Preventative Care
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
Good oral hygiene is important not only for maintaining your healthy and beautiful smile, but for your overall health and well-being, too.
For example, medical research suggests a potential direct relationship between certain types of gum disease (also known as periodontal disease) and serious medical conditions such as:
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes
Respiratory illnesses
Dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease
Other studies have shown that gingivitis (an early stage of gum disease) in women during pregnancy can result in pre-term births and low birth weight.
Symptoms of gum disease may include inflamed or bleeding gums, mobility of teeth, and bone loss. Yet, because the symptoms of early stages of gingivitis are often mild, many people do not seek treatment until it has progressed to more advanced periodontal disease.
The good news is that, for most people, periodontal disease is preventable, and, in some cases, reversible.
Regular Professional Cleanings
To achieve and maintain good oral health we recommend professional dental cleanings twice a year for most patients. Taking measures to preserve the health of your teeth and gums now can save you from the need for invasive, expensive procedures later in life. Removing plaque and debris from teeth, especially from places where a toothbrush can't reach, like underneath the gumline and in between teeth, is extremely important. Our comprehensive dental hygiene program is designed to preserve your teeth and the supporting structures by preventing the onset, progress, and recurrence of dental disease.
Our hygienist, Roxanne, has a wealth of information and experience and is happy to answer questions or share tips on effective products or techniques for improving results with home care.
“Roxanne is the best of the best for dental hygienists! Nobody compares! The office runs on time, is immaculately clean and professional. I have been a patient since we moved to Austin 18 years ago.”
Home Care
In addition to regular professional cleanings, a daily home dental care routine is extremely important to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. We work with you to help you understand proper materials, proper technique, and the importance of establishing a daily habit of brushing and flossing at home. There are other home care factors that can affect oral health, too, such as diet, smoking or “vaping”, excessive sugar and sleep disorders. Our goal is to help each patient understand his or her unique dental needs and to help track improvement over a period of time so that good habits are established and the desired results are achieved.
Dental Checkups & EXAMs
The third important component of preventative dentistry, beyond regular professional cleanings and a strong home care routine, is regular dental exams by Dr. Phillip. Semi-annual or annual check-ups help identify problems lurking below the surface that may not yet be symptomatic, but could lead to bigger and more costly problems down the road if left undiagnosed and untreated. For patients with otherwise good dental health, a dental exam is usually performed in conjunction with each visit for a cleaning.
Depending on your particular needs, a dental exam may include the following:
Examination Dr. Phillip visually examines your smile, teeth and gums, looking for the early warning signs of issues such as tooth decay, gum disease, bruxism, TMJ/TMD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction), and oral cancer. She also carefully evaluates existing restorations and dental work for any signs of wear or damage that may need repair or replacement. And perhaps most importantly, Dr. Phillip listens to your concerns, answers your questions, and spends the time needed to ensure that you fully understand your dental health needs.
Digital X-rays Digital x-rays enable us to create a more complete picture of the internal and external structures that impact your smile, and often help diagnose early onset of decay or other structural issues. Digital images can be easily stored, transferred, and reviewed from year to year and and are immediately available on monitors chairside to help both you and Dr. Phillip better see and understand what is happening in your mouth. Digital x-rays also expose patients to much less radiation and are much more environmentally friendly than traditional X-rays.
Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Depending on the results of the examination, there may be a need to diagnose and develop a treatment plan for an underlying problem. In such cases, Dr. Phillip takes the time to explain the problem, its possible causes, and the applicable range of treatment options that would best meet your dental, health and economic needs. Despite modern dental advertising often trying to convince you otherwise, no two patients or situations are the same, so we treat you and your unique situation with the attention to detail you deserve.
Dental Sealants
Sealants, as the name suggests, coat the grooves on the top of teeth to seal out bacteria, plaque, and tartar to prevent decay. This effective preventive dentistry service can be completed during any six-month checkup, and, with proper care, sealants remain intact protecting smiles for years. The process is simple and inexpensive.
Fluoride Treatment
Another key to good oral health is fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent caries (cavities) and can repair teeth in very early stages of the disease. For patients who have higher than usual risk for caries, Dr. Phillip may recommend topical fluoride treatment.
Professional fluoride treatments generally take just a few minutes. The topical fluoride solution preferred by Dr. Phillip is a varnish that is applied easily with a cotton swab or brush, often in conjunction with an exam or cleaning. Depending on your oral health status, fluoride treatments may be recommended every six or twelve months.