Preventive Dentistry Protecting Southlake Smiles
Protect Your Smile All Year
If you’re like most people, we bet that you prefer to avoid a dental problem altogether rather than have to get it fixed later. Call it a hunch! Prevention is a large part of our practice because it allows us to give our patients a healthy smile and stop many dental issues before they even start. Using these services, Dr. J. Lee Pettigrew can give you the kind of smile that you only need to think about when it’s time to show it off.
Checkups & Cleanings
When it comes to keeping your smile looking great and problem-free, checkups and cleanings are two of the best tools we have.
For your standard preventive checkup, it will probably begin with a dental cleaning. With this, one of our excellent hygienists will eliminate plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums, specifically targeting those areas in your mouth that you simply can’t reach at home.
After that, Dr. Pettigrew will perform a thorough oral exam where he’ll look for the early signs of tooth decay, cavities, gum disease, and oral cancer. By catching them early, he’ll be able to treat them conservatively and save you unneeded time in the treatment chair.
Children’s Dentistry
Is it time for your little one to visit the dentist? We are happy to see children as young as 6 years old.
At our practice, we’ll do everything we can to make your child comfortable in a new environment while providing them the special kind of dental care that they need. We’ll do everything with a gentle touch, and we’ll make sure that your child learns everything they need to take care of their teeth at home.
Dental Sealants
While a child is still learning to brush their teeth, they frequently miss their back teeth because they can be difficult for them to reach. This is why these teeth are so often the source of tooth decay and cavities. To give them a little bit of extra protection right where they need it, we can use something called a dental sealant.
We’ll apply a thin, clear layer of a plastic-based substance to their teeth in order to protect them from plaque and bacteria. It’s simple, it’s painless, and it’s fantastic for preventing cavities.
TMJ Therapy
Do you ever experience a sore jaw or chronic headaches? These problems can often be caused by the TMJ, or temporomandibular joint. This is the small set of hinges that connects your jaw to your head and allows it to move fluidly whenever you speak or eat. Like other joints in the body, it can become strained or injured, leading to a wide variety of problems. Fortunately, we’re able to diagnose and treat them right here in Southlake. We’ll always examine your TMJ health during your regular checkup.
Nightguards for Bruxism
Bruxism is a condition where a person unconsciously clenches their jaw and grinds their teeth at night, and it affects as many as 1 in 3 people! Over time, this puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the teeth, and it can eventually break them! To prevent this, we can provide you with something called a nightguard. It is a small, custom-made mouthguard that you will only need to wear to bed, and it will place a comfortable and protective barrier between your teeth.
Mouthguards / Sportsguards
Did you know that 40% of all sports injuries are actually dental injuries? In order to save you and your child from contributing to this statistic, both of you should always wear a mouthguard when playing any sport. We can provide you with a custom-made mouthguard right here at our practice, and we guarantee that it will be more comfortable and defend your smile much better than anything you can buy on store shelves today.
Oral Cancer Screening
After being diagnosed with oral cancer, many patients do not live more than 5 years simply because the disease wasn’t caught until it was quite advanced. We never want this to happen to you or someone you care about, which is why we will always perform an oral cancer screening during your regular checkup. Dr. Pettigrew will examine your lips, gums, cheeks, tongue, throat, and neck for any signs of the disease, and he can advise you on what to do next if he finds anything that causes concern.
Fluoride Treatment
Have you ever wondered why fluoride is in every toothpaste and public water source? It’s because it’s nature’s gift to your teeth! Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that, when consumed, actually replenishes the minerals in your teeth that have been eaten away by acidic plaque (which is a fancy way of saying that it fights tooth decay and cavities). To help protect your smile, we’ll simply have you rinse your mouth with a highly-concentrated fluoride solution for a few minutes. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it’ll help keep your smile healthy all year long!
All it takes is just two preventive appointments each year to have a gorgeous smile that you never have to worry about. Your smile is certainly worth that kind of time, right? To make your next appointment, simply contact our office today.