At Tyler Family Dental, we want to do everything possible to help you keep your teeth and gums healthy. We do this is through regular dental hygiene appointments, checkups, and preventative dental care twice per year. At your regular dental appointment, we’ll provide advice to help you properly maintain your teeth at home. Our dentists in Tyler, TX, are her for your every dental health need.
The Importance of Preventative Care
Preventative care involves maintaining good oral health at home and in the dental office. You should brush your teeth and floss at least twice daily at home. This prevents bacteria and food debris from lingering and forming plaque on your teeth’s surface between dental appointments.
But brushing and flossing your teeth at home isn’t enough. Regular dental visits include a thorough dental cleaning at each bi-annual appointment. Our dentists have specialized tools to reach places you can’t with an ordinary toothbrush. If you’re not visiting the dentist, you are at a higher risk for tooth decay and gum disease.
We also perform a thorough dental exam at bi-annual visits. Serious health conditions can develop in your mouth without warning signs. Many adult patients have gingivitis but don’t know it because the warning signs aren’t painful. Our office has advanced diagnostic technology to catch and identify dental problems in their early stages.
When you visit our Tyler dental office regularly, we track how your mouth grows and changes. This is especially important for children and adolescents. Their mouths are changing rapidly as they develop into adulthood, so identifying problems early is key. For instance, we may recommend orthodontic care when the permanent teeth grow to ensure a balanced bite and straight teeth.
General Dentistry Services in Tyler, TX
Our office provides a complete suite of general dental services to meet all your needs. With family scheduling, we can see both adults and children in your family simultaneously.
Family Dentistry
Our office is open to patients of all ages, and can treat your entire family in a single day. Family dentistry focuses on cleaning and exams for all ages. We also provide patient education so that you understand everything about your oral health.
You should visit the dentist at least every six months for proper oral care. Our dental practice provides dental sealants, teeth cleanings, fluoride treatments, and more.
Custom Mouthguards
A custom mouthguard makes a huge difference in protecting your teeth. Store-bought mouthguards are ill-fitting and can fall out of your mouth. The custom mouthguards we create will fit over your teeth perfectly. Sports mouthguards protect your teeth against trauma and hits during play, while TMJ night guards prevent your teeth from grinding together while you sleep.
To learn about your custom mouthguard options at our dental office, see Custom Mouthguards.
Emergency Dentistry
Dental emergencies can happen to anyone at any time. Emergencies include severe toothaches or pain, a large break in a tooth, or a tooth getting knocked out of your mouth. Call our office immediately if you’re experiencing a dental emergency. To learn about the types of emergencies we can address, see Emergency Dentistry.
Sedation Dentistry
We offer multiple types of dental sedation to ensure patients are relaxed and comfortable throughout their entire office visit. Patients with dental anxiety have trouble coming into the office to receive proper treatment. Sedation is ideal for patients with dental fear, requiring multiple procedures, or needing intensive care. To learn about your sedation options at our office, see Sedation Dentistry.
Tooth Extraction
The most common tooth extraction is for patients who require their wisdom teeth removed. Often, our mouths are too small to fit this set of molars, which causes problems with tooth alignment. However, other patients need tooth extraction to save their oral health. If a tooth has severe decay or damage, it can compromise the health of your entire mouth.
Diet and Oral Health
What you eat and drink plays a large role in your oral health. Your teeth and gums need certain nutrients to stay healthy and work optimally. However, there are also foods you should avoid for your oral health.
What Your Smile Needs
Calcium and Vitamin D are the most important nutrients for your teeth. Calcium strengthens the strong outer enamel layer, which protects the inner layers, and keeps your jawbone strong. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium better so it’s more effective. Dairy products are the main sources of calcium, and many include Vitamin D in their ingredients. You can also get Vitamin D with exposure to sunlight.
Vitamin C is crucial for gums. It contributes to collagen production, keeping gums full and healthy. It also has properties that fight infection and reduce inflammation, which are prominent in gum disease. Foods like citrus fruits, strawberries, and broccoli all have higher levels of Vitamin C.
Fresh fibrous fruits and vegetables act like natural toothbrushes for your smile. They can get in between and around your teeth, dislodging food particles from your smile.
They also require a lot of chewing to break them down, increasing saliva production. Saliva is essential for your oral health. It washes away food particles and bacteria while neutralizing harmful acids that can cause tooth decay.
Things to Avoid
Sugar and acid are two of the worst things for your teeth and gums. Harmful bacteria love to feed on sugar, and release an acidic byproduct. That byproduct causes cavities as it eats through your tooth enamel. If it reaches the root inside your tooth, it can cause a painful infection. Carbs and starches break down into sugar, so things like crackers and potato chips expose your teeth to sugar too.
Acid increases the rate of erosion of tooth enamel. Combining sugar and acid is one of the worst things you can do to your mouth because it causes the most erosion. While we usually recommend brushing your teeth right after a meal, you should wait at least 30 minutes if the food is highly acidic. Brushing during this time can wear down your teeth even faster.
You should also be wary of eating acidic and sugary foods. If you’re snacking all day, you constantly expose your teeth to acids instead of only eating at certain times. When you do eat these things, be sure to drink water afterward to lessen the harmful effects.
Make sure that your family’s oral health is in good shape. Visit Tyler Family Dental, a full-service preventative dentistry. Call us at 903-623-8317 or schedule an appointment online.