The key to maintaining a healthy smile begins with general care and prevention.
Take care of your smile with services designed to enhance your oral health.
General dentistry focuses on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of conditions affecting the oral cavity, including the teeth, gums, tongue, palate, cheeks, lips, and throat. It plays a crucial role in overall health, helping to prevent cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues while keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
Comprehensive General Dentistry for Spokane Families
Preventive Dentistry: The Foundation for a Healthy Spokane Smile
General dentistry forms the essential foundation for your overall oral health. While cosmetic treatments and restorations enhance your smile’s appearance, it’s the fundamental preventive care from your Spokane family dentist that ensures long-term dental wellness. Regular visits to our practice help maintain the healthy foundation necessary for any advanced procedures like teeth whitening or dental implants.
As your trusted general dentist in Spokane, Dr. Jonathan Judd provides comprehensive family dental care for patients of all ages. Our experienced team delivers exceptional preventive services, from thorough cleanings to detailed examinations, all designed to detect potential issues early and keep your smile at its healthiest. We pride ourselves on creating a comfortable environment where Spokane families receive personalized attention and gentle treatment.
Whether you’re seeking routine maintenance or addressing specific concerns, our complete general dentistry services help Spokane residents achieve and maintain optimal oral health. Call our Spokane dental office today at 509-236-8677 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Judd and discover the difference quality preventive care makes.
Professional Cleanings & Comprehensive Dental Exams in Spokane
Regardless of how well you brush and floss at home, it is important to visit the dentist regularly for professional cleanings and exams. While you can easily remove some of the plaque from your teeth on your own, there are places that are difficult to reach and require professional tools. Plaque that is not removed can eventually turn into tartar, which is much harder to remove.
- During a professional cleaning, the dentist or hygienist will use special instruments to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth. They will also polish your teeth and provide you with tips on how to improve your at-home oral hygiene routine.
- Once this is complete, our dentist will also conduct a thorough exam of your mouth, teeth, gums, and throat. We will look for any signs of tooth decay, gum disease, or other problems. If we notice anything that requires treatment, we will develop a plan to get your oral health back on track.
Regular dental cleanings and exams are an important part of maintaining good oral health. By visiting the dentist at least every six months, you can help keep your teeth and gums healthy for years to come!
Same-Day Dental Crowns: Restoration Without the Wait
Dental crowns are a type of dental restoration that completely encapsulates a natural tooth to restore function and improve appearance. Dental crowns are often used to:
- Restore a tooth that has been damaged by decay or injury
- Protect a weak tooth from breaking
- Cover a dental implant
- Improve the appearance of an unsightly tooth
With the multiple uses for dental crowns, it’s no wonder that they are one of the most common dental restoration procedures. However, the only problem with them is that they often take weeks to be made in a dental lab; fortunately, that’s not the case at our office! Here, we offer same-day crowns, which means you can get your new dental crown in just one visit!
Same-day crowns are made using CAD/CAM technology. First, a digital impression of your tooth is taken. This digital impression is then used to design a 3D model of your tooth, which is then utilized to mill your new dental crown from a solid block of composite. The whole process takes about an hour, and you’ll walk out with a brand-new, perfectly fitting dental crown!
Gentle Tooth Extractions by Your Spokane Family Dentist
While the mission at our office is most often to preserve your teeth, there are times when the best course of action is to have a tooth removed. Whether due to crowding, injury, decay, or disease, tooth extractions are a common dental procedure that our team is highly experienced in.
- When you come in for your appointment, we will first numb the area around the tooth to be extracted. We may also offer dental sedation to help you feel more relaxed during the procedure.
- Once you are comfortable, we will gently rock the tooth back and forth to loosen it from the socket.
- From there, we will simply remove the tooth.
After your tooth has been extracted, we will provide you with aftercare instructions and help you schedule a follow-up appointment. It is important to follow these instructions carefully to ensure a speedy and successful recovery.
Comfortable Root Canal Therapy in Spokane
While root canals may seem to be an intimidating procedure, they are actually quite common. In fact, over 15 million are performed each year.
A root canal is necessary when the nerve of a tooth becomes infected; this can happen due to a deep cavity, a cracked tooth, or any other injury that results in the interior of the tooth being exposed.
- During a root canal, the nerve and pulp are removed, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. This prevents the infection from spreading and safeguards the tooth against future damage. Once the procedure is complete, the tooth will be capped with a dental crown.
Root canals are one of the most common dental procedures, and with today’s technology, they are also one of the most successful. In fact, more than 95% of teeth that have had a root canal procedure can be expected to last a lifetime.
Spokane Family Dental Care: Frequently Asked Questions
What is better pediatric dentistry or general dentistry?
Pediatric dentistry is better suited for children, as pediatric dentists are specially trained to handle the unique dental needs of kids, including managing childhood dental anxiety and addressing developmental issues. These dentists create a child-friendly environment to ensure comfort. On the other hand, general dentistry provides comprehensive dental care for patients of all ages, focusing on preventive care, fillings, and other common dental treatments. While general dentists can treat children, pediatric dentistry is preferred for specialized care and a more kid-friendly experience.
Can a general dentist do scaling and root planing?
Yes, a general dentist can perform scaling and root planing. These are common treatments for gum disease, involving the removal of plaque and tartar from below the gumline (scaling) and smoothing the tooth roots to help prevent future buildup (root planning). While general dentists are trained to perform these procedures, some patients with more advanced gum disease may be referred to a periodontist, a specialist in gum health, for more complex cases.
Can a general dentist do braces?
A general dentist can provide braces, but seeing an orthodontist for more specialized care is best, especially for complex cases. Orthodontists have extra training in teeth and jaw alignment.