Pediatric Preventive Dentistry
According to the American Society of Pediatric Dentistry, preventive care is especially important for children because their mouths are still developing. Taking a proactive approach to children's oral health is much easier than dealing with problems after they have occurred.
We recommend that children have their first dental check-up at the age of three. During a pediatric preventive visit, we will complete the following steps:
- Provide a gentle but effective cleaning of your child's mouth.
- Complete a fluoride treatment to help strengthen your child's teeth and prevent tooth decay.
- Check for cavities and do a risk assessment for possible future cavities.
- Look for any signs of abnormal growth, such as spacing issues or permanent teeth appearing while the baby tooth is still in place (known as tooth eruptions).
- Discuss with both you and your child proper dental hygiene habits that can be practiced daily at home.
Adult Preventive Dentistry
Oral health is extremely important to the overall health of your body, so we cannot stress enough that regular dental appointments every six months are necessary to maintain your overall well-being. Regular check-ups and good dental hygiene habits at home help fight bacteria living in your mouth, and if oral hygiene is ignored, the bacteria build-up can lead to harmful effects on the rest of your body.
We recommend making a routine dental appointment once every six months, where we will complete the following cleaning steps:
- Provide a thorough cleaning of your teeth and mouth.
- Complete a fluoride treatment to help prevent tooth decay.
- Assess your gum health and complete a routine oral cancer screening.
- Check for possible cavities and evaluate problem areas that may need additional care.
- Discuss any problems or issues that may be occurring with your teeth and/or gums.
Geriatric Preventive Dentistry
Great strides in dentistry have been made, and aging adults are now able to retain their natural teeth longer than generations before them. However, certain problems can occur when getting older, including periodontal disease, oral mucosa I disease, salivary dysfunction, and impaired mouth movements.
With the ability now to live your entire life without needing dentures and the additional mouth problems that arise with age, it's more important than ever to make routine appointments with your dentist every six months. During your appointment, we will complete the following steps:
- Provide a thorough cleaning of your teeth and mouth.
- Complete a fluoride treatment to help strengthen teeth and prevent tooth decay.
- Assess your gum health and complete a routine oral cancer screening.
- Check for possible cavities and evaluate problem areas that may need additional care.
- Discuss any problems or issues that may be occurring with your teeth and/or gums.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer screenings are performed by dentists who look for any signs of oral cancer before a patient shows symptoms. Screening can help identify oral cancer in its early stages, which can lead to easier treatments for eliminating the disease. To screen for oral cancer, we will check for red or white patches within your mouth, look for any mouth sores, and examine the tissues within your mouth to locate any possible lumps or abnormalities.
Further testing is required if any symptoms are detected, but we complete this routine check every visit to ensure that oral cancer is found and eliminated early.
Mouth Guards
Mouth Guards are commonly used to protect your teeth during contact sports and recreational sports. Mouth guards are also used to aid many dental problems, including grinding your teeth while you sleep (known as bruxism), alignment, TMD, or to deliver topical medications or whitening treatments.
Mouth Guards are custom-fitted from molds that we take of your mouth; this custom fit will provide more protection than generic mouth guards found in stores.