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Oral Prophylaxis

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:01:47 GMT

When you visit your dentist, the hygienist will check for cavities and plaque on your teeth. Plaque is a sticky substance made of bacteria that builds up on the surfaces of our teeth if not removed regularly with brushing or flossing. If plaque builds up and stays on teeth, it can harden into tartar. Tartar does not come off with regular brushing. Scaling is the process of removing this hard layer from the surface of your teeth.

Next, the hygienist checks your gums using a special tool to measure the depth of space between your teeth and gums. Healthy gums should present with shallow spaces, but this may not be true when gum disease is present. There will be deeper gaps and gums that have pulled away from the tooth indicating gum disease.

After your teeth are scaled, a gritty paste helps remove any surface stains on your teeth and the final step is flossing. Your dental professional will use floss to make sure the areas between your teeth are clean. Lastly, a rinse to protect your teeth against decay.

If mild to moderate gum disease is detected, some hygiene treatments can cure this level of gum disease.

If you have more severe gum disease,you may require further treatment to bring that under control. Your dentist may use laser light therapy or gum surgery. But no worries, your dentist is experienced and skilled at providing effective treatments to help control gum disease. Once gum disease becomes severe, it can be hard to cure, but ongoing vigilance can keep it under control to prevent further damage.

There’s no time like the present to care for your teeth.

Gum Disease

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:01:46 GMT

You Could Have Gum Disease!

Gum disease is the #1 cause of adult tooth loss in the US. So it’s very common and many people do not realize they have gum disease until the symptoms are severe.

Diagnosing gum disease in the early stages can prevent serious outcomes of tissue and bone loss, and worse tooth loss!

There are three stages of gum disease:

Gingivitis; treated at this stage, may cure the disease. At this stage some people notice red, swollen gums that bleed easily. Others may have no symptoms at all.
Periodontitis: People notice pain at this stage and the disease has started to break down gum tissue and affect the teeth and bones. Gums may begin to recede at this point. When treatment begins at this stage we can prevent gum disease from progressing further.
Advanced periodontitis. At this stage of disease teeth become loose, or may shift. You are at risk of losing teeth, bone and gum tissue.

There Are Many High Risk Factors for Gum Disease Including:

Not brushing your teeth twice a day
Irregular professional cleanings
Smoking or chewing tobacco
Some medications
Defective fillings
Crooked teeth
Systemic disease
Hormonal imbalance
Pregnancy
Family history of gum disease

Symptoms of Gum Disease:

Bleeding gums during brushing
Gums that have pulled away from the teeth
Bad breath or bad taste
Adult Permanent teeth that are loose for no apparent reason
Changes in way teeth fit together when you bite

General dentistry now has gentle and effective treatment protocols when gum disease is detected. We can help you control gum disease!

When gum disease is detected, your hygienist is prepared to treat this with deep cleaning by root planing and scaling. Followed by antibiotic irrigation to kill bacteria: or potassium nitrate, a natural solution for sensitive teeth. When gum disease becomes more advanced your dentist may use soft Laser to gently and effectively remove infected tissue. Often this treatment will help eliminate the need for invasive gum surgery.

Your dentist will recommend a follow-up appointment to ensure your gums remain disease-free and your hygienist will provide instructions to help prevent gum disease at home. There’s no better time than the present to start caring for your teeth and gums.

You can call or Book online to make an appointment.

Your healthy, beautiful smile is within reach!

Oral Cancer Screening

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:01:45 GMT

Oral cancer screening is an examination that looks for signs of cancer or precancerous conditions in your mouth. The goal of oral cancer screening is to identify mouth cancer early when there is a greater chance for a cure. The screening takes place during a routine dental visit by the Doctor’s trained eye. Additional tests are available to aid in identifying abnormal cells in your mouth The team may discuss your medical history to decide that an oral exam or a special test is right for you based on your risk factors.

Factors that increase the risk of oral cancer:

A previous oral cancer diagnosis
Heavy alcohol use
Tobacco use of any kind, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco and snuff.
History of significant sun exposure, which increases the risk of lip cancer

Mouth and throat cancers have been on the rise. An increasing number of these are associated with the sexually transmitted infection of human papillomavirus (HPV). If you're concerned about cancer risk, talk to your Dr. about which screening tests might be appropriate for you and how to reduce your risk.

Oral exams for oral cancer screening have some limitations; An oral exam may find sores that are suspect but screening alone cannot determine if the sore is cancerous. Screening may lead to additional testing.

The only way to be sure about oral cancer is to remove a few abnormal cells and test them for cancer. This procedure is called a biopsy. Screening for oral cancer may help find cancer early. Early treatment is associated with better outcomes.

How can I prepare for an oral cancer screening?

Oral cancer screening takes place during a routine dental appointment, and no preparation is needed.

What can I expect?

Your dentist looks over the inside of your mouth to check for red or white patches or mouth sores. He will check the tissues in your mouth for lumps or other abnormalities and examine your throat and neck for lumps.

These additional screening procedures are available.

Oral cancer screening dye. Then rinse your mouth with a special blue dye before an exam. Abnormal cells in your mouth may take up the dye and appear blue.
Oral cancer screening light shines in your mouth during an exam. The light makes healthy tissue appear dark and makes abnormal tissue appear white.

Results

Further recommendations will be made if there is any sign of cancer or precancerous lesions:

A follow-up visit is required in a few weeks to check for abnormal tissue and note whether it has grown or changed over time.
A biopsy procedure removes a sample of cells for testing at a laboratory to determine whether cancer cells are present. Your dentist may perform the biopsy, or you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in oral cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Three Types of Dentures

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:01:43 GMT

1.Complete Dentures

When you need to replace all of your teeth, uppers and lowers a complete set of artificial teeth called dentures may be the best choice fo r you.

2.Partial Dentures

Partial dentures correct the gaps in your smile when only some of your teeth are missing.Metal attachments anchor the dentures to your natural teeth.Partial dentures maintain tooth alignment by preventing your remaining teeth from shifting.Partial dentures can also help you prevent further tooth loss due to decay or gum disease.

3.Overdentures

Overdentures are secured to the roots of your own teeth.can be full or partial dentures, and are secured to the roots of your own teeth.This type of denture pro vides g reater stabilization during chewing.

Implant-Supported Dentures

A type of denture that is secured because they attach to implants. Regular dentures sit on top of the gums, and are not secured. Regular dentures move around, causing difficulties for some people.

What Are Sealants?

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 21:49:20 GMT

A thin coating of sealant painted on the chewing surface of the teeth bonds to grooves and forms a shield over the enamel to effectively prevent tooth decay.

Brushing and flossing will remove most food particles and plaque on smooth surfaces, but the bacteria can hide in uneven surfaces at the back of the mouth and between teeth. Sealants do a great job of protecting these vulnerable areas.

Who Should Get Sealants?

Children from ages six to fourteen are particularly vulnerable to cavities, so this is a critical age to have sealants.

Adults could also benefit from sealants on cavity-free biting surfaces to keep those teeth free of decay—particularly adults who have difficulty brushing.

What Research Says About Sealants

A CDC rep ort states that dental sealants prevent 80% of cavities for two years and 50 % up to four years. According to the CDC, the sealants can stay in the mouth for up to nine years. Only about 43 percent of 6- to 11-year-old children have dental sealants. School-age children without sealants are three times more likely to have cavities than children with sealants. The CDC reported that applying sealants in school-based programs to the nearly 7 million children from low-income households who don't have them could save up to $300 million in dental treatment costs.

Some potential problems may require the reapplication of sealants. Studies detect slight exposure of BPA in saliva for three hours after a procedure which returns to baseline within 24 hours. No findings of BPA in blood serum, and there are no reports of adverse reactions. This finding is much less severe than other exposures resulting from treatments for tooth decay.

Long-term benefits

Sealants are a painless procedure, well tolerated by most people with the long-term benefits of cavity-free molars. Adults can also benefit from sealants because our exposure to decay increases with age, and saliva's protective quality and biochemistry change over time.