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Preventive dental care is the practice of tending to your teeth to prevent the need for more serious treatments. It is important to remember that preventive dental care is a lifelong process. You can have healthy teeth and gum for life. However, you can mitigate issues like decay or gum disease with proper care and regular visits with your dentist.

What does Preventive Dental Care include?

Preventive dental care is designed to prevent oral health issues from occurring or find out oral health issues at their earliest when they are easier and less expensive to treat.

Preventive care includes:

Preventive Cleaning Treatments

Preventive cleanings are an important part of your regular dental care routine. Dental cleanings effectively remove plaque from your teeth and help prevent cavities and gum disease.

Your dental cleanings will also include a dental exam to check for cavities, oral cancer, and other oral health issues. Your dentist will use special tools to remove plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth. The tools remove buildup without harming your teeth or gums.

Regular Dental Checkups

Besides daily brushing and flossing, checkups are another way to keep your teeth healthy.

During your regular dental checkup, your dentist will examine your teeth and check for signs of decay and damage. Your dentist will also clean your teeth and check for signs of gum disease.

Sealants

The back teeth are more prone to decay than any of the other teeth. In children, this risk is even greater. This is because the back teeth have deeper grooves that can easily trap food and cause cavities. A dental sealant is a thin coating of white plastic that is applied to the back teeth. The sealant is painted onto the teeth and then hardened with a curing light.

Fluoride Treatments

Fluoride treatments benefit both children and adults. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps prevent tooth decay and cavities in people of all ages. The fluoride is applied to the teeth through fluoride treatments, and research shows that it protects against cavities by stopping bacteria from growing and multiplying. The fluoride treatments can be applied as a gel, foam, varnish, or solution.

Why is Preventive Dental Care important?

Early treatment can help prevent more complex dental problems from developing in the future. For example, patients who suffer from early stages of periodontal disease can take simple steps to treat their disease while it is still relatively minor. If patients do not seek treatment for periodontal disease in its early stages, the disease can advance and cause irreversible damage.

We encourage you to discover ways to achieve a healthy smile. For comprehensive dental care, visit Dawkins Family Dental at 440 N Lamar Blvd, Oxford, MS 38655. Call us at (662) 234-5725 for appointments.