Preventive Dentistry in Summerville, SC!

Preventive dental services help protect your smile from preventable damage and keep your teeth and gums looking and feeling great. Investing in preventive dental treatments can help you and your family avoid invasive, costly, and time-consuming restorative treatments down the road. To learn more about our preventive services or to schedule your next appointment, please give our office a call so we can assist. Looking forward to meeting you at our dentist near you!

Preventive Dentistry in Summerville

Oral Hygiene Services

Routine Dental Cleanings & Exams

No matter how well you take care of your teeth and gums at home, everyone should schedule routine dental checkups with their dentist. Cleanings help remove built-up plaque and tartar, which helps reduce a patients’ risk for developing tooth decay and gum disease, and dental exams allow our team to diagnose and treat problems as they arise.

Oral Cancer Screenings

Every dental cleaning and exam comes with a basic oral cancer screening. Dr. Palmateer will assess your teeth and gums for signs of various issues like cavities and periodontal disease, but she is also examining your mouth for signs of oral cancer. If you are at an increased risk for developing oral cancer, let us know, and we will perform extra thorough screenings.

Fluoride Treatments

Fluoride treatments use a varnish that contains a highly-concentrated amount of fluoride. This varnish is applied after cleanings and must be left alone for at least thirty minutes to allow the teeth to fully absorb it. Fluoride treatments strengthen tooth structures, and they can even reverse early signs of tooth decay. Both children and adults can utilize them.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are clear coatings that are applied over the top of each molar. Sealants act as a barrier between bacteria and the grooves in the molars that are hard to clean with a toothbrush. They are also very discreet and protect the teeth for years at a time. While children frequently get sealants, they can protect the molars of any patient who wants them.

Custom Oral Appliances

Athletic Mouthguards

If you or your child frequently participate in sports like football, wrestling, basketball, or soccer, consider investing in a custom athletic mouthguard. Athletic mouthguards created at a dental practice are molded to fit the teeth perfectly, which means they are more comfortable to wear, and the more they are worn, the more they can protect teeth from damage.

Bruxism Prevention

Bruxism, or teeth grinding, usually occurs when patients are asleep, and it tends to increase during times of heightened stress or anxiety. Our nightguards are designed to protect the teeth from damaging each other during the night. Some patients only need to wear their mouthguards occasionally, while others make it a habit to wear theirs every night.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much during sleep, and the airway is constricted multiple times throughout the night. Our appliances hold the jaw in a comfortable position that allows breathing to continue uninterrupted when this happens, which helps patients get a better quality of sleep and feel more awake during the day.

TMD/TMJ Therapy

If you frequently wake up with a sore jaw or daily headaches, you may have temporomandibular joint disorder. This joint connects the top of the jaw to the skull, and when teeth are tightly clenched throughout the night, it can put added stress on the TMJ. TMJ mouthguards can protect both the teeth and the jaw from feeling sore in the morning.