Preventive dentistry is exactly what the name implies – dental care that helps prevent oral health problems. By maintaining a consistent oral health routine at home, you can stop dental issues from developing, but this isn’t always enough. It’s essential to boost this effort with professional treatments from the dental team at Beachside Smiles in Manhattan Beach.
Emergency Dentist
When you have an oral health emergency, the most important thing you can do is contact your emergency dentist right away. By making sure your dentist has eyes on the dental problem you’re experiencing, you are practicing preventive dentistry – the complication gets addressed immediately, which means more invasive, painful, and costly problems are stopped from occurring down the road.
Gum Disease
Gum disease is an oral health problem that will never go away on its own. There are several types of treatment available to help stop this infection in its tracks or remove it from your mouth, including deep teeth cleaning, scaling and root planing, laser therapy, pocket reduction surgery, and antibiotics.
Laser Dentistry
Through meticulous laser dentistry, patients with gum disease can be treated with minimal bleeding, swelling, and sensitivity. Laser dentistry targets only the diseased areas of the gum, allowing for faster healing, a lower chance of infection, and reduced likelihood of gum recession. No scalpels or sutures are needed in this advanced treatment, but it does require a few sessions to fully treat your mouth.
Teeth Cleaning
Teeth cleanings and checkups are generally recommended every 6 months and more frequently depending on the health history of your gums. This is determined by your doctor and/or hygienist.
Deep Teeth Cleaning
Deep teeth cleaning, also known as teeth scaling and root planing, is usually the treatment for people with gingivitis. This soft tissue management stops the early gum disease from progressing and is the most common method of attacking gum disease. The buildup of bacteria, plaque, and tartar is scraped away from the gum line.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is a preventive dental procedure performed to save a tooth from being lost. When a tooth is so deeply infected the disease is in the pulp of the tooth, root canal therapy removes the infection and fills the canals to prevent future problems from developing. This procedure, when done in a timely manner, can help a patient avoid the need for tooth extraction.
TMJ/TMD Treatment
Problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are a chronic issue for many people. You may wake with headaches every day and suffer from mouth and jaw pain, a locking jaw, and problems like neck and shoulder pain and ringing ears. The most effective type of TMJ therapy is a customized nightguard which creates a buffer against excessive clenching and grinding forces, reduces stress on the TMJ, and wards off dental problems like worn enamel, gum recession, and damaged dental work.
Get Preventive Dentistry in Manhattan Beach
When you are dedicated to seeing your dentist regularly, you automatically practice preventive dentistry by ensuring that a professional’s gaze is on your teeth every six months. This effort helps save you from potential dental problems and painful and costly side effects.
If it’s time to schedule your next teeth cleaning and checkup, or if you’re a new patient seeking a dental practice in Manhattan Beach, contact Beachside Smiles today to make an appointment.
