Preventive Dentistry for Adults
Giving You One Less Thing to Worry About
Everything we do here at Family Dental Practice of Newington starts with prevention. Why? Because it’s much easier to help you avoid dental problems than simply fix them as they pop up. This approach won’t just keep your smile looking and feeling much better over the years, but it will also help you avoid the need for more involved and extensive procedures! With just two preventive appointments each year, we can give you a problem-free smile that never needs a second thought. Is it time for your next checkup? If it’s been more than six months since your last one, be sure to give us a call today!
Dental Checkups & Cleanings
Your standard preventive appointment will consist of two basic but extremely effective services: a cleaning and a checkup (also known as an oral exam). One of our excellent hygienists will use specialized instruments to thoroughly remove any plaque or tartar from your teeth and gums, and then your dentist will perform a comprehensive exam so they can catch any dental problems you might have at their earliest stages. This way, your dentist can treat them well before they can damage your smile.
Oral Cancer Screening
Nearly 50,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year alone, and many won’t survive the next five simply because the disease was caught too late. When detected early, it is very easy to treat and has a high survival-rate, which is why oncologists recommend that everyone should receive at least one oral cancer screening per year. Your dentist can perform one as part of your regular checkup, and should they find anything that causes concern, they can help you take quick and appropriate action.
Nightguards
Do you typically wake up in the morning with a sore jaw, or do your teeth appear to be worn down? If so, you may be suffering from bruxism in your sleep, or unconscious jaw clenching and teeth grinding. Left untreated, this condition can severely damage your teeth and even strain your jaw. To help you sleep a little easier, we can provide you with something called a nightguard. This is a small, custom-made mouthguard you’ll only need to wear to bed, and it will place a comfortable barrier between the teeth to prevent them from grinding together.
Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride is a natural mineral that has long been shown to strengthen the teeth against tooth decay and cavities, and this is why it can be found in most toothpaste and public water sources. Due to an increase in the popularity of un-fluoridated bottled water, however, more and more people are missing out on fluoride on a daily basis, leaving their teeth vulnerable. That’s why our team is more than happy to provide a supplemental fluoride treatment during your normal checkup to keep your teeth nice and healthy between appointments.
Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus
If you want stronger enamel and a conservative way to address early tooth decay, we may recommend Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus. As your dentist in Newington, we use this in-office topical treatment to support enamel repair and encourage remineralization before a cavity requires drilling and filling. It uses a combination of fluoride and other advanced ingredients to stop early decay and keep your smile healthy. Continue reading below to learn more about this innovative preventive therapy.
How Does Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus Work?
Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus works through guided enamel remineralization. In simple terms, we place a biomimetic formula on areas of early decay so it can reach below the surface of the enamel. The topical formula includes fluoride and a special bioactive peptide that helps attract calcium and phosphate from your saliva. Those minerals support new deposits within the weak area, which helps strengthen enamel and slow or even reverse the progression of tooth decay.
In some cases, we may also recommend the use of Curodont Protect, a companion home-care product that works along Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus to maximize your treatment results.
What Can I Expect During Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus Treatment?
The process for Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus should be straightforward and comfortable. First, we will examine your teeth and identify areas that show early enamel breakdown. Next, we will apply the formula directly to the areas that could benefit from remineralization. We will let it sit on your teeth for just a few minutes. That is it! You should not eat or drink for 30 minutes after receiving Curodont, but other than that, you can go straight back to your normal routine.
We may suggest periodic reapplication at future preventive visits so you can continue to benefit from Curodont year after year.
Benefits of Curodont™ Repair Fluoride Plus
Patients often appreciate Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus because it offers several meaningful advantages:
- It is quick, gentle, and noninvasive, so you can receive care without drills, shots, or a long recovery period.
- It can help arrest or reverse very early decay, which may help you avoid fillings and other invasive restorative procedures.
- Research shows that Curodont Repair Fluoride Plus is up to 13 times more effective than standalone fluoride treatment for repairing early signs of decay.
- By supporting enamel repair and closing tiny surface defects, this treatment may reduce dental sensitivity.
- Curodont is safe for patients of virtually all ages.
Athletic Mouthguards
One of the most common kinds of sports injuries are actually dental injuries, and that’s true for contact and non-contact sports alike. So, the next time you hit the field, court, or mat, be sure to wear a protective mouthguard. We can make one specially-designed for your smile from a strong and flexible material that will help it fit comfortably over your teeth and not interfere with your breathing or speaking. It’ll also do a much better job of defending your smile than anything you can pick up at the store.
Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal therapy is used specifically to help patients who are dealing with periodontal disease, which is better known as gum disease. This is a bacterial infection of the gums and bone that support the teeth, and it’s actually the leading cause of tooth loss in the entire world! Our team will screen your gums whenever you come to see us, and should we spot any signs of gum disease, we’ll be able to quickly treat it with scaling and root planing to keep your smile safe and whole.