Preventive dentistry allows us to help you care for your teeth to keep them healthy and avoid cavities, gum disease, enamel wear, and more.
It includes action on your part such as daily brushing flossing, and regular dental cleanings. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends visits to the dentist at regular intervals determined by a dentist. These practices are designed to ensure that teeth are clean, strong, and white.
Dental Exams
Regular dental exams help in preventing gum disease, infection, cavities and bone loss, and are important for the whole family. During your visit to our dental clinic in Colorado Springs, a hygienist will clean your teeth and may take X-rays, and then Dr. Perrett or Dr. Jennings will perform a comprehensive exam by scanning all surfaces of your teeth and gums. As part of this exam, your dentist will also provide an oral cancer screening. This evaluation is repeated at each hygiene interval. Our goal is to supplement your yearly medical examination by taking a careful look at the soft tissue both inside and outside your mouth to ensure there are no “silent” problems of which you may be unaware. So many oral cancers, if detected early, can be treated successfully. A routine exam is our best opportunity to identify and prevent a problem before it becomes an even greater issue. Preventive care is a critical part of good oral hygiene as it can often save a significant amount of time and money in the long run. For example, if a patient is diagnosed with a minor cavity early on, filling that cavity can be done in a simple appointment. However, if the patient hasn’t seen a dentist in years, that minor cavity can become a much larger problem, leading to more complicated treatment such as a root canal or tooth extraction. We recommend that patients visit us at least every six months to ensure their smile is staying in great shape.
X-Rays
Dental radiography (the generation of x-ray images) is a commonly used diagnostic procedure that is considered very safe and beneficial for evaluating the health of teeth, bone, jaw joints, and adjacent/supportive structures. The x-rays used consist of low levels of energy which project “shadows” onto digital sensors which capture two dimensional images of these objects. These allow for the identification of tooth decay and malformations, gum disease, jaw joint issues, impacted teeth, and disease and problems in adjacent bone, nasal cavities, sinuses, and the skull base, identification that could otherwise be undetectable. Oftentimes these issues progress without symptoms, even to an advanced stage. X-rays are used to detect those hidden concerns before the get worse. Much of dental disease is progressive in nature. Early detection creates opportunity for less involved and expensive treatment, and more favorable outcomes.
Our practice has a digital radiography system that has several benefits for our patients. The radiation exposure is a fraction of what it was with traditional film dental radiographs, we see the image on our computer screens within seconds, we can magnify and change the image for more clarity, and being digital it leaves us with many enhanced tools for coordination of treatment with specialists as needed. With some variation that we apply for each individual patient, the standard of care for an abbreviated set of radiographs is every 12 months. In addition to the usual two-dimensional images of teeth and bone, at our office we also have the capability when needed of generating 3 dimensional images with the use of Cone Beam Computed Tomography or CBCT. These images are particularly useful for implant and root canal procedures, wisdom tooth removal, jaw joint treatment, and in enhanced detection of diseases in bone.
Dental Cleaning
When you visit us our dentist in Colorado Springs for a general hygiene appointment, you can expect to have the plaque and tarter buildup removed from your teeth as well as have your teeth polished. The doctors at Pinnacle Dentistry recommend receiving a cleaning at least every six months. The American Dental Association recommends that you visit your dentist at least once a year to get a routine examination and cleaning. If you have a history of periodontal disease, you should get your teeth cleaned more often in order to prevent the recurrence of infections or disease. You should also have your teeth cleaned more often if you suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease due to their link to dental problems.
At these appointments, we are happy to discuss healthy dietary and oral care habits you can implement at home, as well as address any questions you may have.