Sealants

Dental sealants are a preventative measure used to preserve the teeth and tooth enamel. Almost half of all children and adolescents in the United States have had cavities in their permanent teeth, and at Greenville Family Dentistry we regularly apply sealants for young patients to start protecting teeth early!  Molars first come in at around 5-7 years of age, with a second set coming in between the ages of 11-14. It is best to have a sealant placed when the molars first come in to ensure they are protected early. 

Most tooth decay in children and teenagers occurs on the chewing surfaces of molars, where the pits and grooves tend to trap food and bacteria.  Dental sealants are applied to surfaces of these back teeth much like paint. The plastic resin fills any pits and grooves on the surface and hardens. Now the surface is protected from bits of food being stuck, so bacteria cannot multiply and cause decay.  Sealants also protect tooth enamel from plaque and acids, and can effectively prevent cavities for up to ten years.

If you think anyone in your family would benefit from a dental sealant, please contact us.  Dr. Christopher Emuedue operates Greenville Family Dentistry at 7215 I-30, Suite B, Greenville, Texas, 75402.  To schedule an appointment, call 903-455-6701, or visit GreenvilleFamilyDentistryTX.com and fill out a contact sheet.

Scaling and Root Planing

In its most advanced stages, gum disease can lead to gum recession and even tooth loss.  At Greenville Family Dentistry, we want to help you make sure it never gets to that stage.  When sticky bacteria called plaque builds up on a tooth, the gum starts to pull away from the tooth and form a pocket around the buildup.  When left untreated, this only leads to more gum recession.  Scaling and root planing are used to treat this buildup and prevent the later stages of gum disease.

Scaling and root planing are two parts of a deep cleaning procedure we can perform to repair gums. The procedure begins with scaling, the process of removing plaque from the surface of your teeth all the way down to your gums. This is followed by root planing, which involves minor contouring to smooth the surface of a tooth near the root.  Once the plaque has been removed and the tooth root has been smoothed, the gums that have pulled away from the tooth now have a clean, smooth surface to reattach to.  

Dr. Christopher Emuedue operates Greenville Family Dentistry at 7215 I-30, Suite B, Greenville, Texas, 75402. To schedule an appointment, call 903-455-6701 or visit GreenvilleFamilyDentistryTX.com and fill out a contact sheet.

What Is Bone Grafting?

A bone graft might sound like a more intense procedure than a typical dental appointment, but bone grafting has become a routine procedure to help bodies heal.  The bone graft dentists perform is to the jaw bone in order to strengthen the future site of an implant. Dr. Christopher Emuedue can advise when this procedure is necessary. Bone grafting consists of harvesting bone material from a healthy part of a patient’s body, and transferring it to a site that needs reinforcement. This gives the injured or deficient bone a replacement and encourages growth of new material around the site. There are synthetic options for bone grafts, but a dental graft is usually obtained from a different spot in the patient’s own mouth.

When a patient needs a dental implant to replace a lost or damaged tooth, their jaw bone needs to be strong enough to receive the implant. A jaw bone can weaken over time if tooth loss or gum disease has left a certain portion of the jaw vulnerable, and this is when a dentist would perform a bone graft.  The healing process can often take several months, and your jaw is monitored by your dentist until it heals enough to handle the placement of an implant.

Dr. Christopher Emuedue operates Greenville Family Dentistry at 7215 I-30, Suite B, Greenville, Texas, 75402. To schedule an appointment, call 903-455-6701 or visit GreenvilleFamilyDentistryTX.com and fill out a contact sheet.

Mouth Guards

At Greenville Family Dentistry we want adults and children who are active in sports to know they may be overlooking an important safety precaution.  Athletes participating in any contact sport are advised to wear some kind of mouth protection, and as you and your family sign up for sports this season we are here to give you that protection. A mouth guard helps prevent damage to the teeth and jaw, and injuries to the cheeks, tongue, and lips.

You can find generic mouth guards in most sporting goods stores, but not in many sizes. These mouth guards often end up feeling uncomfortable, which leads to child and teenage athletes in particular not wearing the protection at all.  An ill-fitting or bulky mouth guard can even interrupt breathing and speaking. Have your dentist perform a custom mouth guard fitting and get a mouth guard made of thin, hard plastic that protects your teeth and still fits comfortably.  Mouth guards can also be fit over braces, preventing brackets from rubbing the inside of the mouth. This is an easy precaution to take for athletes, and you can go right back to playing your best!

Dr. Christopher Emuedue operates Greenville Family Dentistry at 7215 I-30, Suite B, Greenville, Texas, 75402. To schedule an appointment, call 903-455-6701 or visit GreenvilleFamilyDentistryTX.com and fill out a contact sheet.