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Townsend General Dentistry

Making Townsend More Healthy One Smile At a Time

There are so many moving parts and pieces to general dentistry, but we can sum it up best for you in just one word: prevention. Everything you and we do for your smile should be to help keep your natural teeth healthy for as long as possible. Even though dentists can work wonders and technology has come a long way, there’s nothing as good as your natural teeth.

What is a Preventive Dental Program?

When patients like you partner with dental teams like us, we like to believe there’s a powerful smile alliance at play. With a cooperative effort by you, your dentist, and your hygiene team, we all work together to preserve your natural teeth and gums from harmful dental diseases and conditions. Smart patients like you know that prevention could help you avoid more serious, costly dental issues for you and your family down the road. No one wants that, but everyone deserves a healthy, confident smile.

How Can I Prevent Dental Disease?

Saving and protecting your smile is a team effort and it takes some work, at home on your part. We all know the rules: Brush twice and floss once a day. But is that enough? Not exactly! You also should try to eat a diet that’s healthy and includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and protein. Avoiding sugary foods and drinks will also help keep teeth free from decay and cavities in the future.

While you’re at home, set a reminder on your phone or a note on the fridge to call us for regular checkups and cleanings too. Prevention also includes coming to see us at our Townsend dental office. Your dentist and dental hygienist will be able to take your preventive measures even further to ensure your going to have a healthy smile that will last for a lifetime.

General SERVICES

If you or your family are due for an appointment, why wait? Talk to us today about scheduling a visit. (We have evening and weekend hours so you don’t have to worry about missing out on work or school.)

Comprehensive Exams

This is where it all begins. Your comprehensive exam from Townsend Dental Group is the starting line for the rest of your smile future and your partnership with us. This is where we get to know each other, while you share your smile goals and needs with us. We want to evaluate your entire mouth to check to ensure everything is functioning and working properly. We’ll take a look at your oral health by:

  • Taking digital radiography or x-rays that are essential for the detection of decay, tumors, and bone loss. We can also get a better idea of how your teeth and their roots are positioned in your jaw
  • Conducting an oral cancer screening of the face, neck, tongue, throat, lips, and gums for any signs of the disease
  • Checking your gums for signs of periodontal disease
  • Looking at every single tooth for any signs of cavities or decay
  • Monitoring the health of any past restorations such as fillings or crowns

Don’t wait. Schedule your comprehensive dental exam today and let’s get started together.

Oral Cancer Screenings

The Massachusetts Coalition for Oral Health estimates that each year more than 30,000 new cases of oral and throat cancer are diagnosed in dental and doctor offices across the country. And our state is not immune! That’s why it’s important to see your Townsend dentist for an oral cancer screening. The visual/manual exam is a completely painless process, where your dentist will look for any abnormalities in your mouth. We’ll also check your face, glands, and neck for any unusual bumps or lumps. During you and your family’s bi-annual check-ups, your dentist and hygienists will give your mouth a thorough examination of any changes in your mouth or if things seem out of the ordinary. We recommend a comprehensive oral cancer screening for all patients at least once during the year. If at any time you have any questions about changes to your oral health, please don’t hesitate to ask for help.

X-Rays

Thanks to the advancements in dental technology over the years, gone are the days of invasive, unsafe x-rays. At our Townsend dental office, we rely on state-of-the-art digital and panoramic x-rays for a comprehensive, immediate look at the status of your teeth. Both types of x-rays are safe, non-invasive and are able to instantly store digital images on a computer for your files for future use and comparison. Digital and panoramic x-rays reduce radiation 80 to 90 percent compared to the already low exposure of old school, traditional x-rays from the past. Panoramic x-rays or Panorex® are unique, wraparound photos of your face and teeth. They give us a view that the naked eye would never be able to put together on its own. They’re non-invasive, taken outside the mouth, and are easy to obtain. Now that’s science! We love it and you will too.

Hygiene

We love our hygiene team and we know you will too. They’re extremely skilled and always ready to answer your oral health questions. They’re concerned not only with your smile but with your overall health too. For most dental hygiene appointments, you can expect:

– Removal of plaque and tartar – Plaque is a sticky film that forms on teeth and tartar is harder, more firmly attached to the surface of your teeth. Our hygiene team is fully equipped with the latest technology too! They use high-powered, yet gentle ultrasonic scalers. These professional cleaning devices are specifically designed to deep clean your smile using sound waves and a soothing jet of water.
– Teeth polishing – Say goodbye to stains and plaque that brushing and flossing didn’t clean up.

By keeping up with your regular cleanings, you’ll enjoy the many benefits of excellent oral hygiene, and our team will be able to spot any issues early enough so we can take care of them (and you) to avoid problems with your smile in the future.

Periodontal Therapy

If you think your gums are just another part of your mouth, think again. They’re actually an essential part of your smile, your oral health, and can even affect your overall health. That’s because your gum tissues are specifically designed to surround and support your teeth and the jawbone that holds them in place. Because your gums have such an important job, periodontists like ours take several extra years of dental training to better understand the gums, maintaining function in your smile, keeping teeth healthy, and the aesthetics of your jawbone and tissues. They’re trained to see periodontal disease and find a solution that will work to help mend your gum health. This is extremely important because periodontal or gum disease is one of the biggest reasons why adult patients start to lose their teeth. For patients with moderate or severe cases of gum disease, we can prescribe ARESTIN. This special antimicrobial restores your oral bacteria to a healthier level.

Fluoride Treatments

One of the most effective ways to help keep teeth free from tooth decay is by getting fluoride treatments. While this mineral naturally occurs in foods and water supplies, your Townsend dentist has options too. We generally recommend that children receive a fluoride treatment about every six months to help keep their smiles cavity-free. Most people get enough fluoride in their bodies simply from the foods and water that they ingest on a regular basis, however, sometimes it’s not enough to give your teeth a fighting chance against damaging decay. Your dentist or dental hygienist might recommend an in-office or at-home fluoride treatment due to:

– Deep pits on the chewing surfaces of your teeth
– Sensitive, exposed tooth roots
– High sugar intake
– History of dental decay
– Dry mouth

Patients benefit from both topical and systemic fluoride. Topical treatments strengthen erupted teeth while systemic fluoride also helps the parts of your teeth that are below the gum line.

Mouthguards

The regular cleanings. The checkups. The fluoride treatments. The past dental work. You put a lot into taking care of your smile and your family’s oral health. But are their smiles protected when they’re on the field? How about when they’re sleeping? It may seem strange to think about, but you’ve already invested so much into your oral health, it’s important that you protect your teeth from damage and harm. Lucky for you, Townsend Dental Group has you and your smile covered. We offer:

Sports Mouthguards – Forget about the old boil and bite mouthguards from the sporting goods stores. Your smile needs something more custom that comes from a professional like your Townsend dentist. Sports mouthguards should be worn at any age, for various sporting and athletic activities, and they’re extremely important for kids. There’s no reason to risk their oral health!

Nightguards – Clenching and grinding the night away could be doing serious damage to your smile. The worst part is you might not even know you’re doing it! This is something known medically as bruxism and it can wear down your teeth causing wearing and thinning of your enamel. We can help with a custom, comfortable, nightguard that fits over your teeth to help protect them from the clenching.

TMJ Treatment

Are you one of the millions of Americans who silently struggle with TMJ pain and discomfort, masking it with pain medicine and going about your day? That all stops here, with us. Temporomandibular Joint Disorder is a relatively common condition that’s generally characterized by symptoms such as:

– Headaches and migraines
– Jaw and neck pain
– Ringing in the ears
– Anxiety and depression
– Teeth grinding

The sad truth about TMJ is that most people don’t even know they have it and they certainly don’t think of calling their dentist for relief. We want you to get the help you deserve and relief you need to live your life without pain and anxiety. Your comfort and wellbeing are at the very heart of all we do, so we want to help you feel better and get back to living life again. Talk to us today to learn how your dentist can test, diagnose, and create a custom plan of action to treat and beat your TMJ disorder.

Emergency Care

No one wakes up in the morning and plans to have a dental emergency. Life just doesn’t happen that way! When dental trouble does strike you or someone in your family, the first thing to do is to not panic. Remember that it’s always best to get treatment as soon as you can to help alleviate your pain and ensure your damaged tooth or teeth have the best possible chance of being saved. When you call Townsend Dental Group with a dental emergency, we will always do our very best to get you in to see a dentist the day you call. Whether you’re struggling with trauma, the effects of grinding, the aftermath of biting down on something hard, or a lost filling or crown, you need to contact our office as soon as you can. There’s no reason to be in pain and uncomfortable. We have the training, tools, and technology to help you feel better fast.

Come see why we’re one of the most
state-of-the-art offices in the area!

(You won’t be disappointed.)

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