Routine dental care is extremely important to ensure your teeth and gums are healthy and stay healthy. The goal of general hygiene services is to catch potential issues before they have time to develop and require more serious treatment. At Vivid Dental, we work with you to develop an individualized, preventative treatment plan that it best for your mouth.
Everyone has heard many times that it is necessary to visit the dentist every six months for a professional cleaning and oral exam, the trick is making time in your schedule to truly stick to this routine. Even if you don’t think you have any pressing dental concerns, there could be underlying issues not visible above the surface. During your comprehensive dental exam, we will evaluate your oral health with cleaning and x-rays to diagnose and treat potential problems (like cavities and gum disease) while they are still small and easily controllable. We will event perform oral cancer screenings, as well. If you do have smaller issues like stains or plaque buildup, we can give you at-home pointers to keep your mouth in top shape until your next appointment.
Prophylaxis is the scientific term referring to your regular dental cleaning. As a part of your biannual, comprehensive dental exam, we use prophylaxis to remove all dental plaque from within your oral cavity, preventing tartar deposits from forming and causing bigger, long-term issues. We know it is not always possible to prevent this buildup on your own even with regular brushing and flossing, that is why we always take detailed care when cleaning your teeth.
Digital X-Rays can capture accurate representations of your smile and the underlying structure in your mouth to give us a more clear understanding of the current state of your oral health. We will recommend necessary x-rays based on a thorough review of your dental history, results from your dental exam, as well as signs and symptoms, age consideration, and risk for disease. We usually recommend a full mouth series of x-rays for new patients so we can detect any hidden abnormalities that may have gone undetected if you have not had a recent dental visit. These photos are typically good for three to five years.
Regular dental treatment at an early age helps to ensure your child's teeth stay healthy and free of disease through both their primary and permanent stages. Outside of cleaning and x-rays, we will provide your child with fluoride treatments (which strengthens tooth enamel) and dental sealants (thin plastic coatings on the grooves of molars) to prevent cavities and tooth decay. We can also provide early intervention for bad bites, injury, or teeth grinding through mouth guards and space maintainers, which can help guide the teeth as they grow to prevent more extensive treatment down the road.
Regular dental visits can help diagnose gum disease early on and prevent extreme pain and spread of bacteria. Gum disease occurs as the space between your tooth and gums becomes filled with bacteria, plaque and tartar, which causes irritation to the surrounding tissue. If this irritation is not taken care of, it can cause permanent damage to your gums and even to your jaw bone. We offer deep scaling treatment to remove the toxins above and below your gum line and smooth rough spots on the surface of your roots so that the area is less likely to become infected again.
An alternative treatment to gum disease outside of deep scaling is laser therapy. With our soft tissue laser, we can perform the same gum line cleaning procedure, removing bacteria and tartar buildup more comfortably for serious cases. Lasers can help lessen the amount of bleeding that may occur and reduce the need for stitches, therefore providing a shorter and more comfortable healing process.
Across all VividDental locations in North Carolina, our dedicated,
experienced team members work to provide premium care to you.