Preventive Dentistry
Preventive Dentistry for Oak Hills Families
When you come to see us, we’ll place most of our focus on preventive care. Why? Because it’s much better for a patient to help them avoid dental problems than simply fixing them after they pop up! Preventive dentistry is our focal point in safeguarding against tooth decay and periodontal disease. We recommend routine preventive appointments as specified by your dental care providers for your specific needs. Dentistry has evolved to treat patients proactively versus reactively. The services outlined below are the best options for proactively caring for your mouth long-term. If it’s time for your or your child’s next checkup, be sure to give us a call today.
Checkups & Cleanings
When it comes to taking care of the teeth long-term and making them shine, nothing does it better than the standard dental checkup and teeth cleaning. These appointments will help our doctors understand everything they can about your dental situation so they can determine the best ways to protect your smile. Your dentist will perform an oral exam where they’ll look at your teeth, gums, jaw, and existing dental work to see if they can spot any issues. If they do, they’ll recommend treatments to fix them right away. By coming in to see us regularly, we’ll be able to catch small problems before they have the chance to become big ones! Then with a cleaning, one of our hygienists will remove any plaque and tartar that has built up in your mouth. They’ll be able to target those trouble spots your brush and floss can’t reach home, and they’ll even break up small surface stains to keep your teeth nice and white!
Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal therapy is how we help patients who are suffering from periodontal disease, which makes sense, but what actually is periodontal disease? It’s more commonly known as gum disease, which is an infection that affects the gums, roots of the teeth, and the bone that supports them. Early symptoms include redness and swelling in the gums, but it can eventually lead to tooth loss if left untreated! Fortunately, we will screen your gums every time you come to see us, and if we spot a problem, we’ll be able to perform a deep cleaning consisting of scaling and root planing to treat the infection right at the source.
Children’s Dentistry
Taking care of little San Antonio smiles and watching them grow is one of our favorite things to do! When your child comes to see us, we’ll provide them with important cavity prevention, monitor their oral development, and we’ll also educate them on the basics of dental hygiene. Many of our team members are parents themselves, so they’ll also know exactly how to keep your child comfortable every time they come to see us.
Dental Sealants
Dental sealants let us give the most vulnerable teeth a little extra protection. The back teeth, with their pitted and grooved surfaces, are apt to trap plaque and food particles in the pitted and grooved surfaces. Those pits and grooves make them difficult to completely clean while brushing (especially for children), which causes them to develop cavities quite often. With a dental sealant, we’ll apply a clear, thin coat in the grooves of these teeth to create an invisible barrier that can ward off cavities for years at a time.
Nightguards for Bruxism
Do you clench your jaw and grind your teeth while you sleep? This is actually a condition called bruxism, and as many as 1 in 3 people are currently dealing with it! If this is an issue for you or a loved one, we can provide what is called a nightguard. This is a small, custom-made mouthpiece that a patient would wear to bed, and it works by placing a barrier between the teeth to keep them protected from grinding.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer claims at least one life every hour of every day here in the U.S. It is actually easily treatable when detected early, which is why our doctors recommend that every adult should have at least one oral cancer screening per year. They can perform one as part of your regular checkups, and should they find something that causes concern, they can help you quickly get the treatment you need.
Fluoride Treatment
You’ll find fluoride in most toothpastes and public water sources, but more and more people aren’t getting enough of this helpful mineral during the day due to either their diet or an overreliance on non-fluoridated bottled water. That’s why we’re happy to provide everyone in your family with a topical fluoride treatment at your routine preventive appointments. It only takes a minute, is completely painless, and it’s one of the best ways to keep a person cavity-free year after year.