FAMILY DENTISTRY 

To ensure that your entire family’s dental health is in optimal condition, it’s essential to schedule twice-yearly dental exams, at a minimum. If you have extenuating circumstances, or your dentist has recommended more frequent dental exams, you should come in more often.

During a dental exam, your Irmo, SC dentist can detect, monitor and treat any dental conditions that may be happening. The most serious dental conditions, such as periodontitis, occur over a period of many years, giving you and your dentist ample time to diagnose, treat and stop these conditions from worsening. This is just one reason why regular dental exams are so heavily advised by dental professionals.

Teeth cleaning is the process of removing plaque buildup from the teeth and the gum line. It’s an essential part of overall dental hygiene that every family member should be getting at least two times a year. Plaque buildup leads to a number of issues, including gingivitis, periodontitis, and eventually tooth loss. The more often that you and your family members have your teeth cleaned at the dentist’s office, the easier it will be, and the healthier your teeth and gums will be.

Scaling and Root Planning, also known as a Deep Cleaning, may be recommended for you if your gum tissue and bone structure shows disease. Your dental hygienist will evaluate your gum tissue health at your first appointment. If you are a smoker, uncontrolled diabetic, have poor hygiene, or it has been awhile since you've been to the dentist, then you are more prone to periodontal disease. As an active and progressive disease, we want to make sure we treat you fully and promptly to avoid teeth becoming mobile and lost due to poor bone quality. We may recommend a localized powder antibiotic to place in your gum tissue called Arestin to help the overall outcome in treating your periodontal disease.

Even when you brush and floss your teeth twice a day, use mouthwash, and are careful about what you eat, you should still plan to visit the dentist for preventative care every six months. After a hygienist completes your cleaning, our dentist inspects your teeth, jaws, and gums to determine if any potential oral health conditions exist. If so, we will let you know the planned course of treatment or whether the problem is something we can just observe for a while.

Fluoride is highly beneficial, and we recommend it for all adults and children. Fluoride is a natural occurring mineral that has been scientifically proven to have several benefits for dental health. With your permission we will apply fluoride at the end of your dental cleaning or if you are diagnosed with tooth sensitivity.

Fluoride benefits include:

Prevention of tooth decay: The fluoride will form a protective layer on the enamel surface to strengthen the enamel and make it more resistant to acid attacks from the sugars and bacteria in your mouth. It can help reverse early signs of decay by re-mineralizing the weakened enamel.

Reduction in tooth sensitivity: By strengthening the tooth enamel, fluoride acts as a protective barrier to reduce the transmission of sensations to the nerves within the teeth.

Enhanced remineralization: Minerals such as calcium, phosphate, and fluoride are deposited back into the tooth enamel. This helps repair and strengthen weakened areas of the enamel, preventing the progression of early tooth decay.

Protection for all ages: In children, fluoride is crucial for the development of strong and healthy teeth. Children have high exposure to sugars and may not have the best brushing techniques to properly clean their teeth. It will reduce the risk for cavities. In adults, the fluoride helps to maintain the strength of the enamel, preventing decay and reducing the risk of tooth sensitivity.

Cost effective, quick, easy, and you can eat and drink right after the fluoride application!

Dental sealants are thin, protective coatings made from a plastic material. They are applied to the chewing surfaces of your back teeth, particularly the molars and premolars. These areas are susceptible to cavities because they have grooves and pits that can trap food particles and bacteria, making them difficult to clean properly. When it comes to maintaining good oral health, prevention is often the key to a beautiful and trouble-free smile. Dental sealants are a valuable tool in this regard, offering an effective way to protect your teeth from the risk of decay.

• Isolation: A rubber mouthpiece will be used to keep the tooth dry. The mouthpiece will protect your tongue, cheek, suction the entire time, and ensure you do not swallow anything. 

• Tooth Preparation: We will clean and dry your teeth, your dentist will apply a gel on the chewing surfaces to create a rough texture. This texture helps the sealant bond securely to the tooth. 

• Sealant Placement: The dental sealant is then carefully painted onto the prepared tooth surface. We will shine a blue light on the tooth to cure and bond it to the enamel quickly, forming a protective shield.

• Cavity Prevention: Dental sealants create a physical barrier that prevents food particles, bacteria, and acid from coming into direct contact with your tooth enamel. This reduces the risk of cavities.

• Painless Procedure: Applying dental sealants is painless and doesn’t require drilling or anesthesia.
  

• Cost-Effective: Most insurances cover 100% of the cost because sealants are preventative. Preventing cavities with sealants is more cost-effective than treating them with fillings or other restorative procedures.
  

• Long-Lasting: Dental sealants can last for years with proper care, providing extended protection against cavities.
  

• Suitable for All Ages: While they are often applied to children and teenagers, adults can also benefit from dental sealants, especially if they have deep grooves in their teeth.
  

• Improved Oral Health: By reducing the risk of cavities, dental sealants contribute to better overall oral health, preventing the need for more extensive dental work.
  

At Peak Dental, we want to put our patients' safety first. Digital radiography uses significantly less radiation compared to traditional film based x-rays, making it safer for our patients. The use of digital sensors allows for precise exposure settings, minimizing radiation dosage while maintaining image quality. Nonetheless, we still take necessary precautions such as lead aprons to further minimize radiation exposure. Digital radiography allows for better quality x-rays, immediate viewing for the dentist, and more accurate diagnosis and treatment planning for the patient. We love to use x-rays and photos to show our patients why we are recommending the treatment that we plan specifically for you.

Peak Dental likes to take photos of your teeth with a camera to capture detailed images of your teeth, gums, and other oral structures. The specialized camera will capture high-resolution images that helps us in diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient communication. Peak Dental believes in showing each patient why we are recommending the treatment tailored just for you. We want you to be engaged in your dental care. By enabling patients to see and understand their oral conditions, they can actively participate in treatment decisions, leading to a more positive dental experience.

Peak Dental has a specialized machine to capture your mouth 3 dimensionally. This CBCT technology allows us to determine the quality and quantity of bone you have for an implant, to map out where your nerve runs in your bone, to look at your wisdom teeth, to determine if there is an abscess that has not shown up on a 2 dimensional x-ray yet, to evaluate fractures and bone loss, where your sinuses are in relation to the roots of your teeth, and determine the overall health of your jawbone. Taking a CBCT on a patient takes 2 minutes and is simple and easy.