General Dentistry
We cater to every member of your family, with flexible scheduling. At Westside Dental Group, your dentist will discuss your smile goals with you in order to recommend the interventions that can help you achieve those goals.
General Dentistry Including Cleanings, Fillings, Extractions and Dentures
A beautiful, healthy smile begins with good general dental care of routine exams and professional cleanings. Restorations, including fillings, crowns and dentures also fall under the umbrella of general dentistry, as do tooth extractions. Our practice provides all of these services, which limits the number of referrals that you may need to outside specialists. One-stop dental care can save you both time and money.
Dental exams and cleanings at regular intervals help you to maintain a healthy smile
Any problems can be diagnosed at early stages when you’re seeing the dentist on a recommended schedule, and they can be treated much more easily.
Such routine care also gives you a valuable opportunity to develop a relationship with your dentist so that you feel comfortable asking any questions about your oral health that you may have. It can be helpful to have an existing relationship with a dentist should you experience some sort of dental emergency.
If does develop or if you suffer an injury to the tooth, you will likely need a restoration. Small cavities can be addressed with fillings, while more extensive damage may require a crown. In some cases, a severely damaged tooth may not be able to be saved and an extraction may become necessary. Your dentist can also work on a treatment plan to replace the missing tooth in such cases, if that type of care is desired.
General dentistry also includes the design and fitting of dentures for patients who have lost an entire arch of teeth or are edentulous (toothless).Our team at Westide Dental Group can educate you on the many options available for restoring smiles.
We often hear the following questions about our general dentistry services:
New Orleans Dentists
Dr. Michael Rouhana
DDS
Dr. Rouhana is experienced in the fields of root canals, crowns (caps), bridges, restoration of dental implants, dentures and partials, and full mouth makeovers. He was voted the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Top Dentist by his peers in New Orleans Magazine. Read More
At Westside Dental Group, Drs. Michael Rouhana, Allan Querens and Nina Jayakrishnan have dedicated their careers to providing you with the very best that dentistry has to offer in a gentle, professional manner.
Our practice has been in the same location in New Orleans, Louisiana for over 20 years, and we keep entire families as patients through many generations!
Common Questions On General Dentistry
Most frequent questions and answers
To keep your smile as healthy as possible, we recommend that patients schedule routine appointments at least twice a year. These sessions consist of professional dental cleanings and exams. The cleanings help to clear away any accumulated plaque and tartar that remain in your mouth even after your daily brushing and flossing routine. This helps to keep your smile as clean as possible.
Your dentist will also thoroughly examine your teeth and gums, looking for signs of various oral diseases. In general, issues like gum disease and tooth decay can be treated much more easily when they are caught early. So, if you delay your routine dental visits, you may wind up needing more invasive interventions for more advanced conditions. Other preventive care, such as fluoride treatments, may also be provided at these appointments. Patients who tend to accumulate plaque buildup and tartar more quickly may want to consider getting professional cleanings at more frequent intervals.
Some patients think that because they brush twice a day and floss daily, they don’t need any teeth cleanings beyond that. However, plaque and tartar can still build up in your mouth, especially in areas that it’s hard for you to clean thoroughly with a toothbrush on your own. A dental hygienist can reach these spaces and clean them more easily, so professional cleanings are a good supplement to your regular oral hygiene regimen.
Cavities can ultimately lead to tooth loss that devastates your smile, so it’s understandable that patients want to prevent them from developing in the first place. You can take certain steps to prevent cavities, beginning with good oral hygiene habits at home. When you brush twice a day, using proper technique, and floss daily, you’re working to reduce the amount of cavity-causing bacteria found in your mouth. Limiting the amount of sugar you consume also helps to reduce your risk of cavities, as sugar provides a nutritional source for those oral bacteria. Professional dental cleanings are also an important cavity-fighting tool because the hygienist removes any plaque and tartar that you can’t quite reach at home.
A toothache can be a sign of a serious problem, so if you’re experiencing this symptom, we strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment at our office to be evaluated. We have enough schedule flexibility to accommodate such emergency appointments. If you start to suffer from a toothache outside of our business hours, you may be able to manage the discomfort with over-the-counter painkillers until we are able to see you and recommend a treatment to eliminate the toothache.
The main categories of dentures are partials and complete dentures. The former replace a small number of teeth, while the latter restore an entire arch or smile. Dentures can be made of different materials for maximum patient comfort, and some models can be placed immediately after any remaining teeth are extracted. Many aspects influence denture design and fitting. Your dentist will discuss the various denture options with you and make recommendations about the appliance that is most suitable in your case.
Have you gotten out of the habit of seeing your dentist every six months? Contact our friendly team at Westside Dental Group to schedule an exam and cleaning and get back on track.