Preventive Dentistry

At Short Pump Family Dentistry, we recommend that most patients should visit the office every six months for their checkups and X-rays. For patients with more complicated treatment needs, they may need to visit our office more frequently to make sure their oral health stays on track.

Keeping to your regular visits to Short Pump Family Dentistry is a critical part of oral health both to keep your smile brilliant and prevent gum disease and tooth decay.

While daily flossing, brushing, and rinsing do keep dental plaque and disease at bay, a professional cleaning and checkup by a dental hygienist can help eliminate plaque and tartar buildup.

As an integral part of overall oral care, some patients may benefit from fluoride treatments. Fluoride makes teeth resistant to attacks from acid, plaque, sugars and bacteria that can form in the mouth and in this way it can help prevent tooth decay. It can even help re-mineralize teeth that may have had decay, preventing cavities from further developing.

At Short Pump Family Dentistry, Dr. Tse uses sealants to protect the crevices and depressions in your teeth from particles of plaque and food that brushing and flossing do not catch. Especially useful for our younger patients, Dr. Tse paints a transparent plastic coating that “seals” those crevices and grooves, becoming a barrier and protecting the tooth enamel from decay from plaque and acids. Sealants often take just a few minutes to apply for each tooth and can last for many years until any reapplication could be needed.

While your teeth are made from the strongest substance in your entire body, they are still subject to damage. Patients of all ages can suffer from a chipped tooth from time to time. Whether it was a front tooth that was injured on the playground or a back molar that was cracked during a business dinner, we are equipped to handle your family’s tooth damage. Short Pump Family Dentistry offers a variety of seamless repair solutions to restore the health, function and aesthetics of an injured or cracked tooth. Best of all, we’ll keep you informed and comfortable throughout your visit.

Just like other parts of your body, your teeth can demand urgent attention without prior notice. At Short Pump Family Dentistry, we never want patients to endure dental pain or a sudden tooth injury longer than they have to. That’s why we proudly offer emergency dentistry for all ages. With our full menu of dental services, we can address the aesthetics and health of your smile in the timely manner you deserve. Call us today if you are experiencing a severe toothache, an injured or avulsed tooth, a dental abscess or other urgent mouth-related problem. We promise to reduce your anxiety while getting your smile back to its best condition.

Gum disease, also known as periodontitis, is what happens when the gums and bone surrounding the teeth get infected by bacteria. Bacteria found in plaque can produce toxins which can cause them to swell, bleed or turn red. If this irritation continues, then the gums themselves can start to separate away from the teeth and spaces called pockets begin to form. If left untreated gum disease can lead to a deterioration of gum tissue and even the bone that holds your teeth. This can lead to loss of teeth if not addressed.

Short Pump Family Dentistry offers scaling and root planing to help control periodontal disease, which allows Dr. Tse and his hygienist the ability to clean deeply around the gum line and in between teeth to make sure they stay healthy and disease free.