Preventative dentistry is the foundation of every healthy, confident smile, and helps maintain good oral health. It's a combination of regular dental check-ups, good habits like brushing and flossing, and taking steps to prevent and detect problems early.
Maintaining the health of your teeth starts early in childhood and extends throughout the course of your life. At Lone Star Smiles, Dr. Vera creates a personalized treatment plan for each patient based on their oral health needs, but every plan begins with preventive dental care. Click below to learn more about our preventive dental services.
Preventive Dentistry
Night Guards
Jaw clenching and tooth grinding are common side effects of a busy life. Unfortunately, they can also have a destructive effect on our oral health. To protect your teeth from cracks, breaks, and hyper-sensitivity caused by clenching and grinding, a custom-fit night guard can be made for patients who struggle with bruxism. To protect your smile from the negative effects of clenching and grinding, simply put your night guard in before bed and protect your teeth while you sleep.
Sealants
Your back teeth have a tough job - Unfortunately, they can also be hard to take care of. Young children who are still learning how to brush and floss correctly, patients who suffer from frequent cavities, or those who naturally have deep grooves on the surface of their back teeth can easily develop cavities in these areas. To protect the biting and chewing surfaces of you back teeth, sealants are a simple and pain-free way to create a barrier between your tooth enamel and the cavity-causing bacteria that live in the mouth. Our dentists at Lone Star Smiles can help you or your child keep your teeth safe with dental sealants - and we can easily place sealants as part of any six-month checkup!
Modern Technology
Advances in technology have made our lives easier - and the field of dentistry is no exception. At Lone Star Smiles, we make a point to use modern technology and methods to empower our dentists to diagnose and treatment plan more efficiently and to maintain patient comfort from start to finish.
Read below to see how we utilize modern technology in our office.
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As effective as a visual examination can be, there are limits to what can be seen with our eyes. That is why our doctors rely on digital X-rays to find and diagnose any problems hidden beneath the surface of the teeth and gums, or the relationship between your jaws and the bones of your face.
At Lone Star Smiles, we use digital X-rays, which create an image in seconds and emit less than 80% of the radiation that traditional X-rays do. Even better, the images can be instantly sent, stored, and displayed on a monitor for the doctor to discuss with you.
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At times it can be difficult to understand what's going on in your mouth just from the dentist's description. Thanks to our intraoral camera, you’ll be able to see exactly what the dentist is talking about! This small camera fits easily into the mouth and captures high-detailed pictures of the teeth and gum, allowing our team to can show you exactly what we’re talking about so that you can make well-informed decisions about your dental care.
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We use impressions as a normal part of dental treatment, ranging from dental crowns to dentures to Invisalign trays. If you’ve ever had a traditional impression taken with dental putty, it probably wasn’t your favorite experience! With our digital system, a small, handheld device will glide through your mouth while capturing dozens of unique images that will form a complete 3D model of your teeth and gums, making the process much more comfortable.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer claims one life every hour, and because many cases of oral cancer are not diangosed until they've reached a well-developed stage, most patients have a reduced life expectancy after their diagnosis. These startling statistics mean that routine oral cancer screening is necessary for early detection.
Around 85% of oral cancers are first found by dentists, so you can rest assured know you are in good hands with Dr. Vera, who will examine the roof and floor of your mouth as well as your tongue, lips, cheeks, throat, and face for any irregularities that could be signs of cancer at each visit.
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Many symptoms of oral cancer aren’t easily detectable by our eyes, but you can still be on the lookout for these common signs:
-White or red lesions in your mouth
-Ulcerated or bleeding wounds that do not seem to heal
-Lumps beneath or on the surface of soft tissue
-Sores on your tongue, lips, gums, and in your mouth
-Difficulty chewing
-Trouble with swallowing
-Persistent soreness in your throat
-Pain in your ears
-Numb spots in your mouth
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Anyone can develop oral cancer, but several risk factors can increase your risk of abnormal cell changes. Some of the risks of oral cancer include:
-Tobacco use of any kind, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, and chewing tobacco *
-Heavy alcohol use *
-Excessive sun exposure to your lips
-Human papillomavirus (HPV)
-A weakened immune system
*Smoking and drinking together increase the risk of oral cancer by up to 30 times.
Fluoride
Despite the controversy, years of research has shown that at appropriate levels, fluoride is highly beneficial and essential to strengthening teeth and preventing tooth decay. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in various foods and added to the tap water of most cities as well as dental products like toothpaste and mouthwash. While everyday sources are enough for most people to keep cavities away, patients who are prone to decay and kids who are still learning to care for their teeth may benefit from topical fluoride treatments from our team. We can quickly apply a fluoride solution to your or your child's teeth during any dental checkup to minimize the risk of tooth decay.
Sports Guards
Protecting your smile should always be a top priority, especially for patients that are athletes. If you’re active in sports or other exercises where your mouth can come in contact with hard surfaces, or sports equipment, you’ll want to take extra care to protect your teeth with a custom-fit sports guard.
Not all sports guards are created equal, and at Lone Star Smiles, our custom-made guards provide superior comfort and protection compared with what you can find over the counter. Protect your smile for life and reduce the risk of injury and dental emergencies today!