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Dental Hygiene/Periodontal Health
In addition to the meticulous cleaning, polishing, and examination of your teeth, we also take the time to help our patients develop proper oral hygiene habits at home. We will evaluate your hygiene techniques and make adjustments to your routine where needed. Our doctors and hygienists will also make suggestions for preventative measures such as dental sealants or nightguards to protect against bruxism (nighttime grinding and clenching).
If we feel that you are suffering from gingivitis or more severe gum disease, we may recommend scaling and root planing (see below). Thorough cleaning is the essential first step in preventing bone loss and helping you to keep your natural teeth.
Oral Cancer Screenings
During a dental exam, the doctor will check your neck and oral tissues for lumps, red or white patches or recurring sore areas. Be sure to tell us if you have a sore, unusual appearing area or lump that does not heal in 2 weeks.
Screening for early changes in the oral tissue can help detect cancer at a stage when it can be more successfully treated. Oral cancer is not common, but treatment is not highly successful if discovered in later stages. Prevention and early diagnosis are essential.
Tobacco use, especially combined with heavy alcohol consumption (30 drinks a week or more), is the primary risk factor for oral cancer. In fact, this combination is estimated to be the most likely trigger in about 75 percent of oral cancers diagnosed in this country. Other lifestyle and environmental factors also may increase your risk of developing oral cancer. Remember, all forms of tobacco cause oral cancer: cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, and chewing tobacco.
Scaling & Root Planing
Scaling and root planing is a non-surgical "deep cleaning" procedure in which the hygienist removes plaque and tartar from below the gum line. Root surfaces are cleaned and smoothed with specially designed instruments and with an ultrasonic scaler that uses sound waves and water to remove deposits. Tartar below the gumline must be removed because it harbors bacteria that releases toxins that breakdown gum tissue and cause permanent bone loss.
We will ocassionally recommend a time release antibiotic, Arestin, be placed into diseased pockets to promote ideal healing.
In some cases, scaling and root planing is not enough and you will be referred to a gum specialist for evaluation for gum surgery for the treatment of moderate or severe gum disease.
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