You’ve been to the dentist, had your teeth cleaned, your cavities filled, your crowns placed. Yet, something still feels off. Maybe your jaw aches in the morning, your teeth feel sensitive, or a filling feels loose. You’ve been told everything looks fine, but you know it isn’t.
At Revive Dental & Implant Center in Charleston, West Virginia, we hear this story all the time. Patients come to us after years of seeing general dentists, wondering why their problems never seem to get solved. Sometimes the answer is simple. The issue wasn’t the teeth, it was the system they’re part of.
Dr. Chad Boustany is a Prosthodontist. That means he completed three additional years of training beyond dental school, focused on how teeth, gums, jaw joints, and facial structures work together. His practice combines preventive care, surgical, restorative dentistry, and laboratory care.
Here’s what a Prosthodontist looks for that a general dentist might miss, and why it matters for your long-term oral health.
The Problem With Looking at Teeth in Isolation
Most dental visits focus on individual teeth. Is there a cavity? Is there a crack? Does this tooth need a filling or a crown? Those are important questions, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Your teeth don’t work alone. They work as part of a system that includes your jaw joints, muscles, bite, and facial structure. When that system is out of balance, problems show up in ways that don’t always point back to the real cause.
A worn tooth, for example, might not be a tooth problem. It might be a bite problem. A loose crown might not be a crown problem. It might be a grinding problem. Aching jaw muscles might not be a muscle problem. They might signal a misaligned bite.
A Prosthodontist is trained to look at the whole system. That’s the difference.
What Dr. Boustany Looks For
When Dr. Boustany examines a patient, he doesn’t just check for cavities and send them on their way. He’s evaluating how everything works together, such as:
- Bite Alignment: How do your upper and lower teeth meet? Is the contact even? Are there areas where your teeth hit too hard or not at all? Bite problems can cause wear, sensitivity, and jaw pain over time.
- Jaw Joint Function: Your temporomandibular joints (TMJs) connect your jaw to your skull. If they don’t function properly, you may experience clicking, popping, pain, headaches, and difficulty opening or closing your mouth. Dr. Boustany is trained to evaluate TMJ function and recommend treatment when needed.
- Wear Patterns: Teeth wear down over time. Some wear is normal. But if you notice uneven wear, flattened surfaces, or chips along the edges of your teeth, that may signal a bite problem or a grinding habit. Catching it early can prevent bigger problems later.
- Muscle Tension: The muscles in your jaw and face play a big role in how your bite functions. If those muscles are overactive, they can cause tension, pain, and tooth wear.
- Restoration History: If you’ve had dental work before, Dr. Boustany will evaluate how it’s holding up. Are your crowns fitting properly? Are your fillings intact? Is your bridge stable? If something isn’t working, he’ll figure out why.
This is the kind of evaluation that Prosthodontists are trained to do. It’s not that general dentists can’t do it. Prosthodontists have spent years studying it specifically.
Why This Matters for Charleston Patients
West Virginia has one of the highest rates of tooth loss in the country. That’s not a statistic we’re proud of, but it’s our reality. It means patients here have complex dental needs that require more than routine care.
Dr. Boustany came back to Charleston for exactly this reason. He grew up here. He earned his undergraduate degree, dental degree, and prosthodontic residency at WVU. Dr. Boustany spent years running one of Colorado’s leading implant centers in Denver. But he felt called to come home.
Since opening Revive Dental & Implant Center in 2020, Dr. Boustany has focused on helping patients with complex tooth replacement needs. He offers dental implants, All-on-4, complete fixed bridges, overdentures, and full-mouth reconstruction. He also provides routine care for patients who want a specialist to oversee their dental health from the start.
That’s the model. You don’t have to wait for something to go wrong to see a specialist. You can see one from the beginning.
What Patients Notice
Patients who come to Revive after years with a general dentist often notice a few things:
- More Thorough Exams: Dr. Boustany takes the time to evaluate the whole system, not just individual teeth. Patients tell us they’ve never had an exam this comprehensive.
- Clearer Explanations: He explains what he sees, what it means, and your options. You won’t leave confused about your treatment plan.
- Fewer Referrals: Because the practice has surgical, restorative, and laboratory departments under one roof, you don’t get sent to multiple offices for different treatments. Everything happens in one place.
- Longer-lasting Results: When restorations are designed around a balanced bite and a healthy system, they last longer.
Serving Charleston and the Tri-State
Revive Dental & Implant Center is at 4803 MacCorkle Ave in Charleston, WV. Dr. Boustany welcomes patients from Charleston, Huntington, Teays Valley, Hurricane, Winfield, Beckley, Logan, and the broader WV-OH-KY tri-state area.
If you’ve been dealing with dental problems that never seem to resolve, or if you’re looking for a dentist who sees the whole picture, we’d love to talk. Call us at 304-396-6658 or request an appointment online. We’ll take the time to understand what’s going on and help you figure out the best path forward.