Do you take a proactive approach to dental health and oral hygiene? Does your daily routine include a tooth decay prevention program?
Maintenance matters when you want to maintain the long-term health of your natural teeth. Dr. Tom Trinkner and Dr. Nick Keefer are general dentists in Columbia, SC with over 30 years of experience. Our office provides patients with the highest standard of dental care using minimally-invasive dental solutions.
What sets Dr. Trinkner and Dr. Keefer apart from other local dentists in Columbia is our patient-focused approach. Every patient’s needs are unique, so our dental care team designs personalized preventative oral care programs.
With these treatment plans, we will be able to detect and treat developing dental problems as early as possible. You can prevent costly dental procedures down the road with bi-yearly routine dental exams.
The Goal of General Dentistry
General dentistry is all about detection and prevention. You can avoid dental problems that require cosmetic dentistry or restorative dental procedures with routine oral health care. Dr. Trinkner and Dr. Keefer want to be a partner in your overall healthcare.
We will help you achieve optimal oral health with personalized dental care and hygiene advice. We will also help you maintain that standard with ongoing preventive dental care and routine checkups. A healthy smile significantly impacts your quality of life, ability to speak clearly, and overall physical well-being. So we do our best to monitor the health and stability of your oral health.
Some of our most common general dental services include:
- Dental Fillings: We fill dental cavities for patients of all ages after a professional cleaning. Dental cavities create an excellent environment for bacteria to prosper. Therefore, it is imperative to get them filled as soon as possible.
- Pediatric Dentistry: The American Dental Association recommends that children begin seeing the dentist at age 3, or when their first teeth start coming in. Our dental team offers preventative dental services for young patients. We believe in building a trusting patient-dentist relationship with our young patients. Hence allowing your child to grow fond of the dentist, and avoid developing dental anxiety and irrational fears of visiting the dentist.
- Periodontal Therapy: Gum disease is a silent disease. Most don’t even know they have some form of periodontal disease. If you are experiencing bleeding gums every time you brush, call us.
Age-Specific Dental Care
When we perform general dentistry, we take care to target the specific problems that come with your age group. The same issues most prominent in toddlers aren’t the ones most prominent in teens and adults. We aim to provide preventive care for the issues most relevant to your current stage of life.
Children
Younger children most commonly suffer from tooth decay. Their diets are usually higher in sugar, and they aren’t as good at brushing and flossing their teeth. We offer education for the child and the parent to ensure they brush their teeth correctly and effectively. We provide tips for an ideal diet as well.
Dental sealants provide an extra layer of protection against tooth decay. We paint them onto the child’s teeth, and the dried material protects against decay-causing bacteria.
As children get older, their mouths continue to grow and change. All their adult teeth come in and they develop their permanent smiles. We want to ensure that they’re going to have a healthy smile.
Young Adults
Crooked teeth are common as the mouth develops. We offer Invisalign treatment for teens that have mild to moderate orthodontic problems. If we find more severe orthodontic issues, we’ll send you to a trusted orthodontist for the right dental treatment.
In the late teens and early twenties, wisdom teeth grow in. Most of the time, our mouths aren’t able to handle an extra set of molars. If they erupt, wisdom teeth cause crooked and cramped mouths. Impacted wisdom teeth can also occur under the surface of the gums.
Impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain and infection. Usually, we recommend wisdom tooth extraction to avoid future problems with your mouth.
Older Adults
As we age, the years take their toll on our smiles. If you have lifestyle habits like using tobacco or drinking coffee, your teeth are going to stain more quickly than others. Even if you don’t do either of these things, your teeth still discolor with age.
The enamel layer on the outside becomes thinner, so the off-white color of the dentin layer shows through. Professional teeth whitening can make you look younger, giving you bright white teeth that look like new.
Lastly, seniors are also the most likely to suffer from missing teeth, but we have many options to replace missing teeth. In particular, dental implants can give you the most natural look and feel. Dental implants are the only option that gives you back full bite function in your mouth. We also offer prosthodontics like dental bridges and dentures to restore your mouth.
Columbia, SC, Family Dentistry
Children are welcome in our Columbia, SC, dental office. Our well-tuned team knows the unique needs of our young patients, so we make them as comfortable as possible. Our dentists will monitor the health and development of your child’s teeth. We will make appropriate recommendations when necessary to address all your dental health concerns.
Choose Dr. Trinkner and Dr. Keefer as their dentists in West Columbia because of our full range of dental services. Our family dentistry can see several family members in the same day, saving time for today’s busy families.
Contact our office for a consultation with our family dentists in Columbia. We specialize in solving complex dental problems and provide a lovely dental experience. Call 803-400-8729 or request a consultation online.