University Dental Arts (303) 534-7797 910 16th Street, #710 On the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, between Champa Street and Curtis Street. Free Parking! Come visit us if you live or work in downtown Denver, LoDo, Highlands, Golden Triangle, Riverfront Park, Central Platte Valley, Uptown, Prospect Park, Ballpark, or City Park.

Please Note: The information on this website is intended for general informational purposes and is not intended as specific dental or health care advice. For specific information, please call our office.

Fun Dental Facts

July 30, 2010: Oral cancer is one of the most "curable" cancers, if caught early. As part of our routine dental exams, we check you for oral cancer.

July 15, 2010: If you're missing a tooth, the cost of a dental implant and a 3-part bridge are approximately the same, but the implant is the much better option.

July 1, 2010: One of the biggest breakthroughs in adult orthodontics is Invisalign, the removable aligners that can straighten teeth.

June 15, 2010: Cosmetic dentistry options include tooth-colored fillings - no more silver gleam!

May 29, 2010: Gum disease is the #1 cause of adult tooth loss.

May 15, 2010: Because your overall health is tied to your dental health, it's important that you come in for routine dental exams, ideally at least two times per year.

May 1, 2010: Teeth whitening has been tried by more than 15% of the population.

April 15, 2010: Summer brings weddings, family gatherings, and school reunions, which makes it a great time, right now, to whiten your teeth.

April 1, 2010: Spring is here, which means it's time for a spring dental cleaning and exam! Routine dental exams can help catch problems while they're small, and cleanings can help you stay in good health.An estimated 280,000,000 toothbrushes are sold in the U.S. every year, including the ones dentists pass out to their patients. At our downtown Denver dental office, we recommend changing toothbrushes at least once a quarter.

March 15, 2010: Dental implants can be used to replace one or more teeth lost to injury, illness, or hereditary. They're a great alternative to bridges and dentures.

March 1, 2010: Invisalign is the "clear" choice in braces. Removable aligners can straighten your teeth as effectively as traditional metal / bracket braces. More adults than ever before are benefiting from orthodontics!

February 15, 2010: Don't forget that with the start of the new year came a new set of dental insurance benefits for most plans. If you've been postponing a crown, bridge, implant, or other dental procedure, now's the time to schedule an appointment.

February 1, 2010: We offer free consultations for cosmetic dentistry and Invisaglign. If you'd like to learn more about how you can improve your smile, give us a call, (303) 534-7797.

January 15, 2010: George Washington had a scar on his left cheek, reportedly caused by a tooth abscess.

December 30, 2009: Giraffes have only lower teeth, which they use to bite against a thick pad.

December 15, 2009: Doc Holliday, the famous Western Gunslinger, was a practicing dentist.

November 30, 2009: Now's the time to check your dental insurance plan and use up your benefits before they expire at the end of the year.

November 15, 2009: Today's cosmetic options for smile makeovers are almost endless: brighter smiles, straighter teeth, repair chips, fill gaps...today's smile is yours to choose.

November 1, 2009: In 2008 and 2009, Dr. David Redford was recognized by 5280 Magazine as being one of the top dentists in Denver.

October 20, 2009: Every tooth has five sides. Brushing alone only reaches three sides. Floss at least once daily to thoroughly clean your teeth.

October 1, 2009: Chicken have no teeth. The gizzards in their stomachs grind up their food.

September 1, 2009: Horses use their front cropping teeth for nibbling grass, and cows have no upper incisors or canine teeth.

August 15, 2009: Thanks to cosmetic dentistry, there are many ways to improve your smile: teeth whitening, veneers, composite (white) fillings, onlays, inlays, and implants.

July 26, 2009: Up until the eighteenth century, tooth decay was thought to be caused by toothworms, not by plaque.

July 5, 2009: The first recpient of a permanent artificial heart, Barney Clark, was a retired dentist. The heart was implanted in 1982, and he lived for 112 days.

June 21, 2009: George Washington would have appreciated today's cosmetic dentistry materials - our first president's dentures were made from cow, walrus, hippopotamus, and elephant teeth.

June 7, 2009: The dental equipment that we use in our downtown Denver dental office is a great improvement over the hand drills in the 1700s and the foot-powered drills that preceded electricity.

May 25, 2009: Even in the 1800s, there were problems with truth in advertising. Dentists back then complained about misleading ads that "extravagantly lauded dentifrices."

April 25, 2009: Back in the olden days, dentists in Denver had to place their dental chairs near windows, because their main source of light was sunshine. That was in a time before oil, petroleum, and gas lights were used...and eventually electricity.

March 25, 2009: Doc Holliday, of "Gunfight at the OK corral" fame was actually a practicing dentist. Not in downtown Denver, but he did treat patients in Dallas and Dodge City, all the while supplementing his income with gambling.

March 15, 2009: In 1895, silver amalgam was invented as a material for filling cavities. Unlike previous materials used, it was flexible and didn't shrink or expand as it hardened. Amalgam proved its effectiveness over 100 years, but today, we have much better options. Our dental office in downtown Denver has been mercury-free for years. Our cosmetic dentists, Dr. Redford and Dr. Alford, only place composite white fillings, which are beautiful and durable.

March 5, 2009: Renaissance man, Leonardo D Vinci wasn't a cosmetic dentist, and he never pulled a tooth, but he was the first person to render an accurate illustration of the skull and teeth.

February 20, 2009: Every day, in our downtown Denver dental office, we extol the virtues of flossing. Only flossing can help reach all five sides of your tooth, and we have an Englishman to thank for this invention. In 1788, Robert Woofendale suggested that thread be used to clean teeth. If he were alive today, he'd probably be on the forefront of cosmetic dentistry or implant dentistry, or concocting other ways to help improve dental health.

February 10, 2009: Native Americans used to gnaw on ash trees because the bark was believed to be a remedy for dental ills. Thankfully, we Denver dentists have better options today, including great cosmetic choices that can not only "cure" smiles, but also dramatically improve them!

January 25, 2009: Dentists across the country collectively fill 500,000 cavities a day.

January 10, 2009: Each of your teeth has five sides. Brushing alone reaches three sides, but only flossing can reach the other two sides. While two trips to the dentist per year are recommended, cleanings alone aren't enough. For optimum dental health, make flossing part of your daily routine.

January 1, 2009: Every dentist in Denver will tell you that sugar is one of the single biggest contributor to tooth decay. Guess which U.S. industries use the most of it? The food industry is the first, followed by the tobacco industry.

December 20, 2008: Of the 4.4 million people undergoing orthodontic treatment in the United States, approximately 20% are adults. Invisalign, which relies on clear aligners instead of brackets, is a great way to straighten your teeth. We're proud to offer this cosmetic dentistry service in our downtown Denver office. The Invisalign aligners are removable...and almost invisible.

December 10, 2008: Dentists in Denver, Colorado and across the globe know a secret about clean teeth - certain foods are considered "detergent" foods because they're fibrous and high in water content. If one of the items on your cosmetic dentistry wishlist is whiter teeth, do your part at home by eating lots of celery, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, and radishes. Throw in a few watermelons, oranges, apples, plums, and pears, and your next trip to the dentist for a cleaning will be a breeze.

November 30, 2008: Florence Nightengale, as most people know, was a dentist, not a nurse. But in the Crimean War, which took place in 1854 (right around the time Denver was forming), she passed out toothbrushes to the soldiers.

November 15, 2008: Lights designed for dentists were developed in the late 1800s. A London dentist (not one in Denver, Colorado, alas) wisely sugggested that lamps be attached to the dental chair so that patients wouldn't have to hold them. Today, hundreds of years later, we, as cosmetic dentists in Denver, benefit from today's superior lighting, which shows every nuance needed to create beautiful smiles.

November 1, 2008: In 1770, cosmetic dentists everywhere rejoiced, maybe even in Denver, Colorado (which wouldn't become an incorporated city for another 100 years) when the toothbrush was invented. William Addis is credited with boring holes into the end of a small bone and gluing tufted bristles to them.

October 15, 2008: Cosmetic dentistry...from Denver, Colorado to ancient Greece...teeth were attracting attention way back when, even though there weren't any cosmetic dentists around at the time. Hippocrates' writings contain numerous references to teeth and their maladies. If he lived in contemporary times, who knows, the great physican and "founder of medicine" might even have chosen to moonlight as a cosmetic dentist!

October 1, 2008: Just ask any cosmetic dentist in Denver about one of the most powerful muscles in the human body…the human jaw averages 300 pounds per square inch of biting force, or 68,000 pounds on the tip of a cusp. That’s a lot of force for cosmetic dentistry materials and implant dentistry materials to withstand. Thankfully, today’s advanced dental materials are up to the task!

September 15, 2008: Cosmetic dentists who are historians speculate that George Washington’s cumbersome dentures may have caused his later deafness. His false teeth were made from hippopotamus, walrus, and cow teeth. Our first president would be happy to hear that today’s implant dentistry in Denver and cosmetic dentistry restorations in Denver are a drastic improvement over their nineteenth-century counterparts.

September 1, 2008: Queen Elizabeth of England (who reigned from 1560-1590) was known for her “yellow and black” teeth, due, in large part, to the bag of sweets she always carried on her belt. If she were alive today, we’d recommend she visit our Denver dental practice for teeth whitening, cosmetic dentistry, and implant dentistry for her missing teeth. We might even suggest that she cut back on her sweets, or at least brush after each sugary snack! Given the “yellow and black,” either Queen Elizabeth didn’t have a cosmetic dentist back in those long ago times, or she didn’t listen to her cosmetic dentist