For residents of Stephenville, Texas, maintaining excellent oral health means having a trusted partner in the community. Dental Excellence – Stephenville, led by Dr. Stephen LaDuque, has built a reputation for providing comprehensive dental care that serves families throughout the area. Located at 132 Alexander Road, the practice combines clinical expertise with a genuine commitment to patient wellbeing. Dr. LaDuque and his team focus on creating lasting relationships with their patients while delivering the quality care that keeps smiles healthy for years to come.
Why We Love Practicing in Stephenville
Founded in 1854 and named after John M. Stephen, one of the area’s earliest settlers, Stephenville, Texas has deep roots in ranching and agriculture. The city earned its nickname “The Cowboy Capital of the World” due to its rich Western heritage and the number of professional rodeo cowboys who have called it home. In 1889, Tarleton State University was established here, originally as a private institution before becoming part of the Texas A&M University System, forever shaping the community’s educational and cultural landscape.
Today, Stephenville is a thriving city of approximately 21,000 residents that perfectly blends small-town charm with modern amenities. The presence of Tarleton State University brings youthful energy, cultural events, and educational opportunities to the community. The city serves as the Erath County seat and continues to honor its Western traditions through annual events and celebrations.
What makes Stephenville truly special is its strong sense of community and genuine Texas hospitality, where neighbors still know each other by name and families can enjoy a quality of life that honors tradition while embracing progress.
Stephenville City Park near Dental Excellence – Stephenville
While many visitors enjoy Stephenville City Park’s modern amenities today, few realize that the original “Stephenville State Park” from the 1930s was actually a separate location entirely—a Civilian Conservation Corps project north of town that featured stunning limestone pavilions and rustic structures before returning to private ranch land in 1942. Today’s Stephenville City Park at 800 South Graham Avenue stands as the community’s beloved municipal green space, earning an impressive 4.5-star rating from 870 users who appreciate its family-friendly atmosphere.
You’ll find this popular Stephenville gathering spot offers everything you need for a relaxing afternoon outdoors—playgrounds for the kids, shaded picnic areas perfect for family meals, and plenty of open green spaces for tossing a frisbee or simply unwinding. Its convenient location on South Graham Avenue makes it easily accessible for residents throughout the south side of town, continuing the community-focused tradition that dates back to 1854 when founder John M. Stephen first donated land for public spaces.
The park reflects Stephenville’s commitment to providing quality recreational spaces for its growing community, serving as a neighborhood hub where families gather and kids can play safely. Its consistently high ratings speak to the thoughtful maintenance and welcoming environment that keeps visitors coming back season after season.
After spending time outdoors at the park, you might work up quite an appetite—just remember that while enjoying those picnic snacks is part of the fun, maintaining your smile with regular dental care keeps you ready for many more park visits to come. Our team at Dental Excellence – Stephenville, just a short drive away at 132 Alexander Road, is here to help keep your whole family smiling bright.
Meet Their Dentist
At Dental Excellence – Stephenville, the team is dedicated to providing comprehensive, patient-centered care that goes beyond traditional dentistry to support whole-body wellness. With a welcoming atmosphere and a commitment to integrating modern dental techniques with holistic health approaches, they strive to help every patient achieve optimal oral health and overall well-being.
Dr. Stephen LaDuque: With over 20 years of experience in general dentistry and 15+ years specializing in orthodontics, Dr. LaDuque takes a comprehensive, wellness-driven approach that integrates airway health, sleep solutions, and holistic care to support his patients’ overall body health. His expertise spans orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign, braces, myofunctional orthodontics, and sleep apnea treatment, allowing him to provide transformative care for patients of all ages.
Comprehensive Dental Services in Stephenville
Dental Excellence – Stephenville is committed to providing exceptional dental care for patients of all ages at their convenient location on 132 Alexander Road. The practice offers a comprehensive range of services designed to maintain, restore, and enhance oral health while focusing on each patient’s overall wellness and comfort.
The foundation of care at Dental Excellence begins with general and family dentistry services that keep smiles healthy throughout every stage of life. Preventive and routine care helps patients avoid dental problems before they start, while family dentistry ensures that both children and adults receive age-appropriate treatments in a comfortable environment. These essential services form the basis for long-term oral health and establish positive dental experiences for the entire family.
When dental issues arise or teeth become damaged, the practice provides restorative dentistry solutions to bring back function and appearance. One-day crowns offer the convenience of restoring damaged teeth in a single visit, eliminating the need for temporary crowns and multiple appointments. For patients missing teeth, dentures provide a reliable solution to restore their ability to eat, speak, and smile confidently. The practice also performs wisdom teeth removal when these third molars cause pain, crowding, or other complications.
For patients seeking to enhance their smile’s appearance, Dental Excellence offers a variety of cosmetic dentistry options. Teeth whitening treatments brighten discolored or stained teeth, helping patients achieve a more youthful and vibrant smile. Porcelain veneers can transform teeth that are chipped, misaligned, or irregularly shaped by covering them with thin, custom-made shells that look completely natural. For more comprehensive aesthetic improvements, smile makeovers combine multiple cosmetic treatments to address all aspects of a patient’s smile, creating dramatic and harmonious results.
The practice brings over fifteen years of combined orthodontic expertise to straighten teeth and correct bite issues through multiple treatment options. Invisalign clear aligners offer a virtually invisible way to achieve a straighter smile without the appearance of traditional braces, making them particularly popular with adults and teens. For patients who prefer or require traditional orthodontic treatment, the practice provides braces including Fastbraces, which are designed to work more quickly than conventional braces. Myofunctional orthodontics and functional orthodontics address not just tooth alignment but also the underlying muscle patterns and jaw development that affect long-term oral health. Rapid Maxillary Expansion helps widen the upper jaw in growing patients, creating more space for teeth and improving breathing and facial development.
Recognizing the important connection between oral health and overall wellness, Dental Excellence provides specialized services that address whole-body health concerns. Sleep apnea and airway health treatments focus on how dental factors affect breathing during sleep, with oral appliance therapy offering a comfortable alternative to CPAP machines for many patients with obstructive sleep apnea. TMD therapy addresses temporomandibular joint disorders through custom night guards that reduce jaw pain, headaches, and teeth grinding. The practice also offers tongue-tie release procedures to improve speech, eating, and oral function when the tissue connecting the tongue to the mouth floor is too tight.
As a mercury-free office, Dental Excellence provides amalgam filling removal for patients who prefer to replace older metal fillings with alternative restorations that are both safe and aesthetically pleasing. Cone beam CT technology allows for three-dimensional imaging that provides detailed views of teeth, bone, and airways for precise diagnosis and treatment planning. For patients who experience dental anxiety, sedation dentistry options help them receive necessary care in a relaxed and comfortable state. The practice also supports comprehensive wellness through nutritional counseling that addresses how diet affects oral health, oral microbiome testing to understand the bacterial balance in the mouth, and referrals for myofunctional therapy or ENT specialists when additional expertise is needed.
Why Choose Dental Excellence – Stephenville?
Choosing Dental Excellence – Stephenville means selecting a practice that prioritizes both cutting-edge technology and compassionate, patient-centered care. The practice combines state-of-the-art diagnostic tools with a warm, family-friendly approach that puts patients of all ages at ease.
From preventive care to complex restorative treatments, the team utilizes advanced technology to ensure precise diagnoses and effective treatment planning. This commitment to innovation allows for more accurate results and often faster, more comfortable procedures that respect patients’ time and wellbeing.
The practice takes a whole-body wellness approach to dentistry, recognizing that oral health connects deeply to overall health. By focusing on the relationship between dental care and systemic wellness, the team addresses not just immediate concerns but long-term health outcomes for every patient who walks through the door.
With convenient locations in both Stephenville and Eastland, flexible payment options including insurance acceptance and financing through CareCredit, the practice removes barriers to quality dental care. This accessibility ensures families throughout the community can receive the comprehensive, compassionate treatment they deserve.
But What Are Their Patients Saying?
There’s no one who can tell you how great the dentists at Dental Excellence – Stephenville are like their own patients!
“I want to say a big thank you to Dental Excellence Stephenville for their exceptional service. The welcome was warm from start to finish and the entire team was incredibly kind. The hygienists treated me with gentleness and professionalism. You can tell they love their work and genuinely care about the well being of their patients. The dentist was remarkable. He explained every step clearly, answered all my questions and really took his time to reassure me. I felt completely comfortable throughout my visit. This clinic is serious, clean and very caring. I am truly impressed and I highly recommend them.” – Aicha Roberts (5 stars)
“So nice and personable! I’ve lived all across the US and Dr LaDuque and his staff are so thorough and caring, not just about your teeth but your overall health. I really feel like I’ve found my dentist for life here!” – Gabi Sieta (5 stars)
Schedule an Appointment with Them Today!
If you’re ready to take the next step toward better oral health, Dr. Stephen LaDuque and the team at Dental Excellence – Stephenville are here to help. Whether you need a routine cleaning, restorative treatment, or cosmetic improvements, the practice offers comprehensive care tailored to your individual needs. Taking care of your smile doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful.
Ready to get started? Visit the practice’s website or schedule a consultation today. The team in Stephenville looks forward to welcoming you and helping you achieve the healthy, confident smile you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is myofunctional orthodontics and how does it differ from traditional braces?
Myofunctional orthodontics is a specialized approach offered at Dental Excellence – Stephenville that goes beyond simply straightening teeth. Unlike traditional braces that focus primarily on tooth alignment, myofunctional orthodontics addresses the underlying muscle patterns and jaw development that affect long-term oral health. This comprehensive approach considers how tongue position, swallowing patterns, and oral muscle function impact tooth alignment and facial development. The practice also offers functional orthodontics, which similarly focuses on the broader aspects of oral health beyond just moving teeth into proper position. Dr. LaDuque’s expertise in this area, developed over fifteen years of orthodontic specialization, allows him to provide treatment that supports both immediate aesthetic results and lasting functional improvements for patients of all ages.
How does Dental Excellence – Stephenville approach sleep apnea treatment?
Dental Excellence – Stephenville recognizes the important connection between oral health and sleep-related breathing disorders. Dr. LaDuque, with over fifteen years of experience in airway health and sleep solutions, provides specialized treatment for sleep apnea that addresses how dental factors affect breathing during sleep. The practice offers oral appliance therapy as a comfortable alternative to CPAP machines for many patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This approach is part of their whole-body wellness philosophy, which acknowledges that oral health connects deeply to overall health. By utilizing advanced technology like cone beam CT for three-dimensional imaging, the team can get detailed views of airways to precisely diagnose and plan treatment. This comprehensive approach to airway health helps patients not only improve their sleep quality but also their overall wellbeing.
What advantages do one-day crowns offer compared to traditional crown procedures?
One-day crowns at Dental Excellence – Stephenville provide significant convenience advantages over traditional crown procedures. The primary benefit is that patients can have damaged teeth restored in a single visit, eliminating the need for temporary crowns and multiple appointments. Traditional crown procedures typically require at least two visits: one to prepare the tooth and place a temporary crown, and another to fit the permanent crown after it’s been fabricated at an outside laboratory. With one-day crowns, the entire process from preparation to final placement happens in one appointment, saving patients time and reducing the inconvenience of returning for follow-up visits. This advanced restorative dentistry option allows the practice to efficiently restore both function and appearance to damaged teeth while respecting patients’ busy schedules.
Why does Dental Excellence offer amalgam filling removal and what does being a mercury-free office mean?
Dental Excellence – Stephenville is a mercury-free office, which means they do not use traditional amalgam (silver) fillings that contain mercury. For patients who have existing amalgam fillings, the practice provides amalgam filling removal services for those who prefer to replace these older metal fillings with alternative restorations. The replacement options are both safe and aesthetically pleasing, typically matching the natural color of teeth. This service aligns with the practice’s whole-body wellness approach to dentistry, recognizing that some patients have concerns about mercury exposure or simply prefer tooth-colored restorations that blend seamlessly with their natural smile. By offering this service alongside their comprehensive wellness options like oral microbiome testing and nutritional counseling, the practice demonstrates their commitment to addressing both immediate dental concerns and long-term health outcomes for every patient.
What is Rapid Maxillary Expansion and which patients can benefit from it?
Rapid Maxillary Expansion is an orthodontic treatment offered at Dental Excellence – Stephenville that helps widen the upper jaw in growing patients. This procedure creates more space for teeth while also improving breathing and facial development, making it particularly beneficial for children and adolescents whose jaws are still developing. The treatment addresses multiple concerns simultaneously: it can alleviate crowding issues by creating additional room for teeth to properly align, improve nasal breathing by widening the airway, and positively influence overall facial growth patterns. This approach fits within Dr. LaDuque’s comprehensive, wellness-driven philosophy that integrates airway health with orthodontic treatment. By addressing jaw development early, Rapid Maxillary Expansion can sometimes prevent the need for more invasive treatments later and supports better long-term oral and overall health outcomes for young patients.