Flouride Treatments

We know that cavity prevention is a never-ending quest. Fortunately, there are many tools we use to help fight tooth decay. The obvious ones include brushing, flossing, and regular checkups. Another great way to fight cavities is the application of topical fluoride treatments.

The enamel layer of your teeth gains and loses minerals every day. Too much demineralization can lead to weakened teeth and increased cavity risk. Fluoride treatments have two major objectives. First, they make teeth more resistant to plaque and acid attacks. And second, they help teeth remineralize more quickly.

The dentist or hygienist applies a highly-concentrated fluoride, in the form of a solution, gel, foam, or varnish, to the teeth to improve health and reduce the risk of cavities.

• Protects teeth from decay
• Builds strong enamel
• Helps prevent cavities
• Supports healthy gums

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Occlusal Guards

If you’ve ever woken up with a sore jaw, tooth pain, or a headache, then you know the struggle of sleep bruxism (teeth grinding). Because it happens in your sleep, stopping it can be very difficult, but one way to protect your teeth from the damaging effects of grinding is to wear a custom night guard.

What Does A Night Guard Do?
Wearing a night guard provides a cushioning effect so that your upper and lower teeth can’t wear away at each other. It protects your teeth from external damage caused by grinding, such as chipping and erosion. However, it is not a cure for a grinding habit, and as long as the grinding continues, some symptoms such as jaw pain may not change.

Dental Sealants

What Are Dental Sealants?
Sealants provide protection for your teeth by keeping plaque from forming in the tiny crevices of the chewing surfaces. Our team often recommends sealants for children because kids’ teeth have small depressions in them that make them harder to properly clean through brushing alone. Sealants coat these small indentations, forming a protective layer against plaque and decay.

Why Are Sealants Important?
Dental sealants are an effective preventative measure against cavities and tooth decay. They can be especially helpful if your child has a weakness for sweets and/or a hard time sticking to good dental cleaning habits. Sealants have been shown to reduce cavities by up to 80 percent and can last up to 10 years.

We Can Easily Apply Sealants During Your Next Visit
The process of applying sealants is short, easy, and does not require drilling or the removal of any tooth structure. After the teeth are cleaned, a special gel is placed on the chewing surfaces for a few seconds. Each tooth is then washed and dried before the sealant is painted on. Typically, we also shine a special curing light on the tooth to help harden the sealant.

Oral Cancer Screenings

Oral cancer is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent forms of cancer today, but it doesn’t receive much attention compared to breast and lung cancer, and that’s a major part of the problem. Because few people realize that oral cancer is a risk, they often don’t get diagnosed until it’s past the early stages, which makes it much more dangerous. We at Bridle Trails Family Dentistry want to stop oral cancer in its tracks by diagnosing it early, and that’s where oral cancer screenings come in.

What Is Oral Cancer Screening?
One of the best things about oral cancer screening is that it’s so quick and easy that we can do it during your regular cleaning appointments. The screening mainly consists of our doctors checking the tissues of your mouth for any irregularities, such as unusual textures or white or red spots. Everyone should be screened for oral cancer regularly, but it’s particularly important for those with risk factors such as smoking, tobacco use, previous history of oral cancer, alcohol use, and age.

Orthodontic Retention

The day the braces come off is an amazing day for any orthodontic patient, but don’t get ahead of yourself, because now that you have the smile you’ve always wanted, you have to keep it. That means wearing your retainers as instructed by our doctors. The reason we need retainers in order to keep our teeth in their post-braces position is that it takes time for our teeth, gums, and jawbones to get used to this new arrangement. So don’t slack off on wearing your retainers!

Removable Retainers
Retainers come in a few different varieties. Removable ones, whether wire and acrylic or clear plastic, have the obvious advantage that you can take them out, which makes it much easier to clean both the retainers and your teeth. However, that also means you might forget to put them back in — or worse, lose them after taking them out to eat lunch!

Non-Removable Retainers
Non-removable or bonded retainers are strips of wire cemented to the backs of the teeth to hold them in their post-braces position. These retainers have the advantage of permanently ensuring that your teeth don’t shift back to their old positions, but they can make flossing between those teeth tricky. If you think you’re likely to forget to wear your retainers, then bonded, non-removable retainers are the perfect choice for you.

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