General Dentistry
Your Home for Comprehensive Family Care
Foundations for a Lifetime of Oral Health
Establishing a dedicated dental home at Belle Haven Family Dentistry means joining a community that prioritizes your long-term wellness. Our general dentistry services provide the essential foundation for a vibrant smile, ranging from preventive cleanings to advanced restorative treatments. We take a conservative approach, ensuring every recommendation is tailored to your specific needs without unnecessary procedures.
By focusing on comfort and ease, our woman-owned practice helps patients of all ages—from babies to grandparents—feel relaxed and supported. Experience a close-knit environment where your family's health is our primary mission.
Professional Dental Cleanings
Thorough Cleanings for a Brighter Smile
Routine professional dental cleanings are the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, removing plaque and tartar that regular brushing can miss. To ensure the most accurate diagnosis during your visit, we use digital radiographs and Pearl AI technology, which assists Dr. Kennealy in evaluating your X-rays with incredible precision. These advanced tools allow us to detect potential issues earlier and more accurately than ever before.
During your 60 to 90-minute initial appointment, we provide a thorough prophylaxis (teeth polishing) to refresh your smile. By staying consistent with your cleanings, you protect your teeth and support your overall systemic health.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Early Detection for Your Long-Term Safety
Your health and safety are our highest priorities, which is why we include oral cancer screenings as a standard part of our general dentistry care. These quick, noninvasive evaluations allow Dr. Kennealy to identify potential issues in their earliest, most treatable stages. We carefully evaluate the soft tissues of your mouth, throat, and gums for any signs of abnormality.
By incorporating these screenings into your routine dental evaluations, we provide an extra layer of protection for your total well-being. It is a simple yet life-saving step that reflects our commitment to comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Fluoride Varnish
Essential Protection for Teeth of All Ages
Fluoride varnish is a powerful preventive tool used to strengthen tooth enamel and significantly reduce the risk of decay. This quick application is especially beneficial for our younger patients, but it provides excellent protection for adults as well. We apply a thin layer of concentrated fluoride to the tooth surfaces, where it is absorbed to help remineralize weak spots.
At Belle Haven Family Dentistry, we include fluoride as part of our pediatric visits and offer it to anyone looking to boost their oral defenses. It is a simple, effective way to safeguard your natural smile.
Dental Sealants
Durable Protection Against Cavities and Decay
Dental sealants provide a protective barrier for the deep grooves, pits, and fissures of your back teeth, where cavities often start. This thin, tooth-colored coating is painted onto the chewing surfaces of molars to seal out food particles and bacteria. While commonly recommended for children as their permanent teeth emerge, sealants are also a fantastic option for adults prone to decay.
The application is fast, painless, and does not require any drilling. By choosing sealants, you are taking a proactive step toward a lifetime of healthy, cavity-free teeth for your entire family.
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Seamless Restorations With Modern Composite Fillings
If a cavity develops, our tooth-colored fillings offer a durable and aesthetically pleasing solution. Made from high-quality composite resin, these fillings are carefully matched to the shade of your natural enamel for a seamless look. Unlike traditional metal fillings, composite resin bonds directly to the tooth structure, allowing us to take a more conservative approach and preserve more of your natural tooth. This material is strong enough for back teeth while remaining discreet enough for the front of your smile. We ensure the process is comfortable, helping you regain full dental function quickly.
Root Canal Therapy
Save Your Natural Tooth with Gentle Care
When the inner pulp of a tooth becomes infected or damaged, root canal therapy is often the best way to save your natural tooth from extraction. Despite their reputation, modern root canal treatments are a routine and comfortable procedure designed to eliminate pain and restore health. Dr. Kennealy uses precise techniques to clean the infection and seal the tooth, preventing future issues.
We focus on making the experience as stress-free as possible, ensuring you are fully numbed and relaxed throughout the process. Saving your natural tooth preserves your bite alignment and supports long-term jaw health.
Crowns
Restore Strength With Custom Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are versatile restorations used to protect weakened teeth, repair large fractures, or finish a dental implant. At Belle Haven Family Dentistry, we use premium materials like e.max, zirconia, and even gold to ensure your crown is both beautiful and long-lasting. Each crown is custom-crafted to match your surrounding teeth perfectly, restoring both function and appearance. Whether you need a crown for restorative or cosmetic reasons, we use digital technology to ensure a precise fit. Our conservative philosophy means we only recommend crowns when truly necessary.
Tooth Extractions
Safe and Gentle Removal of Damaged Teeth
While our goal is always to save your natural teeth, sometimes an extraction is the healthiest choice for your overall well-being. We perform gentle extractions for teeth that are severely decayed, fractured, or crowded, though we do not handle wisdom tooth extractions in-office.
Dr. Kennealy and her team prioritize your comfort, providing a calm environment and effective numbing to make the procedure as easy as possible. Following the extraction, we will discuss restorative options, such as implants or bridges, to ensure your smile remains complete and functional for years to come.
Periodontal Therapy
Healthy Gums for a Strong Foundation
Periodontal health is the foundation of a healthy smile, which is why we take gum disease very seriously. Our periodontal therapy includes thorough screenings and deep cleanings—through procedures such as scaling and root planing—to remove infection from beneath the gumline.
We also offer a specialized periodontal membership plan that includes four cleanings per year to help you maintain your results. By managing gum health proactively, we help prevent tooth loss and protect you from systemic health issues linked to oral bacteria. Our team is dedicated to keeping your gums healthy.
Nightguards and Mouth Guards
Shield Your Teeth From Grinding and Injury
Protecting your teeth from physical trauma or the effects of nighttime grinding (bruxism) is essential for long-term oral health. We provide custom-made nightguards and mouth guards that offer a superior fit and better protection than over-the-counter options.
Using advanced digital impressions, we create guards that are comfortable to wear and highly durable. Whether you are an athlete looking to prevent sports injuries or someone waking up with jaw pain, our custom guards provide the necessary cushioning to safeguard your enamel and your jaw joints from unnecessary wear and tear.
Nitrous Oxide
Gentle Sedation for a Stress-Free Experience
To help our more anxious patients feel at ease, we offer nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. This safe and effective sedative is inhaled through a small mask, helping you feel relaxed and calm throughout your procedure. The effects of nitrous oxide take hold quickly and wear off soon after the mask is removed. It is an excellent option for both children and adults who may feel nervous about dental work. Our team monitors you closely to ensure you remain comfortable.
Oral Sedation
Achieve Complete Comfort During Your Dental Visit
For patients who require a deeper level of relaxation, we provide oral sedation options to ensure a completely comfortable experience. By taking a prescribed medication before your appointment, you will arrive feeling calm and drowsy, making even complex procedures feel as though they pass by in just a few moments. While you remain conscious and able to respond to our team, you will feel significantly less anxiety.
Because oral sedation has longer-lasting effects, you will need a trusted friend or family member to drive you to and from our Alexandria office for your safety.
Seamless Solutions for Your Dental Care
Convenient Ways to Manage Your Treatment
We believe that receiving high-quality dental care should be a stress-free experience from the clinical chair to the front desk. To ensure your visit is as smooth as possible, we offer a variety of convenient payment methods, including cash, checks, and major credit cards. For those who prefer structured options, we accept CareCredit and will gladly bill to your insurance provider on your behalf. Our team is dedicated to handling the logistics of your dental investment, allowing you to focus entirely on achieving and maintaining a healthy, beautiful smile.
We invite you to reach out to our team to schedule an appointment and experience the comfortable, community-based care your family deserves.
