Lakewood Dental Trails is sympathetic to your feelings. So we’re pleased to offer options to help you relax and let us provide the high-quality dentistry you need.

Nitrous oxide is a type of sedation that our Temple, TX dentists offer that’s very effective and even safe and mild enough for children. You inhale nitrous oxide through a small nasal mask, and it works very quickly to provide relaxation and a calm sense of well-being. You won’t go to sleep, and as soon as we stop administering the nitrous, the effects wear off quickly. You will be able to drive yourself home from your dental appointment.

Need a little deeper relaxation? Oral conscious sedation involves taking a sedative about an hour before your scheduled procedure. You’ll be calm and relaxed when you arrive for your dental appointment and remain so for the duration of your procedure. If you opt for conscious sedation, you will need a friend or family member to drive you safely to and from your appointment.

Would you like to learn more about sedation dentistry at our Temple, TX dental office? Please call Lakewood Dental Trails to speak with a helpful member of our dental care team.

There’s nothing like a professional teeth whitening treatment to make your smile stand out! When you have a big event like a wedding, reunion, or graduation coming up, you know that everyone will be taking pictures. At a time like this, you want your smile to look its best.

When you need a fast solution for teeth whitening in Temple, TX, the dental care team at Lakewood Dental Trails can help. We have two options, so depending on how much time you have, we can customize your whitening to fit your needs.

An in-office teeth whitening using Zoom! products will deliver stunning results in about an hour. If you can, it’s always best to have a professional dental cleaning first. This ensures that the surfaces of your teeth are free of plaque and tartar that can inhibit the whitening process.

If you have a few weeks or can’t take fit an office visit into your busy schedule, we customize convenient take-home teeth whitening kits. Drop into Lakewood Dental Trails to have some quick impressions taken of your teeth. We’ll use the impressions to fabricate customized teeth whitening trays that you use every day at home for about two weeks. Use them just 20 to 30 minutes a day to see a whiter, brighter smile.

We’d love to help you look and feel your best for the big day! Please call us to schedule your teeth whitening appointment in Temple, TX.

At Lakewood Dental Trails, we are skilled at tooth extraction, including removing wisdom teeth.

The problem with wisdom teeth is that they often don't have room to come in at the correct angle, so they crowd adjacent teeth and threaten their health. When a wisdom tooth comes in, it can create pressure on those other teeth, forcing them out of alignment and even damaging them in the process. In many cases, wisdom teeth don’t erupt at all, and become stuck or impacted in the gums.

We don’t need the function of wisdom teeth anymore, and as we’ve evolved over thousands of years, our jaws have also gotten narrower. There’s rarely enough space in the mouth to accommodate wisdom teeth, also called third molars.

You can be confident that if you need a wisdom tooth removed in Temple, TX, our dental care team will make your procedure as smooth and comfortable as possible. Extracting a wisdom tooth usually isn’t complicated at all and is performed under local anesthetic. However, for our nervous patients, we’re pleased to offer sedation dentistry to ensure that you feel comfortable and confident about your procedure.

Even if you’re not experiencing problems with your wisdom teeth, it may be best to remove them before they do. Please call Lakewood Dental Trails so we can provide the comfortable expert care you need.