Preventative Care and Restoration at Our Grand Rapids, MI Dental Practice
Avoiding a problem is always better than addressing it once it appears. The same is true for your oral health. Preventative dentistry involves guarding against issues and detecting them before they become severe. Preventative care can help you avoid discomfort, extensive treatment, and costly procedures. More importantly, preventative care leads to good oral and systemic health.
Maintaining your teeth starts from the early ages of childhood with primary (baby) teeth. Treatments such as silver diamine fluoride, sealants, and more can get you set for a lifetime of good oral health. Of course, regular professional cleanings and preventative exams, along with diligent care at home, are key.
We provide a complete suite of preventative services at Woodmeadow Dentistry. These services include fluoride treatments, nightguards to protect against nocturnal teeth grinding, and pediatric dentistry – because a healthy mouth begins early.
When decay does affect a tooth, we generally recommend treatment earlier in the disease process than later. This approach allows us to preserve more of the tooth structure in the long run.
We see disease as a process. Unlike trauma, disease does not occur all at once. We can address disease early or late. Of course, it is ultimately up to you to determine where in the disease process you are most comfortable addressing problems. We will always be here to be your advocate and provide our best risk-based assessment and recommendations in your best interests.
Also, we provide restorations of the highest quality that can aid in preventing tooth loss and all the problems accompanying absent teeth. Our restorations include fillings and crowns made from safe and durable materials. However, nothing lasts forever. Even dental work of the highest caliber will be subjected to daily stresses like saliva, food and drink, bacterial action, chewing, and nighttime grinding. For this reason, we closely monitor your teeth and dental work and keep you informed of their ever-changing condition.
Nightguards, also called bite splints or occlusal guards, are also crucial tools for the maintenance of teeth and dental work. These appliances can greatly reduce the rate of tooth wear and the incidence of broken or lost teeth. Nightguards also play a major role in the management and prevention of TMJ issues, such as jaw pain, locking jaw, chronic headaches, and more.
Again, we never push treatments on our patients. Although we believe it’s wise to prevent disease or address it in the early stages, we provide education and respect your wishes concerning treatment choice.
You can get in touch with us at (616) 957-0303 to arrange your consultation.