Preventative Dentistry in Orlando 

Preventive dentistry is a vital practice for keeping your mouth, gums, and teeth healthy and helps prevent the development of future dental issues that can be uncomfortable, inconvenient, and expensive to fix. Even when including dental insurance, procedures to repair teeth can add up quickly and become expensive. Paying specific attention to your dental hygiene can prevent you from developing cavities, gum disease, harmful enamel wear, and other harmful oral health issues. If you practice good dental care, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of having many of these common problems and increase your confidence in your smile.

Practicing good preventative dentistry can be a team effort between you and your dentist. There are things you as the patient can do to improve or maintain your oral health like brushing your teeth (and your tongue) every day. Daily flossing is also a recommended way to keep up your preventative dentistry routine. These things are great but the most important part is to schedule regular dental cleanings and check-up appointments with your dentist. The Dynamic Smile Design team will work with you to ensure your smile is healthy and bright and will walk you through further steps you can take to maintain your smile at home between visits.

PREVENTATIVE EXAMS

Preventive exams are an important step in maintaining your overall oral health. At your regularly scheduled dental appointment, the team will conduct a full preventative exam by thoroughly examining your entire mouth for signs of tooth decay, gum disease, misalignment, cancer, and other oral health issues. If necessary, she will take some x-rays of your mouth and then explain her findings. She’ll discuss recommended treatment options with you to make sure you understand your oral health and your options going forward.

One of the reasons creating a good preventative dentistry routine with regular exams is so important, is because studies have shown there’s a definite connection between a healthy body and mouth. We encourage patients to keep good overall health to improve their overall quality of life. Patients often get anxious or stressed going to the dentist so we do our best to make the experience as comfortable as possible with our large offering of patient comforts and amenities.

Preventative Exam Steps: 

1. Take your blood pressure: For many patients, visiting the dentist feels stressful, and this can cause your blood pressure to rise. Before your appointment, try to get a good night’s sleep, and avoid caffeine in the morning. Take your blood pressure medication if you have a prescription, and eat a balanced meal. When you get to our office, let us know if you feel anxious and we will do everything we can to pamper you and make you feel relaxed with our wide range of patient comfort amenities. If you need sedation dentistry, let us know when you book your appointment.
2. Note any changes in your health or medications: Make sure you update your list of health concerns and prescriptions as well as any over-the-counter medications, vitamins, or supplements you take.
3. Examine your mouth: We often use an intraoral camera on a tiny, pen-shaped tool to look inside your mouth and note any areas of concern or changes since your last visit.
4. Oral cancer screenings: We have a safe, painless tool that can check for early warning signs of cancer and it only takes about 2 minutes to do it!
5. Take digital x-rays if we need them: Our process uses only tiny amounts of radiation compared to traditional tooth X-rays, and the images are saved into your digital file.
6. Check for decay in your teeth: We use the DIAGNOdent laser to quickly and painlessly check each tooth individually for signs of decay that we might otherwise miss.
7. Look for gum disease: If your gums are red, tender, or bleeding, we will assess your level of infection and recommend periodontal therapies.
8. Evaluate your bite: If your upper and lower arches of teeth don’t line up correctly, the misalignment can cause jaw, shoulder, or neck pain, or even migraines.
9. ASSESS the integrity of past dental work: If you have old fillings or crowns, they may be damaged and need replacement.
10. Discuss your options for future dental care: Dr. Patel will discuss your treatment with you and come up with a plan to maintain your teeth and gums.
11. Educate you on at-home care: A good oral hygiene routine will keep your mouth healthy between visits. Our team is always happy to demonstrate proper care.

Dr. Patel will explain any treatments you need before you leave. You’ll also receive a customized information packet explaining any dental treatments you may need in the future. If no services are needed or desired at the time of your appointment, we’ll simply recommend that you make an appointment for your next checkup!

DENTAL CLEANINGS

An important part of preventative dentistry includes dental cleanings. These cleanings should be performed at least twice annually to ensure your mouth stays as clean and healthy as possible. Even though your teeth may look healthy, Tartar and plaque can hide beneath the gum line and between teeth, causing decay and other oral issues. Preventive cleanings involve a thorough cleaning of your teeth and gums, removal of tartar, and a thorough exam to ensure there are no signs of decay or gingivitis (gum disease). Dr. Patel and the team will usually conduct a preventative exam before your dental cleanings. If you usually follow a good oral hygiene routine, this should be a quick and easy appointment!

DENTAL SEALANTS

One of the hardest places to keep clean can be the tops of your teeth where you chew. The uneven surface full of pits and crevices makes a great place for bits of food and bacteria to hide. The trapped bacteria and food can cause tooth decay. Dental sealants can be used to help prevent decay on chewing surfaces by coating the small pits and crevices with a protective layer. Not only do dental sealants greatly reduce your risk of tooth decay by keeping out bacteria, but they also make it easier for you to keep your teeth clean by giving you a smoother surface to brush. This is especially helpful for children, whose brushing skills aren’t as developed yet. Ask Dr. Patel if you could benefit from dental sealants.

PERIODONTAL THERAPY

Periodontal therapy for your gums can help decrease your risk of periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, and minimize irritation from gingivitis. Periodontal therapy uses specialized techniques to remove infection from below the gumline, which you can’t reach with brushing and flossing.

Your gum health is vital to tooth retention – in fact, more Americans lose teeth to gum disease than to tooth decay and most Americans will have some level of gum disease at some point in their life. It’s important to stay on top of gum health which is why Dr. Patel will always check for Periodontal disease when you come in for an appointment. If she finds anything, she’ll provide you with a treatment plan that will likely include Periodontal therapy. We also offer more extensive gum therapies if indicated.

ORAL CANCER SCREENINGS

Oral cancer screenings are an easy, quick, and painless check for any sign of oral cancer. Dr. Patel or one of our dental hygienists will use a specialized tool to examine the roof and floor of your mouth, the upper and lower gums, the cheeks, the lips, the throat, and the tongue for white or red patches that require additional follow-up. This whole exam only lasts about two minutes and could catch oral cancer early, saving your life! If you can catch oral cancer early, it’s curable 90% of the time, so schedule an appointment with our office for early cancer screening.

PROTECTIVE MOUTHGUARDS

If you are an athlete or if you’ve noticed you grind your teeth while you sleeping or are stressed, a Protective custom mouthguard could be invaluable to you and your teeth. Mouthguards don’t just protect your teeth from injury during sports or keep you from wearing your teeth down by grinding, they can also reduce stress and muscle pain. Clenching mouth muscles can cause an influx of stress-causing hormones causing less oxygen intake, jaw pain, and fatigue. To solve these issues, Dr. Patel can create a custom mouth guard by taking molds of your teeth. When asked, Dr. Patel recommends Under Armour Performance mouthwear.

Whatever your dental needs, our Orlando dental office can help! Call our office or use this easy form to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Patel.