Most of us are aware that we should visit the dentist twice a year for a routine checkup, but many people don’t know that there is actually much more to our general dentistry services than just dental cleanings and exams.

It’s easy to get excited about cosmetic dentistry, especially if you have a smile that has lost its luster over the years. We have many fantastic cosmetic treatments that will liven up your smile and help you display it with pride everywhere you go.

Likewise, if you have failing or missing teeth, our restorative dentistry options give you many great ways to repair and replace your teeth. Our treatment will give you back a beautiful smile and a strong bite.

General dentistry, on the other hand, is often overlooked, as it doesn’t have the same “curb appeal” as some of our more flashy and dramatic services. However, good general dentistry treatments form the cornerstone of bright and healthy smiles. Below are a few of these treatments

Keep Your Smile Bright With a Teeth Cleaning & Exam

Regular checkups allow us to keep an eye on your oral health. We can catch and treat oral problems early on before they have the chance to do major smile damage. At your routine visits, we’ll not only perform a complete oral exam and clean and polish your teeth, we’ll also perform other important checks.

Low-radiation digital X-rays will give us detailed images of your teeth, roots, and bone structure to help us spot any signs of irregularities. We’ll also use electronic cavity detectors to spot early signs of tooth decay that are invisible to the naked eye. Plus, our VELscope system will detect signs of oral cancer so that, if necessary, early treatment can be administered.

Preventive Services Can Keep Your Teeth Strong & Healthy

Depending on the results of your oral exam and X-rays, Dr. LoCascio may recommend preventive treatments to help keep your teeth their healthiest.

Fluoride treatments and varnishes help strengthen and remineralize your tooth enamel, helping to prevent cavities that could ultimately require restorative dentistry to repair. Fluoride can even reverse tooth decay when it’s still in its early stages. A little preventive treatment could save you time, money, and hassle later on.

Tooth sealants are another great service that we often recommend to our patients. Sealants form a strong plastic barrier between your tooth enamel and harmful, disease-causing bacteria.

Sealants are often applied to your molars, as these teeth are quite susceptible to decay. Sealants act like raincoats for your teeth, blocking bacteria from taking hold and forming plaque and eventually tartar.

Restore Your Gums With Gum Disease Treatment

Unfortunately, for many of our patients their routine checkups reveal signs of gum disease. Even if you’re not noticing the more visible symptoms yourself (red, puffy gums and gums that bleed when brushing and flossing), gum disease could still be lurking in your mouth.

We’ll check your gums carefully during your dental exam and recommend treatment if needed. At Highland Advanced Dental Care, we offer non-surgical gum disease treatment using deep cleaning methods of scaling and root planing.

First, we’ll use special tools to scale (remove) built up tartar and bacteria from around and below your gumline. Next, we’ll plane (smooth) your tooth roots so that bacteria have a hard time recollecting there. These two procedures combined will rid your gums of bacteria and help your gums begin the healing process.

Protect Your Smile With Custom Mouthguards

Dr. LoCascio can make two different types of mouthguards to help keep your teeth strong and healthy. If you or your child regularly participate in sports, you should invest in a professionally made mouthguard.

The American Dental Association (ADA) says that athletes who don’t wear mouth protection are 60 times more likely to experience dental damage than those who do wear a mouthguard. That’s a lot of injuries that could potentially be avoided just by getting a custom-fit mouthguard.

Our mouthguards are custom made just for your or your child’s mouth. They will provide superior protection over store-bought appliances, plus they’ll fit better and last longer. If you have athletes in your family, they deserve to have the best mouth protection possible to keep their pearly whites in their head where they belong!

We also offer mouthguards to help prevent teeth grinding (bruxism) while sleeping. Left untreated, bruxism can damage your tooth enamel and require crowns, dental bonding, or other treatments to correct.

Our professionally made oral appliance will keep your teeth apart and prevent grinding and clenching, which many people do without having any awareness of it. Often, a routine visit to the dentist will reveal patterns of abnormal teeth wear. When we mention this to the patient, they many times have no idea that they were a teeth grinder.

Our sturdy mouthguard will help prevent long-term damage to your tooth enamel that can make you more susceptible to cavities and disease. Plus, since teeth grinding has been linked to TMJ (jaw) pain, tension headaches, and migraines, you may also help eliminate these types of problems.

As you can see, we offer a wide variety of general dental services at Highland Advanced Dental Care. Call us today at 248-329-3552 to schedule your next dental visit!