Dr. Gregory J. Daniels DDS of Hinsdale Dentist has again pointed his energy toward education and preventive care, an area of dentistry that focuses on procedures and life practices to help patients avoid unwanted oral diseases. According to Dr. Daniels, this includes home dental care as well as dental care and education by the professional dental staff at Dr. Gregory J. Daniels’ office in Hinsdale, Illinois.
Dr. Daniels provides several kinds of dental services to help prevent dental disease or to catch it in its early and more treatable stages. A big part of preventive care is the oral hygiene care that a patient does at home. Preventive dentistry also encompasses services by Dr. Daniels’ dental staff at Hinsdale Dentist to help patients maintain healthy teeth and gums. Regardless, says Dr. Gregory J. Daniels DDS, the objective is to stop the development of oral disease or to find it early on. Dr. Gregory J. Daniels also looks for early signs of periodontal disease, dental decay, and other changes in the soft tissue of the mouth that could lead to oral cancer.
Preventive dentistry should never harm patients when done correctly. At times, dentists will take precautions when a patient has a medical condition that would be affected by certain procedures. Dr. Gregory J. Daniels needs to be made aware of medical conditions, such as mitral valve prolapse, which need to be treated with prophylactic antibiotics. Allergies to any of the medications or materials used in preventive dentistry are rare.
Preventive care at Dr. Gregory J. Daniels’ Hinsdale Dentist office includes cleaning of the teeth to remove accumulations of calculus, and a dental examination of the teeth and the soft tissues of the mouth, including x-rays and a screening for oral cancer. Newer techniques to diagnose periodontal disease include computerized measurement devices that measure bacterial content in the mouth. Sometimes, Dr. Gregory J. Daniels may prescribe medications to help prevent dental disease. These include anti-inflammatory mouthwashes to prevent periodontal problems.
Preventive procedures often performed by Dr. Gregory J. Daniels for children include the use of fluoride supplements and applications. Dr. Daniels applies dental sealants to children’s teeth, forming a barrier between tooth crevasses and bacteria to help ward off dental decay. Dr. Daniels also looks for malocclusions, and will refer a patient to a dental specialist such as an orthodontist to correct a bad bite. Dr. Gregory J. Daniels recommends that children be evaluated by an orthodontist by age seven.
An important part of preventive dentistry offered by Dr. Gregory J. Daniels is educating his patients about eating right, caring for their teeth, perhaps even how to quit smoking. At-home procedures performed that can help ward off dental disease include regular and proper brushing, flossing and use of mouth rinses and at-home fluoride applications.
According to Dr. Gregory J. Daniels DDS, in order to properly brush the teeth, a patient should use a soft nylon toothbrush with round-ended bristles. Place the bristles along the gum line at a 45-degree angle to cover the tooth surface and gum line. The technique used should be gentle and in a rolling back-and-forth motion, with a couple of teeth being brushed at a time. You should brush the inner surfaces of your teeth and tilt the brush vertically to brush the front teeth. Ideally, you should use a back-and-forth motion to brush the biting surface of the teeth and the tongue.
Flossing removes plaque from between teeth and at the gum line. Dr. Gregory J. Daniels DDS says that this should be done with an 18-inch strip of floss wrapped around the middle fingers of each hand. The remaining one to two inches of floss is inserted between the teeth and directed by the thumbs. By keeping the floss taut, patients can use their index fingers to guide the floss between the lower teeth with a gentle zigzag motion while contouring the floss around the sides of the teeth. They should floss each tooth with a clean section of the floss and ensure that the floss goes under the gum line.
Dr. Gregory J. Daniels firmly believes that preventive dental care should begin in a baby’s first year and continues throughout adulthood. Even before teeth erupt, parents can clean an infant’s gums after feeding. Understanding that 75% of Americans have some form of dental disease, regularly scheduled dental appointments are particularly important for adults. For more information contact Dr. Gregory J. Daniels DDS at hinsdaledentist.com or at 630-655-8815.