General Dentistry
A healthy smile is essential for overall wellness, and your teeth and gums require regular maintenance to ensure they remain comfortable and disease-free.
We offer comprehensive general dentistry to our patients to help them enjoy optimal oral health and a smile that functions comfortably.
Preventive Dentistry
We strive to prevent dental conditions whenever possible. With regular dental exams, cleanings, and x-rays, we can often detect dental conditions in their earliest stages before they pose a severe risk to your smile.
- During a comprehensive dental exam, we evaluate the health of each tooth and look for signs of periodontal (gum) disease. If we find anything that requires treatment, we will let you know right away.
- Our dental cleanings help keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy, as well as give you a smooth, fresh smile. Our hygienist removes plaque and tartar from tooth surfaces and finishes with a polishing, so your teeth look and feel completely clean.
- Dental x-rays help us diagnose conditions that we cannot see with a visual exam alone. These include cavities, infections, bone loss, and certain types of cysts and tumors.
We typically recommend a dental exam and cleaning every six months unless you have a dental condition like gum disease that may require more frequent visits.
Frequently Asked Questions
You probably see the words general dentist on local signs and online, but may wonder what that means.
Just like your primary care physician, your general dentist is your main point of contact for your oral health. General dentists provide most non-specialty services that patients of all ages need to stay healthy.
This includes preventive dentistry such as:
- Dental exams
- Cleanings
- X-rays
- Fluoride treatments
- Dental sealants
- Mouthguards for sports
- Nightguards
General dentists also repair teeth that suffer from decay, fractures, or trauma. Restorative dentistry refers to:
- Fillings
- Bonding
- Dental crowns
Teeth replacement is a big part of general dentistry and is designed to keep your smile looking good and to make sure you can eat a healthy diet.
- Bridges
- Partial dentures
- Dentures
Since cosmetic dentistry is not a dental specialty, most general dentists are the ones who will be designing a beautiful smile and offering enhancements such as:
- Teeth whitening
- Cosmetic bonding
- Tooth-colored fillings and crowns
- Porcelain veneers
If you have a dental question, need help or advice, your general or family dentist will be able to make treatment recommendations for you. If you require a trip to a specialist, general dentists usually have specialists in their professional network that they know and trust.
Restorative Dentistry
Whether you require a dental filling, crown, or dental bonding, we can repair your teeth to protect them and extend comfortable function.
- Fillings — Fillings are used to repair a tooth after removing decay.
- Crowns — Crowns protect and stabilize a cracked or deeply decayed tooth.
- Bonding — Bonding fills in small chips and narrows gaps between teeth for cosmetic purposes or to prevent stains or decay.
When providing restorative dentistry, we make sure that the results are comfortable and long-lasting.
Tooth-Replacement Options
Saving your natural teeth is a priority for us, but sometimes it is necessary to remove a tooth to relieve painful symptoms, or when restoring it is not an option. However, having a gap in your smile is not ideal for your appearance or for chewing and speaking comfortably.
We offer the following tooth replacement options:
- Fixed dental bridges — replace a missing tooth by anchoring an artificial tooth in place using two healthy teeth
- Dental implants — replace a missing tooth by surgically implanting a replacement root and placing a dental crown
- Dentures — replace all teeth on the upper or lower arch with a removable prosthetic
- Partial dentures – replace one or more missing teeth by anchoring a prosthetic to your remaining natural teeth
A comprehensive dental exam allows us to recommend one of these options to restore your smile and ability to eat and speak comfortably again.
Contact Us to Schedule a Dental Appointment
Give us a call to schedule your next dental appointment. We look forward to welcoming you!
Our Team
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Dr. Lisa Symonds DDS
Lisa Symonds, DDS, is a dedicated dentist at Chinook Family Dentistry. She brings a lifelong passion for oral health and patient care to her work each day. Her journey in dentistry began early; she started working as a sterilization technician for her father in 1992 while still in high school.
During her undergraduate years, she continued to grow in the field by assisting him chairside, experiences that solidified her interest in pursuing a health profession and ultimately led her to dentistry.
Dr. Symonds earned her dental degree from the Northwestern University Dental ...
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