Enjoying a Lifetime of Healthy Teeth: The Importance of Preventive Dentistry

Taking care of your teeth and gums is about more than just brushing and flossing daily. Preventive dentistry involves education, treatment, and taking the steps required to maintain healthy teeth and gums. From daily brushing to checkups and professional cleanings, a comprehensive preventative dentistry routine can help you avoid gum disease, cavities, and other issues that can impact your oral health and overall well-being.

Establishing Good Oral Health Habits for Life

At the office of Gregory J. Schmitt, DMD, we emphasize the importance of taking a proactive approach to maintaining optimal oral health. We recommend the following steps to keep your smile and those of your loved ones in tip-top shape:

• Establish an effective brushing and flossing routine at home. Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with an ADA-approved fluoride-containing toothpaste.
• Follow a nutritious and balanced diet, avoiding food and beverages high in sugars or very acidic. Limit sticky sweets and brush afterward. Instead of sodas and sports drinks, reach for a glass of water instead.
• Avoid harmful oral habits like nail biting, chewing on pencils or ice, lip or tongue piercings, and don't smoke or chew tobacco. If your little one sucks their fingers or thumb, try to get them to constructively break the habit at home or seek dental advice and possible intervention before their permanent teeth come into place.
• Get regular checkups, professional cleanings, and routine care as recommended by the American Dental Association.

Protecting Your Smile from Decay and Disease

Our top priority is helping patients of all ages enjoy the benefits of good oral health. You can count on our office to provide you and your family with the guidance, resources, and care needed to establish a strong foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles.

During regular checkup visits, we carefully assess every smile, checking for signs of dental disease and other issues that can impact oral health and overall well-being. After reviewing each patient's medical and dental history, we'll perform an extra and intra-oral exam. We'll screen for oral cancer and other suspicious lesions, check occlusion, TMJ function, and more. We'll recommend diagnostic films as needed to detect cavities, periodontal disease, and other oral pathology. With regular checkup visits, we're able to find emerging issues early in their development when they are typically easiest to treat.

As part of a comprehensive preventive care program, professional dental cleanings represent an excellent opportunity to remove any accumulated plaque and tartar your toothbrush has not reached. Since dental plaque and tartar harbor bacteria that cause dental disease, a professional cleaning helps protect your smile from the damage associated with cavities and gum disease. We'll also use this opportunity to provide instruction in the best methods of brushing and flossing and offer the nutritional guidance needed to support a healthy smile. Children can be especially vulnerable to cavities, and we may use these visits to provide periodic fluoride treatments and dental sealants to offer additional protection against tooth decay.

At the office of Gregory J. Schmitt, DMD, we offer comprehensive care to support healthy, beautiful smiles! Call today for more information on our office and the many services we provide.