Comprehensive Dental Service
At Foothill Dental Care, we pride ourselves on being a caring and family friendly team of dental professionals committed to providing a comfortable and reliable dental experience for you and your loved ones. We are here to not only help our Livermore clients, but each and every one of their family members as well, including children and other little ones! You will be pleased to know that our Livermore office is incredibly child friendly. In fact, Dr. Buchanan and Associates and their team’s goal is to provide the best dental care possible for you and your family in a compassionate, comfortable, and caring environment. At Foothill Dental Care, we want to help you and your little one’s maintain oral hygiene in a way that will keep their confidence high with a truly beautiful smile and keep their teeth and mouths healthy for a lifetime.
When should my child see a dentist?
“First visit by the first birthday” is the best way to remember when to bring your little one in. At Foothill Dental Care, we recommend your little one should visit Dr. Buchanan when the first tooth comes in. When is that, you ask? This usually occurs between six and twelve months of age. An early examination at Foothill Dental Care and preventive care with Dr. Buchanan will protect and beautify your little one’s smile, insuring it for years and years to come, all in a comfortable and relaxing environment that is sure to bring your little one back in for regular visits! We are here to help encourage healthy oral hygiene habits at any age. We want to make sure your child grows up with a glowing, beautiful smile that will last a lifetime!
Preventing Dental Decay
At Foothill Dental Care, agree with other leading dental professionals that fluoride has been a great benefit to patients of all ages in helping prevent dental decay. In addition, regular brushing and flossing (brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day) lowers the chance of developing those nasty, no good “cavities.” At Foothill Dental Care, you will find that our experience in the dental field means that we know that the most decay-prone areas of teeth are the grooves and depressions on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Dr. Buchanan can successfully examine these areas, which in most circumstances, require further preventive care that we can help you with moving forward. This way you can achieve the healthy and beautiful smile you have always dreamed of.
Dr. Buchanan is skilled in knowing that in order to prevent decay, a plastic-like coating, otherwise known as a sealant, should be painted on the chewing surfaces of all the back teeth. Many meticulous studies have shown that sealants can reduce tooth decay by as much as 90% to 100% in the Livermore area and nationwide! At Foothill Dental Care, Dr. Buchanan can place sealants as soon as the first adult back teeth come in, normally at or around ages 6 or 7. In fact, all back teeth that may possible need to be sealed are present by age 13. The best part? Sealant application at Foothill Dental Care is a simple, fast, and painless experience performed in a comfortable environment. If you or someone you or your little one needs a sealant, come visit your Livermore dentist in order to prevent future dental decay!
Plaque Build Up
Upon your visit to Foothill Dental Care, one of the easiest problems to spot is a build-up of plaque. Plaque is the soft, sticky layer of bacteria, which is almost always constantly forming on the teeth. In most normal cases, it is invisible to the naked eye. However, when a person is not brushing their teeth adequately and keeping up with proper oral hygiene (brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day), it can build up to where it appears to be a thick whitish coating on the teeth at the gum line. Plaque buildup can be extremely serious because if it is not removed by a professional such as Dr. Buchanan, it can lead to gum disease. Gum disease can often trigger other diseases within the body that can be extremely harmful to your health. The good news is that at Foothill Dental Care, you can get your professional regular cleaning to help prevent gum disease. Dr. Buchanan also recommends flossing and brushing twice daily in order to maintain a healthy set of teeth for you to enjoy your entire life.
When Teeth are Lost
Another potential problem which is easy for Dr. Buchanan to spot is missing teeth. Many patients at Foothill Dental Care assume that if they are still able to eat, they are just fine. Unfortunately, very often, losing just one tooth can lead to much bigger problems such as the loss of support. This means that because of the gap from the missing tooth, you will find that your teeth will begin to drift into the empty space or spaces, causing a change in the bite. In most cases we find here at our Livermore office, when even just one tooth is lost, the remaining teeth suffer and are more likely to be lost as well. To keep all of your teeth healthy you will need to fill these gaps with porcelain crowns or bridges. See our Cosmetic Dentistry page for more information on cosmetic dentistry options.