Preventative Dentistry
Hygiene Appointments
Routine cleanings and hygiene appointments are the best way to ensure strong long-term oral health, and prevent serious dental concerns in the future. Regular cleanings with your dentist provide the following benefits:
- The Removal of Harmful Plaque
Tartar (calculus) and plaque, whether it’s below or above the gemlike, should be routinely removed both at home and in the dental office for the best prevention of long-term oral health concerns. At home, brush and floss regularly to remove plaque from the surface of your teeth. Also, see your dentist routinely to have plaque and tartar professionally removed.
- A Healthier Smile Overall
Regular hygiene appointments can help to brighten your smile by removing harmful plaque and stain-causing bacteria. In addition to creating a more aesthetically-pleasing smile, this also makes for a healthier smile overall by helping to prevent long-term dental complications.
- Maintaining Fresh Breath
One of the first signs of periodontal disease (or gum disease) is bad breath – the result of left over food particles and bacteria forming in the mouth. Regular hygiene appointment’s with your dentist helps to remove these particles and help promote fresh breath and overall strong oral health.
Visit our office every 6 months for your dental cleaning and checkup!
Dental Exams
Regular exams give our team the opportunity to spot minor oral health concerns early on before they turn into serious complications. These exams also make it possible for your dentist to perform routine treatments that many dental patients need such as cavity fillings.
To maintain the strongest possible oral health, see your dentist every six months for routine exams and checkups. It should be noted, however, that some patients require regular exams more often than this, such as every three to four months, depending on their own needs. These factors can include genetic concerns that link to oral health, smoking, and people who are more susceptible to root canals and tooth decay.
A standard dental exam will include ea member of our team taking a look at your teeth and assessing for specific complications as well as general oral health. We will thoroughly remove plaque and tartar from your teeth and beneath the gum line, while also looking for signs of periodontal disease. We will typically ask how often you brush and floss, and how often you come in for routine appointments. We’ll also talk you through basic oral health education and how you can best care for your oral health at home.
Come see our veteran team today for expert dental exams and cleanings!
Dental Fillings and Cavity Prevention
Dental fillings are the solution to plaque and bacteria causing tooth decay and cavities. Dental fillings are made of a resin that are bonded onto the tooth to make for a strong seal and fit. This material replaces the tooth material that is missing, and helps to make your teeth stronger and healthier overall. This resin also contains fluoride, helping to prevent future decay.
The result is a healthier and stronger smile!
The best way to prevent cavities and fillings is to see your dentist regularly so they can examine your teeth. Be sure to attend regular exams to help prevent the need for fillings!
Dental Sealants
A proven solution in fighting tooth decay, a dental sealant involves the placing of a tooth-like coating onto the teeth. This creates a seal, hence the name, on top of the grooves of the teeth, helping to better protect your teeth from plaque and food particles that brushing alone can’t reach.
Dental sealants are a standard procedure, and can be efficiently applied by your dentist in a convenient appointment. Sealants are a long-term treatment solution, able to last fro years when combined with strong oral health. Dental sealants can be applied to both child and adult teeth!
Tooth Extractions
While our team makes every effort to save infected teeth, some teeth occasionally require extraction. This can be due to severe infection and decay, or due to prolonged gum disease. Tooth position can also be a factor in tooth extractions, such as teeth being impacted, before braces or other orthodontic treatments.
It should be noted, however, that a single missing tooth can cause issues with bite, jaw health, and your ability to eat. This is why our team will make every effort to save teeth from extraction. However, if and when a tooth is extracted, there are several methods for replacing the extracted tooth, such as a dental implant
Root Canals
Once feared by many dental patients, root canals are now routine dental treatments with millions performed every year in the United States. A root canal treatment aims to protect the root of the tooth and save it from extraction by removing infected material from inside the tooth and replacing it with a synthetic root material.
A root canal may become necessary when the inner pulp of the tooth (pulp being the material at the center of the tooth) becomes infected, causing pain, discomfort, and sensitivity. This can be caused by the breaking or cracking of teeth, or repeated dental treatments.
During a root canal, the infected inner material of the tooth is removed and replaced with a synthetic material. The inner part of the tooth is thoroughly cleaned and then sealed with this material. Root canals can typically be performed in a single visit and typically only require local anesthesia.
Root canals have very high success rates with the vast majority if cases being reported as having been completed successfully. Your dentist can determine whether or not you’re likely in need of a root canal procedure. Our office is able to provide local anesthesia to increase comfort during this procedure.
If you’re experiencing tooth pain, sensitive, or frequent discomfort, contact our team today.
Composite Bonding
A popular alternative to veneers, tooth bonding helps to add material to the teeth to create a fuller and brighter-looking smile. Bonding also helps to correct bite issues that arise from teeth that are not level, or to fix teeth that have been chipped or cracked. Bonding also helps to fix discoloration by adding this new tooth material
The tooth bonding process begins by making small etches in the tooth surface to outline where the new material will be placed. Then, a bonding liquid is applied and then shaped by your dentist. Once in the desired final position, any access material is removed, and the material is then polished to be made to look more life-like.
Dental bonding is a convenient treatment option for many patients given that it can be completed in one visit, with more than one visit being required for more extensive cases. The results of bonding last for years when cared for property, but it should be noted that bonding material is not as strong or robust as natural tooth enamel, making it more susceptible to chips and breakage.
Contact our team today if you’ve been thinking about dental bonding, and to learn f dental bonding is the right treatment option for you!
Inlays and Onlays
A popular dental treatment, inlays and inlays help make for a healthier and better-looking smile by leverage different materials. These mertaisl can includes metals like gold, or composite resins. This treatment involves replacing a damaged area of a tooth with a new material to help correct any decay or bite issues that have occurred.
Inlays and on-lays may require several appointments for full treatment, with the first of these appointments involving the damaged area of the tooth being removed. Then, the new tooth material is put in place, first being sent to a lab. Before this new material is added, however, a temporary filling/sealant is added to the tooth.
While dental fillings can come with complications of their own, inlays and on-lays avoid these potential issues (namely how fillings can affect the structure of a tooth) are bonded to the tooth directly, meaning that they increase the strength of teeth rather than detract from it. Due to this, in-lays and on-lays can last for upwards of two or more decades when cared for properly. Particularly in cases where patients cannot receive crowns, which can occur under many different circumstances, in-lays and on-lays make for a great alternative treatment with results that last for years.
Dentures
One of the most popular solutions today for missing teeth are dentures, whether they be full or partial. Dentures are meant to replace natural teeth that are missing, or that have been removed due to decay. Dentures are typically made from acrylic, and can come in many forms:
- Conventional denture are created after all natural teeth that require removing have been removed, and the gums have had time to heal.
- An immediate denture is made and applied immediately once teeth are extracted and the surrounding tissues have healed.
- Upper dentures are fitted to the palette, or, roof of the mouth and are usually colored to look natural. This appliance is usually made of acrylic.
- A lower denture is placed on the bottom side of the mouth and room is left for the tongue.
The false teeth that dentures are compressed of are made of a durable plastic, and can also be made to be permanent as part of dental implants to make for a permanent solution. Dentures can also be serviced overtime with new teeth, making them a long-term solution even when not paired with implants. To have the best experience with dentures, always see your dentist regularly for checkups to see if you’re in need to denture realignment or changes.
If you’re interested in replacing missing teeth with dentures, or are looking to a permanent solution to missing teeth, contact our team today!
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Dr. Cameron Shoemaker
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We’ll make the process of paying for your dental care easy with our vast network of insurances. We participate with a wide variety of insurance policies, and we’re always happy to file your claim for you so that you can be sure to receive the maximum benefits available to you. Infinity Dental of Highpoint Flats is in network with Delta Dental, Metlife, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, Guardian, United Healthcare, and more!
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