Preventative dental care focuses on providing patients with options to improve their oral health. Some of these options include dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, and custom night guards to prevent injuries.
Dr. Zach Sunitsch and the Pine Desert Dental team can handle all your dental needs. He is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Oregon Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. We offer comprehensive dental services, including preventative dental care.
Through dental cleaning, bacteria, plaque, and tartar will be removed from your teeth and gums. This procedure is crucial for maintaining optimal oral health.
Visiting your doctor regularly for check-ups and cleanings helps deal with bacteria buildup, cavities, and gingivitis. It can, most importantly, help prevent further dental decay issues like periodontitis or gingivitis (gum disease).
These are the types of dental cleanings available:
- Prophylaxis dental cleaning
- Gross debridement dental cleaning
- Scaling and root planing
The aim of fluoride treatments is to help prevent dental decay by strengthening teeth and protecting them from plaque and bacteria. It helps remineralize enamel and stops acid production.
Fluoride is naturally found in water but can also be medically applied to your teeth in the form of mineralized toothpaste, gel, foam, varnish, and over-the-counter mouth rinses. It can also be taken as liquid or tablet supplements.
Stronger concentrations of fluoride need a medical prescription and have to be applied by a certified dentist like Dr. Sunistch.
Dental sealants are plastic covers that protect teeth' chewing surfaces from acid, especially molars, and premolars. They intend to seal the narrow grooves found in back teeth to reduce the number of food particles and bacteria that settle into the fissures. Sealants can significantly prevent cavities and related dental decay issues if applied before dental decay occurs.
Children and teenagers that have grown their molars are the ideal candidates for sealants since they are more prone to developing dental decay. They are ideally recommended between ages 6 to 14 or as soon as their (adult) chewing teeth come through.
Sealants protect their teeth' narrow grooves from acid and prevent cavities. The American Dental Association (ADA) explains that "children aged 6 to 11 years without sealants have almost three times more first molar cavities than children with sealants."
Custom dental guards are made of plastic and designed to fit the exact shape of your teeth. They are usually recommended for patients with teeth grinding, breathing problems while sleeping, or athletes who’d like dental protection to avoid mouth injuries.
These are some of the benefits dental night guards offer to patients:
- Reduces harmful effects of teeth grinding
- Helps relieve headaches caused by teeth clenching
- Reduces jaw, molar, and cheek pain
- Prevents air obstructions while sleeping (apnea)
- Could reduce snoring
- Protects teeth and jaws from the applied pressure
- Helps release jaw pain caused by TMJ syndrome
- They are removable and comfortable appliance
Some of the benefits customized sports guards offer to athletes include the following:
- It provides proper dental protection for contact sports.
- It does not cause difficulty in speaking, unlike generic sports guards.
- Reduces the risk of jaw, teeth, and cheek injuries during all sports, even for athletes who use braces.
- It optimizes oxygen flow, enhancing the athlete's performance.