Dr. James Olsen DDS: Super High Tech Dentistry With a Personal Touch

Dr. James Olsen is a self-professed gadget guy. 

It is not surprising then, that his interest in technology has taken his dental practice to brand new heights, higher than even he imagined a decade ago. 

“It’s carried over into my work and has led to great discovery as to what we can do for people,” he said.

He was the first dentist to go to digital x-rays fifteen years ago, and even that seems old school compared to what he is accomplishing today. For the last three years, Olsen has invested time and money training himself and his team in the core curriculum studies at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies.

“We take time away, so when we come back we can be better,” Olsen said.

In addition to his general dentistry and cosmetic work, he now has a team specialized in neuromuscular dentistry which includes full mouth reconstruction, headache treatment and temporomandibular joint disorder treatment.

In the back of his remodeled office is a consulting room for patients. It is calming and quiet with a corner fireplace and comfortable seating, married with super high tech flat screens, a computer and diagnostic equipment. He has a machine called a K-7, that helps him see eight different muscles surrounding a client’s face, and how the movement of the jaw effects these muscles. 

“It helps us find the happy place for your muscles, so we know where the muscles are most comfortable.”  

Olsen is one of only 500 dentists in the country using this technology.

As he explained it, the wrong jaw placement can cause a chain reaction to muscles in the head and neck, often resulting in chronic headaches. Once the jaw can be placed in a way that gives relief to those muscles, headache and TMJ sufferers get relief. He does this with the use of custom designed orthotics. Unlike appliances that give relief to symptoms, like a bite splint, treatments are made to help the patients long term. 

“As long as we‘re having you put things in your mouth,” Olsen said, “let‘s fix the problem.” 

Olsen said he's getting results.

“We’ve had patients who have been suffering with headaches for twenty years that find relief,” Olsen said. 

He also is happy to work with a team of expert chiropractors, massage therapists and physical therapists.  “Its been really gratifying,” Olsen said.

In today’s dentistry, a remarkable amount of work can be done in very little time.

“The things we used to do, that was all we knew,” Olsen said. “What we are able to do now is rebuild every tooth in one visit.”

Fancy gadgetry and computerized systems don’t take away from the personal touch in the office. The staff is like a family, and treats patients the same way. Olsen doesn’t believe in pressuring patients to do something they don’t want, especially in today’s economy. 

“No responsible practitioner tells a patient what they must do,” he said. “There are always choices to do some things, or to do nothing at all.” 

Olsen is always available for patients. He has an after-hours answering service, but takes it a step further for patients in trouble.

“If I know a patient is having issues, I make sure they have my cell number,” Olsen said.

Olsen’s office is extremely family friendly, relaxed and comfortable, he doesn’t even wear a white coat. The lobby is equipped with three flat screen televisions, complete with gaming systems and movies for kids. There is a soothing fountain in the entryway next to the coffee and refreshment bar. 

The piece de resistance for many a worried parent or tense patient, however, is the massage chair in the relaxation room. This is a room, complete with privacy curtains, dim lighting, music, and an enormous, leather, state of the art massage chair to help soothe anxieties, or just give visitors some well deserved down time while they wait.

The offices of Dr. James Olsen are located at 3400 Travis Pointe Rd., Suite G, on the Saline and Ann Arbor border. Visit his website, www.jamesolsendds.com or call 734-996-0200 for more information.