Family Dentistry An Overview
The Silver Spring dental office of Dr. Alan Dechter and Dr. Matthew Moy offers local families the convenience of comprehensive dental care and services for children and adults under one roof. Family dentistry enables all members to be seen in one location, usually on the same day.
We can work with you to coordinate appointment times in succession so that everyone can visit on the same day! Our dentist office also has evening and Saturday dental appointments to accommodate busy work-week schedules. Your time and convenience are very important to us. We strive to provide excellent dental services in a timely manner so you can get back to your life.
Benefits of Early Dental Visits
We recommend that parents and caregivers bring children in for their first dental appointment soon after the primary teeth begin erupting, or by the age of one year.
Early visits with our family dentist in Silver Spring serve several important purposes for the long-term oral health of your child:
Reduces anxiety at the dentist: Starting with dental care as a young child often minimizes anxious feelings and helps to foster a healthy doctor-patient relationship along the way. This helps curb and avoid developing dental anxiety and fear of the dentist in young patients.
Monitoring oral development: Early visits provide us the opportunity to monitor your child’s oral development and alert you to any concerns that could impact their speech, health, or appearance of their smile.
Teaching good oral habits: When your child visits we offer age-appropriate oral hygiene tips and demonstrate proper tooth brushing. We want pediatric patients to learn how to care for their smiles and to develop an appreciation for the benefits of good oral health.
Age-Specific Dental Care
Children aren’t the only ones that have specialized oral health needs. Certain ages are more likely to experience certain oral health problems. In the late teens and early twenties, wisdom teeth start to erupt. Many of our mouths don’t have space for these to come in and wisdom teeth removal is often recommended. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain and shift your teeth, causing crowding.
At this age, many people want to focus on getting a straighter smile as well. Clear braces are the choice for many in this age group. It’s subtle, so many people aren’t able to tell that you’re currently straightening your teeth.
As we age, our lifestyle habits and extra years start to take their toll. Our tooth enamel thins, showing more of the yellow dentin inside. If you’re a regular smoker or coffee drinker, years of staining are going to discolor your teeth as well. Solutions like professional teeth whitening or porcelain veneers can take years off of your smile.
Seniors are more likely than other age groups to suffer from tooth loss as well. Everyone’s situation is different, so we offer a variety of tooth replacement options. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized dental plan with dentures, a dental bridge, or dental implants to replace your missing teeth.