Blog

At North River Dental Care, we are committed to providing our patients with affordable dental care. If you have dental insurance, we recommend you to use your benefits to the fullest extent to get your money’s worth and keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy. Call our office to schedule a visit before the end of the year!

Schedule Preventive Care

Have you been to our office at least twice this year? If not, now is the time to schedule your next cleaning and exam. Our schedule tends to start filling up this time of year, so the sooner you can get in touch with our team, the better. Scheduling routine ...

Over time, it’s typical for teeth to become discolored, whether it’s due to our oral hygiene habits, diet, or just general wear and tear. But having a yellow smile can give us an older appearance and impact our self-confidence.

At North River Dental Care, we offer professional teeth whitening services that can dramatically brighten up your smile in a short amount of time, no matter the cause of your tooth discoloration. Let’s take a closer look at how our professional teeth whitening services work.

In-Office Teeth Whitening

Want to have a brighter smile in just one dental visit? In-office teeth whitening is a perfect option for you! Our team will carefully ...

After the recovery period of dental implant surgery, your results will be amazing and life-changing! We advise patients to take their healing seriously and follow any guidelines and instructions we give you at your appointment to promote a smooth recovery.

In this blog post, we share some tips for managing any pain and discomfort after you get your dental implants.

Take It Easy

After dental implant surgery, it’s critical that you don’t overexert yourself for several days. Get plenty of rest and limit your physical activity for at least 72 hours. If you are up and running around too soon after your surgery, you can put unnecessary pressure on the surgical area which ...

During your routine appointments at North River Dental Care, your hygienist will clean your teeth and Dr. Bailey will check the health of your teeth and gums. This is a great time to discuss any concerns or questions you may have about your oral healthcare. Here are some questions you could consider asking!

What Are My Payment Options?

Before getting any treatments at the dentist, you’ll want to know the acceptable payment methods. Does the office take your insurance plan? If you don’t have insurance, third-party financing like CareCredit helps spread out the cost into manageable payments over time. At North River Dental Care, we also offer an ...

If tooth decay, damage, and infection are left untreated, these can cause serious complications, such as tooth loss, jawbone deterioration, and systemic inflammation and infection. Root canal treatment removes a damaged pulp (the inner layer of the tooth) and flushes out infection to preserve the natural tooth and prevent the infection from spreading further.

Root canal therapy is sometimes misunderstood by patients. Here are some common misconceptions about this restorative treatment:

1. "Root Canals Are Very Painful"

Many patients worry that root canal therapy is a long and painful procedure. Your dentist will carefully numb the area around the affected tooth so that your root canal treatment will be virtually painless. ...

To achieve and maintain a beautiful and healthy smile, you need good oral health habits and a consistent daily oral hygiene routine. In this post, we share some simple ways to improve your oral health and dental hygiene routine.

1. Use Proper Brushing Technique

Some patients brush their teeth by sawing their toothbrush back and forth over their teeth. This can cause enamel damage and gum irritation. Instead, gently brush your teeth using tiny circles, spending 30 seconds in each quarter of the mouth. Be sure to brush every surface of your teeth, back and front. Do you dread brushing your teeth? Invest in an electric toothbrush, which takes much of the ...

Our team at North River Dental Care is here to help you make informed decisions about your oral healthcare. In this blog post, we discuss what can happen if you do not replace missing adult teeth.

Jawbone Degradation

Bones are in a state of constant remodeling. Cells called osteoblasts build up bone and cells called osteoclasts deconstruct it. For bones to stay strong, these processes must be balanced. Your natural teeth support and strengthen the jawbone by transferring chewing forces to its bone structure, which stimulate the bone-building osteoblasts. But without root stimulation from the missing teeth, the destructive osteoclasts become more active. Consequently, the jawbone will weaken and begin to deteriorate ...

If you rub your tongue against the front of your teeth, you may feel a fuzzy film if it’s been a while since you’ve brushed. This is particularly true early in the morning or late at night. This film is called plaque, which is the buildup of bacteria on teeth. These bacteria feast upon your dietary sugar and produce acidic byproducts that damage enamel. The accumulation of plaque increases your risk of bad breath, tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.

In contrast, you may notice a squeaky clean feeling when you’ve just had a dental cleaning. That’s because we use special tools to scrape off plaque and tartar (hardened plaque). Here ...

Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults over the age of 35. Fortunately, it is both preventable and treatable. In this blog post, we review the signs and symptoms of gum disease and treatment options.

What Is Gum Disease?

Gum disease, or periodontal disease, is a progressive dental disease that can negatively impact your gingival tissue, periodontal ligaments, underlying jawbone, and your teeth. It starts as gingivitis and advances to periodontitis. Gum disease is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria under the gumline. These bacteria produce toxins that irritate and eventually destroy the tissues supporting your teeth. Without treatment, the gums separate from the teeth, increasing your risk ...

At North River Dental Care, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable dental care to patients throughout the Fredericksburg area.

In this blog post, we compare PPO vs. HMO dental insurance. And for those interested in foregoing traditional dental insurance, we discuss the benefits of enrolling in our in-office dental membership plan.

Dental Insurance: PPO vs. HMO

While dental PPO plans usually have higher out-of-pocket costs than their HMO counterparts, they offer patients more flexibility in selecting dentists or dental specialists without needing a referral from your primary dentist. Some plans even offer reimbursement for out-of-network dentists. In exchange for that flexibility, you will have a higher premium and may be required to ...