We offer care for every member of your family, from the youngest to the oldest. With family dentistry, we provide a preventive approach to help you and your loved ones avoid issues like tooth decay and gum disease. In today’s blog, your Virginia Beach, VA, dentist talks about our approach to family dentistry.
Starting with a Checkup and Cleaning
Your family’s journey to a healthy smile starts with an initial checkup visit. If you haven’t scheduled one for 2024 yet, now is a great time. During the checkup, we will examine the smile with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras, so we can make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy. Our team can then create a treatment plan to address the concerns we discover, such as tooth decay and gum disease. The checkup is helpful for patients of all ages, from kids to seniors. In the same visit, our team will also clean the teeth. The dental cleaning enables our team to remove all plaque and tartar from the teeth. We then polish the teeth, which makes it more difficult for plaque and tartar to coat the teeth before the next visit. The cleaning is a great way to fight cavities and gum disease, and also keep teeth bright and fresh breath.
Our Perio Cleanings
What if you have sore, red gums that bleed easily, or gums that have started to recede? In these cases, we can use family dentistry to help, providing a deep cleaning. Also known as a scaling and root planing, this procedure enables our team to remove buildup from both the teeth and the roots with an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual pick, destroying pockets of harmful bacteria beneath the gum line too. The procedure could take one visit, or as many as four, it all depends on the severity of your buildup. We then polish your smile. Since this is more involved, we will numb your smile beforehand so you’re comfortable. You may need traditional cleanings every three to four months afterward to keep your disease managed and your smile whole!
Treating TMJ Disorder and Bruxism
When our jaw joints and bite balance become stained, this could lead to disorders that cause discomfort and threaten your oral health. TMJ disorder means the imbalance has complicated how you open and close your mouth, and bruxism means you grind your teeth on a nightly basis. These issues could be brought on by issues like stress, tooth loss, misalignment, injury, or even issues with the development of your jaw and the eruption of your teeth. Without treatment, these could cause painful earaches, toothaches, headaches, and jaw and facial pain. You could also develop damaged teeth! But with family dentistry, our team can diagnose the issues with precision and accuracy, and provide an appliance that shifts the jaw and prevents symptoms. We can also repair any damaged teeth with crowns or bonding.
Sleep Apnea Solutions
Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you feel exhausted during the day? If so, you could be suffering from sleep apnea, in which you stop breathing briefly multiple times a night, which interrupts your REM sleep cycle and leaves you exhausted. Symptoms include daytime drowsiness, chronic snoring, headaches, dry mouth, irritability, memory issues and difficulty concentrating, and even episodes of waking suddenly choking or gasping for air. With family dentistry, we can use a custom oral appliance, to keep airways open and free of obstruction, so you breathe without interruption. No CPAP machine, just an oral appliance that is easy to use, clean, and store.
Caring for Your Smile from Home
Our team will also take time to talk to you about good oral hygiene habits, so you can better care for your smile from home. For example, we want to make sure you brush and floss your teeth properly, and do so daily to remove stray food and drink particles. We want you to enjoy a healthier diet and avoid items too high in sugar and starch. Finally, we would love to see you every six months for a checkup and cleaning. If you have any questions about family dentistry, then contact our team today. With family dentistry, we can help each and every member of your smile so you can obtain good oral health and avoid issues that cause discomfort and impact smile stability.
Talk to Our Team About Family Dentistry
To learn more about our approach to family dentistry, give us a call at Absolute Dental Care in Virginia Beach, VA at (757) 428-7440 to schedule an appointment.
