Preventive Care is the BEST Care.

At Cynthia Moran, DDS, we strongly believe in (and practice) preventive dental care. Preventive care is a modern approach to dentistry. We aim to reduce the amount of dental treatment that you will need by working together with you - it is a team effort, after all - to maintain a healthy mouth. The goal of preventive care is to avoid the need for fillings and extractions, or more comprehensive dental work. Preventive dentistry can help you to keep your own teeth - and your beautiful smile - for a lifetime!

Preventing Dental Decay and Disease

The two primary causes of tooth loss are decay and gum disease. With the use of modern dental techniques and oral hygiene products, it is possible to prevent (or substantially reduce) these diseases in the mouth. Preventive dentistry can benefit anyone who has some of his or her own teeth, and it’s never too late to start!

What YOU can do

As with most areas of physical well-being, the health of your smile is largely up to you!

Brushing: Your most important task is to regularly rid your teeth of plaque. It is recommended that you brush your teeth twice every day with fluoride toothpaste. The best times to brush are before breakfast and (particularly) before bed! Another effective method of tooth cleaning is with an electric toothbrush, twice a day for two minutes.

Flossing: Flossing once every day is also recommended, as it is a highly effective method for cleaning in between teeth. Special miniature interdental brushes can also help; we will be happy to advise you about these types of products.

Fluoride: Fluoride supplements can help to arrest tooth decay. There is fluoride in most toothpaste, but there are also fluoride mouthwashes, tablets and drops that can help to protect your teeth. We will advise you as to which products are appropriate for you to better supplement your regimen of brushing and flossing.

Diet: When you eat or drink, your teeth are exposed to acid that causes decay. The “attack” on your teeth can last for an hour, so if you eat snacks regularly, your teeth will be under attack most of the time. As a general rule, drink plain water or milk. Soft drinks can increase the risk of dental problems because most contain sugar, acid or both.

Also, take care when eating foods high in sugar; many processed foods contain sugar, but it is listed as an ingredient under various names, including sucrose, glucose, fructose, carbohydrate or similar. Remember that “no added sugar” doesn’t mean sugar-free; there may have been sugar in the food before it was processed (particularly in fruit drinks).

Working Together

To begin your dental care, Dr. Cindy will assess the health of your teeth and gums and devise an individual plan of action for you. Cindy and her staff will work together to give you appropriate advice and to offer the best possible care for your smile. We will explain and demonstrate the best methods of brushing and flossing to remove the build-up of dental plaque. We will also advise you, as needed, about fluoride products and the effect of diet on oral health.

If you embrace this advice and continue to have regular check-ups, your mouth should stay clean and healthy! Dr. Cindy and/or her hygienists will also clean your teeth (this is called a “scale and polish”) to remove any build-up of hard tartar (calculus).

If your teeth have already been damaged (by decay, etc.), we will develop a treatment plan to repair the damage and will discuss all available treatment options with you. In the interest of prevention, we may recommend that weakened teeth be repaired with a filling or crown in order to avoid further problems and dental pain.

Our overall goal is to make you “dentally fit”; to get your mouth healthy and to keep it that way so that dental problems don’t recur in the future. Remember, it is unlikely that decay or gum disease will be a problem in a healthy mouth!

You’ll have a healthy smile for years to come!

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