Quality dental care for the whole family at Benton Family Dentistry

At Benton Family Dentistry, we live up to our name; we are honored to treat generations of families from throughout the Hot Springs and Diamond Lakes area of southwestern Arkansas. The fact that so many families trust their loved ones to our dental “family” is a testament to our team’s quality care and kindness and our professionalism and access to the comprehensive, leading-edge procedures and techniques that evolve as your needs for oral health care change, too.  

We’ve highlighted here how our patients’ needs generally change over time and a few of the services that may be recommended to maintain or restore the beauty, health, and function of your smile. 

  • Children – Our dental team will help get your child into a healthy habit when you schedule check-ups at least once every six months. During these check-ups, our dental hygienists will gently clean their teeth and gums to remove any plaque, stains, and hard build-up (calculus), and Dr. B will examine their teeth, gums, and mouth. Primary, or “baby” teeth are temporary, but they are very important. We want to assure your child’s teeth are developing correctly and that these primary teeth remain healthy. In addition to the function of chewing, they aid in proper speech development, and they hold space for the adult teeth to erupt properly. Proper oral development supports healthy development overall during a child’s formative years.  Other professional services that may be recommended to prevent threats to your child’s oral health include in-office fluoride applications to help strengthen enamel and prevent tooth decay, and dental sealants to protect decay-prone back teeth.  Around the age of 7, we may recommend orthodontic evaluations.
  • Teens – When orthodontic treatment is needed, many teens may prefer discreet and comfortable removable orthodontic treatment with clear aligner trays. We can discuss other oral appliances, such as athletic mouthguards, to protect the teeth, tissues, and jaws from injuries caused by contact sports. Also, the late teens and early 20s commonly represent the life stage when the third molars (or “wisdom teeth”) need to be addressed.  We can monitor the development of these teeth and if necessary, recommend removal before impacted third molars cause pain or infection and threaten overall oral health.
  • Adults – As patients age, they may face challenges to their good oral health and attractive smiles for the first time. These challenges could include newly-diagnosed systemic diseases which affect healing and make individuals more vulnerable to oral infections and conditions such as gum disease. It’s essential to keep systemic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease under control for your oral, and overall, health and wellbeing. We further support minimizing any risk factors and optimizing protective measures, for instance, tobacco use cessation combined with a nutritious diet, and in-office fluoride applications. 
  • Seniors – It’s important to reinforce that tooth loss is not a natural part of aging  so dentures should not be considered a “foregone conclusion.” Depending on your overall health and even the types of medications you are taking (many depress saliva production), we may want to visit with you more frequently than every six months. If tooth replacement does become necessary, there are many modern systems to benefit from – including implant-supported crowns, bridges, and dentures. 

We look forward to helping your child develop a healthy relationship with dentistry or getting you or other family members on the right track to better oral health and wellbeing.  

Call Benton Family Dentistry at (501) 623-6132 to schedule an appointment, or book your visit online. Our office is privileged to provide convenient early morning and afternoon appointments throughout most of the week. We also offer an affordable, no-strings-attached in-house membership plan to reduce or eliminate financial barriers to your family’s best smiles.