Our team at Livonia Dental wants to be your trusted partner in achieving optimal oral health and a radiant smile. We understand that maintaining a healthy smile is essential for your overall well-being. We also offer comprehensive dental services to address all aspects of your oral health. Our range of general dental services meets all your needs.
From preventive care to emergency treatments, Dr. Wassim El-Awadi and our experienced team are here to provide compassionate and personalized dental care for you and your entire family.
General Dentistry Services in Livonia, MI
General dentistry includes a wide range of dental services that focus on maintaining and promoting oral health. Through routine exams and treatment, the goal is to prevent and address common dental issues, such as tooth decay, gum disease, and cavities.
Preventative treatments include routine dental cleanings, exams, and education on proper oral hygiene practices. With general dentistry, we can diagnose oral health conditions or provide treatments to promote overall wellness. Essentially, general dentistry serves as the foundation for a healthy and beautiful smile.
Emergency Dentistry
Dental emergencies can happen when you least expect them, causing pain and discomfort. Our practice offers prompt and efficient emergency dental care to address issues such as toothaches, broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, and severe oral infections.
Sedation Dentistry
For patients who experience anxiety or fear about dental procedures, sedation dentistry provides a safe and comfortable solution. We offer various sedation options to help you relax and feel at ease during your dental visit.
Tooth Extraction
In cases of severe decay, trauma, or overcrowding, tooth extraction may be necessary to preserve oral health. Our skilled dentist, Dr. El-Awadi, can perform gentle and efficient tooth extractions to alleviate pain and prevent further complications.
Root Canal Therapy
When the inner tissues of a tooth become infected or inflamed, root canal therapy can save the tooth from extraction. Our team utilizes advanced techniques to perform root canal treatments with minimal discomfort and optimal results.
Custom Mouthguards
Whether you’re an athlete needing protection during sports activities or someone who struggles with teeth grinding (bruxism), custom mouthguards offer superior comfort and protection. We create personalized mouthguards tailored to your unique needs.
Family Dentistry
At Livonia Dental, we welcome patients of all ages, from children to seniors. Our family dentistry services encompass preventive care, routine check-ups, pediatric dentistry, and treatments tailored to each family member’s oral health needs.
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The Importance of Preventative Care
Preventative dental care is the foundation for a stable, healthy smile. While visiting our office for regular dental care is important, it’s equally important to take care of your smile when you’re at home, too. Both areas have to be covered to ensure a healthy smile.
Your daily brushing and flossing routine is what prevents plaque and tartar from building up on your smile. Brushing at least twice daily and flossing at least once daily helps remove food particles and bacteria that accumulate on your teeth. Plaque and tartar are the leading causes of cavities and gum disease. The longer you go without brushing and flossing, the more buildup on your teeth.
When you’re taking care of your smile regularly, you’re less likely to experience more severe dental problems in the future. This saves you a lot of money and time spent in the dental chair. It only takes a few minutes each day and regular visits to our office to prevent the need for more serious procedures.
Brushing and flossing at home aren’t enough, though. When you visit our office, we provide a thorough dental cleaning. Using specialized tools, we access the nooks and crannies that may be difficult to reach with your standard floss and toothbrush. Without regular dental cleanings, you can diligently brush and floss at home, but still be at high risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease.
We also perform a comprehensive dental exam at these appointments. Our staff is familiar with the early warning signs of many conditions that you may not be aware of on your own. Diagnostic tools like X-rays enable us to see things that the human eye cannot, allowing us to catch issues like tooth decay early, before they become a severe problem for your smile. Catching things early means less invasive and more affordable treatment options.
Diet and Oral Health
Your diet plays a big part in the health of your smile. Some foods are great for your smile, while an overabundance of others can cause serious oral health problems.
Good Foods for Your Smile
Calcium and Vitamin D are two of the most important nutrients for your smile. Calcium strengthens tooth enamel, the protective layer on the outside of your teeth, while Vitamin D helps your body absorb the calcium better. Fortified dairy products and leafy greens can provide calcium, while the easiest way to get Vitamin D is through sunlight exposure.
While calcium is good for the hard surfaces of your smile, Vitamin C helps the soft and connective tissues. It strengthens them, providing a stable support system for your teeth and keeping them in place. It also reduces inflammation, thereby lowering your likelihood of developing gum disease. You can find this in things like citrus fruits and broccoli.
Saliva is crucial to your smile. It helps wash away bacteria and food debris from your teeth. Fresh, fibrous fruits and vegetables take a lot of chewing to break down, making them ideal for saliva production. They also get between your teeth to dislodge particles of food. Drinking a lot of water also helps with saliva production. It helps wash away debris and neutralize acids in your mouth.
Foods You Should Avoid
Sugar and acid are the two most harmful things for your smile. Sugar is the ideal food for bacteria. When they feed on it, they emit an acidic byproduct that eats through the enamel on your teeth. It burrows through the protective outer layers, reaching deeper and deeper inside the tooth.
The more sugar you eat, the more the bacteria will consume and the more acid they’ll emit. If you’re constantly snacking throughout the day, it exposes your teeth to acid consistently. Eating or drinking acidic things like soda increases the acid exposure and the rate at which the teeth wear down. Things that are both sugary and acidic are the worst things for your smile.
When you eat things like chewy, sour candy, it gets stuck on the teeth, lingering there. The citric acid mixed with the sugar is a bad mix for your teeth. Hard candy lingers in your mouth for a long time, meaning the bacteria stick around longer.
You may think salty snacks like chips or pretzels are safe, but starches break down into sugars. Pieces can get stuck between your teeth or lie between the peaks of your molars, lingering on the surface.