Prevention and good oral hygiene starts right in your own home. You play the biggest part in keeping your teeth healthy. It is our pleasure to team up with you and provide necessary professional teeth cleanings to remove unwanted plaque and tartar that you are unable to remove with just a toothbrush and floss.

Healthy eating habits play a big role in helping you keep your natural teeth and supporting gums and bone for the rest of your life.

We work together with you as a team. We want your mouth to be healthy. This means coming in for regular exams, x-rays, and professional cleanings. When you take care of small cavities before they become bigger problems, you save time and money.

Dental x-rays are necessary and essential to diagnose conditions in the early stages. They provide valuable information not detectable during a regular dental exam. We use these radiographs to find hidden problems that you cannot see with your own eyes. Without x-rays, problem areas may go undetected.

Digital radiography is the latest technology used to take “pictures” of your teeth and supporting structures. This technology uses a digital sensor that captures images and stores the digital picture in our computer. We can see this image instantly and can enlarge it to view it easier. This allows us to show you what is going on. You can see it in front of your eyes. We can enhance the images, which minimizes retakes and reduces your exposure to radiation. Digital x-rays already reduce radiation 80-90% compared to the already low exposure of traditional dental x-rays. Dental x-rays can show us conditions like, cavities between the teeth, bone loss, cysts, tumors, developmental abnormalities, infections, abscesses, poor tooth and root alignment, problems inside a tooth or around the bone. Finding and treating these conditions at an early stage will prevent spending your valuable time and money for repairs.

How safe are X-rays?

There is radiation all around us in our environment. The digital radiographs work using a much lower level of radiation in comparison to the traditional film x-rays. They are not just safer, but also quicker and more comfortable for you the patient. We do take the precautions to avoid any excess radiation by using lead aprons when taking x-rays. These aprons block the exposure from your body. We also reduce the amount of harmful chemicals that we have to dispose of in our environment. We are helping stay “green” in our small part of the world.

How many times a year should I get x-rays taken?

Everyone has different needs for their certain conditions. Some may require every six months taking “bitewing” x-rays to see between the teeth for cavities or evaluate bone loss. Often “periapical” x-rays are taken to see the tips of the roots for evaluating infections and cracks. Dr. McAnear will evaluate your specific needs each time you visit our office.

It is usually recommended to capture a full mouth series of dental x-rays. This allows Dr. McAnear the ability to diagnose comprehensively instead of one tooth at a time. The full series is usually adequate for three to five years but nay need to be retaken if major changes have occurred.

Fluoride has been the best and most widespread agent in the fight against tooth decay. It is a mineral that is naturally present in varying amounts in almost all foods and water supplies. We have known and seen the benefits of fluoride for many years and in many communities. Its applications have been supported by many health and professional organizations.

You can receive fluoride systemically through the public water supply if your area has approved fluoridation of water. The other way to have the benefit of fluoride is having fluoride treatments in a topical form while here in the dental office or a take-home gel prescribed by Dr. McAnear.

A sealant is resin (plastic) material that flows into crevices and grooves of the chewing surfaces of teeth. Once in place, it prevents the penetration of sugary fluids and other substances that potentially can cause cavities.

At your initial dental visit a comprehensive dental exam will be performed by Dr. McAnear. He will evaluate several areas of potential concern. The x-rays will be thoroughly examined for cavities, pathology or tumors, bone loss, and infections to name a few. A head and neck check for abnormalities that could potentially be cancerous in the lip, mouth, throat, tongue and face region. When evaluating the gums for periodontal disease, an instrument called a periodontal probe measures the level of “pockets” between the teeth and gums. Each tooth is examined for the breakdown of tooth structure or the wearing of old fillings and crowns.

What you should expect from our office for a professional cleaning is the complete removal of tartar and plaque that cause cavities and periodontal disease.

Regular Cleanings

If you do not have existing periodontal disease including bone loss, mobility, or localized infection, you may only require a dental prophylaxis (regular cleaning). This involves scaling tartar and removal of plaque and stain. The teeth are then polished to give them a renewed shine.

Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing

If you are diagnosed with periodontal disease (up to 80% of Americans have some form of periodontal disease) then you will be scheduled for a scaling and root planing appointment to ensure that all foreign bacterial born particles on the tooth are removed. You will then be placed on a periodontal maintenance cleanings at recommended intervals. Usually scheduled 3,4, or 6 months time span to prevent the build up from forming again.

Your best defense against cavities and tooth loss is your oral hygiene habits at home. It starts with brushing twice a day for two minutes and after meals and snacks. Make sure you angle the toothbrush at a 45 degree to ensure getting below the gums slightly and remove plaque. An electric tooth brushes, like Sonicare™, is recommended to get the most out of your home care. Most will have a timer to give you maximum cleaning.

Flossing is recommended at least once a day usually at night before bedtime. You need to use floss that you wrap around your fingers unless you are physically unable to do so. Take the floss as far down below the gums as you can. If you do not regularly floss, this may cause discomfort or bleeding. This is not a sign of incorrect flossing necessarily, but a sign of inflammation that needs to be treated. So continue to floss and disrupt the bacteria to prevent further breakdown of the gums and attached supporting structures.

In addition to brushing and flossing, you may incorporate tongue scraping and mouth rinses. Shop around to find a rinse that you like best.

Teeth whitening procedures are becoming more and more popular in today’s society. They are very effective and easy to do. At first we take impression of your teeth in order to make custom fitted trays for your mouth. We then try the trays in for proper fit and instruct you on how to place the whitening gel in the trays. You are in complete control of how white you want to be. We typically recommend wearing the trays for 1-2 hours a day for 2 weeks. If you do not have any sensitivity, then you could sleep with the trays in your mouth and get more benefit out of the gel. You may need to touch up the application once every few months depending on the amount of discoloring liquids (soda, tea, wine, chocolate) one chooses to intake.

Please take note that any restorations that are present in your mouth will not whiten and will need to be replaced once the whitening procedure is complete.

Porcelain veneers are restorations that can take your smile to the next level cosmetically speaking. If you are displeased with crowding, spacing, or discolored teeth then veneers may be for you. A veneer is a thin layer of porcelain that is lab fabricated to your specific teeth. The first step is to remove minimal amount of tooth structure from the front and edge of the teeth.

An impression is taking and temporary veneers are placed until the final ones return from the lab. They are tried in and then once you are pleased are bonded into place. The look is very natural and makes your smile young again.

Today more and more people are demanding more aesthetic options for tooth repair. The Composite (resin) fillings are stronger than ever and are made to last a long time. There are more shades available now than ever, so matching your teeth is not a problem. These fillings are bonded into place wear close to natural tooth structure.

When a tooth is cracked, a large filling present or a root canal has been done a tooth that is a good time to have a crown placed over the existing tooth to prevent further breaking and loosing the tooth. The options available are beautiful porcelain crowns. They come in varying combinations of materials for different situations. There are MCR (metal ceramic restorations), Ceramic to porcelain substrate, or All-porcelain crowns. Each have there different properties and are recommended for different circumstances. When you have a crown procedure in our office, the first appointment will be prepping the tooth for the crown, taking an impression, and fabricating a temporary crown. The next visit, we will try-in the crown and verify the fit and check your bite, take an x-ray, and cement it in place.

Bridges are similar to crowns, in that they cover an existing tooth, but differ in how many teeth. A bridge extends over a missing tooth much like a road bridge extends from one land area to another. Bridges are cemented into placed and are permanent. You do not take them out and clean them. They look like the natural teeth and are easy to clean.

Implants are the best option when replacing a tooth. They serve many functions like, replacing a missing tooth, preserving bone, or restoring function of chewing. An implant is a two step procedure. First the missing tooth site is prepared for placement of the implant. Then the implant is placed in the bone and under the gums and is given 4-6 months to heal in most cases.

When the healing process is complete, the gum tissue is removed from over the implant and the crown is fabricated to go on top of the implant. It functions as realistically as a natural tooth does.