We want to help smiles of all ages in our community stay healthy and bright. Which is why we offer family dentistry, with preventive care for kids and adults alike to avoid issues like tooth decay and gum disease, and addresses common concerns like teeth grinding and even sleep apnea! In today’s blog, your Virginia Beach, VA, dentist talks about our approach to family dentistry.
Starting with Your Dental Checkup
Every member of your family, from the youngest to the oldest, benefits from a checkup every six months. With these visits, our team can conduct a visual scan and also examine the smile with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras, so we can diagnose the presence of serious oral health concerns in the earliest stages, often before you experience discomfort. We can then create treatment plans to keep your smile healthy, and avoid the need for more extensive treatments down the road. We typically look for issues like tooth decay, infection, gingivitis, gum disease, and TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). We also screen for oral cancer too!
Traditional and Perio Dental Cleanings
In the same visit as your six month checkup, our team will also complete a traditional dental cleaning, in which remove all plaque and tartar from the teeth, an essential part of family dentistry, a cleaning allows us to fight tooth decay and cavities, as well as bad breath and teeth stains. If you have warning signs of gingivitis and gum disease, we can offer a deep cleaning, or perio cleaning, to remove all plaque and tartar from both the teeth and the roots, destroying the harmful buildup and bacterial pockets that can lead to periodontal issues. This is more involved, and we will offer local anesthesia. The deep cleaning could take two to four visits, depending on the severity of your buildup.
Addressing TMJ Disorder
Family dentistry also allows our team to tackle common jaw joint disorders, such as TMJ disorder, also known as TMD. This develops when the jaw joints undergo excessive amounts of stress, which can lead to trouble opening and closing the mouth, and a host of painful complications. TMJ disorder could be caused by factors like missing teeth, injury, tooth loss, or issues with the growth and development of your smile and oral structures. Our team can tackle the disorder with an oral appliance, a device that fits like a mouthguard and is worn as you sleep, repositioning the jaw to ease strain and stress.
Stopping Bruxism Episodes
Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, could be caused by TMJ disorder, or could lead to TMJ disorder. These issues often occur due to high stress levels, or issues that upset overall bite balance. When we grind and clench our teeth nightly this places enormous pressure on our smiles. The pressure could crack and chip the teeth, leading to tooth decay and infection, as well as negative changes to the appearance of your smile. With an oral appliance, we can often correct the underlying issues behind your bruxism episodes, and also place a barrier between the upper and lower teeth to prevent further damage. If you have pain in and around your smile, reach out today for family dentistry to offer relief and protect your smile.
Sleep Apnea Solutions
Our team could also use family dentistry to address issues sleeping! When your soft tissues collapse at night and obstruct airflow as you sleep, this causes you to stop breathing briefly until the brain wakes you up. While you may not remember waking up each time, this interrupts your sleep cycle, so you’re tired and exhausted the next day. Untreated sleep apnea is linked to strained immune systems and poor heart health. Our team can use an oral appliance to reposition the jaw and tongue to keep airways open and free of obstruction, so you can breathe without difficulty. You should consider an appointment if you notice snoring, headaches and dry mouth, daytime drowsiness, irritability, memory issues, and episodes of waking suddenly gasping for air or choking.
If you have any questions about our approach to family dentistry, or if you would like to make an appointment, then reach out to our team today. Now is a great time to make an appointment, as we can see you before the holidays, and you can use your remaining 2023 dental benefits before they expire at the end of the month!
Talk To Your Dentist Today About Family Dentistry
To find out if you need to receive family dentistry, then call Absolute Dental Care today at (757) 428-7440. Located in Virginia Beach, VA, we also proudly welcome patients of all ages from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampton, Eastern Shore, and all surrounding communities.
