At Crestwood Dental Group in St. Louis, MO, keeping your smile healthy through regular preventive care is at the heart of our practice. Making some time to visit our office twice per year for routine cleanings and exams is the best way to stay out of the dental chair for complex restorative treatments. We provide a variety of preventive dental services to maintain healthy smiles for your whole family.
Taking care of your teeth and gums at home with daily brushing and flossing is one of the most important things you can do for your oral health, but it is easy to miss some spots or get to hard-to-reach areas in your mouth. That’s where professional dental cleanings come in. During a professional dental cleaning, we remove any bacteria, plaque, and tartar that have developed, which is vital to preventing decay and disease.
By taking a detailed look at your teeth and gums at your routine dental visits, we can detect any potential issues when they are in their early stages. Your check-up may include one or more of the following, depending on your oral health needs:
Deep cleaning teeth and gums is sometimes necessary if gum disease has developed. During a deep cleaning, our highly trained hygienists use a laser to gently sterilize pockets that have formed in your gums and eliminate the bacteria contributing to the disease. This helps “reset” your teeth and gums to a healthier state before further treatment or home maintenance.
The best way to prevent complex dental treatments is to go for regular dental visits. Routine hygiene cleanings and checkups will ensure that your teeth and gums are in good health while alerting your dentist to problems early. Book your twice-a-year dental appointments without fail.
Although you are quite strict with your oral regimen, you may still miss some hard-to-reach spots. However, professional dental cleanings can remove plaque and tartar that have developed in the mouth and any bacteria. This is vital to preventing decay and disease.
It may include a visual inspection of teeth and gums, X-rays to see the structures that aren’t visible to the naked eye, and oral cancer screening.
Tooth decay (cavities), periodontal or gum disease, gum recession, tooth sensitivity, the abnormal wearing of teeth, tooth loss, other oral health conditions, as well as more serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes may be controlled by preventive dentistry.
Sores on lips or mouth that won’t heal, growths in the mouth, white and/or red patches in the mouth or on lips, bleeding from the mouth, loose teeth, sore throat, lumps in the neck, swallowing difficulties, numbness in the lower lip, face, neck, or chin, pain in the tongue, pain or stiffness in the jaws, and persistent earache may be symptoms of oral cancer.
Dr. James Maxwell graduated from Allegheny College with a B.S. Degree in Biology in 1995, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine with a Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree in 2000. He stays abreast of developments in dentistry by following over 100 hours of continuing education courses each year, ex. Advanced Laser Dentistry courses and training at The Dawson Academy. He became the sole practitioner of Crestwood Dental Group in 2003.
Dr. Maxwell focuses on cosmetic, restorative, and preventative dentistry though he is skilled in all areas of general dentistry. A member of many professional organizations such as the American Dental Association, Missouri Dental Association, and the Greater St. Louis Dental Society, he has been nominated as a top dentist in St. Louis for five consecutive years by his peers. The list appears in St. Louis Magazine.
We love our visits to Crestwood Dental! Our 6 and 4 year old love getting their cleaning done. Everyone is absolutely amazing!
Everyone at the office is so nice, especially Ricki! Dr. Maxwell is so kind and caring. I definitely recommend Crestwood Dental!
Dr. Maxwell and his staff are great. They are always friendly and attentive. I highly recommend the office.
