It’s no secret that life as a family can get busy. Whether you’re juggling driving the kids to soccer practice, taking care of dinner, or doing household chores while managing the finances, your free time hangs in a delicate balance. The last thing you need is to complicate things further with your dentist appointments.
Having to drive each member of your family to a different office can become taxing on your schedule, your car, and yourself! Luckily, family dentistry is here to take this stress off your shoulders. Don’t let your dental appointments give you stress. Read on to learn how family dentistry can help.
What is Family Dentistry?
As the name suggests, family dentistry is dentistry for the whole family. Unlike in general dentistry, where the dentist typically only serves a specific age bracket, a family dentist will provide the highest quality oral health care to patients of all life stages. That means that your spouse, kids, and parents can all go to the same dentist and receive the same premium care!
What Do Family Dentists Do?
Family dentistry mainly focuses on general and preventative care in order to ensure that their patients receive beautiful smiles and expert insight for years to come. Family dentists will provide regular check-ups and exams along with other comprehensive dental care services.
What Services do Family Dentists Provide?
Family dentistry offers a variety of dental services typically revolving around preventative, restorative, overall, and cosmetic dentistry concerns. Common dental services include the following.
- Regular Checkups: As a preventative dental care measure, at the patient’s appointment every 6 months they will receive a professional cleaning as well as a detailed exam.
- Cavity Control: Family dentists specialize in the identification, removal, and filling of cavities to keep gum disease at bay.
- Fluoride Treatment: To help combat cavities, family dentists will provide a dental sealant or fluoride treatment plan to their patients.
Some family dentistry practices also provide corrective dental procedures using the latest innovative technology such as braces, veneers, or dental implants.
Life Stages of Care
While patients of all ages can receive dental services from the same family dentist, each life stage requires its own specific type of gentle care. Offices that offer family dentistry are focused on making sure that you have healthy teeth, which is why each family dentist takes great care to properly treat every patient no matter their age.
Pediatric
Pediatric dentistry focuses on preventing dental problems and establishing personal habits in your little ones. It is important to note that you should be taking proper care of your child’s baby teeth even though they will eventually fall out. Doing so helps to prevent tooth decay, which can cause pain for your little ones as well as larger problems down the road.
A family dentist will take care in gently cleaning your child’s teeth and comforting them through the entire appointment. Your kids will get the top-notch care they deserve!
Adult
Adult dentistry once again focuses on preventative dentistry, but many choose to take advantage of cosmetic dentistry to gain properly aligned teeth as well. Popular treatments include traditional metal braces Invisalign clear aligners, teeth whitening, and crowns and bridges.
Along with general care and cleaning, family dentists can also treat serious infections such as periodontal disease. These dentists are able to perform root canals and tooth extractions to ensure that your smile is shining properly.
Senior
Family dentists strive to make sure they are providing quality dental care to each and every patient, and that includes seniors! Whether you’re in the market for dentures or dental implants, your friendly family dentist will make sure that you get the care you need!
Dental Emergencies
Your family dentistry dental team is there to ensure that your overall health continues to be taken care of over time, which means that they also take care of any emergency dental care you may need. If your permanent tooth has become loose or knocked out of its socket due to physical trauma, call your dentist’s office right away. Dental emergencies are a top priority of family dentists, and they will typically see you the same day or within 24 hours.
As you wait for your emergency dental appointment, be sure that you keep your loose tooth moistened. If you are able to do so without touching the root, place it back within its socket. If that is not feasible, place it in between your cheek and gums or in a glass of milk. To alleviate pain caused by the tooth, only take Acetaminophen as directed by the label.
Deciding if Family Dentistry is Right for You
Before you decide which type of dentist to see, be sure to take into account your family’s specific oral health needs in order to make the most informed decisions possible. You should factor in the dental needs of the different age ranges found in your family as well as your busy schedule. You’ll know family dentistry is right for you when your oral health needs match up with the ease and quality care that family dentists provide!
At Clock Tower Dental, our highly trained staff is here to provide top-notch care for your entire family! Searching for the right family dentist can be challenging, but we guarantee that Clock Tower Family Dental is the right match for all of your family’s dental needs. Contact our office to schedule an appointment today!
