May M. Chang DDS, PC

12/18/2023

Please consider helping out this young couple with their medical bills this holiday season. This kind family has been patients of mine for over 25 years. The Oregonian did a story on this young woman who went into cardiac arrest a day after her wedding on her way to her honeymoon. Turned out she had a rare form of a genetic disease. Thanks for reading .

http://spot.fund/b68vtsc

Sara Seeley’s sister has launched a fundraiser to help the newlyweds.

08/18/2023

It was time for me in the dental chair. Always good to be the patient once in awhile. Got myself a beautiful gold onlay for a cracked tooth by Davis Dental Lab and Alex Dahm. Feels great Alex, Pam, and Ryan! Thanks for the awesome work. Ryan Krusee, Alex Dahm

03/17/2023

A little mini unplanned reunion at the office with few of the old Chang gang! Love this photo and the folks in it!💕

03/07/2023

Look who was on Everyday Northwest this morning on National Dentist Day! Dr. Dahm did great!!

In honor of National Dentist Day on March 6, Dr. Alexandra Dahm of Haven Dental PDX is sharing oral hygiene tips for “smiles that last a lifetime.”

03/05/2023

Not really a lunch in Portland but a day in the office. This memory surprisingly popped up on my iPhone today. Pretty happy with how this turned out. Senior dental student who wanted gold inlays to replace his larger composites. April 2022

02/24/2023

Two fun weekends with these enthusiastic young dentists learning excellence through the Conservative Tucker Gold technique. Thank you to Davis Dental Lab for their donation of waxing and casting these beautiful gold restorations. We prepped various Tucker preparations and learned the finishing technique on cementation on mounted extracted teeth. So impressed with their hand skills and wanting to learn this discipline. Dr. Valerie Truhan, Dr. Gretchen Harris, Dr. Alexandra Dahm, Dr. Ryan Johnson, Dr. Celina Lee

12/17/2022

12/08/2022

We are so grateful for our loyal patients! Darlene is one of our favorite patients and has been a patient at our office for over 63 years with Dr. Poulson, Dr. Chang and now Dr. Dahm! Unfortunately we took this photo after Darlene's dental appointment and her smile is a bit droopy because she always usually has a beautiful smile on her face.

10/21/2022

I'm delighted to announce I have turned my practice over to the hands of Dr. Alexandra Dahm. Our new practice name will be Haven Dental PDX. Please check out our new website at havendentalpdx.com for more information. Below is a letter from Dr. Dahm to our patients. Please meet Dr. Alexandra Dahm and her husband Andy Carper and their dog, Otter!

To Our Patients and Friends,
When I moved to Oregon from Ohio in 2020, I was not only looking to find a home in the place that I live, but I was also looking to find a home in the place I work. I feel so lucky and grateful that I was able to find that with Dr. May Chang. Since the day I walked in the door, you, the patients, the team, and Dr. Chang all welcomed me with open arms and trusting hearts. I attribute that trust to the trust you all have in Dr. Chang. Rightly so—she is simply the best. She has created a standard of excellence in this office with a focus on prevention and long-lasting healthy dentistry. This is the legacy that I feel so honored and excited to continue.
As the new practice owner, I hope to continue to earn your trust in our office. Your goals, desires, comfort, and the preservation of your teeth and smiles will always be my top priority. I will continue to learn and grow as a provider so that I can provide you with the best dentistry possible. I have and will continue to invest in the continuing education of myself, the team, and you!
When I think of the legacy that Dr. Chang has created and the goal that I share for how I want to practice dentistry I think of the word safety. Preventative dentistry, minimally invasive dentistry, dentistry that focuses on whole health is, all-in-all, safe dentistry. Our office is not only a reflection of me, or Dr. Chang, but of the whole team as well as the patients we attract. I want our office to feel like a place of safety and refuge in this time of uncertainty and volatility. That is why I have chosen to rename our office “Haven Dental PDX” and I would like to share my mission statement for Haven Dental PDX:
Our mission is to assist our patients in achieving smiles that last a lifetime. We practice health-conscious dentistry in a friendly and inviting environment that is safe for all, while equipping everyone involved with the tools necessary to achieve smiles that last through education, empowerment, and prevention. We want to enrich our community and have fun while doing it!
Thank you for continuing on this journey with me. You will continue to see many familiar faces, as well as some new ones at our office. I feel lucky that I will be able to continue working with Dr. Chang 1-2 days a week for the foreseeable future. When I’m not at the office, you’ll find me spending time out in the beautiful scenery of Oregon, hiking, camping, paddling, or walking my dog with my husband or partaking in all the delicious cuisines that Portland has to offer. We really do live in such an amazing place and I’m so happy to have found my home!

Sincerely,

Dr. Alexandra Dahm DDS

08/11/2022

Why Gold?

We have many patients ask us why we still choose gold restorations over white restorations. White restorations are “tooth colored” and why would anyone want something that doesn’t blend with their tooth? We wanted to take the opportunity to share with you why we love gold so much and why most dentists, assistants, and hygienists, when given the choice, would choose an esthetic gold restoration over a porcelain crown any day. Did we just say ESTHETIC GOLD RESTORATION? YES - we love gold because it can be highly esthetic if prepared in the right way! SO WHY GOLD?!
1. GOLD IS STRONG. Gold will not break in the mouth - unlike many other porcelain restorative materials which are closer to glass than metal, gold is a malleable metal that interacts in our mouth similar to our natural tooth structure.

2. GOLD allows us to conserve more tooth structure. With gold - we have the ability to treat each tooth individually and prepare a restoration that retains as much of your actual tooth as possible. We think tooth structure is precious and hope that you do too!

3. GOLD IS AESTHETIC! We can prepare gold restorations on many teeth so that you don’t see the restorations when you smile. See photos below!

4. Gold is kind to the opposing tooth - Gold is malleable (a soft metal) that will not do any damage or wear to the tooth it is biting against.

5. Gold margins that are finished with a “Tucker polish” are the best margins you can have in dentistry - the margin is where the tooth meets up with our dental restorative materials. Margins that are undetectable and highly polished will not accumulate plaque and are less likely to get another cavity.

6. Gold restorations have amazing longevity. The combination of amazing margins, antimicrobial properties of metal, and conservation of tooth structure allow gold restorations that are done well to last 20, 30, 50, and even 60 years in people’s mouths. Unfortunately, no other dental materials on the market have that kind of track record.

7. Gold means CUSTOM, CRAFT dentistry. Our doctors are members of the Tucker Gold Study Club. This study club was founded by R.V. Tucker to train dentists in the pursuit of excellence. What we do is not “usual or customary.” It is rare to find dentists who are not driven by lower costs, efficiency, and ease of use. Our office is driven by conserving tooth structure, teaching preventative care, and making restorations that will last. All of the tools and methods we choose are with that in mind. Technology has propelled us forward, but that does not always equate to better dentistry:

1. Imagine you have a crown placed when you are 30. Most dentists are preparing full coverage crowns that whittles your tooth down to a small stub. (We are not against full crowns - we just don’t believe in “one size fits all”). That porcelain crown can break in 5,10,15 years and then you must have the tooth re-done, and more than likely more tooth structure will be taken away. What will that tooth look like at 90? Will it even still be there? Maybe not.

2. Imagine you had a conservative gold restoration placed at 30 years old. You retain more of your actual tooth and the gold restoration will not break. It can and will be there in 10, 20, and even 50-60 years if you take care of your teeth and follow our recommendations. You will end up spending less on that tooth and conserving more of your precious tooth structure by choosing gold. So, we hope you do!

See pictures below of the beautiful gold dentistry performed by Dr. May Chang.

If you have some of these gold restorations in your mouth, please tell us what your experience is with these restorations.