Routine dental care is essential to your oral health. Cleanings and exams can prevent future dental problems and the need for complex dental care. We aim to keep your teeth and gums healthy with quality dental treatment. Our office uses expert techniques and state-of-the-art technology to provide routine cleanings and general dentistry services. Our general dentistry treatments at Smile Land Family Dental in San Antonio, TX, help prevent tooth infections, dental trauma, and other common issues.
General dental care is an extension of cleanings, X-rays, and exams we provide at regular dental visits. Our general dental treatments keep you healthy, so you don’t need to worry about gum disease or tooth infections.
General Dentistry in San Antonio, TX
Our general treatments are a part of preventive dentistry. Regular dental services help prevent dental problems that require more complex and costly treatment. Treating common problems like tooth decay and cavities can prevent the spread of infection. General dental treatments can also save natural teeth.
Our office provides many general dental treatments that help maintain your health, including:
Tooth Cavity Treatment (Fillings)
Dental cavities are common problems, and fillings are natural treatments for cavities. Cavities develop when harmful bacteria multiply, typically in areas that are difficult to clean.
Harmful bacteria feed on food particles left in the mouth and form plaque, a bacterial film. These bacteria also produce acids that begin to eat away at the natural tooth enamel or outer tooth layer. Patients with tooth decay can experience soft enamel and holes in the teeth.
Once the bacteria reach the inside of the tooth, they attack the dentin or underlayer beneath the enamel. Dentin is the part of the tooth that contains sensitive nerves. The nerves send out signals of sensitivity and pain to indicate a problem. When the cavity is too large, it can damage the nerve.
However, if we find a cavity, we recommend a dental filling. Fillings seal teeth after we treat cavities.
Our fillings use tooth-colored materials. Unlike traditional metal fillings, white fillings blend in with the smile. These fillings blend in with your mouth.
Root Canal Therapy
Do you have toothaches and tooth sensitivity? You likely need root canal therapy.
Once a tooth infection reaches the blood vessels and nerves within a tooth, we recommend a root canal. Some patients may think this treatment is painful. However, we ensure your comfort throughout treatment.
We will numb your tooth before your root canal. Then, we thoroughly clean the infected pulp within the tooth. After we clean the canal, we provide a temporary filling. The infected area usually heals quickly. There may be discomfort for a few days before the area feels normal again.
The next step is to fix the tooth permanently. We replace the temporary with a permanent filling called the core. We may install posts into the canals, which help support and strengthen the core. Finally, we place a protective crown over the tooth.
Emergency Dentistry
Our emergency dental services are best for patients who need urgent dental care. Dental emergencies are sudden dental problems that need immediate care. Common emergency problems include severe tooth pain, a broken tooth, or a lost dental restoration.
Our office can assess your emergency and recommend the proper care. We may recommend a root canal or tooth removal if you have a tooth infection.
Other problems will require more preparation. If we cannot repair or replace damaged or missing teeth, we may recommend implants or crowns.
Custom Mouthguards
We recommend professional, custom sports mouthguards for patients of all ages. Wearing a mouthguard during contact sports protects against tooth damage, knocked-out teeth, and soft tissue damage.
We also create athletic mouthguards for patients with braces. Custom mouthguards prevent clenching your teeth to keep your mouthguard in place during sports.
Sedation Dentistry
Do you have dental fear or anxiety? We’re here to help. Dental sedation is a valuable tool for patients with long treatment, dental fear, or anxiety. It helps ensure you feel comfortable during treatment. Under sedation, you will feel relaxed and happy but will not feel pain from your treatment.
What Happens During a Dental Cleaning?
In our San Antonio, TX office, we recommend cleanings in addition to general dentistry services. Routine cleanings can prevent dental problems that affect oral health.
We often recommend visiting our office every six months. However, if you have chronic gum disease, you may see us more frequently. Our team will recommend a schedule that fits your needs.
Visiting our office for regular cleanings and examinations helps you maintain your smile. Our team can remove bacterial buildup that brushing and flossing alone cannot remove. Without regular visits, you can develop problems that may start small but can damage your smile.
The steps of a professional dental cleaning include:
Examining Your Teeth and Gums
First, we will use a small dental mirror to look for signs of damage and infection. Our team will also look for signs of oral cancer, like white and red patches in the mouth and mouth sores.
Based on this examination, we can recommend further treatment. We may also take dental X-rays before your cleaning to catch and treat dental problems early. Then, we can create a treatment plan if you need care.
Removing Bacteria
We use stainless steel tools to clean the teeth and gums. These tools help get between teeth and beneath the gum line.
Plaque is a sticky bacterial film that can cover the teeth and gums if you do not clean your mouth thoroughly. Over time, it hardens to form tartar or white deposits between teeth.
While you can remove plaque with flossing and brushing, tartar may be more difficult. Using dental tools, we can thoroughly scale teeth. We will scrape the teeth to remove bacteria from the teeth, gums, and underneath the gum pockets.
Brushing, Flossing, and Rinsing
We use a high-powered brush and gritty toothpaste to remove the remaining bacteria from the teeth. Our office uses fluoride toothpaste to protect the tooth enamel. Then, we polish the teeth to remove tooth stains.
We will floss between each tooth to remove leftover food and bacteria during your cleaning. If you do not floss regularly, your gums may bleed. We recommend flossing at least once a day to reduce gum irritation and bleeding. After we floss your teeth, we will rinse the mouth to remove any leftover debris.
Additional Treatments
We may recommend more treatments after cleanings to prevent problems like cavities and gum disease. These treatments help extend the results of your cleaning:
Fluoride Treatment
Our team performs this treatment after dental cleaning to strengthen the teeth. Protecting the tooth enamel prevents bacteria from entering teeth. Fluoride is a natural mineral that strengthens teeth and rebuilds natural enamel after damage.
We apply a varnish, foam, or gel over each tooth. This treatment only takes minutes to complete after a cleaning. We recommend waiting 30 minutes to eat or drink after treatment to help the teeth absorb the fluoride.
Sealants
A sealant is a covering that we place over the molars. We cover teeth in the back of the mouth because they are the most prone to decay, especially in younger patients. Patients who do not thoroughly clean their mouths may develop cavities.
Sealants cover the molars to prevent food from being trapped in the tooth grooves. We recommend this treatment for children as soon as their molars grow.
Schedule a Dental Visit
Do you need a cleaning? For general dentistry treatment in San Antonio, TX, call Smile Land Family Dental at 210-939-9689. You can also schedule an appointment on our website.
Our dental office serves Balcones Heights, Woodridge, Oakland Estates, and Leon Valley. If you have more questions about routine care, please call us. We’re here to help.