Lakeside Dental Care

Standards of Care Policy

Based on current research the American Dental Association and U.S Food and Drug Administration have guidelines for dental x-rays. Our dentists chose to follow these guidelines for the best preventive measures that may be taken.

Dental X-rays

All new patients will received a full mouth set of dental x-rays to evaluate all the teeth and supporting bone.

All recall patients will receive cavity detecting x-rays based upon clinical evidence.  A patient, who is diagnosed moderate to high risk, will be noted in the patient’s dental record and x-rays will be taken every six months. A moderate to high risk patient includes a patient who has had dental decay within the last three years, head or neck radiation, dry mouth, periodontal disease and dietary factors.

Unfortunately, dental decay spreads rapidly and if left undiagnosed it can lead to a greater amount of tooth loss with greater decay and possibly pain. Every three to five years a full mouth series of x-rays will be updated based upon clinical evidence.  Our office uses state of the art digital x-rays with minimal exposure to radiation.

Our goal is to provide the best possible dental care which start with prevention.  Some insurance companies vary in their determination of how often they will pay for x-rays. We treat the patient from a clinical perspective not according to what the insurance will pay. 

Fluoride Treatment

Our office follows the recommendations of the American Dental Association and performs topical fluoride on all children until the age 18 every six months.

Based on clinical evidence two or more applications of fluoride varnish or fluoride foam per year are effective in preventing cavities in high risk patients.

Risk Factors:

Ø      High cavity causing bacteria, poor oral hygiene, prolonged nursing, poor family dental health, enamel defects, many multi surface restoration, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, eating disorders, irregular dental care, active orthodontic treatment, physical or mental disabilities.

The benefits of fluoride is to reduce the plaque load by killing more bacteria bugs, controls formation of cavities, reduces sensitivity, and helps relieve symptoms of dry mouth.

Most insurance companies follow the American Dental Association guidelines of fluoride two times per year until the age of 18, however, some insurance companies may vary with age limits and frequenci