General Dentistry & Oral Hygiene in Wyoming, MI

Compassionate Care You Can Count On

At Metro Dental Associates, Dr. Dew and our entire dental team are committed to providing high-quality general dentistry services to ensure your smile stays healthy and happy for years to come. We’ll always go above and beyond to make sure all of our patients get the exceptional dental care that they deserve. 

We offer general dentistry services for teeth cleanings, regular dental examinations, and several other treatment options to maintain optimal oral health.

Cleanings & Preventive Care

During your regular checkups, we’ll complete a full exam of your teeth and gums to look for signs of cavities, gum disease, and more. Our dental hygienist will provide you with a thorough tooth cleaning to eliminate any debris, plaque, or tartar buildup. Keeping up with regularly scheduled dental appointments is essential in maintaining a healthy smile and helping to prevent possible oral diseases.

Oral Health/Hygiene & At-Home Care

It’s important to practice good oral hygiene habits to maintain healthy teeth and gums. This means thoroughly brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing regularly. Along with a sufficient at-home oral hygiene routine, keeping up with biannual checkups and routine dental cleanings at our Wyoming practice is key to pristine oral health.

Periodontal Disease & Treatment

Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection that develops in the gums due to bacteria produced by plaque, or an opaque film, on the teeth that hardens to form tartar. As tartar accumulates, it houses bacteria that attack the soft tissue around the gums.

During your regular dental check-ups, Dr. Dew or one of our excellent dental hygienists will use a small dental instrument, called a probe, to measure the pocket or space (sulcus) between tooth and gums. This periodontal probe helps indicate if the pockets are deeper than they normally should be, an indication of periodontal disease. 

The type of periodontal treatment you receive will depend on the severity of your case. Dr. Dew will determine how far the periodontal disease has progressed and will recommend one of the following treatments:

• Regular cleanings
• Scaling & root planing
• Periodontal surgery

Once your treatment has been completed, you’ll still need to maintain regular dental cleaning appointments so we can closely monitor your oral health.

Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy is a treatment that can save a severely infected tooth. We recommend root canal treatment when a cavity is left untreated long enough for the infection to reach the center of the tooth. This area, called the pulp chamber, houses sensitive tooth material that becomes severely painful when infected. 

When the infection reaches this far, the entire health of your tooth is at risk. The bacteria can also spread to other parts of the body, so it’s important to remove the source of the problem. Root canal therapy is the final treatment that can save your natural tooth before it has to be extracted. 

TMD Therapy

If you experience tenderness in the jaw or frequent head and/or neck aches, you’re likely suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD. The temporomandibular joint is located beneath the ear, connecting each side of the skull to the lower jaw. It supports the motion of opening and closing the mouth and moving the jaw side to side. 

At Metro Dental Associates, we feature convenient treatment options for TMD to promote healthy jaw function. For your convenience, we offer oral appliances that patients will wear overnight to prevent teeth from grinding or clenching while sleeping. It also helps reduce the pressure on your teeth, jaw, and neighboring structures.

Depending on the severity of your case, Dr. Dew may recommend a more complex form of treatment, such as orthodontics, dental restorations, or minor procedures inside the joint.

Sedation Dentistry

For your comfort and convenience, we utilize IV sedation during dental procedures. With IV sedation, patients will be put into a relaxed, subconscious state ensuring that they won’t feel any pain throughout the entire procedure. With IV sedation, many patients won’t remember anything from the dental treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions