A sealant is a thin layer of plastic bonded into a groove on the biting surfaces of back teeth to block access to the area by the bacteria. These grooves are a common area to find decay starting even in an otherwise clean and healthy mouth.

Prevention is not a one time treatment but an ongoing lifetime of home and professional care.

Your recall schedule should be determined with consideration for your own individual circumstances, based on the timing that will best maintain your lifelong dental health.

With gum disease the bone that holds the teeth in is lost and is gone for good. You may not be aware that you have gum disease until a tooth gets loose and falls out, without ever being painful.

Tooth loss can be prevented with regular daily care at home and having any hard build-up removed in the dental office before the gum disease process has a chance to start.

There are a number of the steps that comprise a complete dental examination. Perhaps surprisingly, the last step is to check the teeth. An examination includes checking for signs of oral cancer, evaluating function of the jaw joints, an inspection of the hard and soft tissues of the mouth, and much more.

What is commonly called a cleaning is actually two separate treatments to prevent dental disease; removal of hard build-up (called calculus or tarter) and removal of stains on the teeth.