PREVENTIVE CARE

Caring For Your Smile

Proper dental preventive care that includes regular dental visits and cleanings can prevent most problems of the teeth and gums. Routine checkups can also help to identify potential issues early, making treatment easier while preventing more serious oral health problems from developing.

preventative care
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Did you know that routine preventive care visits to your family dentist in addition to excellent home hygiene can prevent cavities and gum disease? Fair Lakes Family and Cosmetic Dentistry emphasizes preventive dental care for the whole family as a means to maintain the best oral health possible. We empower you with the tools you need to stay on top of your dental health in our office and at home. Good oral hygiene extends beyond seeing us every six months for routine cleanings and checkups. A healthy, happy smile starts with knowing how to take care of your smile.

What Is Preventive Care?

Preventive care relates to practices that promote good dental health and prevent problems down the road. Good oral hygiene starts with regularly and properly taking care of your teeth–from brushing and flossing daily to visiting your dentist for cleanings and checkups. Proper preventive care helps prevent gum disease, tooth loss and other serious oral health problems.

Everyday Care For Your Smile

Taking care of your teeth every day is the easiest way to keep them healthy and strong. If you’re slacking in your dental habits at home, now’s the time to turn over a new leaf. Here are some daily preventive care habits to incorporate into your daily dental care routine:

Brushing your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste that contains fluoride helps prevent the buildup of plaque on teeth. Hold the brush at a 45 degree angle to your gums. Make sure to brush all the surfaces of the teeth, including the inside and outside surfaces, as well as along the gumline.

Flossing every day is a great way to clean the spaces between your teeth. To properly floss your teeth, wrap each end of a floss around your index fingers. Push the floss between each tooth. Avoid “popping” the floss between the teeth. Instead, move the floss in up and down strokes to dislodge food particles.

In addition to brushing and flossing, using an antibacterial mouthwash every day helps fight bacteria.

Tobacco products are detrimental to your dental health and are linked to gum disease and oral cancer.

 Bacteria builds up on your tongue, too. Don’t forget to brush your tongue! 

Foods that contain high amounts of sugar and acid are bad for your teeth—sugar is the leading cause of tooth caries and acid can harm the enamel. Incorporating a balanced, nutritious diet into your lifestyle can help prevent tooth decay caused by sugar and acidic foods. We offer nutrition counseling to help patients learn about how food can impact their smile. 

Routine Dental Visit

A dental checkup is necessary to maintain the health of your teeth, gums and mouth. The American Dental Association recommends regular preventive care dental visits every 6 months or twice a year. A dental cleaning is important to check for periodontal disease, removal of plaque or tartar and polishing for stain removal. It is important to see a dentist regularly so any dental conditions, such as gingivitis, can be detected and diagnosed early. Early detection can mitigate the progression of gum disease and even reverse it. A routine dental visit includes:

  • Oral cancer screening

  • Time with your dentist to discuss any issues you may be having such as TMD or tooth sensitivity

  • Education on good oral hygiene habits

  • Periodontal check

  • Digital xrays as needed

  • A thorough cleaning

  • Examination

Fair Lakes Family Cosmetic Dentistry Beautiful Smile

At Fair Lakes Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, our goal is to help you maintain your best oral health. If problems come up, we are here to fix them and address your concerns, but the majority of preventive care is performed at home. Your home care routine directly influences your overall oral health and this is why we encourage our patients to be diligent about their oral health at home between dental visits.

Home Hygiene Routine

Arguably, the most important oral health care is performed at home by you every day. During your routine office visits, we will show you the correct way to brush and floss and then you get to perfect these skills at home. In accordance with the American Dental Association, we recommend brushing twice a day and flossing every day.

Brushing twice daily helps remove food particles and debris that occurs between brushing thereby reducing the buildup of plaque around the gum line. Flossing every day helps to remove the food particles that can become lodged between teeth where the tooth brush doesn’t reach. Other benefits of flossing daily include:

  • Reduces the bacteria buildup that occurs between teeth which can cause decay and/or gingivitis

  • Strengthens gum tissue and helps prevent them from bleeding

  • Helps to decrease inflammation

  • Improves the health of gums

  • Improve your overall health by maintaining your gum health

  • Can help reduce bad breath

Flossing is one of the most important tools you can use to fight decay and gum disease.

Who Benefits from Good Oral Hygiene?

Everyone! And especially children and teens in braces. At Fair Lakes Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we educate our patients, from childhood through adulthood on the proper techniques to use when brushing and flossing. We understand that it takes practice to develop good brushing and flossing skills. Empowering children to learn the proper way to take care of their teeth will have lifelong benefits.

If your child is in braces or other orthodontic treatment, brushing and flossing every day is especially important to help them achieve the best results from their treatment. During orthodontic treatment, there are more places for food to hide and become trapped and this tends to increase the chances of decay. Some alternatives to flossing that can help during orthodontic treatment include:

Small, flexible brush that can be inserted between the teeth to help remove food particles

Shoots a stream of water between teeth to help clear away plaque and debris

Small plastic flexible pick used to help remove food particles from your teeth and gums

Helps to guide floss underneath wires to maintain good oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment

Small disposable dental flosser is easy to handle and is inserted between each tooth just like regular floss

Sealants

Dental sealants, a common preventive treatment, are offered at routine dental visits to younger patients to help prevent cavities. Dental sealants are applied to the back molars to help protect the chewing surfaces of the teeth from decay. Children can benefit from sealants as they are learning proper brushing techniques and developing the dexterity required to brush and floss.

Fair Lakes Family and Cosmetic Dentistry located in Fairfax, VA is dedicated to helping each of our patients achieve their optimal oral health. An instrumental part of general dentistry includes educating patients about the preventive care measures they can perform at home to help prevent cavities and gum disease. The combination of a good oral hygiene routine at home and regular dental visits is the key to a lifelong beautiful, healthy smile.

We’re passionate about helping our patients live the healthiest lives possible. Regularly visiting your dentist is another important part of both your oral health and your overall health. At Fair Lakes Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we recommend you visit us every six months, or twice a year, for a cleaning and check-up. Patients with certain conditions may need to visit us more often. In addition to cleaning your teeth, these routine visits are a great way to catch potential problems, which can lead to shorter treatment times down the road. Call us today at 703-273-4505 or schedule an appointment online.