Chesapeake, VA Cosmetic Dentist, Family and Preventive Dentists

Dental Health

Why Good Dental Health is Important
 Innumerable studies and research have concluded on the importance of starting children early in their lives with good dental hygiene and oral care. According to research, the most common chronic childhood disease in America is tooth decay, affecting 50 percent of first-graders and 80 percent of 17-year-olds. Early treatment prevents problems affecting a child’s health, well-being, self-image and overall achievement.

The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research estimates that children will miss 52 million hours of school each year due to oral health problems and about 12.5 million days of restricted activity every year from dental symptoms. Because there is such a significant loss in their academic performance, the Surgeon General has made children’s oral health a priority.

Parents are responsible for ensuring their children practice good dental hygiene. Parents must introduce proper oral care early in a child's life—as early as infancy. The American Dental Hygiene Association states that a good oral hygiene routine for children includes:

  • Thoroughly cleaning your infant’s gums after each feeding with a water-soaked infant cloth. This stimulates the gum tissue and removes food.
  • Gently brushing your baby’s erupted teeth with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush and using a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste.
  • Teaching your child at age 2 or 3 about proper brushing techniques and later teaching them brushing and gentle flossing until 7 or 8 years old.
  • Regular visits with their dentist to check for cavities in the primary teeth and for possible developmental problems.
  • Encouraging your child to discuss any fears they may have about oral health visits, but not mentioning words like “pain” or “hurt,” since this may instill the possibility of pain in the child’s thought process.
  • Determining if the water supply that serves your home is fluoridated; if not, discussing supplement options with your dentist or hygienist.
  • Asking your hygienist or dentist about sealant applications to protect your child’s teeth-chewing surfaces and about bottle tooth decay, which occurs when teeth are frequently exposed to sugared liquids.

VELscope

Our practice has purchased a state-of-the-art device called the VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System. Along with our conventional oral screening exam, which includes looking inside your mouth for any lesions that might be visible to the naked eye and feeling your neck for any suspicious bumps, we can use the VELscope to literally see beneath the surface to detect potentially dangerous growths we might have otherwise missed.
The VELscope examination is painless and non-invasive. The system features a revolutionary hand-piece, which will be used to safely emit blue light into the mouth. Generally normal, healthy tissue has a bright apple-green glow, while unhealthy tissue appears dark.

In the United States:

  • One person dies of oral cancer every hour, everyday
  • Only 35% of oral cancer is diagnosed early. Early diagnosis increases the survival rate from 52% to 80 - 90%.
  • 25% of new oral cancer patients do not fit the profile of 'high risk'.


If caught early, oral cancer is one of the most curable diseases. An examination using the VELscope machine is comfortable and only takes about two minutes. Best of all it is the most accurate methods for detecting cancer early.

Don't become a statistic-talk to us and include a VELscope oral cancer examination at your next appointment.