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Preventative dental treatments, also known as prophylaxis, are intended to maintain your oral health by taking specific actions to prevent common oral health conditions such as tooth decay and gum disease. The ultimate goal of preventative dental care is to minimize the occurrence of dental problems and to avoid the need for invasive dental procedures. Preventative dental care consists of regular dental checkups, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and addressing problems such as tooth sensitivity, bleeding gums, and white spots on the teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What causes sensitive teeth and how can I treat them?
Sensitive teeth produce sharp, deep pain when exposed to hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods and beverages. Three common causes of sensitive teeth for children include cavity, worn enamel or exposed tooth roots. Depending on your individual case, your dentist may recommend one or more of the following treatments for sensitive teeth:
- Desensitizing toothpaste: this type of over the counter toothpaste contains specific ingredients that help to reduce tooth sensitivity.
- Fluoride: fluoride is used to strengthen the tooth enamel and may be applied to certain areas of worn enamel to reduce pain. You may also receive a prescription for fluoride treatments to apply at home.
- Treatment of cavities: if the source of sensitivity comes from cavity, restorative treatment such as fillings may be recommended to treat the underlying causes of the sensitivity.
- Dental bonding: in the case of exposed tooth roots, your dentist may suggest a treatment known as dental bonding, which bonds composite resin to the exposed tooth roots in order to prevent tooth sensitivity.
- Surgical gum graft: some cases of exposed tooth roots can also be treated by taking gum tissue from another area of the mouth and grafting it to areas where gum recession has occurred.
What causes white chalky spots on my teeth and how can I treat them?
White chalky spots on the surface of your teeth can be either due to congenital reason (present since birth) or are signs of demineralization, which is the earliest sign of tooth decay. While many times cogenital white spots have unknown origin, some common explanation include trauma to baby teeth that can affect the development of adult teeth, or sickness/fever that either during mother’s pregnancy or child’s early life that affected the development of enamel. On the other end, incipient cavities are white spots lesions where areas on the enamel have been damaged by decay-causing bacteria but are not yet decayed. At this stage, fluoride can often be used to remineralize the enamel and reverse the damage. Additionally, your dentist may recommend one or more of the following:
- ICON Resin Infiltration
- PreviDent toothpaste
- MI Paste
Why are my gums bleeding and how can I treat this?
In most cases, bleeding gums are caused by periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. Gum disease can be either mild gingivitis or advanced periodontitis. Gum disease is characterized by a number of progressive symptoms such as bleeding gums, deep gum pockets, gum recession, bone loss, and eventual tooth loss in its most severe forms.
For children, the most effective treatment includes improving oral hygiene at home (brushing twice daily and flossing daily) and receiving a professional cleaning that targets the removal of build up such as plaque and/or tartar.
