Our team believes in preventive dentistry, and we use these general dental treatments to help keep your teeth and gums healthy, and your smiles whole! Which is why we want to see you for checkup and cleaning visits. We can also offer care for issues like bruxism (teeth grinding) and even sleep apnea! In today’s blog, your Grand Prairie, TX, dentist talks about preventive dentistry and how we can use these treatments to help protect smiles and ensure good oral health for years to come, for both kids and adults!
Your Checkup and Cleaning Visit
A major component of preventive dentistry is the checkup and cleaning visit. We recommend one every six months for patients of all ages, and that includes kids as young as age two. With your checkup, we can examine your smile with digital imaging technology to assess the health of your smile and identify any areas of concern, so we can create a treatment plan to restore your smile’s health and function. We look for common issues like tooth decay, infection, gingivitis, and even gum disease. We can screen for oral cancer for adults, and also look for signs of bruxism too.
Our team also conducts a dental cleaning in the same visit. With a cleaning, we will use an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual pick to gently and thoroughly remove all plaque and tayra from your smile. Once we do, we will polish your smile to brighten it and also make it more difficult for plaque and tartar to accumulate before your next appointment. A professional cleaning can lower the risk of cavities, gingivitis, and gum disease, and also fight bad breath and teeth stains.
Treating TMJ Disorder and Bruxism
TMJ disorder means that the temporomandibular joints that connect our jaw and skull undergo excessive stress, which can lead to issues opening and closing your mouth. This also leads to major discomfort too! With bruxism, you grind and clench your teeth on a nightly basis, which can wear down tooth structure and crack or chip teeth, caging your smile’s appearance and leaving you vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and infection.
Warning signs for both could include pain in the face, jaw, head, and neck. There could be toothaches and tooth sensitivity, and a popping or clicking in your jaw. The disorder could be brought on by high stress levels, misalignment, injury to the face or jaw, missing teeth, and complications with the growth of your jaw or the eruption of your teeth, including the arrival of wisdom teeth. To offer relief, we will create a custom oral appliance that is worn at night. Fitting like a mouthguard, this helps ease underlying stress on your joints and places a soft barrier between your teeth to prevent further damage.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Do you snore at night? If so, this is caused by air passages being partially blocked by soft tissues. Which means as you breathe, air is forced through and vibrates soft tissues to create a loud sound. Not only does this impact how you and your significant other sleep, but this could also mean the presence of sleep apnea. With sleep apnea, as you rest the same air passages are completely blocked by soft tissues, which means you stop breathing briefly until the brain wakes you. While you may not remember this happening, this can interrupt your REM sleep several times a night, leaving you struggling with daytime exhaustion, moodiness, memory issues, and problems concentrating on tasks at work or school. This could also strain your immune systems and even your heart health!
But we can help with an oral appliance. The device looks and fits like a mouthguard, but is custom-fitted for your smile. Worn at night, this helps reposition the jaw and tongue to prevent the collapse of soft tissues, so you can breathe without interruption and wake up feeling more rested and refreshed each morning! The appliance is easy to use and clean, and it can travel with you if you hit the road this summer.
Children’s Dentistry
Preventive dentistry also means we can provide treatment for kids of all ages! Our team can conduct a checkup and cleaning for kids, looking for common issues like tooth decay, and also making sure that primary teeth erupt and fall out as they should, so permanent teeth have a clear path to proper eruption, preventing misalignment. Our team will help kids become accustomed to the dentist so they don’t have dental anxiety later in life. We also take time to talk to them about caring for their smiles at home, so we can instill good oral hygiene habits.
To help prevent the onset of tooth decay, our team will also offer preventive treatments. With fluoride, we can apply this naturally-occurring mineral to the teeth in a varnish form. This strengthens the outer enamel and helps prevent the onset of cavities. We also have dental sealants, an acrylic layer we add to the rear teeth, which are difficult for kids to reach when they brush and floss. Sealants ensure that no food or drink particles can become trapped between these hard-to-reach molars, so the risk of cavities is much lower. Both options can be applied in seconds, and kids just need to avoid food and drink for about a half hour as they cure properly.
If you have any questions about preventive dentistry, or if you would like to schedule a visit for you or a member of your family, then reach out to our office today. Let’s make this the summer you enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile.
Learn More About Preventive Dentistry
Our approach to preventive dentistry can help safeguard your oral health from the onset of issues like bruxism, tooth decay, and even gum disease! When you are ready to schedule your appointment with our office, contact Pecan Tree Dental in Grand Prairie, TX at 972-262-5111. We look forward to helping you and your family smile with confidence for years to come!
