Your oral health is as vital as your general well-being. Taking care of your mouth and teeth is integral to your overall health. An oral problem can quickly escalate into a significant health issue that will be costly and challenging to treat. That is why dentists recommend a regular visit to the dentist for diagnosis, treatment, and maintenance of good oral health. We offer comprehensive dental care to patients of all ages at Washington Dental. Our service includes free exams and digital X-rays for our new patients, dental implants, and state-of-the-art facilities. Therefore, you can count on our quality and affordable dental care services if you seek exclusive dental care in Torrance.
The Benefits of Dental Care
Dental care goes beyond brushing and flossing your teeth. Even though dentists recommend daily care for our teeth by brushing and flossing, these practices are never enough to keep your gums and teeth healthy and strong. Regular dentist visits for routine checkups and treatments are vital for excellent oral hygiene. Most people believe visiting a dentist is only necessary for toothaches or other dental or oral problems. But regular dentist visits play a crucial role in preventive care, restorative care, and the prior detection of dental issues before they escalate into significant health problems.
Thus, caring for your oral health goes beyond having a beautiful smile. It is crucial for your overall health. You should partner with a reliable and affordable dentist to enjoy the best oral and overall health. The right dentist will ensure your teeth, gums, and bones remain strong, healthy, and functional. Here are some of the reasons why you need to partner with the right Torrance dentist today:
For Early Detection of Dental Issues
All dental problems are progressive; they start mildly and worsen as days pass. Some dental issues do not even present themselves until they have progressed so much. Routine checkups are crucial to catching some of these issues early enough. Once the dentist detects a dental problem on time, they can prevent further damage and possible costly treatment. But for this, you need to identify a skilled and experienced dentist for the job. It requires excellent skills for a dentist to identify an oral issue at its onset and treat it on time.
For Maintenance of Good Health
Remember that your oral health is just as crucial as your overall well-being. If you neglect your oral health, it could impact your overall health. For example, failure to treat some oral issues, like oral infections, early can spread the disease to other parts of your body. When you visit your dentist regularly for dental checkups, they can monitor and keep your oral health in check. That will keep you in general good health. Maintenance of good oral health helps prevent major issues that could affect your general health, including cancer and diabetes.
To Save Money
Working closely with a skilled Torrance dentist for regular dental checkups will save you money. Remember that all dental issues start mildly. In their mild state, they are less costly to treat and will take you the least possible time. But once they escalate, dental issues can be expensive to treat. For example, regular teeth cleaning does not cost much but can prevent cavities and severe problems like gum disease. If tartar and plaque buildup are left untreated, you could have serious issues, including a bacterial infection that could cost more and take a long time to treat. You could even lose your teeth to gingivitis and pay more for dental restorations.
Services To Expect from a Torrance Dentist
Well-trained and experienced dentists offer a wide range of services in their offices. You can significantly benefit from a few or most of those services. A competent dentist offering comprehensive dental care to your entire family will offer various dental care services. These services are categorized into three main classes:
Preventive Dental Care
Preventive dentistry is crucial to the maintenance of good oral health. It involves regular visits to the dentist and the maintenance of good oral habits like brushing twice a day and flossing. Caring for your mouth and teeth should start as a child and extend throughout your life. Preventive dental care can include a regular examination of your teeth every six months, teeth cleaning at least twice a year, and routine X-rays to determine the health of the underlying structures and tissues.
The majority of preventive oral care begins with an individual. Your dentist will encourage you to develop healthy oral habits to help reduce gum disease, cavities, and other significant issues like gingivitis and oral cancer. Here are some of the basic recommendations:
- Brushing your teeth twice a day or after every meal.
- Flossing at least once to remove stuck food particles between your teeth.
- Using mouthwash to rinse your mouth and remove any remaining food particles after brushing and flossing.
- Avoiding sugary and acidic foods that could harm your teeth, especially your strong tooth enamel,
- Not smoking or using tobacco products that could cause serious dental issues and oral cancer.
- Using a mouthguard when participating in specific sports.
- Stopping damaging habits like grinding your teeth and chewing hard substances like ice.
A well-trained and experienced dentist can offer preventive dental care services.
Preventive dental care is critical, especially for children. Immediately after your child develops their first tooth, you can begin preventive dental care to help identify oral and dental issues early in life. Some of the preventive dental care services a Torrance dentist can offer your child include:
- Promoting good oral habits like brushing and flossing.
- Guidance on some damaging practices, like thumbsucking.
- Guidance on food habits that could help improve your child’s dental health.
- Regular oral exams and teeth cleanings after six months.
- Dental sealants.
- Fluoride application.
- Regular X-rays to keep track of teeth and jaw development.
- Fitting mouthguards for children that play certain sports.
- Referrals to dental specialists like orthodontists.
- Identifying health problems that can impact your child’s dental health.
Restorative Dental Services
The main focus of restorative dental care is to replace or repair teeth. These services are necessary when you have tooth decay or cavities, broken or damaged teeth, or missing teeth. A Torrance dentist can offer restorative services to improve oral health, facial appearance, and tooth function. General or family dentists provide these services, which include the following:
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Dental Fillings
Your dentist will use fillings to cover cavities or holes left after dangerous bacteria eats away a part of your tooth enamel. Fillings can repair small cavities. The process involves removing the decayed part of your tooth and filling the remaining hole with a composite material the same color as your tooth. The filling will halt the progression of the decay and minimize the chances of further damage to your tooth.
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Dental Crowns
Your dentist can recommend a dental crown to repair a larger cavity that cannot be filled. Treatment involves creating a crown or cap to cover the entire tooth. The idea is to restore the look and functionality of the severely damaged tooth and prevent further damage.
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Inlays and Onlays
Dentists use inlays and onlays to restore a severely damaged tooth whose cavity is too small for a filling and not large enough for a dental crown. They are customized restorations that fit the natural tooth structure. They are permanently bonded in place.
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Root Canal
Your dentist can recommend a root canal treatment if the damage to your tooth goes deep into the tooth's structure, affecting its root or pulp. If your tooth’s pulp is infected, the dentist can remove the infected structure and clean and seal the entire area to prevent further infections.
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Dental Implants
These are crucial for replacing missing teeth. Once you receive an implant and a crown, your artificial tooth will look and function like a natural tooth.
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Dentures
It is a traditional way to replace a missing tooth. Your dentist can use a complete denture to replace an entire set of missing teeth or partial dentures to replace several missing teeth in various areas. Dentures are created in a dental lab. Once ready, a skilled dentist installs them on top of your gums. They will rely on the jawbone beneath them for support.
Choosing the Right Torrance Dentist
A good dentist is essential to maintaining oral health and enjoying the best overall health. That is why it is necessary to understand the steps you can take to choose a good dentist.
Ask for Recommendations
People are slowly recognizing the need to maintain good oral health. That is why you will likely receive excellent recommendations if you ask around for a good dentist. Some people around you, including your family, friends, and colleagues, use the services of a good dentist. They will be willing to share the contacts once you are ready. Your friends and family will give you the best recommendation based on their experience working closely with a particular dentist. Thus, you will likely receive the best recommendation from them.
Cover The Basics
Take your time before engaging a dentist once they are recommended to you by your friends or family. Dig for more information to understand the exact kind of service you will receive once you work with a particular dentist. You will likely receive several recommendations when you ask around. You need to go into the details about their services to make an informed choice. Consider their services, how they offer them, their costs, availability, goals, and beliefs. You will likely make the best choice once you consider all the basics.
Requests the Dentist’s Credentials
Do not settle for what your friends or family say about a particular dentist or what the dentist says they are. You must dig deeper into their credentials to ensure the quality of the services you will receive from them. Find out their training level, whether they are certified, and how much they can do with their skills and experience. It is safe to work with one dentist for all your dental needs, including the dental needs of your family members. That is why their skills and experience must meet your expectations.
Research Practice Reviews
People today leave reviews regarding the services they receive to help others make better decisions when looking for similar services. It is easy to find dental practice reviews of various dentists in Torrance online. These reviews will give you deep details about the kind of dentist you are about to work with. Remember that you do not choose a dentist every day. It is a decision you must make for the long term. That is why it is necessary to understand a particular dentist before choosing them for your dental care needs.
Understand Dental Costs and Insurance Coverage
Some dental care services can be very costly and unaffordable. It is necessary to determine how affordably your preferred dentist offers their services and if they accept insurance coverage for some expensive treatments. Remember that the cost can limit the type and quality of dental care you receive in Torrance. That is why you must consider how you will pay for some of the crucial dental care services before engaging a particular dentist.
Visit the Dentist’s Office
Once you have narrowed your dentist’s choices to just a few, visit them in their offices for final decision-making. You can learn a lot about how your dentist operates and how they will likely serve you when you visit their office.
How are you received once you step into their office? How busy is the dentist? What kind of equipment do they use on their clients?
You can answer some of these concerns once you are at their office.
Find a Reliable Dentist Near Me
Enjoying good oral health starts with identifying the right dentist to walk the journey with you. The right dentist must be available, affordable, reliable, skilled, and experienced. They must understand how crucial oral health is to your overall well-being. They must work towards preventing major oral issues and helping you achieve the best oral and general health. If you are looking for a reliable dentist in Torrance, we could be your best match at Washington Dental. We pride ourselves on reliable, timely, affordable, and quality services. We use state-of-the-art equipment and the latest treatment techniques to help you achieve superb general well-being. Call us at 310-326-5183 to learn more about us.