At Dupont Dental, we help patients maintain healthy mouths with preventative dental care. Regular dental visits allow our team to thoroughly examine your mouth. After an exam, our dental hygienist can provide a dental cleaning and oral health review.
If he finds issues, Dr. Christopher Banks will only recommend the most relevant treatments and procedures. You can stop future dental problems by visiting our Northwest dental office.
We provide the preventive dental care you need to keep a healthy mouth and happy smile. Our general dental treatments prevent gum disease, tooth decay, and dental emergencies. Dr. Banks provides general dental services in Washington, DC, to maintain your best oral health for years.
General Dentistry Services in Washington, DC
Receiving routine, preventative, or general dental care keeps your teeth and gums healthy. Our general dental treatments include exams and cleanings, custom mouthguards, dental fillings, root canal treatments, and more. Continue reading to learn about them and other dental treatments that Dr. Banks can offer.
Dental Cleanings & Exams
Routine dental cleanings at least twice a year are crucial for oral health. An oral cleaning will keep your mouth fresh and free of harmful bacteria. You can try to remove plaque and tartar at home, but nothing beats professional teeth cleaning.
Dr. Christopher Banks is a general dentist who also provides dental exams and second opinions. Our dental exams include reviewing your masticatory system and visual screening for oral cancer.
Custom Mouthguard
If you play sports, you need to wear a sports mouthguard. Contact sports pose a great risk to your teeth, soft gums, and mouth. Every blow to the face can cause damage, like cracks and chips on your tooth enamel. However, you can avoid all potential issues with a custom mouthguard.
Our custom mouthguards prevent dental injuries or damage to braces and other orthodontic appliances during contact sports. We custom-mold them from the shape of your mouth so they fit as comfortably as possible.
Emergency Dentistry
For dental emergencies, call our office immediately at (202) 946-4720. We will do everything possible to see you on the same day you call. Common dental emergencies we address in our office include tooth decay, lost teeth, and broken dental restorations. Receiving emergency care promptly can prevent the need for more complex dental problems and complicated maintenance.
Laser Dentistry
We use soft-tissue diode dental lasers to cut and contour excess gum tissue. Lasers are modern dental tools that use light and heat to target tissue with minimal bleeding. Best of all, laser dentistry procedures are painless! Contact us if you have a gummy smile, gum disease, bleeding gums, and gum pain.
Tooth Extraction
During tooth extraction, we remove severely decayed teeth, overcrowded teeth, and impacted wisdom teeth. We ensure that patients are comfortable throughout the extraction process. Dental extractions also help relieve pain from dental problems like infection or overcrowding. However, we will only recommend a tooth extraction if necessary.
Root Canal Procedures and Dental Fillings
Root canal treatments and dental fillings are routine procedures that help patients address tooth decay. A root canal procedure removes a dental infection from a badly damaged tooth. During treatment, we remove the diseased pulp, cells, blood vessels, and tissue.
Then, Dr. Banks cleans the inside of the tooth and places a dental filling to seal the tooth. Dr. Banks may also place a dental crown to protect the tooth from decay or if he had to remove a lot of enamel.
Instead of traditional silver fillings, we treat cavities with composite resin, or white fillings. Composite resin fillings blend in with the color of your natural teeth and strengthen teeth. Ultimately, root canal procedures and dental fillings prevent tooth loss and preserve the tooth’s structure.
Why is Preventative Dental Care Important?
Preventative dental care encompasses maintaining good oral hygiene at home and regular visits to our office. Without both components, it’s hard to maintain your oral health properly. Preventative care is the foundation for a healthy, beautiful smile.
Taking care of your mouth daily is crucial for oral health. Brush your teeth at least twice daily and floss at least once daily. This removes bacteria and food debris, preventing plaque and tartar buildup. Fluoride toothpaste strengthens your tooth enamel, and mouthwash can kill excess bacteria.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can avoid regular dental visits. There are certain areas in your mouth a toothbrush may not be able to reach adequately. Our specialized dental tools allow us to completely clean your teeth, reaching all the little nooks and crannies. If you only brush your teeth at home, plaque and tartar accumulate in these hard-to-reach places. Even though you’re brushing diligently, you’re still at high risk for tooth decay and gum disease.
It isn’t only cleanings that make dental visits important. Certain conditions like gum disease and oral cancer have early warning signs that are easily missed. Many adults have the early stages of gum disease and don’t even know it. We have training so that we know exactly what to look for. Our office is also equipped with modern technology, allowing us to see developing problems that aren’t visible to the naked eye yet.
Preventative care helps you avoid costly, intensive dental procedures in the future. It’s always easier to prevent problems than treat them later. Poor oral health is also related to various systemic health problems. If you aren’t taking care of your oral health, it doesn’t only impact your mouth. It can have repercussions throughout the body.
Diet and Oral Health
Your diet plays a big part in how healthy your mouth is. Some nutrients are essential for healthy teeth and gums. Too many certain foods can make you more likely to develop other conditions.
Nutrients You Need
Calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin D are some of the most important things for your smile. Calcium keeps your enamel strong, while phosphorus remineralizes the enamel. Vitamin D is essential because it helps your body absorb the other nutrients better, ensuring your smile gets all you need. Dairy products provide calcium, many of which are fortified with Vitamin D. The primary source of Vitamin D is sunlight. Phosphorus is also found in dairy and many protein-rich foods.
For your gums, Vitamin C and antioxidants are especially important. Vitamin C helps strengthen your gum tissue, being involved in generating collagen. It’s also essential for fighting off bacterial infections that can cause gum disease. Antioxidants reduce inflammation, another gum disease symptom. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, strawberries, and bell peppers, while broccoli, carrots, and potatoes are all antioxidants.
Fresh, fibrous fruits and vegetables act like natural toothbrushes when you eat them. As you chew, they get between your teeth and dislodge any food stuck there. Since they require so much chewing to break down, they also increase saliva production. Saliva is essential because it neutralizes acids in your mouth and washes away bacteria and food debris. This is why drinking enough water throughout the day is helpful, too.
Things to Avoid
Sugars and acids are the two worst things for your smile. Sugar is the favorite food for harmful oral bacteria to feed on. The more they get to consume, the more they release an acidic byproduct that wears away your enamel. And sugar doesn’t just come from sweet snacks. Carbohydrates and starches break down into sugars, too. Snacks like pretzels and potato chips will still encourage harmful bacteria. If you snack throughout the day, your teeth are constantly bathed in acid.
Frequently eating acidic foods like soda, tomatoes, and vinegar products isn’t good for your teeth, either. It increases the amount of acid they’re exposed to. And unlike other foods, brushing them right after acidic foods isn’t good for your teeth. Wait at least 3o minutes, or it can cause extra harm to your teeth. Always drink water right after eating sugary or acidic foods to minimize the damage as much as possible.
General Dentistry FAQs
Learn more about general dental treatments with answers to commonly asked questions.
Do dental lasers hurt?
Patients feel little to no pain during treatment that uses dental lasers. Because of this, we often do not need to use local anesthetic. Patients will feel sensations as we use the lasers, but the lasers are not painful.
How do I know if I have a dental emergency?
You are experiencing a dental emergency if you notice sudden severe symptoms, like tooth pain, that won’t go away. Some emergencies are obvious, like a knocked-out tooth, bleeding gums, and a dental abscess. Call our office if a problem is not manageable at home or if you can’t wait until a scheduled appointment. We also recommend that patients contact a hospital if they have sustained physical injuries and require medical care.
Are sports mouthguards required for children?
Yes, we recommend sports mouthguards for all athletes, regardless of age. A custom-made professional mouthguard protects teeth, gums, and orthodontic appliances like braces. Contact sports like hockey, lacrosse, and soccer, where there is contact between players, require mouthguards.
Contact Our Dental Office
Has it been a while since your last dental visit? Call Dupont Dental for general, preventative dental treatment today at (202) 946-4720. You may also request a dental appointment with Dr. Banks online. Visiting the dentist regularly can keep your smile healthy and prevent future dental problems and complications.