Dental professional Clayton Cooke known for first-class results

At a young age Clayton Cooke realized he wanted to pursue a career in dentistry. His innate gift of empathizing with patients is likely due to his personal experiences in a dentist’s chair when he was a child.

“It was terrifying,” Cooke said. “I remember how there were four nurses and each one was assigned to holding down an appendage of my body.” It was these experiences that spurred Cooke into becoming a provider of top-notch dentistry techniques and a relationship built on trust with each one of his patients.

Throughout the years, Cooke discovered he did not want to be a common reparative dentist, but rather a provider of unwavering comprehensive care. Reparative dentists, he explained, are dentists who “fix holes and fill cavities.”

Cooke analyzes the entire dental situation of each patient, which includes both function and fit. “People who come to see me are patients who want longevity, want their teeth to last a long time and have cost-effective, lasting and comfortable restorations.” His goal in dentistry is to give his patients an improved appearance with excellent dental function.

Cooke has specialized in these techniques for 31 years and has learned that few people are aware when their bite is off. The study of occlusion examines how well teeth fit together, explained Cooke. “About 80 percent of the adults who come in have bites that are not as good as they can be.”

There are some people who are quite sensitive to how their teeth actually fit together and experience problems due to the lack of a proper fit. These symptoms can underscore Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ), facial muscle disorders, headaches and the clenching and grinding of teeth.

Cooke’s commitment to the field of dentistry is supported by the advance courses he has taken, enabling him to perform a superior job in the areas of occlusion, prosthetics, periodontics, endodontics, restorative and cosmetic dental care.

“Based on my experience and advanced education, I have taken the time to actually search out the very best clinicians in the world,” he said. “The United States has really been the center of cosmetic and advanced dentistry.”

The before and after pictures of patients who have undergone Cooke’s comprehensive and cosmetic care demonstrate nothing short of dental artistic mastery. Most comprehensive care cases can last about 90 days, with two long appointments and a number of short appointments. “We can restore someone’s mouth from a beginning point of disaster to a very fine-finished stage,” he said.

Cooke has a unique, personalized approach with his patients, especially those new to his practice. Prior to any dental work, this dentist holds a preliminary 30- to 45-minute interview and collects a general dental history. Following this meeting, Cooke takes each patient on a swift “mouth tour,” utilizing an intra-oral camera while analyzing the teeth and gums.

“This helps determine the problems and/or areas of concerns,” said Cooke. Likewise, the patient can watch the tour via closed-circuit television. This allows the patient to clearly see areas that might be concerning to the longevity of his or her teeth.

Cooke provides the ultimate care in dentistry, using high-quality materials and equipment. Individuals who have a soaring appreciation for first-class dentistry and want their teeth to last a lifetime quickly realize that Cooke is the dentist for them.

The Fallbrook office of Clayton Cooke, DDS is located at 425 East Alvarado Street, Suite A. He can be reached at (760) 728-5011.