Obtaining adequate and timely preventive dental care, including regular exams and cleanings, will help you to achieve optimal oral health. Preventive care can also be cost-effective, helping the patient to avoid complex, expensive treatments for more advanced oral diseases.

Most preventive care is painless. The process begins with an extensive cleaning, generally performed by a dental hygienist, in which any accumulated plaque and tartar are removed from the teeth and gums. You should schedule dental cleanings every six months to keep plaque and tartar at bay. The bacteria found in plaque can promote decay and gum disease if it’s not removed from the mouth regularly.

After your teeth have been cleaned, the dentist will examine them visually for any obvious signs of decay or disease. Periodically, your dentist also will take x-rays, which offer better views of the teeth and bone, to determine if you have any concerns that are not visible to the naked eye.

Preventive care is not limited to the dental office. Your home oral hygiene habits go a long way toward maintaining your oral health. Brushing and flossing help to mitigate the buildup of plaque and bacteria. It’s virtually impossible to prevent that accumulation completely, though, which is why it is still important to get regular cleanings regardless of how dedicated you are to brushing and flossing.

If you get regular preventive care, you can limit the effects of tooth decay and gum disease before they lead to bone loss, which can be an outcome if these conditions go untreated.

The benefits of preventive dental care aren’t restricted to the mouth, either. Advanced gum disease has been linked to other problems throughout the body, such as diabetes, heart disease and pre-eclampsia.

Technological advances in dentistry are helping patients keep their natural teeth throughout their lives, and preventive dental care is an important part of that process. It is important to schedule regular appointments with a dentist serving Washington Park to protect and promote your oral health. Contact our dentistry team today to receive the dental care you deserve.

Dentures serve as a replacement for missing teeth, but they do not last forever. Normal wear and tear can erode the chewing surfaces. In addition, the jawbone begins to change shape when teeth are lost. As bone tissue diminishes, the shape of the jaw changes so that dentures no longer fit properly. You should have your dentist evaluate the fit of your dentures on a regular basis, and have them refitted or replaced per his recommendations.

Dental implants, by contrast, provide a permanent replacement for your missing teeth. They also provide a replacement for the tooth root, so that the tissue of your jawbone continues to regenerate. Unlike dentures, which can move and shift in the mouth, dental implants remain stationary. Another benefit of dental implants is that they do not have to be removed for cleaning.

If you are missing one or more teeth, dentures or a traditional bridge might be a good option for you, but be sure to ask us about the possibility of dental implants instead. If you are a good candidate for implants, we can provide a permanent solution to your lost teeth—one that will keep your teeth looking and working just like your natural teeth, as well as maintaining the health of your jaw. Also, if you have been wearing dentures and would like to find out about implants, we can help you determine if implants are a good choice for you.

If you do not have enough bone mass in your jaw to support implants, bone grafts can help supply the necessary foundation. A consultation regarding implants versus dentures in our Coquitlam dental office can help you make an informed decision about the best long term choice for you.

Athletes are particularly susceptible to dental trauma and injury. Hard contact to the mouth can dislodge teeth and even result in broken facial and jaw bones. According to the Academy of Sports Dentistry, all athletes in contact sports and even those in individual sports with a risk of dental trauma, such as rollerblading, should wear mouthguards to prevent oral injury.

For high school athletes in certain sports, including football, ice hockey, men’s lacrosse and field hockey, mouthguards are mandatory. Governing bodies for collegiate athletics may also have policies requiring mouthguards.  Adults who participate in recreational sports typically are able to choose whether to wear a mouthguard, and any concerned dentist would highly encourage them to do so.

When an athlete suffers an injury to a tooth, a root canal or some other extensive procedure may be necessary to save a damaged tooth, assuming that it can be saved at all. Mouthguards prevent injury by absorbing and dissipating forces from a strike to the teeth or jaws. The benefits of mouthguards are well-documented. In addition to protecting the teeth and jaws from injury, some research suggests that mouthguards can decrease the severity of concussions.

While over-the-counter mouthguard options are available, including stock or boil-and-bite guards, the best protection is offered by custom-designed mouthguards. Our downtown Denver dentist can take molds of your mouth and send those molds to a dental laboratory that will create a mouthguard that offers a close fit to your mouth’s structure. Even a boil-and-bite guard, which has a brief window for proper shaping, can’t offer the same secure fit presented by a custom-designed device.

Some athletes express reluctance about wearing mouthguards for a variety of reasons. Those individuals should re-consider. A well-fitted mouthguard is comfortable and does not interfere with breathing. When worn properly, mouthguards have no effect on performance, although many athletes cite that as a concern for not wearing them.

If you are an athlete who has not been wearing a mouthguard, visit your dentist soon to get fitted for one. It will help you protect your teeth, oral soft tissues and jaws and give you peace of mind.

Missing teeth can occur due to numerous factors, including injury, decay, gum disease, and natural wear and tear. When teeth are lost or must be removed, you and your dentist must make a decision about how to replace them.

Options for Replacing Teeth

There are two main options for replacing missing teeth: dentures and dental implants. Though dentures have been used for literally hundreds of years, new technology has made possible dental implants that can replace not only the chewing and biting surfaces of your teeth but also the tooth root.

Dentures, including bridges and other options for replacing one or two teeth, only replace the visible portion of the teeth. They rest directly on the gums, sometimes leading to irritation and discomfort. By contrast, dental implants are placed directly into the jawbone, where they function just as a natural tooth would.

The Dental Implant Process

The dental implant process typically occurs in two stages. First, the implant dentist places the root portion of the implant in the jawbone. In some cases, this is preceded by bone grafts or other treatment to ensure there is enough bone tissue to support the tooth root.

The root portion of a dental implant is made of titanium, a metal that naturally bonds to bone. It takes a few months for this bonding process to finalize, during which time the titanium and the bone of the jaw bond in a process called osseointegration. The bonding of the titanium to the bone will help ensure that your jawbone is stimulated during chewing after your implants are completed. This stimulation encourages the bone tissue to grow, so that your jawbone remains strong and healthy.

After the root portion of the implant has healed sufficiently, the implant dentist will affix the visible portion of the implants. These prosthetic teeth are custom-made and color matched so that they are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth. Once the entire procedure is complete, you will have a full set of functional teeth that look and feel just like the teeth you lost.

For more information about dental implants in the Burnaby area, please contact our office for a consultation.

In many ways, a general dentist is like a primary care physician. Your general dentist provides your routine dental care, including semiannual exams and cleanings, which is important for maintaining good oral health.  The general dentist can also perform some more advanced procedures, and serves as the first line of defense in preventing complex conditions that require more extensive oral care.

A general dentistry practice is capable of handling a wide variety of procedures, ranging from cavity fillings to root canals. All of those services are provided in an outpatient setting in the dental office, and the dental care team takes care to make the experience as comfortable as possible for the patient.

Preventive care is an important component of general dentistry. Regular exams and cleanings are the first step in avoiding issues like gum disease and advanced tooth decay, which can have negative effects on your oral and overall health. Your dentist will also recommend a home care regimen, including daily brushing and flossing, which will complement the work done in the dental office.

Your general dentist will also use diagnostic tools that help identify any problems that need to be addressed. When you visit the general dentist, be prepared to get x-rays, which can show decay or other issues with the teeth, jaws and bone.

It is also important to establish a relationship with a general dentist in case you ever need specialty care. Your general dentist is familiar with other practitioners in the region and can recommend a specialist, such as a periodontist, if the need ever arises.

If you are looking for a dentist in the Capitol Hill, CO area, contact our office today to schedule a consultation.