Cleaning and Prevention in Irving, TX

Good oral hygiene is all about keeping your mouth clean and healthy by brushing your teeth, flossing, and using mouthwash. Your mouth is full of bacteria that combine with mucus and other particles to form plaque, a sticky substance that builds up on your teeth. Plaque can harden into tartar, making it much harder to remove from your teeth with brushing alone. That is why you must visit your dentist twice a year for a professional cleaning. 

Your diet is also important to your oral health. Acidic foods and drinks can hasten tooth decay, while certain foods can improve the health of your teeth, supporting jawbone, and gums. And, of course, regular dental exams and cleanings are essential in preventing decay and gum disease as you maintain consistent daily habits. 

At Smiles of Irving, our team believes in balancing your and our efforts for optimal health. We can prevent minor issues from becoming major problems by taking a proactive approach.

Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer is a severe disease that can affect the soft tissues in your mouth. The good news is that it is treatable when caught early. Regular screenings help our dentist detect abnormalities in their earliest stages. 

If you smoke or use tobacco products, you should be screened regularly for oral cancer. Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of this disease. Other causes include heavy alcohol use, poor nutrition, and poor oral hygiene. 

Our dentist will screen your mouth for any open sores or discolored tissues that could be signs of an oral health problem. Once detected, these sores may be biopsied, removing a tissue sample for testing in a lab. If oral cancer is detected, treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or some combination of those treatments. 

Home Care

A healthy smile is heavily reliant on what happens between visits to our office. Anyone willing to set aside a few minutes daily can develop good oral hygiene habits. Consistency, like regular exercise, builds on previous efforts to improve your health. At least two brief sessions of brushing and cleaning between your teeth per day lay the groundwork for good health.

With so many products on the market today, our hygienist acts as a personal trainer for dental home care. We'll quickly narrow down the seemingly limitless options and create a plan that works for you. Many factors go into developing a strategy that makes your time and effort work for you.

Teeth Cleaning

Professional cleanings with our dentist in Irving, TX, enable us to provide you with a combination of proactive efforts. Even with your best efforts, deposits of mineralized plaque, known as tartar, adhere to certain areas of the teeth. These deposits provide suitable habitats for millions of harmful bacteria. They also produce a flood of toxins into the gums if left unchecked. This frequently leads to debilitating chronic problems, including tooth loss.

We can gently remove deposits from the tooth surfaces when you visit us regularly. Bacterial tartar does not have the same opportunity to cause irreversible damage if it is not allowed to sit undisturbed.

Periodontal Therapy

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition affecting the mouth's soft tissue and bone structures. Many warning signs of periodontal disease aren’t immediately obvious, so you must visit our dentist regularly for exams and cleanings. Diagnosing gum disease in its early stages can help you avoid more severe complications from untreated periodontitis, such as tooth loss. 

Our dentist will thoroughly examine your gums during your checkup to look for any signs of inflammation, bleeding gums, or gum recession. If you have any signs of periodontal disease, our dentist will create a personalized treatment plan for you that addresses your unique situation. 

Treatment for periodontal disease can include deep cleanings and scaling to remove plaque below the gum line, as well as antibiotics and irrigations to help control the infection-causing bacteria and reduce inflammation. Surgery may sometimes be necessary to treat patients with advanced periodontitis. During surgery, the gums are lifted back, and the tartar underneath is removed before stitching the gums back together.

Visit Smiles of Irving at 3204 N MacArthur Blvd c, Irving, TX 75062, or call (972) 258-6462 for the best dental care. We can prevent minor issues from becoming major problems by taking a proactive approach.