For your family dental plan, do you pick a specialist for each family member’s needs or do you choose the one closest to home? Tempting as it is to pick the office that is most conveniently located, keep in mind that each individual has a different set of teeth. A family dental office may be able to meet every requirement, or it might not. To find out, you need to know some of the dental procedures your family may need regularly.
Dental Cleanings Are Twice a Year.
Dentists recommend their patients come into the office for a dental cleaning every six months. This helps reduce plaque and prevent gingivitis and cavities. Even using the proper tooth brushing technique recommended by all dental assistants twice a day is not enough on its own.
Early Prevention is the Key to a Healthy Smile.
A family dental office is likely to be more aware of the special recommendations for it’s youngest patients. For children, dental sealants are helpful because they smooth out the deep grooves in the back molars where cavities like to grow. Of children ages 6 to 11, it is estimated 30% have dental sealants.
It is estimated as much as 92% of adults in the U.S. have cavities in their permanent teeth. Proper care from the beginning is paramount. Once the integrity of a tooth is compromised, it cannot be regained, only patched over.
Get a Movie-star Smile.
There are some of us who follow our dentist’s recommendations to the letter: proper tooth brushing technique, flossing daily, and twice-yearly cleanings. But, because of genetics or a childhood accident, our smiles are still lacking. Misaligned teeth are a sore point for those that have them. In one survey, dentists said that about 32% of their patients “are concerned about the look of their teeth.”
An orthodontist is simply a dentist with more schooling. Some dentists are able to perform simple orthodontic procedures for their patients, such as Invisalign or adding veneers to give a more uniform smile.
A family dental office may be able to help with aligning teeth and some other cosmetic dental procedures. The office you choose for your family can fill every dental requirement, or could just be a convenient place to go get your bi-yearly teeth cleaning. Remember, many dental problems can be avoided with proper prevention.