General Dentistry
Serving Jacksonville and the Beaches for Over 35 Years
A variety of treatments are included under the umbrella of “general dentistry” with all of them aimed at helping you achieve a beautiful smile that allows you to eat whatever you want. From regular checkups and cleanings to complex smile makeovers, our experienced team at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry can perform almost any dental procedure.
Call 904-247-0111 to schedule an appointment with us today!
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General Dentistry and
Your Beautiful Smile
Your smile can say a lot about you and performs an important role in creating a good impression as you interact with other people. Regular dental visits will not only help to keep your teeth and gums healthy but give you confidence. The American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJO-DO) reports that people with “good smiles” are perceived to be smarter than those with visible dental problems.
Routine Check-Ups
During a routine check-up, Jax Beaches Family Dentistry will:
- Examine your gums. More than 50% of Americans over the age of 30 suffer from gum disease, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Our gums give clues about our overall health.
- Check for cavities. You may have a cavity without realizing it. Detecting cavities early enables easier treatment and can often save teeth that would otherwise be lost if decay progresses. Once decay works its way into tooth enamel, it can infect the soft pulp inside the tooth, and infection can spread to the root and into the bloodstream. Extensive decay can lead to a serious bacterial infection. Healthy teeth enable you to eat the types of food you need, while reducing the levels of harmful bacteria you swallow.
- Check for plaque and tartar accumulation. If plaque is allowed to build up, it forms tartar, which is impossible to remove by brushing and flossing, and can lead to cavities and gum disease. Your dental hygienist or dentist will use special tools to thoroughly clean hard-to-reach areas of your mouth.
- Examine your neck, throat, tongue and face. Looking at these areas enables your dentist to spot signs of potential problems such as cancer. More than 100 cases of oral cancer are diagnosed daily in the U.S. Early treatment significantly increases the chances of a successful outcome, but most oral cancers are not discovered until later more deadlier stages.
Dental Extractions
Jax Beaches Family Dentistry performs tooth extractions in a safe and healthy environment. Tooth removal or dental extraction is when the tooth is removed from the mouth. There are several reasons to remove teeth. Some of these involve decay, periodontal disease or bone loss, insufficient spacing or crowding, pre-orthodontic treatment, partial eruption with an inability to keep clean, tooth fracture, bone or tooth pathology.
While many teens and some adults get their wisdom teeth removed, there are other reasons why tooth extraction may be necessary in adulthood. You may benefit from tooth extraction if:
• A tooth is too damaged or decayed to be repaired with a filling, crown, or other types of restoration.
• Room is needed in the mouth for orthodontic treatment or dental prosthetics.
• A tooth is impacted (stuck beneath the gum line) and poses a danger to your oral health. This is often true of wisdom teeth.
• Gum disease has caused serious damage to the bones that support the teeth.
Simple Tooth Extractions are done at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry when the teeth are erupted or are visible in the mouth. These are typically the easiest teeth to remove. A local anesthetic is typically used and the area is tested prior to beginning to ensure maximum comfort. During this procedure all the patient will likely feel is pushing or pressure.
Building a Good Relationship
with Your General Dentist
You and your dentist at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry are likely to be long-term partners in your oral healthcare, and regular dental visits help you to get to know your dentist better and establish good communications, which is key to the success of your relationship. If you are nervous about dental treatment, having regular check-ups can ease your anxieties as you get used to the routine and acclimatize yourself with our warm and inviting office at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry.
No Nasty Surprises – Communicating with us during regular visits will give you a clear understanding of what, if any, treatment you require. This way, there will be no surprises with your treatment or your bill.
General Dentistry FAQs
- Jax Beaches is locally and family-owned making for a pleasant patient experience and a sense of security that we will be here for you for years to come.
- Keeping your teeth and gums healthy entails more than brushing and flossing. Regular dental visits for a check-up and professional cleaning play an important part in good oral healthcare and your overall wellbeing.
- Not too long ago many dentists concentrated on fixing problems instead of preventing them. Those days are long gone, and good dentistry today places a strong emphasis onpreventive dental care, including regular examinations and cleaning.
- It may be tempting to neglect regular dental visits because of a busy lifestyle, but ensuring your teeth and gums are kept in good shape will avoid expensive procedures down the road.
- The American Dental Association(ADA) recommends dental visits every six months. People with a high risk of dental disease who should see their dentist more often include women during pregnancy, smokers, diabetics and those with a low level of immunity to bacterial infections.
- We can detect issues you may be unaware of. Many dental issues – including gum disease, cavities and oral cancer – don’t cause pain or become visible until they are in dangerous and more-advanced stages.
Advanced periodontitis can result in the destruction of bone that supports the teeth as plaque eats further into the roots of the teeth. Thorough cleaning during your regular dental visit, plus a good routine of brushing and flossing at home, will go a long way in keeping your teeth healthy.
Bad breath (halitosis) can be caused by poor oral hygiene, gum disease or particles of food lodged in hard-to-reach places. Regular check-ups and professional teeth cleanings at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry are the best way to prevent this problem.
Key Findings You Need to Know About:
X-rays emit some radiation, but according to the American Dental Association (ADA), radiation exposure due to dental X-rays is minimal in comparison to both human-made and natural radiation sources. Americans receive an average radiation dose of about 0.62 rem (620 mrem) annually according to theU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Meanwhile, the ADA notes that dental radiographs account for roughly 2.5% of the effective radiation dose received from all medical radiographs and fluoroscopies (medical X-ray imaging procedures) operating today.
According to the ADA, a person can have dental X-rays taken safely every 12 months.
Dental X-rays play a key role in how we maintain your good oral health at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry. X-rays enable us to review your oral health development and identify underlying problems related to the teeth, jaw and soft tissues in your mouth. X-rays also help provide an accurate diagnosis and determine the best course of action to treat various oral health issues.
There are several other reasons why a dentist may recommend dental X-rays, too. These reasons include:
- Monitor Oral Health Injury Healing and Recovery:If a child or adult suffers a mouth injury, we may use an X-ray to track the patient’s healing progress and ensure that he or she can make a full recovery.
- Identify Oral Infections: Dental cavities, gingivitis, and other oral infections are problematic. X-rays help us identify an oral infection before it gets out of control.
- Determine If an Orthodontic Treatment Is Necessary: We sometimes use an X-ray to determine whether to recommend you for orthodontic treatment. Not all dental X-rays are created equal. In fact, we may recommend one or more of several types of X-rays.
Bitewing: Examine the crowns of the upper and lower teeth in one section of the mouth, identify cavities in tough-to-reach areas of the mouth and assess fillings.
Periapical: Display a tooth from the crown to the root in order to examine one or two teeth for root problems, cavities and oral health issues that affect the surrounding jaw bone.
Panoramic: Show the entire mouth to track tooth development to determine if orthodontics are necessary.
Occlusal: Illustrate the arch of the teeth from either the top or bottom jaw.
Orthodontic: Depict the side of your head.
Maintaining Overall Wellbeing – Your COMPLETE HEALTH
Oral health is linked to your overall or “complete health.” Your complete health is a focus at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry. Besides cancer, poor dental hygiene can result in issues such as diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis (fragile bones). Our dentists have an in-depth understanding of how oral health affects the rest of your body.
A comprehensive dental examintion at Jax Beaches Family Dentistry typically includes:
- Examination of diagnostic x-rays (radiographs): We use this informationfor detection of decay, tumors, cysts, and bone loss. X-rays also help determine tooth and root positions.
- Oral cancer screening: We carefully check your face, neck, lips, tongue, throat, tissues, and gums for any signs of oral cancer.
- Gum disease evaluation: We check your gums and the bone around your teeth for any signs of periodontal disease.
- Examination of tooth decay: All tooth surfaces are checked for decay with special dental instruments.
- Examination of existing restorations: We review fillings, crowns, etc.
Yes! If you’re having problems getting a good night’s sleep, we can help determine whether you are suffering from sleep apnea, a common problem that occurs when there are pauses in breathing. If you’re diagnosed with the disorder, Jax Beaches Family Dentistry can provide a customized and comfortable appliance to open the airway and eliminate snoring.
High-quality affordable dental care in Jacksonville.
In addition to being one of the friendliest dental practices in Jacksonville, we are also one of the most technologically advanced in Florida. We use modern methods and technologies to ensure our patients receive only cutting-edge, painless dental health solutions. Our dentists are experienced veterans in the dental field with more than 50 years of combined experience. We are one of the few in-house dental labs in Jacksonville that utilize the innovative CEREC technology which dramatically reduces your time spent in office.