Tooth Decay Prevention

At Bluff Creek Dental, we work hard to provide high-quality dental care to families across the Chanhassen, MN area. Our dentists and highly-trained staff want to make every patient feel at home in our office. We have years of experience working with patients of all ages and with every kind of dental need. Our mission is to help people develop beautiful, healthy smiles—and that means taking an active stance on tooth decay prevention.

A Common, But Preventable Problem

Tooth decay is one of the most common human diseases, second only to the common cold! Today it affects more than 25% of children between the ages of two and five in the United States, as well as 50% of children between the ages of twelve and fifteen. Without effective treatment tooth decay can lead to pain, tooth loss, and sometimes even worse illnesses. Thankfully, tooth decay is highly preventable.

There’s no single “magic bullet” to stop tooth decay, but using a combination of preventive techniques can keep tooth decay at bay. At the most basic level, a consistent routine of brushing and flossing your teeth at home combined with regular cleanings at our Chanhassen office can help prevent decay. But that’s just the beginning of the prevention process. In addition to these basic elements, it’s important that you watch your:

• Diet: Foods that are high in sugar or acids can eat away at tooth enamel, and colored drinks like soda and coffee can stain teeth. It’s important to maintain a healthy and well-balanced diet in order to ensure proper dental health.
• Brushing Technique: While brushing your teeth is important, equally is important is how you brush your teeth. Make sure you cover all areas, including uneven surfaces, and utilize our dentists’ recommended best practices for brushing and flossing your teeth.
• Supplementary Treatments: Treatments like dentals sealants can also help prevent tooth decay.

What Causes Tooth Decay?

Your mouth is a dynamically balanced ecosystem filled with living bacteria—both the good and the bad kind. While many types of bacteria benefit your teeth and mouth, others break down the sugars and carbohydrates in food and turn them into acids that eat away at tooth enamel and cause decay. The goal of our family dentistry practice is to keep the harmful bacteria in check, allowing the beneficial bacteria and other biological factors like saliva to strengthen and clean your teeth.

Extra Steps for Prevention

During your general visits to our Chanhassen office, our team utilizes special dental tools to remove buildups of plaque (a bacterial biofilm) and tartar (a hardened deposit, also called calculus) from your teeth. Hand-held instruments, ultrasonic scalers, or both may be used to give your teeth a thorough cleaning. Afterwards, your teeth are thoroughly checked for decay, and cavities are treated when necessary.

In some cases these regular visits and your home oral hygiene routine may not be enough to ensure prevention of tooth decay. If that’s the case for you or your child, our dentists can use a variety of extra steps to bolster tooth health. In-office fluoride treatments and take-home pastes and rinses can help improve the structural integrity of teeth and fortify them against acids and bacteria.

Another highly effective preventive treatment (as previously mentioned) is dental sealants. Dental sealants are thin, virtually invisible layers of resin that are applied to the chewing surfaces of the rear molars. The process of application is completely painless and provides a semi-permanent layer of protection for the back teeth, which are some of the hardest teeth to clean.

Contact Your Chanhassen Family Dentists Today

If you have more questions about preventing tooth decay, we’d be happy to answer them. Feel free to call our family dentistry at (952) 679-6360, or reach out to us via our contact page. We can’t wait to hear from you, and we look forward to helping you develop a beautiful, healthy smile!