Dentist in Terrell & Rockwall, TX | Keeping Your Pearly Whites Healthy While Wearing Braces

X

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and we are all looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, and you may have seen this during your visits to our office. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it is both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association® (ADA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We follow the activities of these agencies so that we are up to date on any new rulings or guidance that may be issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to each agency's recommendations.

Although Governor Abbot allowed dentists in the state of Texas to begin seeing patients beginning May 4, 2020, we waited an additional week to make double sure the safety of our patients and staff were not at risk.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you are in the office.
We have hand sanitizer that we ask you to use when you enter the office. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the office to use as needed.
You may see that our waiting room will no longer offer magazines, children's toys and so forth since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean you are offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as reducing the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
We are urging anyone accompanying or transporting a patient to the scheduled appointment to remain in their car while the dental treatment is occurring OR drop off the patient and we can call you at the conclusion of the dental appointment to return and pick up the scheduled patient.

We look forward to seeing you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. To make an appointment, please call our office at 972-563-1670 or visit our website at scottervindds.com.

Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbors and friends.

Sincerely,

Scott A. Ervin, DDS and Staff

972-563-1670 606 N Rockwall Ave.
Terrell, TX 75160

Posted June 6, 2016.

At the dental practice of Dr. Scott A. Ervin in Terrell, Texas, we are pleased to provide comprehensive orthodontic care for our patients wanting a straighter smile. If you are wearing braces, you will want to go the extra mile when caring for your pearly whites. Preventing plaque is important even without braces, but braces, wires, springs and rubber bands are magnets for food particles and plaque buildup. Without constant removal, this buildup can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

While wearing braces, your teeth (and gums) will benefit from brushing after every time you eat, whether it be a meal or snack. Using an oral irrigator (water flosser) is also a helpful tool to use while wearing braces as it can reach those places a toothbrush can’t. When caring for your pearly whites, our dentist recommends the following:

Brushing – brush with a soft toothbrush, brushing downwards from the top, and then up from the bottom. Do this with each tooth which has braces, using an interdental toothbrush. Remember to replace the toothbrush when the bristles begin to fray.

Flossing – place the short end of your floss through the space between the main arch wire and the upper section of your tooth nearest the gum. Gently work the floss on the sides of the two teeth the floss is between. There are also threader flosses that are designed to maneuver under and around your wires.

Mouthwash – round out your oral hygiene routine with an anti-cavity fluoride mouthwash that can rinse away loosened particles and oral debris and also kill any lingering bacteria.

At Dr. Scott A. Ervin’s practice in Terrell, Texas, we pride ourselves in providing you with the highest quality care your smile deserves. For more information, or to schedule your next visit with our team, please call us today at 972-563-1670!