At Dentistry by Design, in Elk Grove CA, we are pleased to provide a full range of dental care services and dental treatments. Our services include: children's, cosmetic, family, general, implant, preventive, restorative and sedation dentistry.
Showing posts with label preventive dentistry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preventive dentistry. Show all posts
When you have a cavity, the dentist removes it and puts in a filling. These fillings can last for many years, but some people get silver fillings removed because they don’t like the color. However, the process of removing a filling can weaken the tooth. Additionally, insurance may not cover the removal. To
read the entire article visit MouthHealthy.org.
Use toothpaste with fluoride for infants and children
For children younger than 3 years, you should begin brushing a child’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste in an amount no larger than a grain of rice. For children 3 to 6 years of age, use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Consider sealants to prevent decay or treat beginning cavities on the back teeth
Dental sealants act as a barrier to prevent cavities. They are a plastic material applied by a dentist to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth where decay occurs most often.
Sometimes a tooth needs to be extracted, as it may be too damaged or infected. Also, third molars can be impacted and need to be taken out. Dr. Ionescu or the exceptional oral surgeon we partner with always provide skilled, comfortable treatment to our patients.
Gum surgery can be replaced with nonsurgical methods, if treatment begins before the infection is chronic and advanced. When you wait until the problem is severe, surgery may be the only option. Improved daily hygiene coupled with nonsurgical methods have been a very successful alternative and easier for patients. Both types of care are generally covered by dental insurance plans.
We never take any risks when it comes to your good health. You can be assured all the instruments we use during your treatment are either discarded after a single use or sterilized. Re-usable instruments are sterilized in an autoclave that is monitored by an outside lab. This ensures that the highest levels of cleanliness are maintained for your safety.
Your Child's Dentist Is Important for Their Good Health
We educate our young patients on how to take care of their teeth with the best daily dental hygiene. We let them know how important it is to have a healthy smile with all their natural teeth. We instruct children in an environment that is fun and relaxed and that lets them take an interest in caring for their teeth and gums.
Children's teeth are prone to cavities in their early years of development due to various factors. They often do not do the best job of brushing and flossing without supervision. We encourage parents to participate in their kids' daily dental care. As kids tend to graze or frequently eat throughout the day, their teeth are exposed to acid more often. Every time food is chewed, acid is produced in the mouth, which can lead to decay if not properly cleaned on a regular basis. Dentistry by Design Horia T. Ionescu, DDS 9381 E. Stockton Blvd., Suite 100 Elk Grove, CA 95624 (916) 685-4662 ElkGroveDentistry.com
Oral cancer takes the life of one American every hour. For 40 years, this mortality rate has not changed! But today, there is an easy screening that can detect any oral abnormalities. With early detection, there is a 90% cure rate! We provide this screening at every six-month check-up and cleaning. If our hygienist or doctor observes any unusual tissue, we refer you to an oral surgeon for further examination.
With digital X-rays, we can take images of your teeth with a digital sensor that downloads them into our computer, where they are immediately available. We can also take a complete panoramic image of your upper and lower dental arches in just one image. There is no waiting time with this technology, with much less radiation emitted – 75% less! And there are no polluting chemicals used in the process. Dentistry by Design Horia T. Ionescu, DDS 9381 E. Stockton Blvd., Suite 100 Elk Grove, CA 95624 (916) 685-4662 ElkGroveDentistry.com
An Effective Treatment to Prevent Child Tooth Decay
Even proper brushing can sometimes miss the contours and grooves of back teeth, even for adults. Left untouched, acids and bacteria can lead to plaque formation that will develop into a cavity. Even the smallest cavity is permanent damage that needs a restoration. But there is a way to help prevent this from happening. One application of a dental sealant is the easy treatment that makes a difference in the prevention of decay.
This procedure takes just minutes and does not require any shots, drilling, or removal of tooth structure. After teeth are cleaned and then sterilized, one thin application of the clear or white sealant is applied to the biting surfaces of back teeth. The dentist then bonds the sealant to the teeth with a curing light, and the whole procedure is quickly completed. It is invisible in appearance and not detectable by the patient. This treatment has been proven to be very effective for children and adolescents in maintaining their natural teeth to be cavity-free!
Helping You Achieve Your Best Athletic Performance
You know you want to be able to give your best performance in any sport you participate in. Perhaps you did not realize that your jaw plays a role in your athletic abilities. A properly aligned jaw gives you strength, better balance, and more endurance. We are pleased to offer individual customized athletic mouthguards. This is a custom-fitted mouthguard that is specifically created for you, based on years of neuromuscular dentistry research. You will be impressed how extra strength in your jaw will give that extra edge to your training and performance.
A Camera That Lets You Be a Part of Your Dental Decisions
You will be pleased how Dr. Ionescu works together with each patient to make sure your decisions are fully informed. The technology that makes this possible is the intra-oral camera. This miniature video camera displays an accurate and close-up image of the interior of your mouth. It lets you see what problems need attention and what teeth are in good shape. Patients love how this works! Dentistry by Design Horia T. Ionescu, DDS 9381 E. Stockton Blvd., Suite 100 Elk Grove, CA 95624 (916) 685-4662 ElkGroveDentistry.com
Gum infections have now been linked to other serious health conditions. Medical research has provided studies that show how the bacteria in the gums travel through the bloodstream and affect vital organs, contributing to the problems of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
The American Dental Association has statistics on periodontal (gum) disease indicating more than three-quarters of Americans are afflicted with some level of gum infection. This high percentage could be recognized as a national epidemic. Dentists now recognize that gum disease can be a much more serious problem than losing your teeth.
The American Academy of Periodontology reports that "studies found periodontal infection may contribute to the development of heart disease, increase the risk of premature, underweight births, and pose a serious threat to people whose health is already compromised due to diabetes and respiratory diseases."
You've probably had a dentist check your "bite" to see if your teeth come together properly. Your "occlusion" was checked by having you bring your teeth together on a piece of carbon paper.
When your teeth do not meet as they should, pain in your muscles and joints is often the result. An improper meshing of your bite can also lead to small fractures in teeth and bruxism (grinding of your teeth while you sleep).
Re-alignment of your bite can get very complicated, as even a small imbalance can cause problems. Dr. Ionescu is one of the first dentists in the country to relieve this type of pain and discomfort with Tekscan™. This state-of-the-art technology analyzes your malocclusion with computerized accuracy to ensure all the related problems can be addressed. Dentistry by Design Horia T. Ionescu, DDS 9381 E. Stockton Blvd., Suite 100 Elk Grove, CA 95624 (916) 685-4662 ElkGroveDentistry.com
The Laser Scanner Finds Cavities When They're Very Small
Maybe you've wondered why, after faithfully going to your dentist every six months, you are told at one of your check-ups that you have a large cavity. How did it get so large in such a short period of time? The answer is that the cavity was there six months earlier, it just wasn't detectable with X-rays or visual examination.
Sometimes very small cavities are not noticeable with conventional methods. However, with advancements in dental technology, the laser scanner can now pick up the start of decay in any tooth, even when other methods fail. The laser scanner allows us to repair a tooth when the cavity is still small, with an invisible, bonded filling.
The laser scanner also provides accuracy in determining the cause of pain or tooth sensitivity. It eliminates more involved measures for the cause of pain that may not be necessary, and instead identifies the exact area and extent of the problem. Patients welcome the use of the laser scanner to help them keep more of their natural tooth intact and give them all the more reason to smile.
