Your Dependable Family Dentist
At the dental office of Anna K. Talmood, DDS, we provide high-quality dental care for patients of all ages. Whether you have young children or elderly relatives in need of dental care, our office combines experience and compassion with innovative technology to help everyone achieve and protect their healthy smiles.
Discover the difference great dentistry can mean for your family! Contact our office in Fullerton, CA and make an appointment today!
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Why Choose a Family Dentist?
If you’re looking for a dentist for yourself and your loved ones, you may be wondering what kind of dentist you need. What makes a family dentist special is that they have the experience and skill to tailor their treatments according to the age and circumstances of their patients. Family dentists regularly treat children, teens, adults, and seniors, and understand the different health challenges their patients face at each stage of life.
Moreover, when you have a dentist who can take care of you and your children, you have the benefit of being able to coordinate treatment and providing a positive model of dental visits for your kids. This makes things less stressful for everyone, and promotes healthier smiles in the whole family.
What Services Does a Family Dentist Offer?
We provide a wide range of comprehensive dental treatments to accommodate the various needs of our patients. Our office is equipped to provide:
Fluoride Treatments and Sealants: Cavities and tooth decay are a common problem for both children and adults. We use fluoride and sealants as necessary to help teeth stay strong and cavity-free.
Dental Restorations: When problems arise, restorations like fillings, crowns, implants and bridges can revitalize your smile’s health and function.
Periodontics: Gum disease is a common problem that can have serious consequences. We work to counter symptoms, halt infection, and protect your gums from relapse.
Orthodontics: Straight teeth are generally healthier, easier to clean, and more aesthetically pleasing. Our orthodontic treatments help children and adults to realign their smiles.
Cosmetic Dentistry: Our cosmetic dental options address a multitude of aesthetic issues, from simple teeth whitening to a complete smile makeover.
Is Family Dentistry Only for Families?
Not at all! Dr. Talmood welcomes individual patients as well as families to receive quality oral health care. The benefit of seeing a family dentist even without a family is knowing that your dentist has the training and experience to help keep your smile healthy throughout your entire lifetime. Plus, if and when you do start a family, you’ll know you have a reliable dentist you can bring them to.
Dental Care for Kids and Their Developing Smiles
A child’s quick dental development makes it essential that they have thorough and frequent care. Their baby teeth may not be permanent, but they serve as a roadmap for permanent teeth. Protecting the health of these early smiles helps to ensure that they enjoy better smiles well into adulthood.
How Early Should My Child See a Dentist?
Children should make their first dental visit once their first tooth has emerged, ideally before their first birthday. This early visit allows the dentist to get to know your child and to make sure development is progressing properly. It also allows your child to get to know and become comfortable with the dentist.
What Can I Expect During My Child’s First Visit?
First impressions are significant for children, and we want them to feel safe and comfortable when they visit so that future visits aren’t seen as stressful experiences.
Dr. Talmood takes great care to be gentle, patient, and compassionate whenever she works with children. During the first visit, she takes time to get to know the child and build trust by engaging with them in a cheerful and positive way. Treatments and concepts are explained to children in kid-friendly language, helping them to understand what’s happening in an age-appropriate way.
At the first visit, Dr. Talmood may perform a gentle, non-invasive examination as long as the child is willing. If your child is stressed, the exam may be scheduled for a later visit.
If an older child is visiting us for the first time, we help them learn proper techniques for brushing and flossing, as well as the importance of caring for teeth. We use every opportunity to make the visit fun and to instill positive feelings about dentistry and tooth care.
How Can I Prepare My Child for Visiting the Dentist?
Your child looks to you for cues about new experiences. We know that many parents feel varying levels of anxiety about dental treatment, but it’s important that you try to minimize this around your child. Children notice stress and fear in their parents, and it will often cause them to become stressed as well.
If you feel stressed about dental appointments, come visit us before you bring in your child and discuss your concerns. We’ll gladly work with you to help alleviate your fears and provide a safe, relaxing visit for you and your child.
If you expect your child to be resistant to treatment, be sure to let us know ahead of time. This is very common in younger children, and letting us know beforehand will help us to take the right steps to achieve a successful dental visit with your child.
Dental Care for Children with Special Needs
Our skilled dental team has the experience and specialized training needed to help children with all types of special needs. Whether your child has physical, emotional, behavioral, or developmental challenges, we do all we can to see that their unique needs are met with skill and compassion. Our aim is not to control or moderate the child, but to work with them and provide a positive experience for everyone.
Do Special Needs Children Need Specialized Dental Care?
This can vary from child to child. However, certain genetic or developmental conditions may carry a greater risk of oral health problems. Malformed or missing teeth could be an issue with certain conditions. If a child has difficulty with motor function or routine hygiene, they are likely at greater risk for cavities. Some behaviors, such as thumb sucking or teeth grinding, can increase the chances of problems with a child’s dental development.
We urge parents of special needs children to bring their child to the dentist every six months or sooner. The more thorough your child’s dental care is, the sooner we can identify risks and provide care, protecting and promoting your child’s overall health.
7 Tips for Building Good Dental Habits for Kids
Want to encourage your child to take good care of their teeth? Here are seven great tips to help your child develop positive dental care habits with the dentist and at home.
- Start with a practice run to the dentist before their first official visit.
- Check out library books on teeth and dental care.
- Download kid-friendly dental apps.
- Let your child pick out their toothbrush.
- Brush your teeth together.
- Use songs and games to make brushing teeth more fun.
- Praise how “grown-up” they are about taking care of their teeth.
Dental Care for Teens
Your teen has most of their adult teeth, but these are still important years as their jaw finishes development. It’s also an ideal time to encourage them to take more responsibility for their dental health.
For a teen, their self-confidence is strongly linked to their physical appearance. If a teen has aesthetic issues with their smile, it will likely impact their social life and feelings of self-worth.
Having a discussion with your child about cosmetic treatment options can help them develop a sense of personal responsibility about their oral health. Simple treatments like teeth whitening are fast and safe, and can really boost a teen’s confidence. If they didn’t have braces as a child, now could be the right time to help them achieve a smile that’s straighter, healthier, and more appealing.
Do Adults Have Specific Dental Care Needs?
While children face many challenges to dental health, adults can face issues of their own. Here are some of the most common dental problems we see in adult patients.
- Tooth Decay – Contrary to what you might think, adults can get cavities just like children can.
- Gum Disease – Nearly half of all adults have some level of gum disease, and many don’t even realize it.
- Chipped or Worn Teeth – Years of uneven wear from misalignments or teeth grinding can take its toll on adult teeth.
- Teeth Staining – Long-term exposure to coffee, sodas, spaghetti sauce, tobacco, and other staining substances can cause serious staining of tooth enamel.
- Missing Teeth – Whether teeth are lost through trauma or have been extracted, losing teeth comes with a host of health consequences.
Fortunately, dentistry can help with each of these situations. Dr. Talmood and her team work to deliver effective, personalized treatment solutions to meet your dental care needs.
Delivering Dental Care to Seniors
It’s often assumed that seniors will inevitably face more and more oral health problems. However, with recent advances in dental knowledge and treatment options, seniors today can be much more optimistic about the future of their smiles.
Many people assume that tooth loss is normal as we age. However, we now know that tooth loss is not a natural occurrence. Most tooth loss in seniors is, in fact, the result of advanced gum disease. Periodontitis causes the gums to pull away from teeth, making them loose and vulnerable to decay.
What can make tooth loss more likely in later years is the rise in factors that can lead to gum disease. Greater difficulty keeping up with daily hygiene, late-onset disease, and even certain medications can all contribute to the development of gum disease.
However, if you remain aware of these health factors and receive consistent dental care at home and with the dentist, it’s possible to manage and counter the effects of gum disease. Dr. Talmood strives to help patients preserve and enjoy their smiles well into their golden years.
What If I’ve Already Lost Teeth?
If you are missing teeth, a quick response is important for preserving your dental structure. Gaps in the smile make eating and speaking more difficult, and remaining teeth can shift into the open spaces.
We provide the following tooth replacement options:
Bridges
Prosthetic teeth are anchored between your remaining teeth through the use of support crowns.
Dentures and Partial Dentures
Today’s technology allows dentures to be more comfortable and better-fitted than ever before.
Implant-Supported Restorations
Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that restores both root and crown, preserving your jaw bone in the process. Implants can be used to support anything from a single crown to a complete dental arch.
Comprehensive Care is Here for You
No matter your dental health needs, our team is dedicated to helping you smile with confidence again. Dr. Talmood and her talented team of professionals are passionate about building healthy smiles in kids, adults, and seniors throughout Fullerton.
Give yourself and your loved ones the dental care you need. Contact our Fullerton office today!
GET STARTED TODAY