Top Dentists

Standing: Angela Schweiger, DMD; Ashley Price, DMD Seated: Joanna S. Dover, DMD Standing: James Nyland, DSD; Susan Gregory, DMD Seated: Sarah Anne Knowlton, DMD

Our team is very grateful for the inclusion in this year’s Top Dentists because there is so much to share. We are very excited to highlight a few of the many reasons that our two side-by-side practices, conveniently located in Forest Acres, continue to provide Columbia’s premier dental experience.

Forest Drive Dental Care and Columbia Children’s Dentistry are two practices shared by managing dentist Joanna Dover, DMD, and associate dentists James Nyland, DDS; Sarah Anne Knowlton, DMD; Ashley Price, DMD; Angela Schweiger, DMD; and Susan Gregory, DMD. This talented and experienced group works to create a dynamic practice of educational collaboration and implementation.

Every year, we aim to increase our scope of care to our patients. This year, we have expanded our services to include more in-depth caries risk assessments, more techniques to optimize appropriate breathing and swallowing with growth and development, and more ways to increase beauty in our smiles while being gentle and noninvasive to our teeth. Each of these is important to us as a practice, and we look forward to seeing how these new experiences bring you and your loved ones into better dental health and happiness.

Caries Risk Assessments

Dental caries, most commonly known as “cavities,” is the most common infectious disease to affect humans. For those patients who consistently get new caries, we have created a separate Caries Risk Assessment appointment. This specially-tailored visit will discuss the current science of cavities, and will help you create a protocol to break the cycle and obtain optimal oral health. This appointment evaluates food and beverage choices, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the oral microbiome, current theories and products for remineralization, pH, and more. We are happy to work with your current dental office in discussing protocols, products, and restorative materials for your future care.

The Swallowing, Breathing, Sleep, and Growth Connection

More and more research is showing the importance of nasal breathing, correct tongue posture, correct swallowing, and the importance of early cessation of oral habits including pacifier and thumb/finger sucking. Form follows function and these variables affect growth and long-term stability throughout life. Our group works closely with other specialists in the Midlands to ensure children and adults can sleep, breathe, and swallow in a way that allows them to reach their fullest potential. Utilizing a specialized oral habit cessation program, interceptive early orthodontic intervention where indicated, and frenectomies for children from the first weeks of life through adulthood when indicated by our collaborative network of specialists, we look forward to helping you optimize eating, swallowing, and breathing.

Composite Additive Veneers

The advancements in both computer-generated smile designs and composite bonding allow us, in many cases, to achieve cosmetic improvements in your smile without taking the plunge into irreversibly altering your teeth’s shapes or committing to crowns and veneers. Cosmetic bonding can be appropriate for patients of all ages for situations such as small teeth, worn or chipped teeth, teeth with missing gums between them with air spaces known as “black triangles,” and discolored teeth. The best part is that they are easily and cost-effectively repairable without needing to be fully replaced.

Together, the teams of Forest Drive Dental Care and Columbia Children’s Dentistry look forward to working with you to create healthy and beautiful smiles.