Preventive Dentistry

Your Prairie Village, KS dentist focuses on preventive dental care to keep your smile healthy for a lifetime. We perform comprehensive mouth evaluation, diagnostic tests, professional teeth cleaning, oral hygiene instruction, and cavity risk assessment, prevention and treatment.

Cleaning and Hygiene

Dr. Smith spends about 70 minutes with each patient during a routine checkup. Dr. Smith uses the extra time to check your mouth thoroughly and spot cavities and other problems. Your dentist also checks the level of cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth and determines your caries risk.

This is followed by professional teeth cleaning by one of our hygienists. The hygienist uses special instruments to scrape away plaque and tartar between the teeth and above and below the gums. Finally, your teeth are polished to keep the surfaces smooth.

CariFree Cavity Prevention and Treatment

Instead of simply filling cavities, your dentist in Prairie Village aims to eliminate bacteria that caused the problem in the first place. We use the CariFree risk assessment system to check the level of bacteria in your mouth and determine your risk of developing cavities. Dr. Smith will then create a treatment plan that is customized to your risk level. This method not only detects cavities that are too small to appear on X-rays, but reduces the number of harmful bacteria in your mouth.

Fluoride Treatment

Dr. Smith offers fluoride varnish, rinses, mouth wash and other CariFree products to get rid of cavity-causing bacteria. Fluoride is a protective coating that makes the tooth hard, repairs lesions and stops tooth decay. Daily fluoride rinses are recommended for people with moderate to high risk of developing cavities.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealant is another protective coating that is applied to cavity-prone teeth. Sealant is made of resin that is painted on the biting surfaces of the molars/premolars or any tooth that has deep pits and fissures.

Learn how you can protect your teeth and prevent cavities. Call (913) 649-5600 now or click here to make an appointment.