It's all about family at award-winning dental office A Smile Shoppe

Dr. James E. Sorge has been providing dental services in Fallbrook for 17 years at A Smile Shoppe, and the work he and his staff do is truly award-winning.

Sorge has earned San Diego's "Top Dentist" Award (North County) for the past 10 years (2007-2016). It's a honor that has been bestowed upon him by his peers as professionals in the dental community in North County vote on "Top Dentist."

"There are very good dentists all throughout this area, so I'm just grateful that people feel that way," said Sorge, a humble man with a friendly and reassuring demeanor.

"I think it's the quality (of work)," responded Sorge when asked what he believed to be the reason his colleagues have repeatedly voted his office the honor. "A lot of it is the specialists voting on this, people who have seen our work when we refer a patient to their specialty field. We take the time to make sure things are done right."

In addition to receiving fine dental care, patients at A Smile Shoppe also receive support from a welcoming, close-knit staff.

"It's like a family atmosphere here (at the office), and we're very family orientated," said Sorge. "We like to take care of complex dental issues with people, putting them at ease and making them feel like they are part of our family."

Sorge said his staff works with patients to make sure they are comfortable with both the dentistry and the finances.

"We have people that have been in the dental industry for 35 years," said Sorge. "We have accumulated knowledge over the years where people can sit down and feel comfortable that they're able to discuss their best treatment needs based on what their desires are and what meets their financial obligation."

A Smile Shoppe offers complete dental care.

"We're a general family practice, but we do a lot of cosmetic work which would include your crowns, veneers and also implants," said Sorge. "We do place implants here about half the time. The other half we have the local surgeons get involved and help us out to formulate the best treatments for our patients. We also do orthodontic work and do the majority of root canals here."

Sorge keeps A Smile Shoppe updated with state-of-the art equipment.

"We have laser technology as well as cone beam x-rays, which means we can take an x-ray and get a three-dimensional image of your head and be able to evaluate the jaw bones and look for oral cancers and infections a little more thoroughly than most," said Sorge. "We do digital x-rays. It's very, very low radiation dosages, so it's very safe for the patients."

People that need a crown can get one quickly at A Smile Shoppe. "We have a CEREC machine and can do same day crowns if clients request it," said Sorge.

A Smile Shoppe also practices dental sleep medicine and works to help patients who suffer from sleep apnea. A serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep, sleep apnea can prevent the brain and the entire body from getting enough oxygen.

"It's really become a new area of medicine," said Sorge of dental sleep medicine. "We work in conjunction with the medical field to help people with oral devices that are much more comfortable and more compliant. Most people who wear a CPAP machine, without exception, would prefer not to wear it if they could, but they have to. And sometimes we can fit them in a device that they no longer have to have the big mask."

Sorge described the oral device as "a mouth guard like device that helps keep the airway open while sleeping so that the snoring is less or eliminated all together, and the airway is allowed to get enough oxygen to the brain."

"We jokingly say we're saving one marriage at a time," said Sorge of the reduction or elimination of snoring.

A Smile Shoppe also helps veterans and it went through a rigorous review process to be VA approved.

"We're the only VA certified dental facility in this area," said Sorge. "Veterans who are disabled, if the services can't be provided at the VA hospital, they are referred to us to be cared for."

Sorge was asked if he had any words for a person who is afraid to go to the dentist.

"Is there anybody not afraid to go to the dentist?" asked Sorge with a laugh. "Dentistry is much different than what it was years ago. It's much, much kinder, gentler and more patient-oriented to where it's caring for a person and not just their teeth, but the whole person.

"We want them to be happy, we want them to have a good experience," continued Sorge. "And sometimes that's why we use medication to help sedate them or make them comfortable, or even use a referral source to where the child or an adult can see a specialist who does the sedation and allows them to have a good experience."

A Smile Shoppe is located at 521 East Elder St., Suite 203. For more information, call (760) 728-1592 or visit http://www.fallbrooksmiles.com.