Dental Cleanings & Preventive Care in Utica & Sterling Heights
Preventive care is the key to a healthy, confident, and beautiful smile. While brushing and flossing every day is vital, it is also essential to understand that these habits are no substitute for regular visits to our office for professional treatments. Our comprehensive preventive care programs can help you and your family achieve and maintain optimal oral health. At Smile Shapers Dental, we strive to give every patient a lifetime of healthy, happy smiles.
Our practice in Sterling Heights proudly provides oral healthcare to our community and the surrounding areas. We are conveniently located on the South West corner of Hall Road (M-59), and Mound, near LA Fitness and the AMC Movie Plaza. We also offer services to the surrounding Arabic, Chaldean, Serbian, and Croatian speaking communities. Call our modern, friendly office and schedule a visit for your family today!
CALL US: (586) 323-7201 REQUEST APPOINTMENT
Cleaning and Exam Basics
Although you diligently floss and brush your teeth, you can still miss some hard-to-reach areas. Dental cleaning and exams involve professional tools to clean your teeth thoroughly. You’ll leave our dental office fully refreshed with clean and polished teeth. Here’s what happens during professional cleaning and exams:
The cleaning process starts with checking for symptoms of decay, oral cancer, gingivitis, and other health issues.
Normal brushing can’t remove hardened calculus and tartar. A dentist uses special tools to eliminate any buildup on the tooth surface and underneath the gum line.
Upgraded flossing techniques remove any plaque or food debris, especially between the teeth and toward the back of the mouth.
This helps strengthen your enamel and prevent the risk of tooth decay.
Once your teeth are clean, we polish them to smooth out your enamel while removing minor stains. This dramatically improves the look and feel of your teeth.
We closely examine your mouth. Early detection and treatment in the initial stages of oral cancer could save your life.
We can identify any flaws such as discoloration, cracks, and chips, and recommend treatment options to enhance your smile.
We assess your overall health, medical history, and your background to find any genetic indicators for cavities, root decay, gum, or bone disease.
This evaluation helps determine the health of your bite (occlusion) and jaw. Correcting a bad bite can help treat conditions such as loose teeth or excessive wear, as well as facial pain and headaches.
We examine your gums for early signs of gum (periodontal) disease. Diagnosis in the early stages can prevent more severe problems and maintain optimal gum health.
Precise imaging helps us understand the condition of your teeth and jaw below the visible surface and diagnose bone loss and tooth decay.
Pediatric First Visits
We recommend bringing your child to our office between six months and one year of age, or when their first tooth erupts. Early treatment sets the tone for positive oral health habits and gets them comfortable with our office and staff. We enjoy teaching children all about their teeth, and the best ways to keep their little pearly whites strong and healthy.
We have extensive training in pediatric dental services and know just how to make your child feel welcome. We take the time to answer all their questions and show them how all the tools work. As they become accustomed to our care, we can monitor their growth and development and customize a preventive care program to help you avoid costly treatments in the future. We can also tell you if orthodontic work will be needed and prepare you for any impending procedures.
Proper Brushing & Flossing Techniques
Most people know to brush at least twice a day and floss but may be unaware that specific techniques are more effective than others.
How to Brush
- Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and aim the bristles towards the gum line.
- Make short, circular motions to reach between your teeth and be gentle.
- Brush all the different surfaces of your teeth.
- For the inner surfaces, tilt your toothbrush until it appears almost vertical.
- Gently brush your tongue. It helps remove decay-causing bacteria and maintain fresh breath.
How to Floss
- Carefully guide the floss between your teeth with a back and forth motion.
- Curve the floss to make a ‘C’ shape and gently move it up and down the side of each tooth.
- Repeat all these processes between all teeth and behind back molars.
- After you are done, rinse your mouth with a good quality mouthwash.
Brushing and flossing correctly will prevent damage to your gum tissue and effectively remove plaque. For young children or anyone who’s motor skills make it difficult to brush, we recommend an electric toothbrush. It’s easy to use, and some of them even have a timer to make sure you brush for the full 2 minutes. Brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and before going to bed, and replace your toothbrush every three to four months.
Fluorides & Sealants Treatment
Fluoride and sealant can both be used as preventive treatments to protect your teeth. Fluoride is a mineral absorbed into bones and teeth to make them stronger. Although fluoride is naturally present in water and food, sometimes it’s not enough to prevent tooth decay. After your first exam, we may recommend fluoride supplements or special toothpaste and mouthwash.
A sealant is a coating applied to the chewing surface and deep grooves of teeth, especially molars and premolars. These teeth are highly susceptible to food buildup that can cause cavities and decay. A coat of sealant will smooth the surface and make it harder for food particles to stick to the tooth. Sealants can last a long time and are especially helpful with those hard to reach back teeth.
Treating Periodontal Disease
Periodontal (gum disease) happens when the bacteria multiply and damage the tooth roots and tissues. If left untreated, the bacteria can cause the gums to become red and puffy, eventually leading to bone loss, tooth loss, or other health problems. At Smile Shapers Dental, we offer many options for treating gum disease, and we make sure you understand each one. Together we will help you decide which treatment will be the most comfortable and affordable. We also offer nitrous and oral conscious sedation to address any anxiety during your procedure.
We can treat moderate to advanced gum disease with traditional scaling and root planing or laser therapy.
Benefits of Periodontal Laser Therapy
Our experienced team uses advanced laser therapy to treat many periodontal issues with great success. The advantages of using laser treatment compared to conventional therapy include:
- Decreases Bacteria: Lasers can gently remove calculus, tartar, and plaque from around teeth and along the gum line.
- Promotes Healthy Tissue Growth: While traditional treatment mainly focuses on eliminating the infection, laser treatment encourages bone growth by stimulating cell regeneration.
- Improves Stability: Lasers can reduce deep pockets and encourage tissue to reattach to the tooth root providing support to surrounding ligaments.
- Minimizes Side Effects: Lasers are minimally invasive and cauterize tissue along the way, reducing bleeding, swelling, and pain.
- Faster Healing: Less pain and bleeding can decrease recovery time, allowing you to return to your day-to-day activities sooner.
- Reduces Anxiety: Laser treatments have no drill noise, which is a common source of anxiety for many people.
We Specialize in Parent & Patient Education
We take our time to discuss your concerns and review the findings and observations of our comprehensive exam. Intraoral cameras produce high-quality images in minutes that we can share with you to help you clearly understand your diagnosis. We design customized treatment plans that will fit into your budget and produce the results you want. Our entire team is focused on providing comprehensive care for the best oral and overall health of your family. Call our office today and schedule a visit!
CALL US: (586) 323-7201 REQUEST APPOINTMENT
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