Dental Health Topics

Nutritional Counseling for Dental Disease - Dental Procedure Code Description

No matter how vigilant one's oral care regime, the irrepressible development of plaque, and the porous nature of teeth makes them prone to decay. Your dentist and proper oral hygiene are your best allies in forestalling tooth decay and periodontal disease, and the frequency of your visits to a dentist can help ensure your teeth remain healthy and in place for a lifetime.
 
However, if a pattern of decay starts to emerge, your dentist may decide to speak with you about the ways proper nutrition can support a healthy mouth and prevent decay. This form of nutritional counseling is the subject of this dental procedure code. Aside from offering such nutritional counseling to adults, this discussion is frequently held with new parents as their children's teeth start to erupt.
 
In such a discussion, your dentist will likely suggest some of the foods that are good and bad for your teeth, and explain exactly why some of these foods have an impact on your oral care. As such, part of the discussion may evolve to cover the below suggestions:
 
  • Limit Snacking: Continual snacking provides and environment for bacteria to thrive and attack your tooth's enamel. 
  • Protect Tooth Enamel: Help repair and remineralize tooth enamel by eating foods such as meats and cheese. Nuts and milk are also thought to help in this regard. 
  • Eat Firm/Crunchy Fruits: Such fruits and vegetables are also good choices because of their high water content which dilutes the effects of the sugars they contain, and stimulate the flow of saliva. 
  • Avoid Acidic Food: Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and lemons, should be eaten as part of a larger meal to minimize the acid they contain. 
  • Chew Gum With Xylitol: Chewing this type of gum after each meal stimulates helps stimulate the flow of saliva - the best protector of teeth we possess.
To look up and find more cdt dental codes from the American Dental Association, please visit our complete Dental Procedure Code Library.