Looking for a family dentist in the Palmetto Bay area? Dr. de Cardenas and his team can take care of all your oral health and cosmetic dentistry needs, from cleanings for your little ones to whitening sessions for your spouse.
Teeth Cleanings for the Whole Family
If we brush our teeth every day, why are teeth cleanings at the dentist’s office so important?
As you may already know, teeth cleanings are not just brushing your teeth extra well, they involve multiple procedures from dental professionals in order to remove plaque, tartar, and bacteria from the teeth and gums. These all may result in gingivitis, periodontal disease, as well as tooth loss.
Generally, oral health cleanings from our family dentist, Dr. de Cardenas, have three important parts.
The first part involves a special ultrasonic cleaner and water sprayer that removes plaque and tartar.
Then, your dental specialist will remove additional tartar by hand using a specialized scraping utensil called a hand scraper. Once the dental professional is done scraping away the plaque and tartar, they can then clean and polish the teeth with a specialty dental toothpaste.
If you or your family member needs a deep cleaning, our team might scale and root plane the teeth. This involves using a small instrument called a scaler or cleaner. Dentists and their team use this tool to ensure a deep, thorough cleaning for optimal oral health.
After the cleaning process, your dental specialists might also administer antibiotic fiber into small pockets that the deep cleaning process created between the teeth. This simply expedites the overall healing process while reducing bleeding and lowering the potential risk for infection.
Scaling and Root Planing, Periodontal Disease
If your dentist decides to perform scaling and root planing to deep clean your teeth, you should also take the time every day to properly care for your teeth.
Teeth cleaning procedures help patients defend against gum disease and maintain beautiful, natural teeth. However, this is only part of the job. The rest is up to dental patients to commit to maintaining the good work at home through brushing and flossing.
Our family dentist, Dr. de Cardenas, wants to help every family maintain good oral hygiene. If you live in the Palmetto Bay area, such as by Zoo Miami or the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, we welcome you to stop by our office!
Dental X-Rays in Palmetto Bay
While you may not be used to getting full-body X-rays at your physician’s office every year, dental X-rays are a necessary part of your dental check-up, so our professionals make sure to include this procedure when you visit us for check-ups.
Family dentist in the Palmetto Bay area, Dr. Andres de Cardenas, and his staff understand when you walk into their office you have questions concerning X-rays for you and your family.
Dr. de Cardenas wants to assure you, he’s there with the answers. X-rays help your dentist keep an accurate record of your oral health and to determine what, if any, changes are taking place in your teeth and gums.
Most importantly, dental X-rays help determine if there are any areas of decay, tumors, abscesses, or cysts.
Dental X-rays are radiographs that provide valuable information to Dr. de Cardenas so that he can fully evaluate your oral health. Radiographs allow Dr. Andres de Cardenas to see what is occurring below the surface of your teeth and gums.
If you’re concerned about radiation exposure from a dental X-ray, our family dentist, Dr. de Cardenas, assures all of his patients that there is little to worry about. According to the American Dental Association, the radiation exposure from a dental X-ray is “very small” compared to other sources of radiation that are naturally occurring.
With that being said, the age of each patient can significantly affect how often your dentist uses an X-ray machine. For example, children, whose teeth and jaw are still developing, may require dental X-rays more frequently than an adult.
New patients might require more radiographs than a long-standing patient. In consultation with Dr. Andres de Cardenas, you’ll determine the proper schedule of X-rays for your individual circumstance.
Cavity Treatments for the Whole Family
If you have little ones, chances are you’ll have to deal with them getting cavities. Our team makes getting rid of pesky cavities seamlessly easy with tooth-colored fillings!
After ridding the tooth of a cavity, Dr. Andres de Cardenas will fill in the area where the cavity was with a tooth-colored filling that replicates the natural look of teeth.
Tooth-colored fillings are a completely safe mixture of tooth-colored plastic and glass. This is where they get the moniker “composite filling”. Modern tooth-colored fillings not only closely match the natural tooth color and appearance, but they also bond to the actual structure of the tooth chemically. These fillings also require no slotting, grooving, pins, or additional augmentation to retain the composite filling to the existing tooth.
Composite fillings also harden in seconds, compared to the days required by several of the more traditional utilizations of tooth filling treatments.
If you live in Palmetto Bay or any other surrounding area, schedule a consultation today with Dr. Andres de Cardenas, a family dentist who can fulfill all oral health needs for the whole family!