Preventative dental services are a part of general dental care. With general dentistry, we can help stop common dental problems like gum disease with routine cleanings and regular dental treatment. It is important to stop dental problems before they cause permanent damage. General dentistry and general dental services can help to do this.
Routine dental cleanings and x-rays and thorough examinations allow us to find early dental symptoms. Dr. Stan Nova is a general dentist in Gaithersburg, MD that helps his patients maintain their oral health with general dental care.
General Dentistry in Gaithersburg, MD
Our general dental services allow patients to receive comfortable, quality dental care and prevent future oral health complications. Continue reading to learn more about our general dentistry services.
Custom Mouthguard
Sports mouthguards and nightguards protect the smile in different ways. Patients can wear a sports mouthguard to prevent tooth injuries or loss during contact sports. They allow athletes to speak and breathe clearly while engaging in their sport, increasing performance while also protecting teeth better than a store-bought mouthguard.
Nightguards prevent teeth clenching and grinding as well as jaw and tooth pain. We offer these custom-made mouthguards to keep teeth healthy and intact. To learn more about the benefits of a custom mouthguard and how they are made, see Custom Mouthiguard.
Emergency Dentistry
We provide emergency dental services for patients who require urgent dental care. Common dental emergency services include treatment for missing, broken, or injured teeth, toothaches, and excessive bleeding. We encourage you to contact our office if you need immediate treatment for a severe dental problem.
We can provide information on what steps you can take to reduce pain in the area until you can seek professional help. To learn more about what to do in a dental emergency and how we can help, see Emergency Dentistry.
Family Dentistry
As a family dental office, we see patients of all ages. We help parents schedule routine cleanings for their children and themselves together to make appointments easy. In addition to regular cleanings, we provide sealants and fluoride treatments to prevent tooth decay and cavities. In our office, we see patients of all ages and are committed to keeping your mouth healthy for the longevity of your life. To learn more about our family dentistry services, see Family Dentistry.
Laser Dentistry
We use a soft tissue dental laser with heat and light to gently remove gum tissue from the mouth. This easy-to-use handheld laser allows us to precisely cut the gum tissue without excessive bleeding or sutures. In addition, unlike traditional dental drills, dental lasers are noiseless. Lasers allow dentists to work with extreme precision and remove many invasive parts of oral surgery, making a recovery much quicker and easier. To learn more about how lasers can be used in dental procedures, see Laser Dentistry.
Sedation Dentistry
Dental sedation allows patients to receive dental care painlessly. Under sedation, patients feel calm and relaxed. We offer oral conscious sedation. While patients may remain conscious of their treatment, they will not feel pain or discomfort. To learn more about sedation options in our office, see Sedation Dentistry.
Tooth Extraction
Dental extractions are the last option for patients with severely infected or overcrowded teeth. We also remove wisdom teeth, the last permanent teeth that emerge in the mouth. Wisdom teeth can cause many problems for other natural teeth in the mouth, including overcrowding and permanent damage.
Many patients are worried about pain before a tooth extraction; however, this should not be a concern because we use sedation dentistry to ensure you feel no pain during the procedure. To learn more about the tooth extraction process in our office, see Tooth Extractions.
The Importance of Preventative Care
General dentistry focuses on preventative care and maintaining the health and function of your smile. Most dental problems are caused by plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth. The best way to manage this is by brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist regularly. Both components are required for optimal oral health — that done at home and in the office as well.
Dental visits play a very important part in your oral healthcare. Even if you’re brushing and flossing consistently at home, there are areas that you can’t really reach. Specialized dental tools are able to clean places that you can’t with a normal toothbrush and toothpaste. This means that you’re at risk for tooth decay and gum disease, even if you’re putting in diligent work at home caring for your mouth.
Dentists are also trained to notice the early signs and symptoms of various dental conditions. It’s harder for you to notice them on your own, because they may be extremely subtle. Things like oral cancer and gum disease have early signs that aren’t painful. Little things like a small lump or gums bleeding a bit more than normal can be brushed off. When you see your dentist, they’re looking specifically for these kinds of things so we can treat it early and more effectively.
With preventative care, you’re avoiding more costs and intensive procedures in the future. You’re less likely to experience severe tooth decay or bacterial infections that have costly treatment plans. Regular prevention involves early intervention and quicker treatment options. When things are caught in their earliest stages, you avoid requirements like tooth extraction or surgical measures to treat serious dental problems.
The Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Health
Research has established that there’s a strong connection between the health of your mouth and your overall health. Poor oral health doesn’t just impact your smile, but it can cause serious health problems in your heart and other parts of your body. Regular dental care is so important because it helps you keep a beautiful, healthy smile, but it’s also essential to keeping the rest of you healthy.
The mouth is the perfect place for bacteria to congregate and multiply. It’s the entry to your entire body, so bacteria have easier access to all of the areas. Poor oral hygiene can lead to gum disease, a bacterial infection in your mouth. One of the main symptoms of gum disease is swollen, bleeding gums. When your gums tear open, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream, bringing the infection and inflammation around your entire body.
With the higher levels of bacteria in the blood, patients are more likely to have cardiovascular problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure and other vascular conditions. You’re at a higher risk of other chronic conditions like stroke and diabetes. If you already have these issues, gum disease aggravates them and makes them worse.
Gum disease can impact your brain as well. There’s evidence that patients with gum disease have a buildup of beta-amyloid in the brain. Gum disease boosts the amount of this in the brain. Beta-amyloid is one of the big markers of Alzheimer’s disease. Periodontal disease can even lead to a higher risk of problems during pregnancy. It’s associated with low birth weights and premature labor.
The inflammatory aspects of gum disease are what makes it so dangerous in other parts of the body. Erectile dysfunction is caused by issues with the blood vessels. Inflammation can increase this response, making erectile dysfunction more prominent. It can also increase your cancer risk.
General Dental FAQs
Do you have further questions about our general dentistry services? Continue reading to learn more about general dental care and services with answers to the following frequently asked questions:
What are root canals?
A root canal removes the infected dental pulp within the tooth. The dental pulp comprises cells, blood vessels, and nerves that keep the tooth alive. Once a dental infection reaches the pulp, we must remove it to save the tooth structure.
We provide 3-D root canals by using detailed scans of the smile to plan root canal treatment. With these 3-D scans, we can effectively remove the infected pulp and provide a filling and dental crown.
Are dental lasers safe?
Yes, laser dentistry is a safe treatment method for our patients. We provide patients with protective eyewear during treatment. Additionally, unlike conventional surgical tools, the dental laser is small and not sharp. Laser dentistry allows us to work with extreme precision. It also makes healing times after procedures much shorter because lasers remove many of the invasive parts of oral surgery.
How do I know if I need to remove a permanent tooth?
Most of the extractions we perform are for wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth cause pain and discomfort for many patients if they are impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth do not have enough room to emerge like natural teeth.
Another common reason for extractions is severely decayed teeth. We take mouth scans and determine if we can perform a root canal on an infected tooth or teeth. If we cannot save a tooth with root canal treatment, we must remove and replace the tooth.
Call Our Dental Office
Do you need a new professional dental office? Request a dental appointment with the team at Nova Dental online or contact us at (240) 226-1482. If you ever have questions about your treatment or have current concerns, please let our team know, and we will help.