Dr. Kavetsis is dedicated to providing quality, compassionate dental care to her patients. From the young age of 10 growing up in Edwardsville, IL shes known that she wanted to be a dentist. Since then all education and career efforts were directed at dentistry. She graduated in 2003 from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign with a BS in Biology and in 2007 received her BS in Dental Science and her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She taught part-time for several years in the Restorative Department of UIC Dental School.
Dr. Kavetsis is passionate about continuing her education and takes about 100 hours of classes per year. She travels to Scottsdale, Arizona several times a year to train with some of the most respected and talented dentists at the Spear Education Center for Dentistry. She has worked very hard to add new technologies such as CEREC same-day crowns, cone beam 3D x-ray scanning, and advanced implant techniques into the practice. She loves using Invisalign prior to cosmetic treatment to allow for the most conservative restorative treatment possible. She received a Fellowship from The Academy of GP Orthodontics in 2010 and a Fellowship from The Academy of General Dentistry in 2018.
Dr. Kavetsis and her husband, Steve, are world travelers and enjoy exploring new places and faces. They have 2 young boys that keep them very busy. In her free time, Dr. Kavetsis is an avid yogi, plays the piano, and fancies herself an amateur chef. She always looks forward to dessert (and brushing her teeth after)!
Dr. Kavetsis treatment philosophy is to treat patients as if they were family members. She will always recommend the highest quality, longest-lasting, and most conservative treatment available. She looks forward to meeting you and helping you achieve your most beautiful smile.
Dr. Besse enjoys getting to know his patients so that he can understand their individual needs and concernsa vital aspect of achieving a healthy long-term dental relationship. He encourages his patients to be informed and empowered so they can achieve a healthy, beautiful smile. He strives to stay current on dental advances and technologies in order to provide his patients with the most up-to-date and effective dental treatments. Dr. Besse takes pride in his profession and is grateful to have the opportunity to make such profound changes in peoples lives.
Dr. Besse attended The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and then completed a one-year general practice residency at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Dr. Besse is involved in organized dentistry as a member of the Chicago Dental Society, Illinois State Dental Society, and the American Dental Association.
Dr. Tedford has enjoyed practicing dentistry for many years in Chicago, but his roots are in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia where he initially attended Georgia Tech. Soon after, he transferred to the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he graduated with a degree in Psychology. As a kid, he had a terrific family dentist as a role model who was his source of inspiration when he decided to pursue dentistry as a career. Not long after realizing his passion, Dr. Tedford graduated from Northwestern University Dental School.
Dr. Tedford has maintained his interest in the arts, classical music, and is an avid reader. He enjoys swimming and yoga in his free time, but his favorite form of exercise is walking his beautiful 120 pound Akita around the Chicago Loop.
Dr. Brandon West is Board Certified in Periodontology and Dental Implant Surgery. Dr. West is an enthusiastic periodontist, who enjoys cosmetic dentistry and the ability to rehabilitate patients smiles with meticulous planning for periodontal procedures. With the use of dental implants, aesthetic implant crowns, connective tissue grafts, and reconstructive bone grafting, he aims to restore the beauty, comfort and function of your mouth. Dr. West strongly values the trust of his patients and the opportunity to provide exceptional care at Affinity Dental.
Dr. West is a proud alumnus of University of Maryland School of Dentistry. While in Baltimore, he received both of his degrees in Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a Certificate in Periodontics. He completed his masters thesis by evaluating bone grafts used for future dental implant placement in a multicenter randomized control trial. Dr. West is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. He is also an active member of the American Academy of Periodontology and American Dental Association.
Dr. West enjoys traveling, golfing, and being outdoors on long walks with his wife during his spare time. Dr. West looks forward to the opportunity to meet you and share his passion for Periodontics with you.
Dr. Ryan Teahen was born and raised in Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa for his undergraduate and dental school education earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2013. After graduation, he completed a one-year fellowship in general dentistry in Boston, Massachusetts at a community health center. He practiced general dentistry for two years primarily in Chicago, while concurrently working with a pediatric mobile outreach clinic serving at-risk neighborhoods. It was during this time that Dr. Teahen found his passion for endodontics. He then returned to the University of Iowa for a two-year advanced education program and earned his specialty certificate in endodontics in 2018.
During his time at the University of Iowa, Dr. Teahen earned the Deans Student Leader Award in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, recognizing his leadership within the college, and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry Award in 2013 for his achievement in community dentistry and dental public health.
Dr. Teahen is a board-certified endodontist, receiving this distinction in 2019. He is a member of the American Association of Endodontists and the American Dental Association. He enjoys participating in dental outreach initiatives both locally and abroad- including service trips to Jamaica, India, and Ghana. In his free time, youll likely find Dr. Teahen enjoying the outdoors, running, skiing, or biking along the lakefront trail.
Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you so let us help make yours perfect. Dr. Kavetsis and her team offer a complete range of cosmetic dental procedures from full-mouth porcelain veneers to crowns to whitening.
Cosmetic dentistry need not always be radical and expensive. Affinity Dental offers procedures to fit any budget or need. Dr. Kavetsis takes photos of all new patients to act as a baseline and, together with the patient, will create customized smile improvement plans.
Affinity Dental is a family-friendly practice that focuses on prevention and education for children and their parents. We encourage parents to bring their children to see us beginning at one year of age to lay the foundation for lifelong oral health. We love kids and warmly welcome them in our practice!
Orthodontics can be used alone or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures to better align teeth. Teeth in nice alignment are easier to clean and can help prevent future periodontal problems. Dr. Kavetsis believes that using orthodontics to move teeth into a more symmetrical and beautiful position can be a permanent and economical plan for patients. Affinity Dental offers clear aligners from Invisalign and simple retainers to treat varying degrees of misalignment. Read our Reviews on Yelp!
involves placing a small titanium post into the bone to act as the new root for the implant. Once healed, a porcelain crown can be placed on the post. The implant looks and feels like a natural tooth and does not require the adjacent teeth to be treated.
Periodontal disease is the silent, painless bone and gum loss around the teeth and is the number one contributor to tooth loss. Dr. Kavetsis and her team believe that regular professional cleanings and a healthy lifestyle can help prevent and drastically reduce the incidence of periodontal disease. Affinity
Dental treats all stages of periodontal disease and encourages you to come in no matter how much time has passed since your last cleaning. Our focus is on achieving the best oral health possible and educating our patients on proper tooth maintenance at home.
Affinity Dental is a mercury-free office and all fillings placed are resin-based tooth colored restorations. Resin fillings bind directly to the tooth enamel and help to maintain the tooth structure. This material can also be used to fill in chipped teeth.
Although teeth are composed of many layers of enamel and tissue and are inherently strong, old fillings or expansive decay can weaken teeth. Porcelain restorations are used to restore defects and to strengthen weakened teeth. Dr. Kavetsis follows the most conservative guidelines and takes every measure to save healthy tooth structure.
Temporomandibular joint pain, or TMJ pain, is pain in the jaws and can range from minor to severe. TMJ pain can also cause headaches that may disrupt your daily activities. Grinding teeth, jaw injury or stress can all contribute to inflammation and pain near the temporomandibular joint. Dr. Kavetsis will do a thorough muscular exam and may use biting tests to determine each patients diagnosis and treatment plan to relieve TMJ pain.
A major type of sleep apnea, called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), can be successfully treated with custom oral appliances that are worn at night. When combined with a sleep study and a physicians diagnosis, OSA will be treated with an appliance that fits over the teeth and helps hold the lower jaw forward. This keeps the airway open and reduces snoring. Dr. Kavetsis will then monitor your treatment with follow up visits and make adjustments as needed. Many medical insurance plans cover all or some of the costs associated with the treatment of OSA.
Bruxism, generally referred to as tooth-grinding, is a very common habit and can lead to excessive tooth wear, jaw pain and even broken teeth. Although certain factors, such as stress, can trigger or worsen the grinding, it is unlikely that a patient with a history of grinding will ever completely stop. Grinding is a complicated neuromuscular habit that cannot be cured but the teeth can be easily protected. Dr. Kavetsis will custom fabricate a nightguard that will help protect your teeth from wearing away. After an initial adjustment period, wearing the guard becomes a simple lifestyle change that will prevent serious problems in the future. Guards are also important for patients who have had cosmetic procedures as they act as protection against chipping or fractures. Children and adults playing sports should also wear sportguards for protection. Dr. Kavetsis will customize guards for growing children and regularly monitor their fit. As children grow and adult teeth come in, the guards will be modified or remade to offer continuous protection.
Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic treatment, is a dental procedure in which the diseased or damaged pulp (core) of a tooth is removed and the inside areas (the pulp chamber and root canals) are filled and sealed. Inflamed or infected pulp (pulpitis) most often causes a toothache. To relieve the pain and prevent further complications, the tooth may be extracted (surgically removed) or saved by root canal treatment. Root canal treatment has become a common dental procedure; more than 14 million are performed every year, with a 95% success rate, according to the American Association of Endodontists.
CEREC technology is a state-of-the-art system for creating the most-advanced permanent crowns today. With CEREC same-day crowns, there is no need to construct a temporary crown, take impression for a permanent crown that will be developed later, and go through days of protective eating and being extra careful of the temporary crown. Affinity Dental will craft your restorative crown in our office during the same treatment session that your tooth is prepared for.
CEREC crowns use computer technology to image the tooth that will be crowned, as well as the surrounding teeth. This computer-aided design allows us to achieve a better fit and match than was previously possible, and to check this work in the context of your teeth, since you are present while the permanent restoration is made. In addition, because the crown is made from a single block of ceramic or resin material, it is considerably stronger than many other types of crowns. It is simply the best crown available in dentistry today.