Clear Lake General Dentist

You can’t talk about Clear Lake general dentistry and not refer to comprehensive examinations at some point. They play a significant role in taking care of both your smile and your body. Every time we conduct a comprehensive exam for everyone, from new patients to the most established dental patients, we’re making sure you are healthy and disease-free. It’s our way of recording and keeping a detailed record of your oral health and the progress we’re making with your course of treatment.

During your comprehensive exam, we’ll be sure to take safe, digital x-rays and high-definition photographs using state-of-the-art intraoral and extraoral cameras. You’ll also receive a thorough visual and manual oral cancer screening where we can spot any abnormalities that might require further investigation. This is our chance to understand your mouth and what’s happening in terms of your oral health. We can use all of the information and data we collect during this time to create a more personalized dental experience for you and your family. You can schedule an appointment or comprehensive exam any time online or by calling our Bay Area dental office. We’re always accepting new patients into our dental family.

One of the most critical aspects of our comprehensive examinations and Clear Lake general dentistry is keeping your mouth cancer-free. This is of the utmost importance because, to beat oral cancer, you should get checked and detect issues as early as possible. The National Cancer Institute even suggests oral cancer screenings should occur before there are even any symptoms.

It’s important to talk to Dr. Flanagan about your family health history, lifestyle, and more so that we know if you’re at a higher risk of developing oral cancer. She can conduct what we call a visual/manual screening of all parts of your mouth, face, lips, neck, and nose. She has a keen eye and years of experience spotting abnormalities such as:

• Bumps
• Spots
• Patches of color
• Swelling
• Asymmetry

She wants to catch those very early warning signs that can accompany oral cancer as soon as possible. This is what makes detecting this type of disease so tricky at times. Sometimes those warning signs don’t exist, and oral cancer is never diagnosed until it reaches advanced stages. If you or someone in your family is at a heightened risk for oral cancer, you should schedule a screening and a talk with Dr. Flanagan. Setting up an appointment is easy and stress-free.

Today’s modern dental x-rays make the radiographs of the past seem ancient. Our all-digital x-rays are safer for you and your family, more efficient, and better for our environment as they cause less waste compared to traditional x-rays. What’s even better about digital x-rays is that they can provide us with images that are incredibly detailed and beneficial to creating a custom treatment plan for you and your smile. Almost instantly after we snap the first x-ray radiograph, both you and Dr. Flanagan will be able to see the results. Digital x-rays provide us with a highly-detailed glimpse at your mouth, so we’re better able to:

• Detect cavities
• See what’s happening with your tooth roots
• Check bony areas around your teeth for optimal health
• Diagnose and treat periodontal or gum disease
• Monitor the status of developing teeth ready to push through your gums

As part of our Clear Lake general dentistry services and radiography, we also use digital panoramic x-rays. Panoramic radiographs consist of a quick exam that’s two-dimensional and designed to precisely show us your entire mouth all in one single image. This includes your:

• Teeth
• Upper jaw
• Lower jaw
• Tissues
• Joints

Sometimes panoramic x-rays are the best way to spot issues such as bone fractures, underlying cysts, teeth that are impacted, and infections. If any of these things could be occurring in your mouth, there’s a good chance the digital panoramic x-ray is going to spot it.

There are quite a few dental offices you have to choose from for dental hygiene in Clear Lake. However, merely picking from that list of dental offices you searched for could lead you to the door of a dentist that’s not a good fit for you and your family. You need a team like ours who’s staffed with some of Clear Lake’s most dedicated dental hygienists you’ll find caring for everyone’s smile.

If it’s been a while since your last cleaning appointment, that’s OK. We get it, and we’re here to help. It’s never too late to schedule an appointment and a hygiene visit with us. When you come to the office for your cleaning, one of our hygienists will thoroughly remove the plaque and tartar from your teeth that brushing and flossing might have missed. We aim to provide you with an even deeper cleaning to reach areas below the gum line, removing hidden bacteria that can lead to disease and decay. Having healthy gums and healthy teeth extends beyond simply having a charming smile. It’s also essential to having optimal overall health. Our hygienists use state-of-the-art Cavitron ultrasonic cleaners to gently, yet effectively vibrate away tartar and plaque.

Part of providing informative, innovative Clear Lake general dentistry is educating our patients about the intricate connection between our oral and overall health. When you join our extended dental family, you’ll soon learn how what’s going on inside your mouth with your teeth and gums can impact issues occurring elsewhere in your body.

The problem is this: When bacteria cause infections and inflammation to your gums, there’s a chance it could wind up entering your bloodstream. When this occurs, there’s a heightened risk to your overall health for future problems. Researchers have found that gum disease has possible links to problems such as:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Premature birth
• Low-weight birth
• Bacterial pneumonia
• Stroke

As part of your periodontal therapy, we might suggest using both a numbing gel and ARESTIN, which is simply an antibiotic we add on to your dental hygiene cleaning. It helps with the reduction of your periodontal pocket depth, especially in adult patients battling gum disease.

If you have questions about your gum health or want to know more about the specifics of our periodontal therapy, please let us know. Please schedule a consultation and talk to us about your concerns and needs.

When you come to us for Clear Lake general dentistry, we recommend that both kids and adults receive a fluoride treatment. For decades, dentists like Dr. Flanagan have relied on in-office fluoride treatments to keep everyone’s smiles healthy and protected. A naturally-occurring mineral, fluoride can build healthier teeth and prevent future cavities.

We especially recommend in-office fluoride treatment as part of your dental hygiene in Clear Lake if you’re at a higher risk of developing tooth decay. Check out some of the following risk factors. Are any of these true for you?

• Poor oral hygiene
• Eating disorders
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Lack of routine dental care
• Heightened levels of oral bacteria
• A diet high in sugar and carbohydrates
• Dry mouth due to medications or medical condition

The many benefits of fluoride treatment far outweigh any risks you might have heard about in the past. Fluoride has been shown to help:

• Reduce your risk of developing cavities
• Limit the amount of time you spend in the dental chair
• Protect and prolong the life of your little one’s baby teeth

If you’re interested in learning more about fluoride treatment with us, please don’t hesitate to message us or call with questions.

You’ve already invested so much into your oral health (along with your family) that you don’t want to take the risk of damaging your precious dental work. Maybe it’s time to invest in professional-grade protection for your smile.

As part of our Clear Lake general dentistry services, we offer our patients two different mouthguards options. However, our mouthguards aren’t like the ones sold at sporting goods stores. They provide better quality and more defense against anything life throws at your smile.

Sports Mouthguards – Can you guess what the most dangerous sport is for your smile? (Hint: It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of.) As it turns out, your teeth are most at risk of injury if you’re a baller that likes to shoot hoops. That’s right; basketball is actually dangerous for your smile. We offer sports mouthguards, especially for kids, for protection no matter what sport or activity is their favorite. Our sports mouthguards are custom-fit, so they won’t be distracted while trying to score their next point.

Nightguards – Do you grind your teeth at night? Does your little one struggle with this? It’s something called bruxism, and it can do real damage to your teeth and your health. Bruxism or teeth grinding can also cause the following in both children and adults alike:

• Headaches
• Broken teeth
• Jaw pain

Don’t wait for an accident to happen! Talk to us today about your custom mouthguard options.

Is there something about Clear Lake general dentistry that’s so unnerving it keeps you from seeing the dentist every six months for a checkup? Did you have a negative dentistry experience in your past, and now you’re unsure if you’re willing to return to routine care? At Cindy T. Flanagan, DDS, we don’t just say we go out of our way to ensure you’re always comfortable and cared for, with compassion, kindness, and exceptional soothing amenities. We want your appointments and visits with us to feel more like a little break from the everyday where you’re with an extended dental family who cares about your smile and well-being.

If there’s something more we can do for you; please let us know. We do offer oral sedation for patients who are exceptionally nervous or scheduled for a more in-depth dental procedure. Oral sedation involves providing you with a prescription anti-anxiety medication that you would take before coming to the office for your treatment. It will surely help you feel relaxed and at ease the entire time you’re in the dental chair. You might feel a little more fatigued and sleepy when the medication begins to take effect. You’ll want to arrange for a companion to drive you and bring you home from your appointment. Learn more today.

Basketballs. Baseballs. Accidents. Popcorn kernels. Pet mishaps. There are quite a few ways our smiles can get into trouble and need some form of emergency care. There are so many ways your teeth can run into trouble leading to a broken, chipped, or even missing tooth. Sometimes when you least expect it, you wake up with uncomfortable nerve pain, and you need relief fast.

At Cindy T. Flanagan, DDS, we can help make your emergency less stressful and provide you immediate solutions so we can help you feel better and fix your smile. Depending on how severe your condition is, we have the advanced technology and training to treat and save your damaged tooth or teeth. During regular business hours, we go out of our way to see emergency cases (both new and existing patients). If you need our immediate assistance after hours, our doctor is on call and will get back to you as soon as possible.

We understand how frustrating a dental emergency can be. In all of our years of providing comprehensive Clear Lake general dentistry, we’ve had the pleasure of helping patients of every age with a dental emergency. Act quickly, and get the help you need to preserve your natural teeth and keep your oral and overall health balanced.

Innovative technology is one of the ways our offices stand apart for the advanced style of Clear Lake general dentistry we provide for our family of patients. We take the time to research and understand what’s available in dentistry today, bringing you the very best equipment there is to offer. We want you to make the most of every minute you visit our Bay Area dental office without wasting your precious personal time.

We count on high-tech tools such as:

• Intraoral cameras
• Digital x-rays
• Panoramic x-rays
• Cavitron ultrasonic scalers

Because we have all of these at our disposal every day, we can expertly provide our patients with a more personalized, comfortable dental experience. We use all of the photographs and x-rays we collect to connect with you, to help you better understand what’s happening with your oral health and how we can improve it. You get to see firsthand what Dr. Flanagan sees, so we can explain the “why” behind what treatments we recommend. Together, we can make a more informed decision about how to help you and your smile. If you would like to learn more about what technology we have at our dental office in Houston, we’d be happy to answer any questions. Please send us a message or give us a call!