Preventive Dentistry

At Smith and Olsen Dental our top priority is to do everything we can to help you maintain a healthy beautiful smile. This is best achieved through a lifetime of preventive dental care.

Cleanings/Periodontal Treatment: Regular visits to your dentist are the best way to maintain your healthy smile for a lifetime. At Smith and Olsen Dental we use the latest technology to make sure that we help our patients achieve their oral health goals. Our hygienists will remove the plaque and bacteria that accumulates on your teeth between dental visits. After completing a periodontal assessment and checking for signs of gum disease, our doctors may recommend cleanings more than twice a year or additional treatment options. Unhealthy gums may be possible warnings signs of future tooth loss and the increased potential for stroke and heart disease.

Digital X-rays: At Smith and Olsen Dental we use state of the art digital x-rays to diagnose any problems as early as possible. Digital x-rays use about 25% less radiation than traditional film based x-rays. Regular dental x-rays allow us to treat cavities as conservatively as possible before they develop into more costly and involved treatment down the road.

Sealants: Sealants fill in the grooves of the back molars to prevent plaque and bacteria from getting into the grooves and causing decay. We recommend sealants on children's 6 and 12 year molars to help prevent cavities through the childhood years when teeth are more susceptible to decay.

Velscope Oral Cancer Screening: Every hour of every day, one American dies of oral cancer and 25% of victims do not use tobacco or alcohol and have no other lifestyle risk factors. At Smith and Olsen Dental, we recommend yearly Velscope screenings to allow us to catch any precancerous or cancerous lesions as early as possible. This allows for much more conservative treatment and more importantly improves the prognosis for treating and beating oral cancer. For more information go to Velscope.com.

Splint Therapy: Teeth that do not fit together ideally can cause a multitude of problems. It can cause unnecessary wear on teeth, TMJ problems, migraine headaches, and biting and cold sensitivity. Splint therapy can stop the damage and can significantly improve or eliminate the symptoms.

Orthodontic Treatment: Most people may consider orthodontics to be primarily cosmetic in nature. However, if your teeth are straight and in the proper position for stable occlusion it can significantly help patients maintain a healthy smile for the rest of their life.