General dental care keeps your smile healthy and comfortable. It includes services like regular cleanings, dental fillings, and root canal procedures. These treatments prevent dental problems from getting worse over time. Also, practicing good oral hygiene habits at home every day can keep your mouth looking and feeling great.
Regular visits to our Carrollton, TX dental office ensure your teeth and gums stay in great shape. Dr. Andrea Canales provides a full range of dental services for both new and existing patients in Carrollton. Visit us for preventative care today.
Important Aspects of Preventive Dental Care
We believe that prevention is key to keeping a healthy smile. Our team encourages good oral health habits in our patients. We aim to help you avoid tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental problems.
We give patients helpful tips and advice to create a good oral hygiene routine at home. Our team also offer resources to teach them how to take care of their teeth and gums properly.
Hebron Family Dental offers preventive and family dental care services to patients of all ages. We can apply dental sealants and fluoride treatments to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities. Learn more about our services below.
Cleanings and Exams
Protecting your teeth is a team effort by you, your dentist, and our hygiene staff. Our goal is to keep your teeth and gums healthy. We can stop or reverse common dental diseases, like gum disease, with routine cleanings and exams. By doing this, we help prevent problems from coming back or even surfacing in the first place.
Our dentist will perform a comprehensive dental exam at your initial dental visit. The exam may include:
- Checking for any signs of gum disease or tooth decay
- Evaluating the health of your jaw joints
- Examining your bite and alignment of your teeth
- Taking X-rays to review the health of your teeth’s underlying structures
- Discussing any oral health concerns or goals you may have
This thorough exam allows our dentist to create a personalized treatment plan for you. The plan will include options that address your issues and improve your dental health.
X-rays
Dental radiographs are essential preventative diagnostic tools. X-rays provide valuable data that a dentist can’t see with their naked eye during an exam. They detect hidden cavities, especially in between the teeth or below the gumline.
X-rays also help dentists monitor the progression of dental issues. They help us spot gum disease, infections, or structural defects in the teeth and jaw before they get worse. No one wants to have serious issues that need extensive and costly treatments.
The detailed information we get from x-rays tells us more about the structure of your mouth. This allows us to plan and carry out treatments such as root canals, extractions, and implants more effectively.
Home Care
Your daily at-home care is key to having a beautiful, healthy smile that lasts a lifetime. Brushing and flossing every day can improve your mouth’s health, remove harmful bacteria, and prevent serious diseases. Follow these oral care tips to keep your mouth healthy:
- Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste for the best results. Sometimes, brushing too hard can do more harm than good. You can hurt your gums and even make micro-abrasions on them.
- Floss daily to remove food particles and plaque between teeth. Flossing is not as hard as you may think. You can find easy-to-use products, like floss picks, that make it easy.
- Use mouthwash to help kill bacteria and freshen your breath. Some new mouthwash products are not as harsh, and much easier on the taste buds. TheraBreath is one of our favorites.
- Limit sugary and acidic foods and drinks. They can eat away at your enamel and contribute to tooth decay. If you do, try to rinse your mouth after every sugary or acidic snack you eat.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help rinse away bacteria and food particles. This is an underrated tip that actually does help.
- Chew sugar-free gum after meals to increase saliva flow. Saliva helps diffuse acids in your mouth and wash away food and bacteria. Dry mouth contributes to may issues, such as bad breath, tooth decay, cracked lips and mouth sores.
- Replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months, or sooner if it has frayed bristles. Old toothbrushes harbor bacteria and mold.
- Try using a tongue scraper to clean bacteria off your tongue’s surface. Bacteria on the tongue can give you bad breath and contribute to plaque buildup. By scraping your tongue regularly, you will keep your breath fresh. It’s a simple step you can add to your daily routine.
General Dentistry in Carrollton, TX
You can prevent future dental problems with general dentistry. Our general dental treatments include the following services.
Emergency Dentistry
If you need urgent dental care, get treatment from a trusted dentist. Our emergency dental treatments can treat a knocked-out tooth, tooth pain, and broken tooth. We can repair chipped and cracked teeth, and broken dental restorations as well. Even a toothache can be a dental emergency if it has been hurting you for a long time.
Family Dental Care
We can treat each member of your family, sometimes on the same day. Our family dentistry provides preventive care for children, teens, and adults. We make treatment plans that fit each stage of your oral health needs as you grow. Our Carrollton dental practice accepts dental insurance plans and is in-network with many providers.
Tooth Extraction
We recommend a tooth extraction to remove severe tooth infections, impacted wisdom teeth, and overcrowded teeth. However, removing a tooth is usually a last-ditch effort to protect your health. A dentist should always do whatever they can to save your natural teeth because they are the best line of defense. Our office offers affordable and comfortable tooth extractions when all else fails.
Sedation Dentistry
Dental sedation is a valuable tool we use to ensure your comfort during treatment. Sedation can help you feel relaxed in the dental chair if you have dental anxiety or fears. We can provide nitrous oxide and oral-conscious sedation for most patients. Dental sedation is also great for patients with special needs, a sensitive gag reflex, low pain tolerance, or medical conditions.
Custom Sports Mouthguards
You need a custom-made sports mouthguard if you or your child play contact sports. A custom mouthguard cushions your mouth, protecting your teeth, gums, and even braces. Wearing a professional mouthguard during sports can prevent chipped, cracked, loose, or knocked-out teeth. It can also prevent injuries to the jaw and the mouth’s soft tissue.
Root Canal Therapy and Dental Fillings
One of the most common preventive services is a root canal procedure. Root canal procedures treat infections by cleaning out the root and removing the source of infection or inflammation.
Once the root is clean, the dentist fills it to restore the tooth to its original state. Fillings also fix cavities and can repair cracked and broken teeth. The composite resins that create the filling mimic your tooth’s natural look and feel.
Fillings can even repair teeth worn down from clenching and grinding. Overall, fillings are a simple way to restore and keep your smile healthy!
Call Our Dental Office
Contact Hebron Family Dental for preventative care today at 972-236-5871. You can also schedule an appointment with us online. Our dental office serves Addison, Farmers Branch, Coppell, The Colony, Double Oak, Bartonville, Lantana, Lewisville, Copper Canyon, and beyond.