Preventive Dentistry: Stopping Dental Problems Before They Start

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care, and that statement couldn't be more true than it is in the world of dental care.  

The Power of Preventative Dental Care: How Prevention Benefits You

Preventative dental care provides patients with a host of benefits and advantages.  

Prevent Problems from Starting

Taking care of your teeth and gums is essential to preventing oral health problems from beginning to develop. Without routine preventative care and good oral hygiene practiced at home, your teeth will be at a high risk of tooth decay and dental caries (cavities). Plus, your gums will be at risk of developing periodontal disease (a serious oral bacterial infection).  

Avoid Irreversible Oral Health Problems

Some dental problems cannot be reversed. For example, dental cavities can be drilled and filled with composite resin, but your teeth can never regenerate the lost tooth enamel. Additionally, gingivitis (the first stage of periodontal disease) can be reversed with aggressive treatment, but more advanced stages of periodontal disease (periodontitis) cannot be cured and require lifelong management to prevent serious side effects like jawbone degeneration, tooth loss, and systemic disease.  

Maintaining your oral health with preventative care will significantly reduce the risk of developing any irreversible oral health problems.  

Save Yourself from Suffering and Avoid Lengthy and Invasive Treatments

Preventable oral health problems can cause you quite a bit of pain, discomfort, and stress. For example, they can lead to toothaches, tooth sensitivity, gum tenderness, oral bleeding, and swelling. Plus, many preventable oral health problems require invasive and lengthy treatments. While we take care to help our patients have positive treatment experiences with local anesthetics and sedation dentistry, these treatments are better avoided.  

Save Money

The cost of treating advanced oral health problems is much more expensive than the cost of preventative dental care. So, it's worth investing a little bit in your dental health every six months, instead of covering the cost of a major treatment down the road.  

Protect General Health

Periodontal disease (gum disease) not only impacts the health of your teeth, gums, periodontal ligaments, and jawbone, but it can also harm your general health. Periodontitis can lead to generalized inflammation throughout the body in addition to systemic health problems such as recurring respiratory infections and an increased risk of dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and reproductive problems. Periodontal disease can be prevented with routine dental care.  

The Most Highly Recommended Dental Prevention Treatments

In addition to developing good brushing and flossing techniques and habits at home, we recommend the following preventative treatments for optimal oral health maintenance:

  • Prophylaxis (Dental Cleaning) - One of the strongest strategies for gum disease and cavity prevention is professional dental cleaning. This deep clean scales and polishes the teeth to remove accumulated plaque and tartar (calculus) that can increase your risk of oral health problems.  
  • Dental Examination - Dental health checks ensure that your teeth and gums are in good shape. By visiting the dentist regularly, we can catch any early signs of problems such as soft enamel spots or signs of gingivitis. We can then provide treatment interventions to address these problems and prevent more serious issues from developing.  
  • Dental X-Rays - Routine dental X-rays allow us to monitor your teeth below the gum line to ensure we detect the earliest signs of potential problems and intervene before they become more serious.  
  • Fluoride Treatments - Professional fluoride treatments help to re-mineralize and strengthen your tooth enamel, reversing early tooth decay, preventing cavities, and helping to strengthen your oral health against gingivitis.  
  • Dental Sealants - Dental sealants help to protect the chewing surfaces of the teeth from decay while making them smoother and easier to clean.  
  • Patient Education - We teach patients good techniques for caring for their teeth at home while providing specific recommendations for patients with additional oral health requirements.  

Take Control of Your Health with Comprehensive Bethesda Preventive Care

At Dr. Jay H. Samuels, our experienced team is dedicated to providing outstanding preventive dentistry in Bethesda. We tailor our preventative treatment recommendations to provide a highly personalized experience with care designed to meet your specific needs based on your medical history, dental history, current oral health, risk factors, and treatment goals.  

In addition to preventative care, we provide a complete menu of restorative and cosmetic treatments and services to ensure our patients have access to all the dental care they need under our roof. To learn more about the power of preventative dental care, we welcome you to contact our office today to request a consultation and routine dental checkup.

We can’t wait to meet you

We look forward to meeting you. Call 301-881-4200 or request an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.

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