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Star Dental
Specialty: General Dentist
Location
1490 S Sheridan Blvd
Denver, Colorado 80232
USA
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Contact
Phone: 303-222-1414
Website: https://mystardental.com
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Facebook Pages: https://www.facebook.com/StarDentalDenver/
About
Star Dental is a family, general and emergency dental office in Denver near Lakewood, led by owner and general dentist Florina Menina, DDS. We welcome adults and children for preventive, restorative and urgent care, including dental exams and cleanings, tooth-colored fillings, crowns, root canal treatment, extractions, wisdom-tooth care, dentures and denture repair, gum-disease care, sedation options, and treatment for broken teeth, tooth pain and dental infections.

The office is open seven days a week: Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Walk-ins and same-day visits may be available; calling ahead is recommended because capacity varies. Spanish-speaking team members are available daily. The office offers free onsite parking and wheelchair access.

Star Dental accepts Health First Colorado Medicaid for eligible adults and children and works with many PPO dental plans. Network status, benefits, coverage and authorization requirements are verified for each patient. Our team understands that cost, anxiety, busy schedules and years away from dental care can make returning difficult. We explain findings and options clearly and help patients plan care without judgment. Call 303-222-1414 or visit https://mystardental.com/.
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Been Away From Dental Care? A Practical Way Back

By Star Dental, a Denver general dental practice

There is no deadline after which someone is too far behind for a dental appointment. People step away from care because of cost, fear, work, caregiving, health problems or a difficult earlier experience. Coming back can feel much larger than making one phone call, especially when there may be more than one problem. You should not have to defend the gap in order to receive a respectful examination.

A practical way to restart is to give the first visit a limited job: understand the current condition of your mouth and decide what to do next. You do not have to commit to every possible procedure before you understand the findings.

Choose one goal before the appointment

Write down the main reason you are returning. It might be to understand recurring pain, chew more comfortably, address a broken tooth or find out whether a loose denture can be improved. Tell the scheduling team about pain, swelling or an injury because that may require a different appointment from a comprehensive examination.

Bring an accurate medication list, health conditions, allergies, insurance or Medicaid information and recent records if they are available. The American Dental Association notes that a current health history is essential before diagnosis or treatment because health conditions and medications can affect dental decisions.

Know what information the dentist needs

The dentist may examine the teeth, gums, bite and areas that concern you. X-rays should be selected for the individual, not ordered automatically just because it has been a long time. Current symptoms, the clinical examination, disease risk, age and available prior images all help determine which views are useful.

Ask the dentist to explain findings in everyday language. A simple written table can help: list the problem, the proposed response, why it is recommended and when it should happen. That format can become a phased care plan showing what is time-sensitive, what should be addressed in the near term and what can be monitored. It also gives you something concrete to use when planning work, transportation and cost.

Removal and replacement are separate decisions

If an extraction is recommended, ask what diagnosis supports removal and whether the tooth has a reasonable restorative option. An examination may show that a severely damaged tooth cannot be predictably restored, but a long absence alone is not a reason to remove it. Some cases may require referral or additional information before a final decision.

If several teeth are missing or cannot be retained, dentures may be one replacement option. Immediate dentures require advance planning and may be placed when teeth are removed in selected cases. Conventional dentures are usually made after tissues have healed. Healing changes the shape of the mouth, so follow-up adjustments, a reline or a later remake may be necessary. Ask what is included after delivery and whether there will be a period without a final appliance.

Leave with the next decision, not more confusion

Request a written estimate after the dentist identifies the recommended care. Insurance or Medicaid rules, prior authorization and available benefits may affect timing and patient responsibility, but they do not replace a clinical diagnosis.

Before calling, review Star Dental's new-patient visit information. Let the office know if dental anxiety or a past experience affects how you want explanations delivered. Restarting care can be as modest as learning what is happening and choosing the next decision you feel ready to make.

Source note: Prepared for community education, not personalized dental advice. Background reviewed August 22, 2026: American Dental Association medical and dental history guidance, https://www.ada.org/resources/practice/practice-management/medical-dental-health-history; ADA radiography guidance, https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/x-rays-radiographs; and ADA patient information on dentures, https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/dentures

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A Dental Emergency at Home: First Steps for Denver Families

By Star Dental, a Denver general dental practice

A toothache that wakes a child at night, a broken tooth after a fall or sudden facial swelling can make it hard to think clearly. The first goal is not to diagnose the problem at home. It is to protect the person, avoid steps that can cause more harm and reach the right level of care.

Call before driving when you can

Call a dental office promptly and explain the patient's age, what happened, when it started, where the pain is located and whether there is swelling, fever or bleeding. If an injury is involved, say whether there was a head impact, loss of consciousness, vomiting or concern about the jaw. Calling first lets the team assess urgency and explain current appointment availability. It does not guarantee that treatment can be completed during the first visit.

Safe first steps for common problems

  • Toothache: Rinse gently with warm water. Floss carefully if food may be caught between the teeth. Do not place aspirin on the tooth or gums because it can injure the tissue.
  • Broken or chipped tooth: Rinse the mouth with water, use a cold compress on the outside of the face and save any pieces you can find. Do not use household glue on a tooth or crown.
  • Knocked-out permanent tooth: Pick it up by the white crown, not the root. Do not scrub it. If you are sure it is a permanent tooth and it can be placed back without force, gently return it to the socket. Otherwise, keep it moist in milk or a tooth-preservation product and seek dental care immediately.
  • Knocked-out baby tooth: Do not put it back in the socket. Replanting a primary tooth can harm the developing permanent tooth. Call a dentist promptly for an examination.
  • Bleeding: Apply steady, gentle pressure with clean gauze. Bleeding that will not stop needs emergency attention.

Know when the hospital comes first

Call 911 or go to an emergency department for trouble breathing or swallowing, rapidly spreading swelling that may affect the airway or eye, uncontrolled bleeding, serious facial or jaw trauma, loss of consciousness or other signs of a major head injury. A hospital can address immediate medical risks. Dental follow-up may still be needed to treat the tooth or source of infection.

Severe tooth pain, a localized abscess, a lost filling, a cracked tooth and most tooth injuries usually need prompt evaluation by a dentist. An examination and appropriate imaging help determine whether the next step is a repair, infection treatment, root canal, extraction, temporary protection or referral. Antibiotics may be appropriate in some cases, but they do not replace treatment of the source.

Denver families can keep this emergency dental care guide available for practical instructions and current contact information.

Source note: This educational article was reviewed against emergency guidance from the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for an examination. Sources reviewed August 22, 2026: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/dental-care/dental-emergencies; https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/e_iadt-avulsion25.pdf; and https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science/evidence-based-dental-research/antibiotics-for-dental-pain-and-swelling/

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What Colorado Adults Should Know About the New 2026 Medicaid Dental Limit

By Star Dental, a Denver general dental practice

Colorado adults who use Health First Colorado have a new number to know before planning dental care. On July 1, 2026, the program began applying a $3,000 dental benefit limit to adult members age 21 and older. The benefit year runs from July 1 through June 30, rather than January through December.

The change is important, but the number alone does not tell a member what a particular visit will cost or whether a procedure will be approved. A service still has to be covered under current program rules. Clinical need, frequency limits, prior authorization, treatment history, active eligibility and provider participation can all affect the final coverage decision.

The change in plain language

DentaQuest's official member notice says that covered adult services such as exams, X-rays, cleanings, fillings, deep cleanings, root canals and many extractions generally count toward the $3,000 limit. Once a member reaches the limit, other services subject to it are not covered until a new benefit year begins. The notice also says that the covered-service list and service-frequency rules did not change just because the dollar limit returned.

This is a benefit limit, not a promise that every listed procedure will be covered. It is also not a cash balance paid to the member. The dental office bills the program for covered care, and DentaQuest applies current rules when processing authorization requests and claims.

Two important exceptions

DentaQuest states that emergency treatment and covered dentures are not subject to the adult $3,000 limit. Those exceptions do not make either category automatic. A dentist must still diagnose the condition, and eligibility, documentation, prior authorization, frequency and replacement rules may apply. Routine extractions should not be described as exempt unless DentaQuest classifies the actual service as emergency treatment under program rules.

Questions to ask before treatment

  • Is my Health First Colorado enrollment active for the appointment date?
  • Is this dentist and office location participating for my plan?
  • How much of my current adult benefit remains?
  • Does the recommended service require prior authorization or meet a frequency limit?
  • If I need several procedures, which concerns should be treated first?
Members can review Star Dental's 2026 Colorado Medicaid dental coverage guide before calling an office or DentaQuest. Bring current member information, a medication list and any recent dental records to the visit. Ask for a written treatment plan and a service-by-service benefits review before agreeing to non-emergency care. Keep authorization notices and benefit explanations with your personal records.

Source note: Benefit information was checked on August 22, 2026 against DentaQuest's "Change to Adult Benefit Limit" notice and Colorado provider resources. Rules can change, and only Health First Colorado and DentaQuest can make a member-specific coverage decision. Official notice: https://www.dentaquest.com/content/dam/dentaquest/en/members/colorado/co-health-first-adult-dental-benefit-change.pdf.coredownload.inline.pdf

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