Preventive Dentistry

Preventive Dentistry in Clearwater and St. Petersburg

One of the best ways to keep your mouth healthy is to make sure it doesn’t develop problems in the first place. That’s why Cindy Brayer, DMD, PA, and Phong Phane, DMD, at Creating Smiles Dental offer several preventive dentistry services at their St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida offices.

Keep your smile healthy and beautiful for a lifetime! Schedule your appointment today by phone or online. Virtual consultations are also available.

Preventive Dentistry Q&A

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

At Creating Smiles Dental, our primary goal is to help you keep your teeth and gums healthy for a lifetime! That is why we have focused on Preventive Dentistry to help avoid dental disease, which is mostly preventable. Your oral health is just as important as the health of the rest of your body.

Preventive dental care is all the things you do (or should do) to take care of your teeth and gums: brushing, flossing, eating a healthy diet, and seeing your dentist regularly to help avoid dental disease. Click here to see exactly what dental diseases and conditions are. They are explained in more detail.

When it comes to the health of your teeth and gums, preventive dental care is smart. Brushing and flossing help to remove plaque from the surfaces and in between teeth, keeping your teeth looking and feeling clean. A healthy diet, one low in sugar and other refined carbohydrates, helps keep your whole body, including your teeth and gums, in good shape. And routine dental exams and regular cleanings may help prevent the incidence of higher-cost treatments such as periodontal surgery, root canals, extractions and fillings.

After all, early detection and prevention are key to minimizing your need for more serious dental treatment. Untreated dental disease can lead to serious health problems such as infection, damage to bone or nerve, and tooth loss. Infection from tooth disease can even spread to other parts of the body and in rare cases, can lead to death.

Your dentist discusses expectations with you before you begin treatment. It’s generally recommended for optimal results that you wear your Invisalign for 20-22 hours a day.

The length of the process generally depends on your age and the severity of your case. It varies for teens, but adults can generally expect treatment to take about 12 months. Most patients will come back every 4-6 weeks for a new set of aligners for the duration of their treatment.

A routine dental exam involves a professional cleaning. Creating Smiles Dental has the specialized training and technology needed to locate and reach trouble spots that are easy to miss when using a regular brush. Specialized dental tools help loosen and dissolve stuck-on plaque, but they also massage gums to keep them strong, clean, and healthy.

Your exam with Creating Smiles Dental also includes cavity assessments, fluoride treatments, X-rays, oral cancer screenings, and a visual examination of gum recession, as well as other treatments and diagnostic measures. 

The team at Creating Smiles Dental may recommend a number of products to support your oral health, including:

  • Prescription-strength 3M Clinpro™ 5000 fluoride toothpaste
  • 3M Vanish™ 5% Sodium Fluoride White Varnish with TCP 
  • EvoraPro®  oral probiotics
  • PerioSciences® Oral Care System
  • Xylitol-containing products

If you have any specific dental health concerns, you can also discuss this with the team during your dental exam. They can help create an appropriate treatment plan for your needs.

When it comes to maintaining good oral health, there are plenty of things you can do at home to keep your teeth and gums looking clean and healthy between dental visits:

  • Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
  • Floss daily to remove plaque and food debris from between your teeth
  • Rinse with mouthwash daily to help kill the bacteria that can cause gum disease and bad breath
  • Limit sugary and acidic foods and drinks as they can cause tooth decay and erode tooth enamel over time
  • Drink plenty of water to help rinse away food particles and bacteria
  • Replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or when the bristles become frayed

If you have any specific dental health concerns, you can also discuss this with the team during your dental exam. They can help create an appropriate treatment plan for your needs.

When it comes to maintaining good oral health, there are plenty of things you can do at home to keep your teeth and gums looking clean and healthy between dental visits:

  • Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
  • Floss daily to remove plaque and food debris from between your teeth
  • Rinse with mouthwash daily to help kill the bacteria that can cause gum disease and bad breath
  • Limit sugary and acidic foods and drinks as they can cause tooth decay and erode tooth enamel over time
  • Drink plenty of water to help rinse away food particles and bacteria
  • Replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or when the bristles become frayed

If you have any specific dental health concerns, you can also discuss this with the team during your dental exam. They can help create an appropriate treatment plan for your needs.

Preventable Oral Conditions

Additionally, there are four conditions that are important to not only dental health, but to overall health as well. Let us help you prevent these conditions in your families.

ORAL CANCER

We provide an oral cancer screening at every examination visit.  Also, we can help counsel patients about the role of tobacco, alcohol and other habits that can relate to oral cancer so that together we can eliminate risk factors and help prevent it.

DENTAL DECAY

Dental decay happens when certain bacteria in plaque utilize dietary sugars to produce acid, which gradually erodes the tooth enamel and produces a hole or cavitation. Efforts to prevent this include minimizing dietary sugars, placing sealants on the chewing surfaces of the teeth, frequent cleaning of the mouth, and appropriate use of fluoride. If the decay is left untreated, it can infect the whole tooth including its pulp leading to the rest of the body producing serious facial infections leading to swelling, toxicity and sometimes death. Chronic dental infections can compromise the treatment of patients with comprehensive medical conditions including diabetes, hypertension, renal issues, or cancer treatments.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Teeth loosen from the inflammation processes of periodontal disease regardless of if the gums become bleedy and painful or not. This increases systemic inflammatory markers which, if left untreated, can complicate otherwise healthy pregnancies, diabetic treatment, cardiac surgery, and can be linked to other conditions such as Alzheimers Disease and Pancreatic Cancer. This can be prevented and managed with appropriate dental cleanings, antimicrobial strategies, and effective home care products and practices.

FACIAL TRAUMA

Sports injuries, such as concussions are examples of facial trauma injuries. Some studies show that custom fitted mouth guards can reduce concussions by significant percentages. Other sports injuries, such as tooth breakage and tooth loss can be prevented by the appropriate use of mouth guards, of course. Abuse and accidents are also causes for facial injuries so we are trained in domestic violence as well.

PREVENTATIVE SERVICES
We offer exams with digital x-rays, periodontal exams, oral cancer screenings, caries (cavities) risk assessments, cleanings, night guards, mouth guards, sealants, and fluoride treatments. These services are available to adults as well as children. We also offer free consultations with our general dentists.

Dental Prevention Essentials

In addition to brushing and flossing every day, as well as visiting the dentist regularly, we also recommend the following:

Clinpro Toothpaste - Creating Smiles Dental - Clearwater & St. Petersburg FL

Clinpro Toothpaste

This prescription-strength 5000ppm fluoride toothpaste aids in caries prevention, helps strengthen enamel, and helps reverse white spot lesions.

  • Strengthens teeth better than leading brands.
  • Remineralizes lesions throughout—not just on the surface.
  • Delivers more fluoride to the tooth than other leading brands tested.
  • Contains 1.1.% NaF (5000 ppm fluoride ion).
  • Contains tri-calcium phosphate ingredient (TCP), so Clinpro 5000toothpaste releases a high level of fluoride plus calcium andphosphate—components found naturally in saliva.
  • Gentle cleaning, gentle whitening.
  • Low abrasion.
  • Replaces conventional toothpaste regimen.
  • Available in a convenient 4 oz flip-top tube (approx. 6-month patient supply).
  • Prescription-only.

(Information from 3M ESPE website)

Fluoride Varnish

A proprietary formula that contains fluoride, calcium, and phosphate–components naturally found in saliva–Vanish™ 5% Sodium Fluoride White Varnish with TCP delivers targeted and sustained fluoride and calcium release.

  • The #1-selling fluoride varnish in the U.S.
  • Contains TCP, an exclusive calcium and phosphate ingredient.
  • Contains 22,600 ppm fluoride.
  • Flows better and reaches areas traditional varnishes may miss.
  • Covers more tooth surfaces.
  • Easy to apply in seconds.
  • Relieves hypersensitivity.

(Information from 3M ESPE Website)

Fluoride Varnish - Creating Smiles Dental - Clearwater & St. Petersburg FL
Evora Probiotic - Creating Smiles Dental - Clearwater & St. Petersburg FL

Evora Probiotic

EvoraPro is different than anything in your arsenal. This dissolvable tablet supports gum and tooth health while naturally whitening teeth and fighting bacteria that cause bad breath.

  • Once EvoraPro is dissolved in the oral cavity, a natural blend of beneficial bacteria binds to teeth and flourishes below the gingival margin
  • EvoraPro helps to crowd out undesirable bacteria and helps maintain a healthy, natural balance of beneficial oral flora in the mouth
  • EvoraPro is the first professional-strength oral probiotic that promotes whiter teeth, fresher breath and overall oral health

How does EvoraPro fit into patients’ oral care routine?

EvoraPro is best started when a patient has just completed a
professional prophylaxis.

  • A professional prophylaxis removes both beneficial and undesirable bacteria
  • Allowed to dissolve on the tongue after the patient’s oral hygiene routine, EvoraPro begins to repopulate the mouth with a healthy balance of essential probiotic bacteria
  • Because EvoraPro only contains bacteria naturally found in the oral cavity, it is ideal for most patients*

*Immunocompromised patients should not use EvoraPro without consulting their physician.

Order here and receive 10% off your first order with code PROBIORA10.  www.probiorahealth.com

See An In Depth View of Oral Probiotics.

(Information from Oragenics website)

PerioSciences

Antioxidant Oral Care Systems

PerioSciences complete oral care systems redefine oral care. The family of AO Pro products utilize novel combinations of specific antioxidants for any oral care concern. Each system contains a specific formula of toothpaste and mouth rinse for the concern as well as AO ProVantage Gel. Click here to order with free shipping!

Visit the Perio Sciences website for more information at

https://www.periosciences.com/

(Information from the Perio Sciences Website)

PerioSciences - Creating Smiles Dental - Clearwater & St. Petersburg FL
Xylitol - Creating Smiles Dental - Clearwater & St. Petersburg FL

Xylitol

We do not carry xylitol products at this point but have literature and information for you. Xylitol is not a name brand, but is an actual naturally occurring sugar substitute. Xylitol is clinically proven to be a natural enemy of bacteria. Xylitol is often referred to as wood or birch sugar because it was typically manufactured from birch trees. However, today xylitol is mainly extracted from corncobs. This is more practical considering the vast amount of xylitol that is being produced and consumed. Other natural sources of xylitol include plums, strawberries and raspberries.

Pure xylitol looks like sugar because it has a white crystaline appearance and it even tastes like sugar. However, it has 40 percent less calories than sugar. Only one third of the absorbed xylitol gets metabolized in the body.

  • Bacteria in the presence of xylitol cannot make biofilm that can become plaque
  • For dry mouth say Xylitol is moisturizing, hydrating, and soothing
  • Xylitol is a natural 5-carb sugar that bacteria cannot metabolize: this interferes with bacteria’s ability to produce toxins.
  • Xylitol is produced in our body 5-10 grams daily as part of digestive process
  • Xylitol occurs naturally in berries, dark green vegetables
  • Xylitol encourages or promotes oral health
  • More exposures daily to xylitol (especially for infants and toddlers) deprive the bacteria of their food source, which will weaken the bacteria making it harder for them to colonize

Please call our office at (727) 220-5402 to find out more information about Preventive Dentistry and how it can help you have healthy teeth and gums!

Meet Some Of Our Amazing Patients

Creating Smiles Dental always appreciates feedback from our valued patients. Listen to some of our testimonials below!

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Our Dental Office Locations

Serving the communities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida, we have two conveniently located offices! Contact us to make your appointment at either of our two locations.

Clearwater Office

1831 N Belcher Rd, Suite F-3, Clearwater, FL 33765

St. Petersburg Office

3388 49th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710

Teledentistry Now Available

Your Dental Experience Just Got Even Better!
Real Patient Reviews

Dr Brayer and her staff are the best in the Bay. Scratch that, Best in the world, seriously too! Most gentle hands, like a magician. Fillings, crowns, the whole nine yards, they are perfect! If you’re looking for a Dentist, google one. If you’re looking for a family to be there for you, ones with compassion, empathy and professionalism, Creating Smiles in Clearwater is who you’re looking for. Call Dana and she’ll welcome you warmly. Stella and Jess are the best there too. Sorry to sound like a Love Fest review, but that’s how you feel when you’re with them. 10 Thumbs up and 5 Stars for Creating Smiles!

- James Rietz

Very attentive toward my needs. Always makes you feel comfortable. Dr. Brayer has amazing staff with her office.

Linda C.

I just left the office with a new crown placement. I am delighted. The staff and Dr. Phane are wonderful to work with.

Jean W.

This place and these people deserve a rating that is off the charts. 5 stars does not do them justice.

Morgan S.

The hygienist was personable, worked on my teeth with care, and Dr. Brayer was very thorough.

Tabitha P.

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