Do you or your children need to see the dentist? Our team offers family dentistry to help all ages enjoy strong and healthy smiles, ones free of serious concerns like tooth decay or gum disease. In today’s blog, your Virginia Beach, VA, dentist talks about protecting smiles with family dental care.
Checkups and Cleanings
A checkup and cleaning visit is beneficial for every member of your family, from the youngest to the oldest. A checkup allows our team to keep a close eye on the state of your smile, identifying the early signs of trouble and providing care before you develop painful symptoms. Our team can catch cavities, gingivitis, gum disease, and even TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding) early on. We also screen for oral cancer, and for kids, make sure the teeth are erupting and falling out on time.
Along with the exam portion, this visit also includes a dental cleaning. The procedure allows our team to lower the risk of cavities and gum disease by removing harmful layers of plaque and tartar. The process takes only a few minutes, and leaves your smile brighter and healthier afterward.
Perio Cleanings
A traditional dental cleaning can help protect your gums from the onset of gingivitis and gum disease. But when you begin to exhibit the warning signs of these oral health issues, such as sore, red gums that bleed easily or recede, then as part of our approach to family dentistry we could offer a perio cleaning. The procedure is more involved and removes plaque and tartar from both the teeth and the roots. This could take one vibist or two to four, depending on the severity of your plaque and tartar buildup. We then polish the teeth. This can help reverse gingivitis or make your periodontal disease manageable with preventive care.
Preventing Childhood Cavities
Since family dentistry also includes your kids, our team provides children’s dentistry to help little smiles stay healthy and strong, and to also instill good oral health habits. Regular visits also fight dental anxiety, so kids are more likely to attend checkup visits as they enter adulthood. As part of this, we also offer unique treatments to limit the risk of tooth decay. For example, during each checkup visit our team will administer a fluoride treatment to strengthen the outer enamel and protect the weakened portions of enamel from becoming cavities. We also have dental sealants, a thin acrylic layer we add to the rear teeth, which are often hard for kids to reach when they brush and floss. These sealants can stay in place for up to ten years and wear away gradually clinging the longest to the more vulnerable portions of these teeth. Your kids can enjoy years of cavity protection!
TMJ Disorder and Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)
Our family dentistry approach also includes jaw joint disorders that could upset bite balance, causing painful symptoms, and increasing the risk of serious oral health complications. TMJ disorder means your jaws joints have become strained, altering how you open and close your mouth and causing discomfort. Bruxism means you grind and clench your teeth nightly, which can damage your smile. Both can be caused by changes to your bite, such as injury to the face or jaw, tooth loss, dental misalignment, or complications with how the jaw develops or the teeth erupt. Without treatment, you could experience headaches, migraine, jaw and facial pain, neck and shoulder aches, and even tooth sensitivity and toothaches. To bring relief, we could treat both with an oral appliance. Custom-fitted based on the digital images and measurements we take of your smile, these will look like a mouthguard and be worn as you sleep at night. The device then repositions the jaw to ease TMJ symptoms, and places a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent bruxism-related damage.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
Our team can also treat sleep apnea as part of our approach to family dentistry. Sleep apnea can interrupt your sleep cycle and leave you exhausted, and also strain your heart health and immune system. But with an oral appliance, we can help you sleep without interruption and feel more rested and alert the next day.
If you have any questions about family dentistry, then contact our team today to learn more.
Talk To Your Virginia Beach, VA, Dentist About Family Dentistry
Our team wants to help you family enjoy strong and healthy smiles. Call Absolute Dental Care in Virginia Beach, VA at (757) 428-7440 to schedule a visit soon!
