Good Oral Health Starts with Prevention
Preventive dentistry aims to preserve the natural health of your teeth and supporting structures while preventing dental diseases and conditions.
This starts at home with good oral hygiene and a balanced diet and continues at our office with regular dental exams, cleanings, and x-rays.
Sealants and fluoride are also great preventive treatments that can help protect your teeth.
Dental Examinations
New patient exams are comprehensive exams performed by your dentist on your first visit.
We use photos, x-rays and clinical findings to give us an overall assessment of your dental health.
We’ll chart all of your existing fillings, crowns, assess your gum health and take pictures as needed to show you what’s happening.
x-rays
X-rays allow us to assess any features of your oral health that are internal or otherwise impossible to observe visually.
Modern digital radiography allows instant capture and viewing of x-ray imaging, while using 80-90% less radiation than traditional film-based x-ray systems.
X-rays check for:
Decay between teeth
Tooth position, loss, root positions
Bone loss
Abscesses
Tumours
fluoride
Fluoride strengthens teeth once they have erupted and makes them more resistant to decay. Fluoride is found in toothpastes, mouthwashes and gels.
Fluoride is effective in preventing many dental issues, including:
Deep pits and fissures on chewing surfaces of teeth
Exposed and sensitive roots
Fair to poor oral hygiene
Frequent sugar intake
Poor saliva flow (possibly due to medications or a medical condition)
Recent dental decay
Sealants
Image credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A sealant is a thin coating applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth with deeper grooves (premolars and molars) to help protect them from decay starting in these pits.
This makes the tooth surface easier to clean.