Our team offers preventive dentistry to help protect smiles of all ages, from kids to adults. With these preventive treatments, we can help lower the risk of issues ranging from tooth decay to gum disease. In today’s blog, your Celina, TX, dentist talks about preventive dentistry.
Dental Checkups
Your journey to a healthier smile starts with a preventive checkup visit. When our patients sit down for a dental exam, our team will ask them about their oral hygiene habits and possible symptoms of trouble. We then take a close look at the teeth and gums with digital imaging systems, including digital x-rays and intraoral cameras. With this information, our team will be able to make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy, so we can start treatments for any concerns we discover. From identifying cavities and infections or gingivitis and gum disease, and even conducting oral cancer screenings, these are essential visits.
Traditional and Perio Cleanings
As part of your preventive dental checkup, we will also complete a dental cleaning. The process involves our team removing all plaque and tartar from the teeth with an ultrasonic scaling device, which emits gentle vibrations to remove harmful buildup. We then remove any remaining bits of tartar with a pick. Finally, we polish your teeth to brighten your smile and limit the ability for plaque and tartar to cling to your teeth. This could be essential for fighting tooth decay and preventing periodontal issues!
If you already have gingivitis or the early signs of gum disease, then we could offer a perio cleaning, also known as a scaling and root planing. Using the same tools as our traditional cleaning, we will remove buildup from both the teeth and the roots. We will numb your smile as this is a more involved process, one that could take one visit or multiple sittings. We then polish your teeth and may suggest a traditional cleaning every three to four months afterward to properly manage your gum health.
Children’s Dentistry
Our team also wants to help kids enjoy good oral health too! We will provide a checkup and cleaning for them too. In addition to looking for cavities and gingivitis, we will also make sure baby teeth erupt and fall out as they should, so permanent ones have a clear path to eruption. We can also discuss the importance of good oral hygiene habits, and they can become accustomed to seeing the dentist, so they don’t have denial anxiety as adults.
Ato help prevent cavities, we could offer fluoride treatments that strengthen the outer enamel to make cavities less likely. We apply these treatments as part of the checkup and cleaning visit. We know kids have a difficult time reaching the rear teeth, which allows cavities to form in between the molars. But we can apply dental sealants over the molars, which coats them and prevents food and drink particles from being trapped there, so the risk of cavities is lowered significantly. Applying the sealants only takes a few seconds, and they can provide up to ten years of protection.
Treating Bruxism
Chronic teeth grinding, or bruxism, could cause painful symptoms in the face and jaw, and also wear down and damage teeth too. To stop discomfort and prevent damage to your smile, we can treat bruxism with an oral appliance. The device is custom-made and fitted for your smile, and is worn like a mouthguard while you sleep. Once in place, this shifts the jaw to ease underlying stress and strain, and also puts a soft barrier between your upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage. The device is simple to use and easy to clean and store!
Silver Diamine Fluoride
If you have the early stages of cavities, we can help with Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF). We can apply this to the weakened portions of enamel to prevent the cavity from fully forming, halting discomfort and preventing the need for a filling. The application only takes a few seconds!
If you have any questions about how we help smiles of all ages with preventive dentistry, or if you would like to schedule an appointment for you or a member of your family, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule Your Family’s Next Preventive Appointment
Our team wants to help you and your family enjoy good oral health and avoid the onset of issues like tooth decay and gum disease. Contact Celina Family Dentistry in Celina, TX by calling 214-851-0130 to schedule your next appointment and start your journey to a healthier smile.
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