Hygiene and Preventative Dentistry, Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA

At Brentwood Dental Art we pride ourselves in prevention-focused dental care that keeps your smile healthy for a lifetime. Through proactive, prevention-based strategies, we can help you reduce your risk of decay, periodontal disease, and tooth loss in the years ahead.

Because most dental concerns are preventable, we offer a wide range of preventative dental services, ranging from checkups and cleanings to periodontal therapy and oral cancer screenings.

Preventative Dental Cleanings

It’s recommended that most people receive a professional dental cleaning twice a year. Our dental hygienist will gently remove plaque and tartar buildup, which are responsible for cavities, periodontitis, and soft tissue infections. People with healthy teeth and gums typically need a preventative cleaning every six months. Whereas individuals with a history of gum disease may need more frequent visits.

During your appointment, we’ll provide you with personalized advice on how to clean those difficult-to-reach places in your mouth that may have more buildup than others. We’ll also polish off any surface stains and offer a topical fluoride treatment.

Dental Exams

Our Brentwood dentist will examine your mouth at each visit to check for signs of tooth decay, cracked or broken teeth, worn dental work, and periodontal infections.

As part of your exam, we’ll also screen for early warning signs of oral cancer. This includes checking your hard and soft tissues inside and outside of your mouth to screen for abnormalities. This way, we can detect potential concerns as early as possible, allowing for a better treatment outcome.

Should you need any treatment, we will review our findings with you and discuss the best options for restoring your smile.

Digital X-Rays

Because not everything is visible during a clinical exam, we also use digital X-rays to screen for areas of decay, bone loss, and dental infections. Digital X-rays are extremely safe and allow us to ensure the best diagnosis and treatment plan. Most of our patients benefit from a set of X-rays once a year as part of the diagnostic process, with full-mouth X-rays taken at periodic intervals to monitor more significant changes in their oral health.

X-rays are extremely important, as they allow us to visualize areas of your mouth that might otherwise go overlooked, such as abscesses or bone resorption. We’ll share the images with you, so that you can see the same thing(s) we do during your dental exam.

Early screening and diagnostics allow us to provide more conservative, affordable treatments while issues are smaller and simpler to manage.

Fluoride Treatments

A topical fluoride treatment after your dental cleaning will help remineralize weak areas of tooth enamel, reduce symptoms of tooth sensitivity, and protect exposed root surfaces. We recommend fluoride for all children after every checkup, as well as adults with a history of enamel demineralization or highly acidic diets.

If you’re currently wearing braces or struggle with dry mouth, we may recommend a prescription-strength fluoride to use at home between checkups.

Dental Sealants

Protective dental sealants help reduce the likelihood of getting cavities in the deep grooves and pits of your back teeth (molars.) In most cases, we recommend placing sealants as soon as those teeth erupt. For most children, this is around age 6 and 12, respectively.

Sealants only take a few minutes to apply and can last for years. The thin, protective covers help seal out bacteria in hard-to-clean surfaces, reducing the chances of tooth decay forming in those areas. No numbing is required, and most dental sealants are covered by insurance for young children.

Periodontal Therapy

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss. We routinely screen for periodontal infections as part of your routine checkup. Symptoms frequently include:

• Bleeding gums
• Gum recession
• Spaces between teeth
• Bad breath
• Tartar buildup
• Tooth mobility
• Visible bone loss on X-rays
• Deep “pockets” around teeth

As part of your periodontal assessment, we will measure the attachment levels of the gum tissues around each of your teeth. When areas of tissue pull away from the tooth, it creates a “pocket” that harbors plaque bacteria, eventually leading to bone loss and tooth mobility. Areas of deep pocketing also tend to experience tartar buildup, which cannot be cleaned off with regular brushing and flossing.

Treating periodontal disease is essential to stop the advancement of bone loss or potential tooth mobility. During these deep cleaning appointments, we will gently numb the teeth being cleaned and provide therapeutic measures to help stop the spread of disease. Most scaling and root planing appointments involve cleaning one side of the mouth at a time, then placing the patient on a maintenance schedule where we provide therapeutic cleanings that reduce the risk of periodontal relapse.

Gum disease is closely linked to your overall wellness. Untreated periodontal infections can statistically increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, pneumonia, and reproductive health concerns. Because the bacteria can spread throughout your bloodstream, it’s important to treat this oral infection as early as possible.

The sooner periodontal disease is addressed, the less likely you are to experience additional bone and tooth loss.

Sport Mouthguards

Most dental injuries and emergencies can be prevented. Especially if you are an athlete or involved in contact sports. We recommend that you and your child wear a custom-fitted mouthguard to prevent your teeth from chipping or being knocked out during athletic activities. A custom-fit appliance will provide the highest level of protection available; they can also reduce the chances of a concussion.

Nightguards and Bruxism Mouthguards

Bruxism (or tooth grinding) can lead to chipped teeth or broken dental work. You may also experience headaches and ear or jaw (TMJ) pain. The best way to prevent your teeth is by wearing a custom-made mouthguard or bite splint. It will allow your jaw to relax and protect your teeth, reducing the strain to your tooth enamel and TMJ joint.

Dental Checkups in Brentwood

If it’s been six months or longer since your last dental cleaning or checkup, it’s time to make your next appointment. Contact Brentwood Dental Art today to reserve your next appointment.

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Questions Answered on This Page

• Preventative Dental Cleanings
• Dental Exams
• Digital X-Rays
• Fluoride Treatments
• Dental Sealants
• Periodontal Therapy
• Sport Mouthguards
• Nightguards and Bruxism Mouthguards

Related Topics

• Dental Exams
• Teeth Cleaning
• Mouthguards
• Periodontal therapy

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Hear From Our Patients

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Helpful links: WebMD (Oral Guide) | ADA (Glossary of Dental Terms)