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Teeth Cleanings & Exams
Family Dentistry You Can Rely On

Family dental services help us catch minor oral health issues before they worsen.

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Teeth Cleanings & Exams

Our family dentist in Far North Dallas, TX offers preventive care and restorative dentistry to help patients of all ages enjoy optimal function and excellent oral health. We also customize our treatment plans to address your specific needs.

Since establishing healthy teeth and gums begins in childhood, it is essential that our younger patients receive routine teeth cleanings and general dentistry checkups, along with preventive services to help fight tooth decay and other oral conditions that affect daily life.

Your dentist will let you know at what age your child should have their first professional teeth cleaning. We can also provide tips for nutrition and effective brushing habits at home.

If you would like to establish individual or family dentistry near Plano, TX, or if you have questions for our dental team, give us a call at (972) 587-4020. Meanwhile, continue reading to learn more about preventive dentistry and how we can help you and your loved ones achieve and maintain excellent oral health.

Dental Checkups and Teeth Cleanings in Addison, TX for the Whole Family

Receiving routine dental cleanings and checkups is important for patients of all ages, including children. Professional cleanings are necessary to remove substances that accumulate on the teeth and gums.

While oral hygiene practices certainly help remove plaque and ultimately tartar formation, some plaque will be left behind. Once plaque forms into tartar, it cannot be removed via home care such as flossing or brushing.

Professional cleanings gently and thoroughly clean these substances from the teeth and gumline.

For children—when age-appropriate—teeth cleanings are a great time to learn more about the importance of oral hygiene and how proper brushing and flossing can prevent dental caries and periodontal disease. Our dental hygienists provide oral health education that is easy for children to understand.

Regular dental checkups and teeth cleanings lower your risks for:

  • Gingivitis
  • Periodontal disease
  • Cavities
  • Oral infections
  • Tooth loss

Dental Exams to Protect Your Oral Health

Receiving routine examinations from Dr. Loftus is important, too!

Scheduling regular checkups are essential to catch potential oral health problems as early as possible. Early detection of conditions like cavities and gum disease is the best way for patients to secure conservative and cost-effective treatment.

Dental checkups are tailored to the needs of the patient. Based on your age and medical or social history, our dentist may choose to conduct more thorough oral cancer screenings, for example.

For children, our team may need to focus on plaque accumulation, dietary effects on oral health, and other contributors to tooth decay.

Your Preventive Dentistry Appointmentlittle boy thumbs up in dental chair

Your preventive appointment includes:

  • Comprehensive dental checkup
  • X-rays, if warranted
  • An oral cancer screening
  • Professional teeth cleaning

Your checkup with the dentist includes a comprehensive visual exam of your teeth and gums. This checkup may include x-rays if we suspect an underlying oral health issue. X-rays are also a way for us to compare oral health changes since your last visit.

Additionally, we provide an oral cancer screening—early detection is crucial for successful treatment.

If your dentist finds any oral health conditions, we arrange prompt treatment—a dental filling to treat a cavity, for example, or a customized treatment schedule to address gingivitis.

Gingivitis is a precursor to gum disease, a serious condition of the ligaments that keep your teeth in place. Untreated or undiagnosed gum disease has been linked to serious health issues, including:

  • Tooth loss
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Heart health issues
  • Low birth weight in babies
  • Lung health issues

Preventive dentistry significantly lowers your gum disease risk. And if you've already been diagnosed, we can take measures to keep your disease in check and reduce your risks for complications.

If you or a family member are susceptible to cavities, your dentist may recommend a dental sealant to protect teeth from cavity-causing debris. If your enamel is weak, we can also talk about a fluoride treatment to re-mineralize the outer layers of the teeth.

Preventive Children's Dentistry Near Richardson, TX

Since tooth decay is a significant concern for children, our practice may recommend preventive treatments to help strengthen teeth.

Preventive dentistry is crucial if a child has high-risk factors for developing tooth decay, such as poor or inadequate oral hygiene, a diet high in sugar, and weak or thin tooth enamel. Two popular preventive services we offer for adults and children are fluoride treatments and dental sealants.

Fluoride Treatments

Fluoride treatments are administered in flavored gel or foam and applied over the teeth. Since tooth enamel is made up of minerals, fluoride (a naturally occurring mineral) will help replenish mineral loss to tooth enamel, ultimately strengthening it.

family of four smilingDental Sealants

Dental sealants are another way to help prevent tooth decay. This treatment involves placing a liquid BPA-free plastic compound on the biting surfaces of molars and hardening it with a curing light. This gives the cusps and grooves of molars additional protection from cavity-causing bacteria.

Contact Your Dallas, TX Dentist for Your Next Dental Appointment

Your healthy smile is our top priority.

Call our North Dallas dental office today to reserve an appointment, and always reach out to our team if you have any questions about our treatments and services.

We proudly serve patients and families from all locales, including Dallas, North Dallas, Addison, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Richardson, Plano, and Hebron.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bleeding is almost always a sign of a problem; in this case, it a common indicator of the presence of periodontal disease, a standard dental health issue that can have negative consequences for your teeth and gums if left untreated.

Thankfully, Dr. Loftus offers effective therapy for this condition! Additionally, with the help of our state-of-the-art soft-tissue laser, your treatment process will be quick and virtually painless when compared to more traditional methods.

Healthy Gums Should Not Bleed

Your gums shouldn't bleed, especially daily. 

A telltale sign of periodontal disease is bleeding gums after brushing or flossing. During the early stages known as gingivitis, gums can be swollen, red, and tender along the gumline. 

While gingivitis can be reversible, it can transition into periodontitis if ignored. This is advanced periodontal disease, and it is a severe oral health condition that attacks your gum tissue and jaw bone, and can often lead to tooth loss.

Treating Gum Disease

During your dental checkup with us, Dr. Loftus will determine the severity and location of the infection. We may recommend a deep cleaning, scaling and root planing, and more to treat your gum disease.

We also recommend that Dallas patients keep up a regular at-home oral health routine to prevent dental emergencies.

Call Loftus Family Dentistry Today

No matter how much time has passed between dental cleanings, it's never too late to see us. If you notice that your gums feel tender or swollen, or if they bleed consistently, you may need to see us right away. 

Call your North Dallas, TX dental office today so we can prevent future costly and painful dental emergencies.

If you or your partner has been diagnosed with chronic snoring or sleep apnea, our team can provide a customized oral appliance that holds your jaw in a slightly altered position, keeping the airway open during sleep and drastically reducing the severity of any snoring. Your whole family will finally be able to rest easy.

You Deserve a Good Night's Rest

If you are tired of your partner's snoring or if you wake up even more tired than before sleeping, it might be time to talk with Dr. Loftus.

At best, snoring is annoying to anyone sleeping near you. At worse, it could be a sign of a serious health condition called obstructive sleep apnea.

With sleep apnea, your throat muscles and tongue collapse and block your airway, which can stop your breathing throughout the night. Since the quality of your sleep is greatly diminished, it raises your risk for health issues, including:

  • Stroke
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Chronic acid reflux

We Can Help You Rest

Whether you suffer from sleep apnea or excessive loud snoring, we can help. Through the use of custom fabricated oral appliances, we can keep your airway from being blocked and allow you to breathe comfortably.

Call Loftus Family Dentistry so we can determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea or are simply snoring. 

Of course!

As our name implies, we’re always happy to welcome families of all shapes and sizes to Loftus Family Dentistry. Little smiles often need a special touch to feel truly comfortable, and we’re happy to provide that unique care here at our North Dallas office.

With six-month checkups, gentle cleanings, and emergency care for injured teeth, we’ll be sure to set up your son or daughter on a lifelong path towards great oral health.

We Love Seeing Children at Our Dallas Dentist Office!

We advise parents to start bringing their children to see us around three years of age. We love it when parents bring their little ones along during their own dental checkups to help them feel accustomed to the dental office.

If you have any concerns about your son's or daughter's oral health, never hesitate to ask us.

We Work With Children of All Ages

We are always available to see your child no matter what their age. During their first dental visit with us, we gently help them get used to the sights and sounds of our dental office.

Call Us To Schedule Your Child's Dental Checkup in Dallas, TX 

We make each dental visit comfortable, stress-free, and pleasant. We work very hard to create a warm and welcoming environment. If your child is ready for their first dental appointment with us, call our Dallas dental office today.

Meet Our Doctor:

dr. joseph loftus

Joseph R. Loftus DDS

A True Passion For Healing

The desire to heal runs in Dr. Loftus’ family. With two brothers who practice dentistry and two sisters who are physicians, Dr. Loftus has a true passion for touching patients’ lives and reviving overall health through his work.

Dr. Joseph R. Loftus in Dallas

Originally from Sedalia, Missouri, Dr. Loftus attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry right out of high school and earned his bachelor’s and Doctor of Dental Surgery degrees in just six years, as opposed to the typical eight. In 1996, ...

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