Preserve Your Smile with Cleaning & Prevention Treatments at Orange Hill Dental Group
Dr. Sabet and his knowledgeable team enjoy providing professional dental care for you and your family. We believe that regular examinations and educating you on how and why you need to care for your oral health are part of that expert care. Taking a proactive approach to your at-home oral hygiene routine and visiting our practice every six months are excellent ways to maintain a healthy, long-lasting smile.
We offer expert cleaning and preventive care to help you and your family achieve and maintain healthy, beautiful smiles. Tackling small problems before they become big problems is what preventive care is all about. Call our dental practice and schedule your visit to Orange Hill Dental Group today!
CALL US: (714) 639-2703 REQUEST APPOINTMENT
The Importance of Professional Cleanings & Exams
Keeping your smile looking its best requires diligent care from both you and our dedicated dental team. Professional dental cleanings (prophylaxis) are very different from the brushing and flossing that you do at home. We recommended that you have a professional cleaning done every six months, which will remove plaque and stains that you are unable to remove yourself. An exam is also an opportunity for our expert team to look for signs of tooth decay and possible gum disease problems. Our preventive care treatments may include:
X-rays will allow Dr. Sabet to see signs of internal dental problems that are not visible from just looking at your teeth, such as cavities between your teeth and problems below your gum line. The examination will include an inspection of your current dental appliances and hardware including, crowns, fillings, implants, bridges, and dentures. We will also look for signs of oral cancer, check your bite, and inquire about your overall health. Research has shown that there are clear connections between your oral health and your physical health in general.
What’s the Difference Between a Professional Cleaning and Scaling and Root Planing?
Believe it or not, there are actually three types of dental cleanings, each with a specific purpose.
- Regular Cleaning or Prophylaxis is the most well-known and performed on your regular dental visits. This procedure involves removing plaque, tartar, and stains from your teeth. We use specialized tools for these cleanings, and only treat the visible part of the tooth above the gumline.
- Deep Cleaning or Scaling & Root Planing involves removing the same kind of bacteria and toxins but continues past the gum line down the root of the tooth all the way to where the gum and bone meet. This procedure is most often performed to get periodontal disease under control and reduce gum recession, bleeding gums, and bad breath. Deep cleanings can help restore balance to the gum tissue, promote healing, and prevent future tooth loss.
- Periodontal Maintenance is done for patients who have been diagnosed with periodontal disease. The procedure covers the cleaning and maintenance of the tissues affected by the disease, as well as the tooth roots and bone. Having periodontal maintenance done regularly can help prevent the return of gum disease.
Elements of a Dental Cleaning Procedure
Our hygienists will begin your procedure by using a small mirror to check your teeth and gums for any signs of gingivitis (infected gums). We then use special tools designed to scrape off the plaque and tartar from around your gum line and between your teeth. After all the tartar is removed, we use a high-powered electric brush to remove any leftover particles of plaque.
Next, we use a gritty toothpaste that gently scrubs and polishes your teeth. Then comes an expert flossing session to get deep between teeth and remove leftover plaque or toothpaste. This is followed up with a fluoride rinse, and sometimes an application of fluoride gel if needed.
6 Things a Cleaning Can Do
- Prevent Cavities
- Help prevent tooth loss
- Freshen breath
- Improve overall health
- Save money
- Brighten your smile
How Your Gum Health Affects Your Overall Health
Your gums are the foundation of your oral health. When there are problems with your gums, the health of your teeth and jawbone will eventually suffer. However, the effects of gum disease, also called periodontal disease and periodontitis, don't stop at your mouth. Keeping your gums healthy can help prevent a host of general health conditions.
Researchers have linked periodontal disease to many general health conditions, including dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and diabetes. Causal factors have yet to be established, but there are two pervading theories. One theory is that the bacteria responsible for periodontal disease easily enters in to the bloodstream via damaged gum tissues. These bacteria can then travel to the heart, brain, and other organ systems and lead to new disease processes. The second theory is that the inflammatory nature of periodontitis causes an inflammatory response in other parts of the body, triggering new conditions or worsening existing ones.
Strategies for Home Preventive Care
Our skilled hygienists will discuss your at-home care and give you hands-on instructions to ensure you are brushing and flossing correctly. Establishing a thorough dental cleaning habit at home means:
- Brushing your teeth after every meal or at least twice daily. While you’re brushing, don’t forget your tongue. This routine will remove bacteria, which can cause inflammation and decay.
- Your toothbrush should be replaced three to four times a year, or when the bristles start to show wear.
- Flossing every day is also very important. Flossing can reach in between your teeth and below your gums where your toothbrush can’t reach to clean out bits of food left behind.
- Eating a balanced diet is essential to dental health. Foods with sugars and carbohydrates feed the bacteria, which attack your teeth and create dental plaque.
Do You Really Need Mouthwash?
Brushing and flossing are the primary necessities for good oral hygiene. Mouthwash can help rid your mouth of bacteria as well as provide additional strengthening through tooth enamel building and better gum health. Consult our team about which mouthwashes and fluorides to use, as they vary in the level of help they provide.
Mouthwash is a healthy and helpful way to keep your dental hygiene on course, in addition to brushing and flossing. Whether it is for a short bout of fresh breath or a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums, mouthwashes are not harmful if used correctly.
5 More Ways to Keep Your Smile Healthy and Beautiful
Do you wish your teeth were a bit whiter? Would you love to feel confident about smiling, knowing that your teeth look healthy, bright, and beautiful? Try these simple tips to help build a more attractive smile!
- Boost Your Brushing Habit: Most people brush at least once a day, but around a third of us aren't quite hitting the spot when it comes to daily oral care. For best results, brush twice daily, and brush for 2 minutes each time. Use a gentle circular motion with a soft-bristled brush, to ensure you're cleaning your teeth thoroughly without irritating your gums.
- Use the Right Kind of Floss: You might be a regular dental floss user, but are you using the right kind of floss? If you have larger-than-normal gaps between your teeth, regular floss isn't as useful as it could be. For people with larger tooth gaps, it's recommended to use tape floss, which is flatter and broader, and more effective at cleaning those spaces.
- Avoid Acids in Foods and Drinks: Many foods and beverages contain food acids that are harmful to teeth. Acids are directly harmful because they contribute to tooth enamel erosion and can also contribute to tooth staining. Other foods and beverages—those that are high in sugar, for instance—encourage the growth of bacteria that cause plaque, cavities, and gum disease. Then there are tannin-containing beverages like coffee and tea, which contribute to teeth-staining too. Avoiding acidic and sugary foods is an important way of protecting your teeth and gums. And if you want your pearly whites to stay white, avoiding coffee, tea, and red wine can help.
- Use Damage Control Tactics: Of course, it’s hard—if not impossible—to altogether avoid these problem foods and beverages. Fruit is part of a healthy diet, and many of us enjoy a glass or two of wine in the evenings! The key to enjoying these things is to remember to counteract the damage afterward. For instance, after drinking alcohol, drink a glass of water to rinse your mouth out. After eating acidic fruit, rinse or chew some sugar-free gum. And use a whitening toothpaste to help counteract the effects of coffee and tea if you’re a regular drinker.
- See Dr. Sabet Regularly: Some treatments only we can provide. Gum disease control, effective whitening treatments, and other procedures that keep your teeth healthy and beautiful, along with dental exams and professional cleaning, can help ensure your smile always looks great.
Protecting your Child’s Smile for a Lifetime
It’s important to begin introducing dental care at a young age to help them acclimate to receiving dental treatments. Our team also uses this time to start building a long-term health plan, incorporating your dental history to understand how your child’s smile will develop.
By the time their adult teeth begin growing in, we identify if there are any nutrition or behaviors, like thumb-sucking, that are impacting development. As your children grow into their pre-teen years, Dr. Sabet makes sure they are developing proper tooth and bite alignment and can refer you to an expert orthodontist. We are invested in helping your child’s smile stay healthy and beautiful, providing dental treatments to remove decay and preserve natural tooth structure.
Dental Education for Improved Oral Health
Children should receive dental care at a young age because it teaches them to take responsibility for their oral health. From teaching them how to brush and floss to helping you learn how to demonstrate good nutrition habits, we do all we can to support your child’s oral health. When speaking with your child, we use easily-understood terminology, keeping them in the loop as best we can. Our expert team understands how it can be scary to receive dental treatments and gives each child personal attention focused on their comfort.
Expert Children’s Dental Care
We offer a range of treatments to support your child’s oral health. We tailor treatment to individual smiles, making sure to listen to the concerns of both parents and children.
Some of our children’ dental services include:
At Orange Hill Dental Group, we make every effort to provide your children with a comfortable, fun visit each time they come to our practice. With a gentle touch and advanced technology, we do everything we can to get children excited for their dental appointments from an early age.
What Can Preventive Dentistry Do?
The best part about participating in preventive dental care is that it can prevent you from developing problems later. With a good home routine and regular visits to our office, you can avoid or diminish the effects of:
- Cavities
- Gingivitis
- Enamel Loss
- Periodontitis
Preventive Dental Care Begins with You, and We Can Help
Protecting your teeth by having a daily routine of brushing and flossing can lead to better overall oral health throughout your life. Combining it with regular visits to Orange Hill Dental Group can give you the best protection possible.
CALL US: (714) 639-2703 REQUEST APPOINTMENT
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