Preventive Dentistry – Lincoln, NE
Stopping Problems Before They Ever Start
At Pioneer Greens Dentistry, preventive care is an essential part of our mission. Besides helping patients create stronger or more vibrant smiles, we also want to help them prevent problems in the first place. The most common oral health problems are tooth decay and gum disease. Others include teeth grinding, TMJ dysfunction, and even oral cancer. Our dental team is dedicated to helping you avoid these problems and the complications that may arise from them with preventive dentistry in Lincoln, NE, leading to better oral health and lower overall care costs.
Why Choose Pioneer Greens Dentistry for Preventive Dentistry?
- State-of-the-Art Technology
- Friendly Team That Provides Personalized Care
- Happy to Treat the Entire Family
Dental Checkups & Cleanings
Our team recommends that everyone, no matter their age or dental needs, should attend at least two checkups and cleanings each year. These appointments give our team the chance to not only catch minor issues early but also stop many before they develop in the first place. Keeping up with these preventive visits is proven to lead to better oral health over time and help a patient keep their overall dental costs low, which is a big win-win in our book!
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Family Dentistry
If you are looking for a trustworthy dental team that can take care of all of your loved ones’ smiles, including yours, look no further! Our experienced professionals are happy to accommodate you by scheduling your family’s appointments close together, and we’re great with patients of all ages. Our primary focus is preventive dental care, which is crucial for the long-term health and well-being of your smile. By acting to stop common problems in their tracks with routine visits, like cavities and gum disease, we’re able to reduce the risk of needing more invasive and costly treatments down the road.
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Oral Cancer Screening
At Pioneer Greens Dentistry, our dentists make sure to thoroughly check for signs of oral cancer at each visit that you have. About a quarter of oral cancer diagnoses are made with none of the most common risk factors. Even if you do not smoke or drink alcohol in excess, regular screenings are critical to optimal oral health. An early diagnosis is your best hope for making a full recovery.
Why are Oral Cancer Screenings so Important?
The rates of oral cancer are on the rise in the US, and this is true even for people who do not participate in behaviors that have been shown to cause it, such as tobacco use or excessive alcohol consumption. In fact, nearly a quarter of all patients diagnosed with the disease do not smoke or drink regularly.
Basically, it can strike just about anyone, and this is why it is so important to be screened at least once a year. It gives our doctors the chance to catch the disease early when there is an extremely high likelihood of survival. At Pioneer Greens Dentistry, we will include a screening as part of your regular checkup, and if we find anything that causes concern, we can advise you on how to take quick and appropriate action.
What Happens During an Oral Cancer Screening?
When performing an oral cancer screening, your dentist will examine your lips, gums, tongue, cheeks, neck, and throat for any signs of the disease. This will consist of both a visual exam as well as a tactile one. They’ll look for any suspicious growths or sores in your mouth as well as try to notice if you have any particular asymmetry in your face. They’ll also gently palpate your neck and the area surrounding it to feel for any potential growths. The entire process only takes a few minutes and is completely painless. It’s one of the quickest, simplest, and most effective ways to protect your overall health, and since it’ll be part of your regular preventive checkup, you won’t even have to make a special appointment for it.
If we find something that indicates that you might have cancer, we can arrange for a biopsy of the area, and we will guide you through the entire process so that you’ll know exactly what to do if you require treatment.
Fluoride Treatments
After your dental cleaning, we will briefly coat your teeth with a concentrated fluoride solution. Fluoride is a mineral commonly added to toothpaste and tap water because when it comes in contact with the enamel, it actually strengthens it and makes it more resistant to decay. This treatment, combined with using fluoridated toothpaste every day at home, can easily help a patient stay cavity-free for years at a time.
Nightguards for Bruxism
“Bruxism” isn’t a term that many people know, but quite a few are familiar with the symptoms: worn down teeth, a sore jaw, and headaches in the morning. It actually refers to unconscious teeth grinding during sleep. To stop this problem from really harming someone’s smile, we can provide them with a nightguard to wear to bed. This small mouthpiece keeps the teeth apart during the night so they can stay safe, and it can also prevent muscle tension that can lead to pain in stiffness in the jaw.
At-Home Oral Hygiene Products
99.9% of your dental care actually happens at home in the form of daily brushing and flossing, so as you can imagine, the oral hygiene products you use are extremely important! Are you using the right ones for your particular smile? There is a nearly endless variety of toothbrushes, toothpastes, and mouthwashes available, so it can be confusing to know which are ideally suited to your specific needs. We would be happy to help by giving you a recommendation at your next checkup and cleaning, so be sure to ask our team when you see us!
TMJ/TMD Therapy
Is your jaw sore all the time? Do you actually have trouble opening and closing your mouth? Does it pop and crack whenever you do? If so, then you may have a temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the set of small hinges located in front of your ears that allow your jaw to move freely in all directions. It can sometimes develop stiffness and pain due to a misaligned bite or teeth grinding, but our team is more than ready to help with custom-made mouthpieces. These can not only stop any chronic pain but also improve the functionality of the jaw at the same time.