Preventive & General Dentistry

The six-month visit, done properly

A healthy smile is foundational to your overall wellness. Teeth and gums need regular monitoring and maintenance to stay comfortable and disease-free — and the great majority of expensive dental work exists because something small was not caught while it was still small.

We typically recommend an exam and cleaning every six months, unless you have a condition such as gum disease that warrants seeing you more often.

What a preventive appointment includes

• A comprehensive dental exam — we evaluate the health of each tooth and look for signs of periodontal (gum) disease. If we find something that needs treatment, you will hear about it the same day, with the image on the screen beside you.
• A professional cleaning — our hygienist removes plaque and tartar from every surface, then polishes, so you leave with a genuinely clean, smooth smile.
• Digital x-rays — these show us what a visual exam cannot: decay between teeth, infection, bone levels, and certain cysts and tumours.
• An oral cancer screening — included as part of every preventive care appointment. Early detection matters enormously here, so we do not treat it as an optional extra.

Restorative dentistry

When a tooth does need repair, we would rather fix it early and conservatively than replace it later.

• Fillings repair a tooth after decay is removed. We use tooth-coloured composite so the repair does not announce itself.
• Crowns protect and stabilise a cracked or deeply decayed tooth that a filling can no longer support.
• Bonding fills small chips and narrow gaps — cosmetically, and to keep stains and decay out of them.

When a tooth cannot be saved

Saving your natural teeth is always the priority. Occasionally, removal is the right call — to relieve symptoms, to protect your health, or because restoration is genuinely not possible. A gap is not a good long-term outcome either, so we will talk through what replaces it: a fixed bridge, a dental implant, or a partial denture.