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Prevention and Cleaning

Prevention and Cleaning

Prevention is a cooperative effort between the patient, the dental team, and Dr. Casseday to preserve your oral health. Our goal is to prevent dental disease by minimizing the potential of onset, progress, and recurrences in the natural dentition and supporting structures, including present dental restorations.

We encourage good oral home care and a balanced diet, specifically reducing acidic foods and drinks. We will also work together as a dental team to promote, maintain and restore your oral health in the office.

While at our dental office we will include regular dental exams, cleanings, and digital x-rays. Also, recommend preventative treatment options of sealants and fluoride to help protect your teeth.

Overall, prevention will help avoid dental problems, and it will lead to a beautiful and healthy smile that you can share with confidence.

Dental Exam

We will perform a comprehensive dental exam at your initial dental visit. The hygienist and Dr. Casseday’s exam will include:

  • Oral Cancer Screening: Checking for any signs of oral cancer include evaluation of the lips, tongue, tissues, throat, gums, face, and neck.
  • Diagnostic Digital X-rays: Help us determine treatment needs by detecting decay, bone loss, and potential tumors or cysts present. Also, tooth root health and position.
  • Gum Tissue Health Evaluation: Checking the tissue and surrounding bone of each tooth for potential of periodontal disease.
  • Exam for Possible Tooth Decay: Checking all surfaces with instruments specifically designed for detecting tooth decay.
  • Checking Existing Dental Restorations: We will evaluate your current dental restorations for any recurrent dental decay.
Professional Dental Cleaning

One of our Registered Dental Hygienists and Dr. Casseday will perform an examination to determine the type of dental cleaning that is required by your oral health needs. Often times the hygienist will be able to perform the dental cleaning at the appointment, unless a deeper cleaning is needed. This will be discussed at the initial hygiene appointment. Included in the cleaning appointment will be a dental exam and the following:

  • Plaque Removal: Plaque is a sticky, sometimes invisible mixture of growing and living bacteria, and food debris. The bacteria create toxins that will inflame the gum tissues, leading to gingivitis, and possibly periodontal disease.
  • Calculus (tartar) Removal: Calculus is plaque that has remained on the tooth structure of a long enough period of time to harden. Becoming a place for more bacteria to adhere, thereby creating damage to tooth, gum tissue, and bone.
  • Teeth Polish: Removes stain and plaque.
Digital Dental X-rays

Digital dental x-rays (radiographs) are essential for diagnosis in a dental exam. They provide valuable information that is otherwise invisible to the dental team. We use them to detect abnormalities in teeth, and surrounding bone to create a treatment plan. They also allow us to find these potentials before they become greater concerns. X-rays may reveal:

  • Dental decay between teeth
  • Bone loss
  • Abscesses or cysts
  • Tumors
  • Tooth and root positions


Early detection of dental problems can save a patient from unnecessary discomfort, expense, and time commitment.

Concerned about the safety of dental x-rays?

We are very intentional about decreasing the amount of radiation we expose our dental patients to during their appointment. That is why we have state-of-the-art digital x-ray equipment in our office. This has decreased the amount of radiation exposure in a full mouth series (18 x-rays) to be equal to the amount a person receives in one day from natural sources.

Recommended Dental X-rays

We base necessary dental x-rays on individual patients needs. Our dental team will recommend x-rays after reviewing your medical, dental health and history. Other considerations will include a dental exam, signs and symptoms, and risk of dental disease.

We recommend a full mouth series of digital x-rays for our new patients. This is usually good for 3-5 years. Additionally, we recommend bitewing x-rays (upper and lower teeth biting together) are taken at hygiene appointments once per year to detect any new dental problems.

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