Dental Cleaning

The Hygienist will use special dental instruments to remove calculus and other build-up such as plaque, from your teeth. Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth. It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris and saliva. If not removed, this bacteria produces toxins that inflame your gums, resulting in the beginning stages of periodontal disease. Calculus is hardened plaque that over time attaches firmly to your tooth’s surface and below the gum line and can only be removed with special dental instruments. Lastly, your teeth will be polished to remove any stains that have not been removed during brushing and scaling.

On your first visit, we will perform a comprehensive dental exam of your mouth and the surrounding area. This thorough examination will help us to determine what your specific dental needs are. This exam will include the following:

  • A  full set of diagnostic X-rays will be taken of your mouth. At this time, if needed, a dental model of your mouth will be made.
  • You will undergo a thorough oral cancer screening. We will check your face, neck, lips, tongue, throat, tissues and gums for any signs of oral cancer.
  • All tooth surfaces will be examined for tooth decay and we’ll check all existing fillings, crowns and other restorations. We will also evaluate the gums and bone around your teeth to check for any signs of periodontal disease.
  • Lastly, your bite and jaw alignment will be evaluated for any signs of abnormalities.

Following this initial exam, we will review our findings with you and go over any questions, or concerns you may have. Most often, we will then schedule you for a routine, 60-minute prophylaxis (professional dental cleaning). However, sometimes we find that your teeth and gums have entered into the beginning stages of periodontal disease. In this case, we will schedule you for an 80-minute scaling and root planning appointment.

Our practice is committed to bringing the safest and highest quality of care to our patients. In keeping with this commitment we have installed a digital X-ray system that enables us to provide greatly improved diagnostic capabilities, while significantly reducing your exposure to radiation. Because no film is used, taking these x-rays is more comfortable and efficient for our patients. These digital images can be sent immediately via email to other specialists, allowing us to discuss a case in real time. As an added benefit this digital X-ray system is much better for the environment.

X-Rays are pictures of teeth, bones and soft tissues around them. They help expose any problems not seen during visible exams to the teeth, mouth and jaw. We use X-rays to evaluate the condition of the roots, the bone around the teeth and areas in between the teeth. The X-ray pictures can show cavities, hidden dental structures (such as wisdom teeth or, cysts) and bone loss.

Dental X-rays are done to detect problems early, before any symptoms are present, allowing us to treat the problem before it becomes more serious.

A sealant is a thin coat of resin material that is applied to the chewing surface of the molars and premolars. More than 75% of dental decay begins in deep grooves in your teeth (pits and fissures). Teeth with these conditions are hard to clean and very susceptible to decay. Coating your teeth with this smooth plastic material makes it harder for plaque to stick to the grooves on the biting surface of the teeth, reducing the risk of forming cavities and tooth decay. A sealant protects the tooth by sealing the deep groves and creating a smooth easy to clean surface. The application of a sealant is a preventative measure to help keep teeth healthy. It is a painless and effective way to reduce the need for fillings and more expensive treatments that may be required to repair damage from cavities.

The fluoride treatments you receive in a dental office have a higher concentration of fluoride than over-the-counter fluoride mouthwash or toothpaste. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by making the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugars 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 speed remineralization as well as disrupts acid production in already erupted teeth of both children and adults.

In keeping with offering our patients the most progressive dental treatments available, we have recently started offering our patients a new method of applying fluoride to their teeth. Fluoride varnish is a highly concentrated form of fluoride that is painted directly onto your tooth’s surface. It is not a permanent varnish but, due to it’d adherent nature, it will bond to your teeth for several hours, thus more effectively penetrating the tooth’s surface.

A night guard can be an easy fix for a countless number of uncomfortable dental issues caused by bruxism and or, clenching. Bruxism (grinding) is the movement of ones jaws from side to side. Clenching is when you use your muscles to press your jaws together. These actions can cause pressure on the muscles, tissues and other surrounding structures of the jaw. A night guard is designed to protect the teeth from the pressure of clenching and grinding by providing a protective cushion between the upper and lower teeth. Depending on whether you clench or grind, we will design a night guard to help alleviate symptoms such as excessive wear on your teeth, headaches and neck and jaw pain and migraines.

Sports mouth guards are resilient plastic appliances that have been designed to encase an athlete’s teeth, gums and the bone that supports them. Our custom mouth guards absorb and redistribute the forces generated by traumatic blows, providing protection for your teeth, jaw and lips.

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