Preventative Dental Care

Oral exams are a necessary part of preventive dental care. They are a way for dentists to see what’s going on with your teeth and gums and create an effective treatment plan. Remember, early dental care often translates to less dental care down the road. With at least two regular oral exams and professional teeth cleanings each year, problem areas can be treated before they become much worse.

One person every hour of every day is killed by oral cancer in the United States. In fact, oral cancer is now one of the deadliest forms of cancer in America; however, with early diagnosis and treatment, the chances of survival are significantly raised. 

Here are some statistics and information regarding oral cancer in the U.S., illustrating the vital need to be regularly screened for the condition each year:

• Early detection of oral cancer has a 90% survival rate.
• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends all persons over the age of 17 be screened annually for oral cancer.
• 20 million Americans are infected with Human Papillomavirus or HPV.
  • HPV-16 &18 strains are a link to oral cancer.
  • Increase in HPV is on the rise in people under 40.
• Early stage oral cancer often does not display symptoms.
• Lumps, sores that do not heal and bleed easily, pain or numbness in the mouth or lips, color changes in oral tissues, and teeth that do not fit together as they did before are some of the possible symptoms of oral cancer.

Dr. Ben sees patients of all ages for procedures ranging from routine dental care to major dental rehabilitation. We make it a point to make children feel as comfortable as possible at our practice, and we offer a number of options to help them develop healthy teeth and gums. For older patients, Dr. Ben offers advanced general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry techniques to solve common problems and enhance both the form and function of teeth and gums. It’s a great pleasure for our dental team to treat patients from the very young to the very young at heart!

Professional dental cleanings should be scheduled depending on your periodontal health. Each individual patient has a different susceptibility to periodontal disease, and some patients may need to be seen more often than once every six months. Routine dental cleanings are one of the most important things you can do to ensure the health of your teeth and gums.

Sealants are terrific preventive dentistry treatments designed to save your teeth from decay that starts in the deep grooves of your back molars. This is a simple and virtually painless procedure. The teeth are first cleaned and then a resin sealant is placed in the grooves of the back teeth. This durable sealant works to prevent bacteria from causing cavities in these grooves. Sealants can prevent severe damage from occurring along the back teeth, which can ultimately save you from more extensive treatment down the road.

Dr. Ben is committed to high standards of infection control. We take sterilization very seriously, and we employ a sterilization expert to help test and monitor infection control procedures in our practice. Our dental team uses disposable materials whenever possible, and we make sure that reusable equipment is thoroughly disinfected after each use. A safe, clean environment is one of our highest priorities.

Root canal therapy is sometimes necessary when a tooth is very badly decayed, or damaged by traumatic injury. If the tooth is infected, it will often need root canal therapy in order to save it from extraction. Symptoms of an infected tooth include extreme sensitivity to hot and cold, a very high degree of pain, an abscess in the area of the tooth, or just a bad taste in your mouth. In some cases, the infected tooth may not be symptomatic at all. Treatment for an infected tooth is vital because, if left alone, the infection can lead to tooth loss and even risks to your overall health. A root canal is designed to clean out the nerve chamber of the tooth and destroy the bacteria that’s causing the problem. Once the infection has been cleared away, the tooth is sealed with a very durable material, and capped with a permanent dental crown. Root canal therapy ultimately reinforces the tooth with a stronger support structure. The results typically look and feel like a beautiful, natural tooth.

In a dental emergency, the chief concern is relieving your pain. Dental emergencies will always be seen as soon as possible in an effort to ease your discomfort and perform the necessary treatment for the affected area. 

This is the first line of treatment for periodontal disease. Scaling and root planing is a procedure designed to remove pockets of bacteria and tartar from deep within the gums. This procedure can be essential to ensuring that gum disease does not worsen and become a much more serious problem.

The term “green dentistry” refers to special techniques and efforts that dental practices can employ to reduce—or even eliminate—the negative effect particular products, treatments, and processes can potentially have on the health of patients and the environment. We utilize mercury-free and non-toxic materials, digital x-rays, laser therapy, and organic cleansing agents for numerous services and procedures. In addition, we operate a paperless office. All of these elements enable us to optimize the total wellness of our patients and reduce our carbon footprint without sacrificing top-quality care.

With modern preventive dental care, most children don’t usually need a lot of dental work. However, some children will develop cavities and other problems that will require effective dental care to reduce risks to their oral health. Dr. Ben and his experienced dental team offer pediatric dentistry procedures that can keep your child smiling with a healthy set of teeth and gums for many, many years. We understand that children may have certain anxieties about visiting the dentist. That’s why we take great care in making children feel as comfortable as possible. Our practice also offers a number of advanced techniques designed to help them relax. We are committed to helping your child establish great oral health without fear of the dentist’s chair!

Dr. Ben can help reduce the damaging effects of periodontal (gum) disease and prevent it from getting worse. Periodontal disease affects millions of Americans, and can ultimately cause bleeding and inflamed gums, movement of the teeth, and even tooth loss. Plus, many studies suggest that untreated gum disease may be linked to overall health problems such as stroke, hypertension (high blood pressure), and heart disease. The good news is, advanced techniques such as laser gum treatment and deep scaling/root planing can remove harmful bacteria and diminish further harm to your teeth and gums. Dr. Ben offers a range of effective periodontal treatments to help you keep the effects of gingivitis and even more severe gum disease at bay.

Those of you who engage in contact (and even some non-contact) sports can significantly reduce the chances of severe trauma and injury to your teeth with custom-made Athletic Mouthguards. Many people who have sustained terrible damage to their teeth and gums resulting from an impact collision during a sporting event could have dramatically limited the effects if they had been wearing an Athletic Mouthguard. Dr. Ben offers high-quality, comfortable, and inexpensive Mouthguards to help you protect your teeth and gums.

Digital x-rays help to significantly lower radiation exposure. In fact, by using digital x-rays instead of traditional x-ray imaging, our patients’ exposure to radiation can be reduced by as much as 90 percent! As an added bonus, the use of digital technology enables our office to eliminate the need for harmful chemicals required to develop traditional x-rays, many of which are toxic to the environment.

Our practice uses organic cleansing agents and other non-toxic dental materials during routine check-ups, teeth cleanings, and various treatments. These products are formulated without any harmful dyes, chemicals, or other elements that may negatively affect oral or overall health, and they are proven to work just as effectively at keeping the teeth beautiful and clean.

Please contact Dr. Ben for more information, or to schedule an appointment. With the many advanced dental care options available at our practice, we can help you maintain healthy teeth and gums for a beautiful, refreshing smile!