Family dentistry is an area of dental care that offers quality services to individuals of every age bracket. Visiting a family dentist permits you to benefit from their services and experience, which focus on treating and preventing typical dental issues. Your doctor can also help avoid severe dental problems by detecting and treating them early and helping you practice proper oral hygiene practices. At Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles, we take pride in offering affordable and comprehensive dental care to residents of Santa Clarita. Irrespective of your required services, we can use a comprehensive approach to treat symptoms to ensure you have a beautiful, healthy smile and improve your quality of life.

An Overview and Importance of Family Dentistry

A family dental professional is trained and qualified to care for primary (infant) and permanent teeth. They work with patients of different ages, from little children and teenagers to adults and seniors, and specialize in the whole family's general wellness. The dentist primarily focuses on preventative dental care and dental education. They also offer regular checkups, teeth cleanings, and treatments for dental health issues.

A general dentist has one goal: to assist you in maintaining a healthy smile. While this is every dentist’s objective, a general dentist can limit their patients to a particular age group. The main difference between a general dentist and a family dentist is that the latter specializes in treatment for all ages. A family dentist allows you to care for your loved ones’ oral health needs in one location instead of visiting several dentists.

Some of the benefits of family dentistry include the following:

It Is Convenient

Having a family dental professional for the entire household cannot be downplayed. You make things easier for yourself and your family by booking a single appointment for the whole family. You do not have to skip work on diverse dates to visit your dentist, take your babies to a pediatric dentist, and take your teens to a different dentist.

It Helps Reduce Oral Anxiety

Dental anxiety and phobia affect both adults and children. Consequently, many patients delay or avoid dental treatment. If you or your relatives are dreadful, going for dental appointments as a family could help you relax.

Babies are vulnerable to experiencing oral dental-related anxiety, mainly in their formative years, and a family dentist can help in dealing with it. When your minors see that you are going for treatment or a check-up, it builds their confidence, and they become more comfortable. Also, children are known to imitate the sentiments and actions of their parents. Demonstrating to them the importance of regular dentist’s check ups creates a long-lasting impression.

Having a Family Dental Professional Establishes Good Rapport

There are multiple reasons why having a trusted dentist is essential. When trust is present, it makes open and honest communication easier. When the dentist has all your relevant personal details, the diagnosis of the symptoms is accurate, allowing your dentist to provide the appropriate dental treatment to your family.

It also means you and your family can confidently share your dental fears with the dental professional.

A Family Dentist Is Aware of Your Family’s Oral Health History

A family dentist has a comprehensive understanding of your family’s oral history. They also know about dental conditions, allergies, surgeries, or any existing sensitivities captured in your patient records. Therefore, they are well-equipped to offer you and your loved ones the best treatments based on factual evidence.

A proactive dentist will spot new signs or symptoms during dental appointments and act accordingly to prevent the issue from progressing.

Emergency Oral Health Services

If an emergency involving dental health arises and you require immediate attention from the dentist, knowing that you have a dentist on standby offers peace of mind. Whenever you think of seeing a dentist urgently, you can rest easy knowing that your dentist is just a call away.

Most emergencies occur when you least expect them. Therefore, having a trusted family dentist can ease your worries and assure you of quality services, no matter the situation.

Preventative Dental Care

The family dentist will ensure that your babies get specialized care, given their teeth are still developing. If, for instance, the need for teeth alignment arises at any time, the dentist will conduct the procedure early on after detecting the symptoms.

The dental professional will teach your children preventative dental hygiene practices like appropriate flossing and brushing techniques. They will also teach you how to assist your child in engaging in these practices. It will prevent the development of issues like gum disease, cavities, and loss of teeth and improve your child’s oral and general health. 

Your family dental professional can also track your children’s dental progress and offer preventative treatments like applying sealants or fluoride to safeguard against damage or decay.

What Your Family Dentist Can Do For You

Your family dentist will provide you and your family with many services, including the following:

Comprehensive Dental Examination

Dental examinations are another crucial part of preventive dentistry, as they keep your teeth healthy and prevent dental disease. After your initial examination, your dentist will keep the result in a file for future reference. The best thing about having a family dentist is that the file will contain details of your teeth over the years, allowing your doctor to watch for health concerns and irregularities that might arise.

During every examination, your dentist compares the results with the previous one to ensure your dental health is not compromised.

Moreover, your dentist can look for signs of oral cancer during your dental checkups by examining your cheek lining, mouth, lips, tongue, and gums. If the dentist finds anything suspicious, they will refer you to an oncologist for further testing, diagnosis, and treatment. When healthcare providers detect oral cancer early, your treatment can be more successful.

Dental Fillings

Your dentist can use fillings to repair worn-out, damaged, or decayed teeth. They can use it to maintain your tooth structure and functionality.

Tooth fillings are made of different materials, each with unique features and advantages. Your knowledgeable family dentist should guide you in the selection process. These materials are categorized as follows:

  • Composite resin fillings are the most popular because of their natural appeal. They comprise plastic resin and fine glass particles, which allow the material to blend seamlessly with the natural teeth.
  • Amalgam dental fillings — Also known as silver tooth fillings, amalgam fillings are durable. They are created by blending mercury with copper, silver, and tin. Amalgam fillings are best suited for molars and teeth vulnerable to damage from chewing.
  • Porcelain fillings — To create porcelain fillings, your dentist will first take an impression of your tooth before transferring it to the dental lab. The technician will then make an onlay or inlay. Finally, the dentist will bond the filling to the tooth cavity with dental cement.
  • Gold fillings — Gold dental fillings are best known for their long-lasting durability. However, they are expensive.
  • Glass-ionomer dental fillings come in different types and shades. Therefore, they are versatile and can be used for various dental needs.

Things to expect during tooth filling include the following:

  • Numbing for relaxation — The family dentist will start the procedure by ensuring you are at ease and comfortable. To alleviate discomfort, the dentist will apply pre-numbing medication to the injection site before administering local anesthesia.
  • Extracting decay — Decay could appear as black or brown spots on your tooth’s surface. The spots can be soft and easily removed with a dental excavating spoon. There are many techniques your dentist can use to complete the removal. They can use a fast-moving drill, which effectively extracts decay and reshapes your tooth in preparation for the dental filling, or a carries indicator, a pink-colored dye that confirms the removal.
  • Placing your filling material — After selecting your appropriate tooth filling material, the dentist will place it into the prepared tooth cavity. The physician’s placement technique will depend on your filling material. For instance, your family dentist will put composite or amalgam tooth fillings in layers. The layered approach helps avoid leaving underfilled spaces and offers a sturdy restoration.
  • Allowing the tooth filing to set— The filling setting procedures vary based on the specific filling material employed. Amalgam tooth fillings set after minutes by themselves, while composite dental fillings require an LED light to cure it. On the other hand, exposure to sunlight can cure composite resin, but it can take significantly longer.
  • Adjustments and your bite alignment

Family Dentists Offer Updates and Patient Education

Your family dentist will instruct your family about toothpaste selection, lifestyle changes, oral health routine, and diet, among other considerations, to offer the best care. They will also update you about your family's dental health and the latest dental practices and technologies that can improve your health.

Everyone must prioritize dental health and establish a hygiene routine to keep their teeth healthy. As you age, you can have different dental needs. That is why you should be honest with your physician. The doctor will discuss your concerns and offer appropriate guidance and help.

While your experienced dentists can use technical terms, they will deliberately try to avoid jargon and communicate clearly. If you find anything unclear, do not hesitate to ask for clarification. The more you comprehend your oral health care, the better your dental health and smile will be. 

Tooth Extraction

Tooth extraction is when a dentist removes a tooth from its socket.

Experienced family dentists prefer saving natural teeth whenever possible. However, sometimes, restorative methods like crowns and fillings are not adequate. Removal is the best option if your tooth is too damaged beyond repair. Your dentist can recommend extraction if you or your loved one has:

  • A broken tooth
  • Crowded teeth
  • Severe cavities
  • Dental injuries
  • Severe gum disease

Before the treatment, your dentist will examine the affected tooth and take X-rays to check your bone level and determine the degree of damage. They will also discuss available sedation options to make you comfortable during your procedure.

The procedure involves the following steps:

  • Your dentist will use specialized tools to loosen your tooth and gently lift it from its socket
  • If your tooth is broken or severely damaged, the dentist could make an incision in your gum to access the tooth.
  • After removing the tooth, the doctor will clean and disinfect the socket
  • Sometimes, the dentist can place a bone graft to prevent jaw bone loss
  • Finally, the doctor will switch the wound to promote recovery

Apply Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are liquid, thin coatings painted on your back teeth’s chewing surfaces (molars and premolars). After applying it, your dentist will cure and harden the material to safeguard your teeth from bacteria.

Your molars and premolars have grooves that assist you in grinding up your food. Bacteria and food particles can become trapped in the grooves, causing cavities (tooth decay) over time.

Teenagers and children are popular candidates for this treatment. However, adults without tooth fillings or decay can also be beneficiaries. In other words, anyone in your family susceptible to cavities on their back teeth can consider sealants.

Your child should get sealants on their back teeth immediately after they emerge. Sometimes, dental sealants can be suitable for baby (primary) teeth, mainly if their teeth have deep grooves and depressions. Primary teeth are significant in holding space for permanent (adult) teeth. Therefore, it is crucial to keep them healthy.

Offer Fluoride Treatment

Fluoride is a natural mineral that prevents tooth cavities by building robust teeth. It supports tooth enamel, your tooth's outer layer, and fights bacteria that harm gums and teeth.

Every day, the enamel loses and gains minerals. You gain minerals when you eat food and drink beverages with the minerals and lose them when acids, caused by plaque, sugars, and bacteria in your mouth, attack the enamel. Tooth fluoride treatment prevents dental cavities by making the enamel resistant to acid attacks.

Your family dentist offers fluoride treatment as varnish, gel, form, or concentrated rinse. They apply it using a tray, brush, swab, or mouthwash. The treatment contains more fluoride than toothpaste or water.

Children and infants between the ages of six months and sixteen years require a lot of fluoride. Both developing teeth and already erupted teeth benefit significantly from fluoride. For your minor child, the American Dental Association recommends:

  • Spitting out instead of swallowing the toothpaste
  • Using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste when brushing
  • Avoid using fluoride mouth rinse unless a dentist recommends otherwise
  • Avoid using fluoride dietary supplements for infants below six months

You can also benefit from fluoride treatment as an adult if you have:

  • Dry mouth — Saliva washes away bacteria and food debris. Slow saliva production increases teeth's risk of cavities and gum disease.
  • Gum disease
  • A history of tooth decay
  • Removable partial dentures, crowns, bridges, or braces

Professional Dental Cleaning

Unless you want to undergo dental implant or denture treatments, you should take care of your teeth, beginning with routine dental cleanings. People of different ages can benefit from the process by visiting a dentist twice a year. However, that can change based on your dental health needs.

Professional dental cleaning involves the following:

  • Scaling — Using a scaler, your dentist will remove hardened tartar and plaque from the surfaces of your teeth.
  • Polishing — Next, they will polish the teeth with a rubber cup and pumice. This removes the biofilm on the teeth' surface, reducing plaque buildup and damage.
  • Recommending preventive treatments — Depending on your family’s oral health needs, the physician can recommend other preventive treatments like fluoride or dental sealants.
  • Offering treatment recommendations — If the dentist discovers anything alarming during the cleaning, they can recommend and comprehensively discuss the treatment options with you.

Dental Braces

Nobody in your family is too old for braces. Generally, the best time to get braces is between nine and fourteen. Your child’s facial bones and jaws are flexible and still developing at that time. Adult braces are also effective but can take longer to realize your desired results.

Your family dentist can recommend braces to straighten your teeth and rectify many orthodontic issues, like crowded teeth, crooked teeth, malocclusion, and gapped teeth.

Braces use mild and constant pressure to shift teeth into their desired positions over time. How this occurs depends on your form of braces.

While it varies from one person to another, you should expect to wear braces for two years. How long it takes for this treatment to correct your issue depends on factors like:

  • The severity of your problem
  • The amount of spaces in the jaw
  • Your dental health
  • How well you comply with your doctor’s instructions

After removing braces, you should wear retainers for six months. The retainers keep your teeth in their new position. Otherwise, the teeth will return to their previous position.

Find a Skilled Family Dentist Near Me

Consider consulting a family dentist to eliminate the hassle of visiting many dental facilities for different family members. Unlike other dental healthcare providers, a certified family dentist can handle patients of all ages, making it a more practical alternative, especially if you are a parent of infants or minor children. Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles is devoted to creating long-lasting, elegant smiles and maintaining the oral health of our Santa Clarita patients. Whatever service you require, we can offer you and your loved ones world-class care in a comfortable setting. Please contact us at 661-775-7717 to schedule your appointment or for additional information.