Dr. Nicole Dahlkemper: TMJ Therapy and More

For Mount Pleasant dentist Dr. Nicole Dahlkemper, helping others is her top priority. She does so in her practice, Water’s Edge Family Dentistry, in the community and beyond.

Dr. Dahlkemper and her team ensure that every patient who walks into their practice is treated like a member of the family. Water’s Edge Dentistry offers a full array of dental services to improve the health of your mouth and the beauty of your smile. Services range from routine cleanings to full mouth restoration and everything in between. Dr. Dahlkemper provides TMJ therapy with the most advanced nonsurgical techniques and even treats sleep apnea and snoring.

For Dr. Dahlkemper, the love of helping others doesn’t stop in her exam room. She volunteers her time at the local East Cooper Community Outreach Dental Clinic and also travels to various countries abroad to provide dental care. She has been to the Dominican Republic and Ecuador and most recently returned from Peru on a mission trip with Dental Community Fellowship, where her group provided more than 900 dental services in a week.

Hard work is nothing new for Dr. Dahlkemper. She consistently graduated at the top of her class in undergraduate and dental school and was one of the youngest dentists in the nation to receive a fellowship from the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. She was recently awarded a fellowship with the Pierre Fauchard Academy – an international group that recognizes leaders for their contributions to the field of dentistry and to their community.

Yet another thing that sets Dr. Dahlkemper apart from others in her field is her advanced education in treating sleep apnea and snoring. After doing a thorough examination of sleep studies, individual patients’ anatomy, jaw and muscles, Dr. Dahlkemper uses a physiological approach to customize an appliance to help patients.

She makes an easy-to-use and comfortable device called MicrO2, which safely alleviates snoring and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. If patients have been diagnosed with sleep apnea or if they snore, the MicrO2 lower jaw advancement device helps them wake up with a better sense of rest and the energy they need to enjoy the day.

Specially trained dentists such as Dr. Dahlkemper play a key role in screening for obstructive sleep apnea. Then, partnering with medical doctors, the MicrO2 is provided to treat those suffering from this disorder.

In her spare time, Dr. Dahlkemper loves the outdoors can be found enjoying activities such as yoga, kayaking and spending time with dogs Kirby, Sully and Ditka. On her trip to Peru, she was especially excited to visit Machu Picchu and climb to the top of Huayna Picchu Mountain.

But it is her love of this community and helping those closest to home that mean the most to her.

“I can’t think of a community I would rather be in. My patients are truly wonderful people who make my job more fun. How could I not love having a business here?” she asked.

By Anne Harris