Foothills Dentistry Is A Full-Service Dental Practice
At Foothills Dentistry, we are here to provide top-quality dental care for you and your family. If you are in the Dillard area and are looking for a caring dental team to keep you in good oral health, we are nearby and ready to help.
Why is dental health important?
They have found through many clinical research trials that your dental health is connected to your overall health. Poor oral health has been associated with cardiovascular conditions, including an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. Bacteria from your mouth can also spread to other parts of the body. At this point, we know that your oral health and overall health are connected.
What is a healthy dental routine?
My recommendation is that you brush your teeth at least twice a day. Specifically, at night before you go to bed, I recommend that you floss each one of your teeth first. Then rinse with Listerine for 30 seconds. If you're sensitive to regular Listerine, you can use the alcohol-free version and rinse for one full minute instead of 30 seconds.
Then brush your teeth last for two full minutes with fluoride toothpaste. When you're done, spit it out. Don't rinse it out. Go to bed. If you do that every night and brush your teeth in the morning, you're doing 80% of what you can do.
What are the most common dental problems?
I would say cavities are obviously one of the most common, and gum disease is still very prevalent, although I think it's going down a lot. It used to be the number one issue. There used to be more gum disease back in the '50s and '60s, whereas now I think it's cavities.
Another big problem I see in my patient population is bite issues, or how your teeth come together. A lot of people have what we technically call parafunctional habits. These are habits that can damage their teeth, such as grinding or clenching. Between cavities and these habits, I think those are probably the two biggest things I see in daily practice.
What dental services does Foothills Dentistry provide?
I try to provide as wide an array of dental services as possible within this general dental practice. We do root canals and crowns, and our crowns are actually done the same day. We mill them right here on site, so there's no temporary. We do extractions and implants. We can even do total smile makeovers.
Pretty much everything we can do here, we try to do. We try to be a one-stop dental practice as much as possible because I understand it's inconvenient to have to go to other specialists. However, if the case warrants it, if it's more advanced and we need a specialist, we do have specialists that we refer to, and they'll take care of that problem.
How long does a full dental exam take?
Generally, excluding the X-rays and everything else, it's about 20 to 30 minutes of my time for a comprehensive exam. If you're coming in just for an emergency exam and we're trying to address one problem, that usually only takes about five to 10 minutes of my time. If you add the X-rays and intraoral scans, the first exam is usually about an hour.
How often should you come to the dentist?
It's recommended that everyone come in at least twice a year, or every six months, for a cleaning. I look at it kind of like getting an oil change. The mouth is a very high-wear part of the body. You're putting a lot of force on it, there's bacteria in there, and there are all these things that can affect the teeth. So it's good to get that oil change and have a cleaning every six months to check that there's nothing going on.
If we can catch things when they're small, treatment can be less invasive and less expensive. If you wait too long, that's when treatment can become more expensive and invasive.
What is a routine dental cleaning?
A routine dental cleaning is the one that we typically do every six months for people with healthy gums. During a normal cleaning, we're removing plaque, which is basically the bacterial buildup on the teeth, and checking that you don't have any other problems. We may also recommend applying fluoride for people who are more susceptible to cavities. Usually, this basic cleaning takes about 30 minutes.
How can you schedule an appointment for dental services?
Your dental health matters to us, and we're here to support you every step of the way. If you're looking for expert dental care near Dillard, GA, call (706) 702-2771 or email [email protected] to learn more. Ready to get started? Schedule your appointment below.