Complete Preventative Dental Care – Nashville Tennessee
Preventive Dentistry in Bellevue, TN
Protecting the health of your teeth and gums is vital to maintaining a beautiful smile and feeling confident. And doing so isn’t simply limited to solving problems as they arise. Dr. Justin Poff and the team at Poff Dental Associates know that you can visit the dentist for more than just routine checkups and emergency procedures. Instead, you and your dentist can engage in preventative dentistry to ensure the future of your oral health.
What is Preventive Dentistry?
Preventive dentistry, also known as preventative dentistry, uses tools, techniques, and procedures to stop oral health issues at the source before they require more complex treatments. It primarily consists of adequate home care and regular visits to the dentist to identify, assess, and resolve burgeoning health problems. While regular brushing and flossing help immensely, only a professional dentist has the tools, knowledge, and experience to see problems in the places most at-home dental care can’t reach. Bacteria can thrive in these areas, and damage goes unnoticed until it spreads to more visible locations.
Preventive dental care benefits patients of all ages who aren’t experiencing any major oral health problems. It is especially suitable for young children to ensure their growing teeth are as healthy as possible. To that end, preventive dental services make up a significant portion of pediatric dentistry.
Benefits of Preventive Dental Care
Oral health problems are a concern for many people, and with good reason. The most common tooth and gum ailments cause pain and impair essential functions like eating, drinking, sleeping, and speaking. Some conditions can also lead to disease, decay, and tooth loss, which are considered dental emergencies. However, preventive dental treatment exists to stop those issues before they progress enough to threaten the health of your mouth and your quality of life.
Additionally, preventive dental procedures are relatively quick and straightforward compared to restorative or cosmetic dental work. More complex dental procedures require recovery time, pain management, antibiotics, and more visits to not just a dentist but also orthodontic specialists. By preventing oral health conditions, you can save a lot of time and money in the long run.
Finally, much of preventive dental care surrounds identifying potential health issues as they start. For example, many disorders of the body have indications of their presence that begin in the mouth. Of course, your dentist cannot diagnose these disorders. But, by finding these indications early on, they can recommend a visit to a general healthcare practitioner for a proper screening.
What Are the Risks of Not Caring for Your Teeth?
As you go through life, you accumulate food particles in the crevices of your teeth and mouth. Over time, these particles will develop into plaque, a sticky film that forms when bacteria mixes with them. The plaque will eventually eat away at your enamel and potentially expose the dentin and the root beneath. You can still treat plaque with a thorough brushing, but if it goes untreated, plaque buildup will harden into tartar, which at-home methods cannot remove.
Bacteria that get into the root of teeth or the gums will cause decay and disease in the foundation of your mouth. This situation is where significant oral health problems originate. Cavities, toothaches, dental abscesses, and tooth loss are some conditions you could face if you don’t care for your teeth and practice preventive dentistry.
Even before you develop severe dental health problems, your teeth can gradually weaken and discolor without proper care, significantly affecting the appearance of your smile. In addition, as bacterial processes and food particle decay takes place in your mouth, they produce toxins that can leave an unpleasant odor on your breath.
Complete Dental Care Services
In addition to recommendations for brushing, flossing, and carefully maintaining their diet. Some of the preventive dental services you could receive include:
- Complete Dental Exams
- X-Rays
- Dental Cleaning
- Oral Cancer Screening
- Bite Splints
- Night Guards
- Sleep Apnea Treatments
- Dental Sealants
- Periodontal Therapy
- Pediatric Dentistry
The Cost of Preventive Dental Care
Preventive dental procedures are vital for maintaining the health of your teeth and gums, so most insurance companies consider them necessary services and will grant full coverage. Even if your insurance doesn’t cover preventative dentistry, many treatments are included in primary dental care, making them highly affordable.
Schedule Your Next Dental Appointment Today
Because identifying dental problems before they start is such a vital process for protecting the health of your teeth, it requires an experienced professional touch. The team at Poff Dental Associates in the Bellevue Neighborhood of Nashville, TN, can provide that and more. In addition, we emphasize comfort for all of our patients, both new and returning, and we strive to administer the highest quality dental care in the Bellevue area.
If you’re looking for exceptional dental care from a trusted team, schedule an appointment with us today.