Family Dental Care in Jonesboro, AR

Great oral care at home is a combination of many things, including brushing and flossing regularly. Many people tell us they brush twice a day but only floss when they get something between their teeth. This is not enough.

Why it is so important to floss

The technical reason you need to floss is simply that there is a significant part of your tooth that a brush can’t clean. There is a contact in every place your teeth meet that is so tight your brush cannot fit into it. When you do not floss that area, it’s no different than if you were to not brush one side of your tooth. You wouldn’t just brush your front tooth unless you had something stuck to it, right? Food particles eventually form plaque, and that promotes tooth decay and gum disease. Flossing daily will regularly remove that plaque before it has a chance to do any damage to your teeth.

There are no substitutes to flossing

Flossing is more difficult than brushing. People who have dexterity issues and cannot floss with conventional dental floss can buy flossing aids at local retail stores. We recommend flossing daily. If you are just starting out, give yourself a realistic goal of every other day and work your way up. Although a good tool in some cases, a Waterpik is not a substitute for floss.

If you need motivation to floss, just remember to “only floss the ones you want to keep.” You will eventually lose the teeth you don’t floss.
 

Dental problems don’t generally hurt or become noticeable until they are major.

Warning signs of a serious tooth problem

• If a cavity hurts, it is likely already into the nerve (or close) and will need a root canal.
• If a tooth breaks, it likely has a large cavity that weakened it or has a deep crack that could have been treated.
• If a tooth hurts when you bite down or if your gums swell, it’s almost always an abscess.

The issue with major dental problems is that they require major dental treatment. In all of these cases, the treatment would either be a root canal, crown, or teeth extraction. Our goal is to prevent major dental work whenever possible. That’s where preventative dental care comes in.

Preventative dental care consists of regular professional cleanings, diagnostic x-rays, and examinations. These visits allow us to recognize potential problems and address them in the form of routine changes like home care or diet change.

The longer you wait, the worse your tooth can get

If a problem that needs repair does show up, we have a much better chance catching it before it becomes major and requires more expensive treatment. Even worse, your tooth could have to be removed. Our goal is to provide you with dental care that keeps your smile healthy for a lifetime. Regular checkup and cleanings are the cornerstone of that goal.
 

Diagnostic x-rays during regular checkups provide us with information we cannot see during our visual examination of your mouth. Without this information, small problems are often missed until they become larger and cause pain or problems. At this point, the treatment is usually more invasive and expensive.

X-Rays taken at your dental appointment

The most common type of dental x-ray is the bitewing x-ray. This is taken once a year to check between back teeth, where flossing cavities start. With bitewings, we can detect a flossing cavity 12 to 24 months before it becomes visible on a clinical exam. This is sometimes the difference in repairing the problem with a small filling instead of a root canal or crown.

A panoramic x-ray is taken in adolescents and teenagers. This is the type of x-ray that spins around the head when taken. We take this x-ray to confirm that all the permanent teeth are present, forming properly, and in good position to erupt naturally. It is also taken later to evaluate the position of wisdom teeth and decide if removal is indicated or not.

What is a full mouth series of x-rays?

A full-mouth series of x-rays is recommended in adults every three to five years depending on certain factors. This series of x-rays is to evaluate the contacts of the front teeth that aren’t regularly x-rayed, as well as to evaluate the root structure, bone level, and other anatomy not seen on routine bitewings. Many problems can be detected early with a full-mouth series of x-rays. Left unnoticed, these problems would cause serious damage to teeth and jaws.

If you are in need of a dental appointment be sure to call our Jonesboro AR office today at (870) 932-3151 or book online.

A dental examination is a very important part of your overall health for a variety of reasons. Prevention, rather than treatment, of disease, is a tenant of modern healthcare. Dental care is no exception.  

Regular checkups give us the opportunity to identify many factors or potential problems very early. This allows us to make recommendations that can sometimes prevent treatment at all, or other times make the treatment much less invasive and expensive.  A comprehensive dental exam focuses on many different areas of the mouth. Let’s break them down and discuss each one.

Home Care Routine

The primary line of defense against dental disease is your routine at home.  Brushing twice a day for two minutes and flossing once a day is the gold standard.  During your exam, we can tell from clues like tartar accumulation or bleeding gums, areas where you might need to improve your oral hygiene.  Using these clues, we will recommend techniques or products that can give you a better chance of keeping your mouth healthy.  

Tooth Decay

Cavities happen.  Unless we all start drinking only water and brushing and flossing every time we eat or drink anything, tooth decay is just a part of life.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard “but it doesn’t hurt” when I have informed a patient they have a cavity. 

Treatment to repair tooth decay is less invasive and less expensive when the problem is found early. We use top of the line x-ray sensors and high-tech magnification to be able to diagnose tooth decay as soon as possible to avoid major dental work. Once a tooth hurts, the cavity is well into the dentin and could be close to the nerve which can require a root canal.  If the best thing is preventing cavities, the next best thing is catching them early.  

Gum Disease

Gum disease is truly the silent killer of teeth.  Unlike tooth decay, which will begin to be sensitive and painful as is progresses, gum disease can be severe and still never be symptomatic.  This is a very common problem in patients who have not had a professional cleaning in many years.  Early warning signs of gum disease are bleeding puffy gums.  

Severe gum disease causes bone loss and can lead to irreversible mobility of teeth leading to tooth loss.  Gum disease is caused by many factors. Almost all of them can be prevented or treated with regular examinations and following treatment recommendations.  

Oral Cancer

No one likes to talk about the big C word, but cancer is a reality in all of our lives.  You, a close family member, or a close loved one has statistically been directly affected by cancer somehow. Oral cancer, like skin cancer, is one of the few types that has great potential to be identified and treated early before it is symptomatic.  At every examination, we perform a thorough oral cancer screening checking of the lips and cheeks, and also the tongue, floor of the mouth and throat. Survival rates for cancers are greatly improved with early detection and treatment.  This 30-second screening could save your life.  

The Result?

Add them all together, and the answer is clear - dental exams are imperative to your health.  Call us today to make your appointment to have your regular dental exam.  We look forward to seeing you.