House Dental

House Dental Dr. Allison House has been practicing for 26 years. She loves patients and dentistry is her passion! Allison House has been practicing for 14 years.

She is diligent about keeping up to date with many continuing education classes including at the prestigious Pankey Institute and at the world class Spears Education Center. This ensures that her patients receive the most comprehensive and advanced dental care available. Dr. House is the President of the Arizona Dental Association, a delegate to the American Dental Association, and a Board member

for the Arizona Cactus Pine Girl Scout Council. She volunteers for the Murphy Dental Clinic, for Christina Smiles, and for the Mission of Mercy. These are all nonprofit organizations that do charitable dentistry.

07/16/2025

Dear Dr. House,
My dentist found another cavity today! I have had at least one cavity, sometimes more, at every visit for the last few years .
I brush and floss just like I have always done. I haven’t had cavities in a decade and now this!
Am I paying for his son to go to college or what?
Tooth Decayed

Dear Tooth Decayed,
I hear your frustration. It’s time to dig in and find out what is really going on with your mouth.
Here are some of my thoughts :

1. The mouth is a really a window into the body. We often see health issues show up in the mouth before they show up in the body. New cavities can be a sign of a metabolic disease like diabetes. They can also be a sign of chronic acid reflux ( also called heart burn) which is a serious condition if it happens often. We also notice an increase in cavities when someone has a sleep disorder or chronic allergies.
Go see your primary care physician and have some blood work done to rule out any serious underlying conditions .

2. A dry mouth can lead to an increase in cavities . There are many medications that have a side effect of drying out the mouth. It is worth checking on the side effects of any medications you are taking .
You can’t stop taking medication, but you can drink more water or use over the counter aids like biotene to help moisturize your mouth.

3. Acidic drinks can cause an increase in cavities. Juices, sodas, and sports drinks are shockingly acidic. Alcohol and kombucha are also acidic. Coffee and tea are less acidic, but the sweeteners that we add to them also cause cavities .
Water is really the best choice of drink!

4. Finally, you may have to add something to your normal brushing and flossing routine. The mouth ages just like every other part of our bodies and we have to continue to update our habits to keep ourselves young. I have noticed that I can’t eat as much anymore without gaining weight and I have to lotion my hands and feet, when I never did that before!

I hope this answer gives you somewhere to start!

05/21/2025

Dear Dr. House,

I need a root canal and I am terrified! The last root canal I had was 20 years ago and it was just awful! Then I lost that tooth anyway. The tooth only really hurts at night. I just take Advil and the pain goes away.

Terrified

Dear Terrified,

I hear you. Dental work can be scary because, unlike surgeries on other parts of your body, you are awake for dental procedures! Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Leaving an infection in your body is not a good choice. The infection may be contained around your tooth right now, but at some point it will spread and that will make you very sick. I have had a few patients hospitalized because of chronic tooth infection. It's important to take care of this tooth.

2. Root canal technology, like all medical technology, has changed and improved drastically. The root canal procedure will be very different and better today. There are dentists, called endodontists, who don't do anything but root canals. They are amazing! Also, you can always request to be sedated for the procedure so you don't experience anything at all!

3. The other option is to pull the tooth. That is a perfectly acceptable choice. However, replacing a missing tooth can be costly.

4. Please don't take Advil every night. Chronic use of Advil can lead to stomach ulcers and kidney damage.

I hope I encouraged you to take care of this tooth! I know it's scary, but you are important and your health matters. You want to enjoy the good things in life like eating chocolate and sleeping soundly!

Dr. H

04/29/2025

Dear Dr. House,
My new dentist is bugging me about having my teeth straightened. I am 60 years old! Why would I bother with braces now? Is she just money hungry?
Sincerely,
My teeth are fine, thank you

Dear My teeth are fine, thank you,
Without seeing your teeth and your x-rays, I can't tell you exactly why your dentist thinks you need your teeth straightened. I can give you some insight as to why dentists are talking about this more and more to their patients.

1. Aligning your teeth is not just about how they look. It allows us to create balance by making all your teeth touch at the same time when you bite. Your teeth then wear evenly and one tooth doesn't break because it always touches first and hard.

2. It is much easier to floss and brush teeth that are not overlapped. Sometimes a gum issue is caused because you can't clean in between your teeth with how they are aligned.

3. We are noticing that some food allergies and digestive issues are caused because patients can't chew their food thoroughly with their current alignment. If your teeth have always been misaligned, you may not even notice that you can't chew your food properly because this is your normal.

4. We are noticing that many patients with sleep apnea, depression, and ADHD have narrow mouths. Their tongues are crowded because of the alignment of their teeth. Moving the teeth can allow the tongue more room and that makes it easier to breath at night. Good sleep solves so many issues with mental health!

5. Finally, a confident smile can actually make you feel happier because smiling causes a reaction in your brain that makes you think you are happy.

Talk to your dentist about why they want to straighten your teeth so you can make an informed decision.

And, especially as I get older, 60 doesn't sound very old to me!

Dr. H

03/04/2025

Dear Dr. House,
My dentist says I need implants. Back story- I lost a back molar last year and now my dentist says I need to do the implant. You can't see that I am missing a tooth. I don't miss the tooth and an implant is expensive. Plus, I am afraid of pain. Do I really need to do this?
No Implants Please

Dear No Implants Please:
I hate to say this, but the answer depends on a number of factors. I will share some of my thoughts with the hopes that it will help you talk to your dentist about options.

1. Your age and medical history are important factors. If you are 92, you don't need to replace any teeth you don't miss! If you are 32, it might be worth doing. I say this because when you lose a tooth, the force that you chew with goes from being spread out over 28 teeth ( the average person doesn't have their 4 wisdom teeth) to being spread out over 27 teeth. Over the course of 30-40 years, that becomes a lot of extra force on the remaining teeth.
Also, bone is lost once a tooth is removed and it continues to disappear over time. An implant will keep the bone from disappearing. Again, this is important for a younger person.

2. Which tooth makes a big difference. Some people don't miss a second molar ( the last tooth in the back). The remaining teeth will move around once any tooth is removed, but a second molar loss isn't as bothersome as the loss of other teeth. The teeth moving can cause bite issues and places where food get trapped.

3. Fear of pain. When I was a kid my friend's dad injured his shoulder playing racquetball. So he stopped playing racquetball. Today he would have had his shoulder replaced and then played racquetball again. Our definition of walking through a surgery and the discomfort that comes with it has changed because we want (and expect) a certain level of function and quality in our lives now. Don't let the fear scare you from doing something important.

Finally, there are other options to replace a missing tooth. There are bridges and partial dentures that can replace teeth- just be aware those options aren't as convenient as an implant. Talk to your dentist about what makes sense for you.

The office has been in this location for 12 years. (We were in the AJ’s plaza for 10 years prior!)Lots of things change,...
05/15/2024

The office has been in this location for 12 years. (We were in the AJ’s plaza for 10 years prior!)
Lots of things change, lots of things stay the same!
Twenty two years later- still love it!

With the talented Morgan Swanger 💪🏼
04/12/2024

With the talented Morgan Swanger 💪🏼

03/13/2024

My office is closed for spring break this week.
It seems the phone system will only tell people this if they call after hours!
So very sorry for the inconvenience . I will be finding a new service next Monday !🤦‍♀️

Address

3133 E Camelback Road, Ste 190
Phoenix, AZ
85016

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 4pm
Wednesday 7am - 4pm
Thursday 7am - 2pm

Telephone

+16029574576

Website

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