RoutineDental

The purpose of Preventive Dentistry is to help each of us keep our teeth and gums healthy today and every day.

Decay and gum disease are the most important reasons for tooth loss. Brushing twice a day, flossing, eating a balanced diet, limiting between-meal snacks, seeing your dentist twice a year for cleaning and exam and plaque contron will help preserve your teeth for life.

Plaque is a sticky layer of material containing germs that accumulates on teeth, including places where toothbrushes can't reach. This can lead to gum disease. The best way to get rid of plaque is to brush and floss your teeth carefully every day. The toothbrush cleans the tops and sides of your teeth. Dental floss cleans in between them.

Regular dental cleanings are routinely performed by our registered dental hygienist. Any external deposits on the teeth like the tartar or stains are removed with the help of manual scalars or the ultrasonic machines. These ultrasonic machines use sound waves to loosen the hard deposits without causing any harm to the tooth. The teeth are polished following a thorough cleaning to make it difficult for plaque to adhere.

What about Fluoride?

Fluoride actually becomes part of the tooth enamel as the teeth are developing, toughtening them against the acid that is produced by oral bacteria. Fluoride that we take in daily from sources like drinking water helps protect fully formed teeth from decay. Also in saliva , fluoride works on the tooth's surface to remineralize microscopic spots of decay. Fluoride interferes with bacteria's ability to convert sugars and starches into cavity-causing acid.

What are dental sealants?

A dental sealant is a plastic resin material that is put on the chewing surfaces of back teeth to prevent cavities. Sealants provide a physical barrier so that cavity-causing bacteria cannot invade the pits and fissures on the chewing surfaces of teeth.

When should kids get sealants?

Dental sealants have been shown to prevent decay on tooth surfaces with pits and fissures. Placing sealants on first and second permanent molars shortly after they erupt protects them from developing caries in areas of the teeth where food and bacteria collect.

Could floride use replace sealant?

No. Fluoride works best on the smooth surfaces of teeth. The chewing surfaces on the back teeth, however, have tiny grooves where decay often begins. Sealants keep cavity-causing bacteria out of the grooves by covering them with a safe plastic coating.