The mouth is an incredible place teeming with microorganisms, including 700 species of bacteria, as The Conversation explains. It’s also home to viruses, yeasts, and protozoa (single-celled organisms).

Not all those microorganisms are “germs,” though; on the contrary, many bacteria in the mouth are beneficial. For example, they help with digestion and promote salivation.

However, many other organisms in the mouth can cause diseases. For this reason, you must keep them in check by practicing proper oral hygiene at home and regularly seeing your dentist in Nicholasville, KY.

Grey Oak Dental’s friendly, compassionate, and experienced doctor, Dr. George Quintero, DMD, can help by providing you and your family with services designed for better oral health care in Nicholasville, KY. Read on to discover how he and his dental team can help you and your loved ones have healthier, more dazzling smiles.

Keep Your Oral Health in Check With General Dentistry Services

Grey Oak Dental provides general Nicholasville dental services to diagnose, treat, correct, or prevent oral health problems.

When you get a dental check-up in Nicholasville through our office, our dental team will:

  • Conduct comprehensive dental cleaning to eliminate plaque and tartar on the teeth and gums
  • Closely examine the inside of your mouth, including the teeth, gums, and tongue
  • Recommend dental X-rays, depending on the state of your oral health

But why exactly are those procedures vital to your oral and overall health?

Prevent Oral Diseases That Stem From Plaque and Tartar

Dental plaque is a sticky layer or film that forms on the teeth soon after eating or drinking and as you sleep at night. It contains saliva, leftover food particles, and bacteria. Bacteria in the mouth feed on sugars, carbohydrates, and other food debris.

If left on the teeth for too long, plaque hardens and turns into tartar.

You can remove most dental plaque by properly flossing at least once daily and brushing at least twice daily. However, only a dentist can remove it once it hardens into tartar.

Consequences of Plaque and Tartar

You don’t want plaque and tartar on your teeth, as the acids they release can break down the tooth’s outermost layer, called the enamel. As BBC Science Focus explains, tooth enamel is the hardest biological material, besting even steel. However, it’s also brittle.

So, once plaque and tartar have weakened the enamel, it can easily crack. A weakened tooth also becomes more susceptible to decay and is likelier to develop cavities.

Dental cavities are prevalent; over half of U.S. children ages 6 to 19 have had at least one, and the rate goes up to 90% of adults 20 and older, per the U.S. CDC. A quarter of adults ages 20 to 64 currently have an untreated cavity, putting them at risk of pain and infections.

Tartar build-up can also lead to gum disease, another of the most common oral problems in the U.S.

How Grey Oak Dental Cleaning Can Help

During a dental cleaning, the Grey Oak Dental team will thoroughly remove plaque, tartar, and debris from all parts of your mouth. We’ll use a scaler to eliminate them from the surfaces of the teeth, between the teeth, and around the gum line. We’ll also brush your teeth with specialized toothpaste and floss them for a more thorough cleaning job.

By removing plaque and tartar, we can help you prevent their consequences and keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Spot and Treat Minor Oral Problems Before They Worsen

Early oral disease detection and prompt treatment are other primary reasons to visit your dentist regularly. By letting the Grey Oak Dental team examine your mouth closely, we can spot and treat minor problems before they become more severe. For example, we can correct early gum disease and tooth decay before they become full-blown infections.

Discover “Hidden” Oral Problems

Dental X-rays help diagnose oral health issues that a visual examination may not reveal. Examples include:

  • “Hidden” cavities, such as those between teeth
  • Decay underneath existing fillings
  • Areas of infection
  • Unerupted or impacted teeth
  • Teeth abscesses (infections of tooth roots or in areas between the gums and teeth)
  • Jawbone loss

If you experience symptoms like pain and swelling without visible tooth decay, Dr. Quintero may recommend getting X-rays. He may also suggest these procedures to determine your eligibility for dental implants.

Restore Mouth Functionality With Restorative Dentistry

Grey Oak Dental offers restorative dentistry services, which are procedures that focus on fixing damaged teeth or replacing lost ones. The goal is to restore the mouth’s functionality (e.g., proper biting, chewing, and speaking).

Our restorative dentistry services include:

  • Dental fillings to repair and seal tooth decay and cavities
  • Root canals to remove infections and preserve teeth
  • Dental crowns to repair and restore damaged teeth
  • Bridges to replace missing teeth
  • Dental implants to replace entire tooth structures (from the crown to the roots)

Through our restorative dentistry services, we can help you recover your healthy, beautiful smile.

Enhance Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

Grey Oak Dental also offers cosmetic dentistry in Kentucky, including professional teeth whitening. Teeth whitening can help enhance your smile by eliminating stains and discoloration that whitening toothpastes can’t fix.

We also offer veneers, which are thin, shell-like covers that go on the front surface of the teeth. They can camouflage stained or discolored teeth and help mask minor flaws like small chips and uneven spacing.

Dr. Quintero also has a certification from the American Academy of Facial Esthetics, allowing him to provide Botox for dentistry. Botox can help relieve dental problems like temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD). As a bonus, Botox injections can address facial cosmetic concerns, such as wrinkles around the mouth.

Dr. George Quintero: You Friendly Dentist in Nicholasville, KY

Now that you know more about how a dentist in Nicholasville, KY, can help maintain your and your family’s oral health, it’s time to consider scheduling a visit with our dental office, Grey Oak Dental. Our team and Dr. Quintero look forward to providing exceptional care to keep your teeth and gums in tip-top shape.

Dr. Quintero is a well-respected member of the dental community and brings over ten years of experience to his practice.

Schedule your appointment today, and we’ll gladly give you the general, restorative, or cosmetic dentistry services you need.