Preventive Dentistry - Columbia, TN
At Beck Dental Care of Columbia, our #1 goal is to help you avoid dental problems rather than simply fix them as they pop up. Over time, this focus on prevention will help your smile stay healthy, remain beautiful, and it’ll also keep your dental care affordable! With checkups and cleanings and periodontal therapy and more, we have everything your family needs to enjoy problem-free smiles for years to come. Is it time for your next appointment? If it's been more than six months since your last appointment for preventive dentistry in Columbia, TN, be sure to contact us today!
Dental Checkups & Teeth Cleanings
Dental exams and dental cleanings are critical to keeping your smile bright and healthy. Aside from daily brushing and flossing, twice-yearly dental cleanings and dental exams are a necessary part of your oral health program. Here are some things you can expect from your routine dental appointment at Beck Dental Care of Columbia.
- Professional Teeth Cleaning – We will thoroughly clean your teeth, including the areas you miss when you brush and floss at home. We’ll finish by polishing them for nice, bright shine.
- Dental Exam – Both your hygienist and dentist will examine your teeth to catch any developing issues. We’ll take digital X-rays and perform a visual oral cancer screening to make sure you and your smile are completely safe.
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Family Dentistry
Beck Dental Care of Columbia has been serving the families in the Columbia, TN area for more than 40 years. Our caring dental team wants to make sure that every smile in your home has the same great chance to succeed. With the family dentistry offerings for both adults and children, your loved ones’ smiles will be well-protected here at Beck Dental Care of Columbia. We offer a full range of services aimed at keeping your family’s smiles bright and healthy, including:
- Dental Cleanings and Exams (FREE dental exams for new patients)
- Digital X-rays
- Fluoride Treatments
- Dental Sealants
- Restorative Dentistry, including tooth-colored fillings
- Cosmetic Dentistry
- TMJ Treatment
- Wisdom Teeth Removal
- Same-Day Emergency Dental Care
- Dental Sedation for nervous children and adults
Learn More About Children’s Dentistry
Periodontal Therapy
Periodontal therapy is a collection of treatments specifically for helping those patients who are suffering from periodontal disease, better known as gum disease. It’s usually brought on by a lack of oral hygiene, and early symptoms typically include red, swollen, and tender gums that tend to bleed easily. While these can be very easy to miss, left untreated, gum disease can actually lead to tooth loss and even increase a person’s chances of suffering a stroke or heart attack. As your oral health specialists, we’ll keep a close eye on your gums and will spring into action the second we see any problems.
In most cases, gum disease can be addressed using a standard scaling and root planing treatment. For this, your dentist will first use a special instrument to break up and clear away any plaque or tartar located along your gum line, and then root planing will be used to smooth out the rough surfaces of your teeth’s roots, making you less likely to redevelop gum disease in the future.
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Nightguards for Bruxism
If you frequently wake with a stiff or sore jaw, you might be grinding your teeth at night. Patients with this condition, commonly known as bruxism, don’t always know that they’re subconsciously clenching their teeth together.
This habit can wear down enamel, cause a misalignment, or contribute to dental damage if it remains untreated for too long. Thankfully, our team can help you avoid these concerns with a custom-fitted nightguard. Continue reading to learn more about this service and when it might be recommended!
Customized vs. Store-Bought Nightguards
Although some sporting goods stores offer mouthguards or nightguards, these solutions are not custom-fitted over your arches to maximize protection. Meanwhile, our team can provide an oral appliance carefully designed to fit precisely over your arches to help cushion your teeth and correct your jaw’s position. Not only can this prevent physical trauma, but it also allows your temporomandibular joints to start to relax and recover.
The Process of Getting a Nightguard
Before proceeding, you must consult one of our providers to ensure that you’re a good candidate. Our team will examine your dental condition and bite alignment and might ask additional questions or perform other assessments to help determine the underlying cause of your discomfort.
If we determine that bruxism is the likely culprit, we can proceed by making accurate digital impressions of your mouth that are sent to a dental laboratory to begin creating your one-of-a-kind nightguard.
Once it’s delivered, we’ll contact you for a fitting and make any necessary adjustments before sending you home with instructions on how and when to wear your new oral appliance to provide optimal relief.
The Benefits of Getting a Nightguard for Bruxism
There are several excellent reasons to consider getting a nightguard to improve the symptoms of subconscious teeth grinding, including:
- Prevent physical damage, like chips, cracks, or breaks.
- Alleviate aches in your jaw, ear, neck, head, and face to improve your daily quality of life.
- Correct your jaw alignment to minimize additional strain on the joints.
- Helps keep airways open for better sleep at night.
Caring for Your Nightguard
Your new nightguard can help protect your teeth and restore your jaw’s full range of motion by giving the joints a much-needed opportunity to heal. However, bacteria from your mouth can cling to its surfaces and form plaque, increasing the risk of oral issues, such as cavities or gum disease.
You can avoid this by gently brushing all sides after each use with a soft-bristle toothbrush and clear dish or hand soap that can help remove germs without abrading the material. Next, rinse your guard using room-temperature water to avoid warping the material. Also, make sure it’s stored safely in its protective case when it’s not in your mouth to avoid potential accidents that can cause physical damage.
Athletic Mouthguards
One of the biggest risks to your smile is playing sports without a protective mouthguard. Luckily, your friends at Beck Dental Care of Columbia can take care of you. We offer custom-fit athletic mouthguards to protect your teeth or the teeth of your loved ones while playing your favorite sports. All you have to do is come in and get a digital dental impression taken, and we’ll send that impression to a high-quality lab to create your custom mouthguard. This mouthguard will fit perfectly to ensure your smile is fully protected.
Emergency Dentistry
Should you ever damage your teeth in an accident or develop serious dental pain, you can always reach out to Beck Dental Care of Columbia for same-day emergency care. Our entire staff is trained to handle a wide array of dental emergencies, so whether you have a knocked out tooth or damaged dental work, we’ll be able to take care of you. Just give us a call, and we’ll work to see you as quickly as possible.
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TMJ Therapy
Your TMJ (temporomandibular joint) are the hinges on your jaw that allow it to move smoothly whenever you eat, speak, laugh or yawn. Like other joints in the body, they can sometimes become strained or injured, leading to what is called a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), which can cause all kinds of dental and overall health problems. We’re trained to diagnose and treat these kinds of issues at Beck Dental Care of Columbia, so should you ever experience a stiff and sore jaw or chronic migraine headaches, be sure to come see us so we can provide the relief you deserve.