Family Dentistry

Just like the old saying “An apple a day, keeps a doctor away”, your biannual visits to your dentist could be the gateway to actually keep your dentist away otherwise. By seeing your dentist every 6 months, you are making sure that you are on top of your oral health. Your teeth/gums require professional care at least once in 6 months unless otherwise advised to be more frequent. This removes any existing tenacious tartar and keeps your gums free of any inflammation. With a regular preventive schedule, we not only remove the bacterial deposits that lead to dental disease, but we can also monitor for silent problems, such as tooth decay or gum disease before they become major issues.

Regular dental checkups are essential to keeping your oral health in good shape. During your exam, Dr. Jain and her team will assess the health of your teeth and gums using digital x rays and a modern intraoral camera to inspect your mouth. This innovative piece of equipment projects images from inside your mouth onto a computer screen, so you can see what we see. Dr Jain will then explain all the findings, the problem areas, recommended treatment, consequences of not treating the areas, alternative options. It is her belief that “Seeing is Believing” and you can only make the best decisions for your health if you are well informed.

If you have little ones in your family, let them accompany you in your dental visits. Research has shown that kids who continue to visit a dentist with their family from early childhood are able to cope better in their dental visit. The care for teeth should begin as soon as the first tooth erupts in the oral cavity. Early childhood dental exams/visits are often known as “Happy visits” where we allow your kid to hold and feel the dental instruments under our supervision to alleviate their ”fear of unknown”. At our office, we provide the right care to your child’s mouth by being as gentle as possible and educating them just what is needed at their level. Dental visits for your child can be superfun with all the interactions and incentives. Next time you plan to see us, don’t forget to being in your child for their exam !

Our Teeth are naturally made of grooves and fissures. If looked under a microscope these fissures are narrow but deep and are capable of harboring microscopic bacteria as well as  the food debris. This combination of bacteria and food debris can cause tooth decay over a period of time.

Brushing and flossing your teeth daily is vital to maintaining a healthy smile, but even with a solid routine, food or debris can get missed. This is especially true for our younger patients, where reaching every tooth can be difficult. To help with this, Dr. Jain offers sealants as part of her practice. A sealant is a clear gel that fills in gaps or grooves on the tooth, preventing food and debris from becoming stuck and leading to plaque and decay.

Sealant application is a simple procedure in which we apply a clear plastic coating to your teeth and solidify it with a special blue  light. Once the sealant has hardened the tooth surface feels super smooth allowing for it to be cleansed easily

Fluoride is an important mineral in maintaining oral health. While ingesting fluoride can be toxic to your systemic health, applying/exposing your teeth to the recommended amount of fluoride on a daily basis is important to prevent dental cavities.

Fluoride helps form stronger tooth structure that is resistant to decay. Without enough fluoride, your teeth are more at risk of decay and plaque build-up. To help re-establish your fluoride we offer a quick treatment that involves applying a fluoride solution or gel to your teeth that is quickly absorbed by the tooth structure.

Fluoride treatments are safe and non-invasive and highly recommended to protect your teeth and maintain optimal oral health.

Oral cancer can afflict anyone although tobacco users put themselves at significantly higher risk than non-users. Chewing tobacco contains up to 3000 different chemicals, including the same compounds used in pesticides and embalming fluid. Cellular changes below the surface aren’t always detectable until they’ve advanced to a critical stage.

However, early detection and treatment of oral cancer significantly increase the chance of a positive outcome. The American Cancer Society reports that about 7,000 deaths result from oral cancer out of 30,000 cases diagnosed annually. If we suspect any unusual changes in your mouth tissue, we may suggest a biopsy and microscopic analysis by a qualified lab.

Because we care for your whole health, you will undergo a visual oral cancer screening as a part of your dental visit. We perform this to catch any early signs of cancer or disease, so we can prevent any serious problems.

If a cavity on a tooth is left untreated for a longer time, it can progress deep into the tooth structure and affect the nerve of the tooth. Most of the time, a deep cavity will cause sensitivity to hot/cold, spontaneous pain and may even cause pain waking you up at night. In some cases you may not experience any pain or symptoms and may only find out about the need to do a root canal treatment in a dental exam visit.  A tooth can still be saved; even if it has had trauma/ is badly broken/has been damaged by cavity; by performing RCT. The procedure involves removing the decay, cleaning the tooth and the nerve canal from inside, disinfecting it and filling it up, restoring it with a crown at the completion.

In the past, root canals were painful, but with dental advances this is no longer the case. You can restore your tooth with very little discomfort if any at all.

Periodontal therapy refers to caring for the gum and bone structures that support your teeth. Without a healthy foundation, your ability to keep your teeth throughout your lifetime is at risk. Ironically, this branch of dentistry is the least recognized and despite its importance, many people unknowingly neglect their gums. This can result in infection and disease without us even knowing about it.

Periodontal disease is a silent disease, often having alarming symptoms until teeth become loose. The health of your gums and supportive structures at Parkway Family Dentistry is our top priority. Our advanced non-surgical periodontal therapy programs are your key to the restoration of your gums and the prevention of future problems.

Mouthguards can help protect your child from a dental emergency. Also called mouth protectors, they help cushion a blow to the face, minimizing the risk of broken teeth and injuries to your lips, tongue, face or jaw. They typically cover the upper teeth and are a great way to protect the soft tissues of your tongue, lips and cheek lining. Knowing how to prevent injuries like these is especially important if your child participates in organized sports or other recreational activities.

Talk to Dr Jain if your child is involved in contact sports and discover the options to have one fabricated for your child. The best mouthguard is one that has been custom made for your mouth by your dentist. However, if you cannot afford a custom-fitted mouthguard, your child should still wear a stock mouthguard or a boil-and-bite mouthguard from the drugstore.

Many individuals clench or grind their teeth in their sleep. Not only does this cause damage to teeth, it can also lead to headaches, tension in the neck and shoulders and even snoring or difficulty breathing. A night guard is an inexpensive mouthpiece, custom made for you, which protects your teeth and jaws while you sleep. Clenching/grinding are a sign of an insufficient or inadequate airway. We can help protect them in the interim, with a night guard. Grinding can cause irreversible damage to teeth causing hypersensitivity to cold or even breathing in air, flattening the tooth surface, reducing the vertical dimension of face, hypertrophy of certain facial muscles and a myriad of other signs and symptoms. If you or your family member grind, talk to Dr Jain about your concerns.

Bad Breath or halitosis can not only be embarrassing but could be a sign of a systemic condition. Some of the reasons for bad breath could be : certain foods like onions,garlic; tobacco products, poor oral hygiene, moderate-advanced periodontal disease, dry mouth, medications that reduce salivary secretions,infections in mouth, underlying sinus condition, Chronic reflux of stomach acids (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD). Don’t let this affect your confidence and self esteem. Dr Jain and her team will help you overcome this.