Preventive Dentistry

Many patients benefit from cleanings every six months, but the right interval depends on your gum health, risk factors, and dental history. Patients with periodontal disease or heavy buildup may need more frequent maintenance.

Most cleanings are comfortable. If your gums are inflamed or sensitive, we can adjust the visit to improve comfort and discuss ways to reduce sensitivity over time.

A cleaning can remove surface stain and help your teeth look fresher, but it does not change the natural internal color of the teeth. If you want a brighter smile, professional whitening may be recommended after your cleaning.

Because decay and bone loss do not hurt until they are well advanced. X-rays show what is happening between teeth and under existing fillings, which is exactly where problems start and exactly where an eye cannot see. Catching something at that stage is usually a filling. Waiting for it to hurt is usually a crown or a root canal.

Because brushing is only one of the variables. Saliva flow, diet timing, medications that dry your mouth, the shape of your grooves, and the bacteria you happen to carry all matter, and some of those you cannot brush your way out of. If you are doing everything right and still getting decay, that is a signal to look at the cause rather than tell you to floss harder.

A checkup looks for what needs fixing today. A comprehensive exam looks at the whole system, meaning your bite, your gums, your joint, your airway, your existing dental work, and the way those interact over time. It takes longer and it is where a real plan comes from, which is why it is priced separately from routine hygiene.

Usually the same problems, just bigger and more expensive. Small cavities become root canals, early gum inflammation becomes bone loss that does not come back, and a cracked filling becomes a cracked tooth. None of that is a lecture. It is the reason the first visit back is an exam and a plan rather than a full day of treatment.

Yes, and the arithmetic is not subtle. Routine hygiene and an exam cost a fraction of a single crown, and most of what we treat in restorative dentistry started as something that was cheap to fix. The people who spend the most on their teeth are almost always the people who came in late rather than the people with bad luck.

Our New Patient Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment is $199, a $725 value, and includes a comprehensive dental exam, full-series digital X-rays, an oral microbiome test, a 3D dental scan, and an oral health evaluation. To redeem it, simply refer to this special when scheduling your appointment. Hygiene visits start at $150, but the final fee depends on the type of cleaning prescribed by the doctor after evaluating the health of your teeth and gums. Patients with gum disease or periodontal needs may require a different type of cleaning at a different fee.