Preventive Dentistry: Care Today, Savings Tomorrow

If you don't take care of your teeth and properly manage your oral health, you may find yourself forking over thousands of dollars in restorative dental care. Did you know that a full-mouth restoration can cost between $45,000 and $80,000? By practicing preventive dentistry, you can safeguard yourself from these exorbitant dental costs.

Preventive dentistry emphasizes the importance of on-going hygiene procedures and daily practices to prevent tooth decay and other dental diseases. Effective preventive dentistry combines at-home oral care by patients with chair-side treatments and counseling by Dr. Mark Davis and his team.

For example, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends a minimum of two dental checkups each year for professional cleaning and management of any developing conditions. Adhering to this recommendation can help Dr. Mark Davis stop dental disease in its earliest stages, protecting your smile and limiting your expense.

Early Prevention

Dental hygiene begins in infancy.  Begin daily tooth cleaning as soon as your child's first tooth erupts. Visit a pediatric dentist when the first tooth erupts, or no later than 12 months of age, to establish a comprehensive oral health prevention program for your child.

Preventive Dentistry Strategies

Preventive oral care strategies for children and adults include a number of in-office and home care activities, including:

At-home oral hygiene. The most important prevention technique is brushing and flossing (brushing site from the American Dental Hygienists' Association) (flossing site from the American Dental Hygienists' Association) at least twice a day (or after every meal) to remove dental plaque, a film-like coating that forms on your teeth. If not removed, plaque can build up and produce dental tartar, a hardened, sticky substance with acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay and lead to gum disease.

Fluoride use. Fluoride strengthens teeth and helps to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride treatments are provided in dental offices, and Dr. Mark Davis recommends using a fluoride toothpaste at home. Public water fluoridation – ranked as one of the 20th century's 10 great public health achievements – provides a major source of fluoride. 

Diet. A balanced diet is a dental health essential. Foods with sugars and carbohydrates feed the bacteria that produce dental plaque, while calcium-poor diets increase your chances of developing gum (periodontal) disease and jaw deterioration.

Regular dental visits. Since most dental conditions are painless at first, if you don't regularly visit your dentist, you may not be aware of dental problems until they cause significant damage. For best results, schedule your regular dental check-ups at least every six months; more often if you're at higher risk for oral diseases. Dr. Mark Davis will also perform oral cancer screenings (click here for more on oral cancer) to check for signs of abnormal tissues. Especially for children, checking oral growth and development (including an assessment for caries development) should be part of dental evaluations.

Dental cleanings and screenings. A dental cleaning (prophylaxis) is recommended at least once every six months to remove dental plaque and stains you're unable to remove yourself, as well as to check for signs of tooth decay.

X-rays. X-rays enable dentists to look for signs of dental problems that are not visible to the naked eye, such as cavities between teeth and problems below the gum line.  X-rays at the dental office are analogous to blood pressure readings at your general practitioner’s office – tooth decay can be present without causing you any pain, just as your blood pressure may be too high without causing any pain.  Only with regular x-rays can Dr. Mark Davis catch your tooth decay before it becomes a big, painful, expensive problem.  In his office, Dr. Mark Davis uses the newest digital x-ray technology.

Mouth guards. Mouth guards – a custom-made mouth guard fabricated by Dr. Mark Davis to provide a perfect fit – can be worn at night to protect against broken teeth. Mouth guards also are used to treat teeth grinding (bruxism), which can wear down teeth and contribute to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.

Orthodontics. A bad bite (malocclusion) can impair eating and speaking, and crooked teeth are hard to keep clean. Correcting an improper bite with orthodontics (braces) may help to limit the possibility of future dental problems.

Sealants. Sealants are thin composite coatings placed on the chewing surfaces of back permanent teeth to protect your child from tooth decay. (Click here for information from the American Dental Association.)

Limit or avoid smoking and excessive drinking. Smoking, chewing tobacco and alcohol consumption can negatively affect your oral health. Apart dry mouth, tooth discoloration, and plaque buildup, smoking may cause gum disease, tooth loss and even oral cancer.  Click here for a pdf from the American Dental Association about smoking cessation.

Oral health management. Consistent dental care for chronic dental diseases/conditions is essential for arresting or reversing their harmful effects.

Patient education. Patients who understand the outcome of poor dental health are likelier to see their dentist for preventive dentistry treatments. Instilling excellent oral hygiene habits significantly helps ensure a lifetime of dental health.

Importance of Fluoride

Fluoride is absorbed easily into tooth enamel, especially in children's growing teeth. Once teeth are developed, fluoride strengthens tooth structure, making teeth more resistant to decay. Fluoride also repairs or remineralizes areas in which decay has already begun, thus possibly reversing the process and helping to create a decay-resistant tooth surface.

Types of Fluoride

Fluoride is available in two forms: topical and systemic.

·         Topical fluorides strengthen existing teeth, making them more decay-resistant. Topical fluorides include toothpastes, mouth rinses, and professionally applied fluoride therapies (gels, foams, rinses or varnishes). Dr. Mark Davis gives topical fluoride treatment to all children up to age 18 as well as to many of his adult patients who request it or are at higher risk of decay. For people with rampant cavities or predispositions to decay – such as people wearing orthodontic appliances and those with dry mouth – Dr. Mark Davis may prescribe a special gel for daily home use.

·         Systemic fluorides are ingested into the body and incorporate into forming tooth structures. Systemic fluorides also can give topical protection because fluoride is present in saliva, which constantly moistens teeth. Systemic fluorides include public water fluoridation or dietary fluoride supplements in the form of tablets, drops or lozenges.

The ADA recommends that adults and children two years and older use a fluoride toothpaste bearing the ADA Seal of Acceptance.

Other Preventive Dental Substances

Used as a dental treatment, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) might help in restoring the necessary mineral balance of calcium and phosphate – natural building blocks of teeth – in the mouth. When applied to tooth surfaces, ACP strengthens tooth enamel before and after bleaching, and can protect dentin after professional dental cleaning and during orthodontic treatment, helping to prevent dentin hypersensitivity. ACP is currently found in some toothpastes and bleaching gels (Discus Dental's Nite White), as well as professional sealants available in dental offices.

Dr. Mark Davis also recommends xylitol, a natural sweetener made from birch trees, which has been clinically shown to help reduce cavities and help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Xylitol can be used as a sugar substitute in cooking and baking, or beverages. It also is included in many toothpastes, mouth rinses, chewing gums, and candies.

Technology for Prevention and Diagnosis

Intraoral cameras, which can be used in conjunction with computers or television monitors, are extremely small cameras which take pictures of the outside of the tooth, inside the mouth.

Digital radiography is a form of X-ray imaging where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film X-ray images. Faster and easier than conventional X-rays, they offer the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images of problem areas on a computer screen next to the patient's chair, allowing for better detection and patient education. Most importantly, they emit up to 90 percent less radiation than conventional radiography.

Importance of Caries Risk Assessment

Dr. Mark Davis can customize a prevention program based on your individual caries risk assessment profile. Caries risk assessment, which involves observing your clinical appearance, also takes into account the following:

·         Number of existing carious lesions (someone with two or more previous cavities may be considered at high risk of developing future caries)

·         Fluoride exposure

·         Salivary flow rate (Click here for information about dry mouth from the American Dental Association.)  (Click here for more information.)

·         Diet

·         Medication use. Some medicines can contribute to cavities since many contain high amounts of sugar or may decrease saliva flow.

·         Age. Each age group – infants, children, teens, adults and seniors – has its own set of associated risks.

·         Income, education and oral health attitude. Research shows that those who have lower incomes or lower education and achievement are likelier to have severe and untreated dental decay.

·         Clinical variables such as number of filled/restored or missing teeth

Benefits of Preventive Dentistry

Based on numerous credible studies that have proven a link between your oral health and your overall health, preventive dentistry is important to your overall well-being. In children, severe decay can affect growth and development.  Oral diseases can interfere with eating, speaking, daily activities, and self-esteem.

Preventive dentistry can result in less extensive – and less expensive – treatment for any dental conditions that may develop, and help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime.