Preventive Dental Services

Dental Exams and Cleanings

It’s important to schedule a professional exam and cleaning with your dentist every six months to prevent large amounts of plaque buildup, because even the most thorough at home brushing technique can leave plague behind. The average routine dental appointment lasts anywhere from 35 and 60 minutes. Routine dental exams and cleanings are important for a healthy dental regimen to prevent unhealthy gums and tooth decay. Scaling, root planning, and polishing should all be a part of good a dental cleaning.

Polishing

The final step of teeth cleaning is polishing, which involves finishing the surface of the teeth to make them shiny and clean. Rubber tip polishing uses a low-speed and gentle handpiece that contains a polishing paste made of abrasive ingredients that are ideal for removing stains. This leaves your teeth whiter and slick like glass!

Fluoride Treatment

Fluoride works to prevent tooth decay by making your teeth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria in the mouth. It also reverses early decay. In children under 6 years of age, fluoride becomes incorporated into the development of permanent teeth, making it difficult for acids to demineralize the teeth. Fluoride also helps promote healthy teeth by disrupting acid production in already erupted teeth of both children and adults. It also helps with sensitivity. Fluoride is recommended for children and adults.

Sealants

The chewing surfaces of the molar and premolar teeth provide optimal conditions for plaque to accumulate. These teeth have fissures or grooves that make molars vulnerable to decay. Such fissures pose a challenge for adequate brushing as the deepness and narrowness of them can make it difficult to clean and to keep plaque out. This is why it’s common for the dentist or hygienist to brush on a coating that seals these grooves and pits to form a smooth brushing surface. Sealants help provide reassurance that cavities won’t be forming in these hard-to-reach places and help keep your teeth healthy.

Digital X-Rays

Dental X-rays are digital images of the teeth, bones, and soft tissues around them used to diagnose problems with the teeth, mouth, and jaw. Cavities, wisdom teeth, and bone loss that cannot be seen during a visual examination can be shown by Digital X-ray images.
The following types of dental X-rays are commonly used. The X-rays use extremely small amounts of radiation.

• Bitewing X-rays show the upper and lower back teeth and how the teeth touch each other in a single view. They are used to check for decay between the teeth and to show how well the upper and lower teeth line up.
• Periapical X-rays show the entire tooth, from the exposed crown to the end of the root and the bones that support the tooth. Dentists use these to find dental problems below the gum line or in the jaw, such as impacted teeth, abscesses, cysts, tumors, and bone changes linked to some diseases.
• Occlusal X-rays show the roof or floor of the mouth and are used to find extra teeth, teeth that have not yet broken through the gums, jaw fractures, a cleft in the roof of the mouth, cysts, abscesses, or growths.
• Panoramic X-rays show a broad view of the jaws, teeth, sinuses, nasal area, and jaw joints. These X-rays do not find cavities. These X-rays do show problems such as impacted teeth, bone abnormalities, cysts, tumors, infections, and fracture

Periodontal Treatment

While brushing and flossing on a regular basis is the best preventative step against developing gingivitis, there are important signs to look for in case you need further treatment. Gingivitis occurs when gums swell due to bacterial infection, usually from plaque. If left untreated, gingivitis can advance into a more serious, destructive form of periodontal disease, which may lead to Periodontal Therapy. Periodontal Scaling and Root Planning entails the use of a special tool called a scaler to remove the plaque and tartar that has accumulated below the gum line. The gum tissue will usually heal and reattach itself to your teeth after this procedure. In extreme cases, periodontal surgery may be required.

Scaling with the cleaning

Maintaining good oral health can make professional dental cleanings go smoother and reduce the amount of scaling or “deep cleaning” done during your regular visit. Plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth creates an perfect environment for bacteria to grow, which may explain why gums are prone to bleed during brushing, flossing, or even eating. So, scheduling an appointment with your dentist every six months is important so the hygienist can remove plaque buildup and help prevent gum disease.

Root Planning

For moderate and advanced cases of gum disease, root planning will be performed to treat and prevent gum complications. In order to understand why this is necessary, it will help to learn about the progression of gum disease. When the gum is inflamed due to the excessive buildup of plaque and tartar, gum pockets become deeper and may even lose connections to the bone inside. Deeper pockets make it an opportune environment for plaque deposits to become trapped and cause discomfort and gum problems.

Root planning becomes necessary when the gum is inflamed due to the excessive buildup of plaque and tartar. Gum pockets may become deeper and may even lose connections to the bone. In root planning, the dentist inserts a pointed tool called a scaler into the gum pockets to remove the buildup of plaque. Depending on the severity of the case and the degree of difficulty, several visits may be required and/or the use of local anesthesia.