Family Dentistry
Portland, OR
Family dentistry is a field of dentistry that is focused on providing dental care to people of all ages, from infants to seniors. It ranges from early care when a baby erupts their first tooth, to senior dental care when a person is completely edentulous and requires restorative procedures.
Since we are in a dental field that allows us to see our patients grow with our practice, we at Geelan Dental Care consider it extremely rewarding.
Even if you practice good oral care at home, if you dodge your six-monthly dental visits, chances are plaque will accumulate on your teeth and gums and cause damage to your essential supporting oral tissues. That is why we strongly recommend you come to Aron Geelan, DMD and every six months for your dental cleaning.
During these appointments, we will give you an oral exam to assess the health of your teeth and gums. If we detect plaque, we will remove it with dental scalers and smoothen your enamel so that bacteria may not be able to stick to your teeth.
Dental cleaning is the most basic preventive treatment for dental diseases.
A dental exam is done every six months to ensure optimal oral health. Doctors believe that an unhealthy mouth can adversely affect your overall health. Hence, we strongly suggest dental exams, which involve checking the health of your teeth and gums and looking for signs of tartar, bleeding gums, and cavities.
We may also suggest the use of digital x-rays to ensure no hidden issues remain undiagnosed.
An oral cancer screening is a preventive measure to look for signs of mouth cancer or precancerous symptoms in people who are at high-risk of oral cancer.
At Geelan Dental Care, Aron Geelan, DMD and will perform a visual and physical examination of your mouth to look for sores, ulcers, abnormal patches, suspicious bleeding, and strange lumps and bumps.
We may also perform a small biopsy to ensure all is right with your mouth.
Dental sealants are BPA-free plastic coating that is applied to the chewing surface of the back teeth to protect them from decay. Dental sealants provide a smooth chewing surface on the molars and premolars, making them easy to clean. They also form an effective barrier against bacteria and infection.
Although dental sealants are very effective for your child’s oral health, they can also be used to protect an adult’s teeth.
Fluoride is a mineral that is essential for the re-mineralization and strengthening of the enamel. At Geelan Dental Care, we can apply a gel or solution of fluoride on you or your child’s teeth to protect them from decay.
Fluoride treatment is very effective in children over the age of two, teens, adults, and seniors.
Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in the country. More commonly known as gum disease, periodontal disease starts with the accumulation of bacteria that leads to an infection, swelling, and bleeding of the gums. If left untreated, periodontal disease becomes aggressive, and can damage the soft and hard tissues of your mouth, ultimately leading to tooth loss.
At Geelan Dental Care, Aron Geelan, DMD and may perform an exam to ensure there is no sign of gum disease like deep gum pockets and tender gums. If there is, we can treat it with conservative treatments like scaling and root planing as well as surgical options like gum grafting.
According to the American Dental Association, up to 39 percent of all dental injuries occur during physical activities. That is why we strongly suggest you wear mouthguards to protect your teeth and gums from trauma.
At Geelan Dental Care, we offer strong and flexible custom mouthguards, which provide a buffer to your mouth and prevent damage to your teeth and gums.
If you suffer from teeth grinding or bruxism, a nightguard can help you reduce the damaging effects of the condition, including enamel wear, tooth fracture, TMJ disorders, and facial ache.
A custom-fitted night mouthguard acts as an effective barrier, reducing the pressure exerted by the jaw and preventing your teeth from meeting.
Sleep apnea is a condition in which your airways get obstructed while you are sleeping. This may be due to the relaxation and subsequent collapse of the back of the throat.
People who suffer from sleep apnea may suffer from low levels of blood oxygen, have erratic, often restless sleep, and may have headache and fatigue in the morning.
We can treat the symptoms of sleep apnea with the help of custom-fitted oral splints or tongue retaining devices, which can prevent your airways from getting blocked and ensure you breathe in a healthy way.
Temporomandibular joints or TMJ are the joints, which allow movement of the jaw. If there is a problem with these joints, it is known as temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ disorder.
TMJ disorders may be characterized by jaw pain, inability to move to move the jaw, popping or grating noise, aching facial muscles, bite misalignment, and headaches.
At Geelan Dental Care, we offer you a number of therapeutic options to treat or reduce the painful symptoms of TMJ disorders.
At Geelan Dental Care, we offer a comfortable and trusting environment so that your child can feel safe during their dental treatment.
It is very important that you start your child’s dental visit after their first tooth erupts and not when their teeth start showing signs of cavities.
The earlier you start your child’s dental appointments, the better it will be for their immediate and long-term oral health as it can help us prevent potential problems that can grow bigger in the future and necessitate expensive restorations.
Why Are Baby Teeth Important?
Your child’s baby teeth are very important since they provide a basis for the health of their secondary teeth, as well as your child’s overall health.
A decayed or infected baby tooth can infect the secondary tooth growing behind it. A tooth that is a premature loss can also affect the alignment of the rest of your teeth, which will require expensive orthodontic treatment to fix.
Hence, it is important that you start your child’s dental appointments no later than one year of age to ensure all your child’s dental benchmarks are achieved safely and in a healthy way.
How Family Dentistry Can Benefit You?
At Geelan Dental Care, Aron Geelan, DMD and understand that optimal dental care is required whether you are a child or a senior. As your child grows into an adult, we can anticipate their dental needs and help them transition into adulthood in a confident way.
If you are interested in our family dentistry services, call us today at (971) 323-1990 to schedule an appointment with us.
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