Preventative Dental Exams
We offer comprehensive dental examinations for patients of all ages.
At our initial meeting, we provide thorough and complete examinations of the dentition and surrounding tissues. We also make treatment recommendations and answer any questions you may have regarding your dental and oral health. Routine dental cleanings are also known as Oral Prophylaxis.
Our hygienists do a fabulous job removing all the plaque, calcified plaque and stain from the teeth above the gum line. This is usually accomplished at your initial visit using dental scalers and or ultrasonic scaling. Should your bacteria run deeper into the oral tissues, complete explanations and an alternative treatment plan is given.
In addition to a professional cleaning by one of our highly skilled dental hygienist team members, we will also check for signs of tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer.
Pediatric Dentistry
A healthy and secure dental patient is one who has had gentle dental care from an early age. Children’s dental care can begin at age one or at the first tooth.
Realizing that dental caries (tooth decay) is the most common childhood disease, we recommend that parents bring their children to the dentist upon the eruption of their first tooth or by their first birthday. By monitoring the development of the primary dentition, along with preventive instructions, children become accustomed to the dental environment. We then are able to help them transition to a comfortable and secure dental patient by the age of 3 when cooperation comes easily and the child looks forward to their routine dental visits.
A healthy bedtime routine for young children is: “Brush, Book, Bed!”
Prenatal Dentistry
Expectant mothers with healthy mouths have healthier babies, and need special consideration with regard to their oral health.
Oral changes may include gingival growth, gingivitis and granulomas on the gums due to pregnancy related hormonal changes. Salivary changes may cause an increase in cavities of the dentition.
We educate the expectant mother the management of these conditions and stress the need for meticulous home care during this most important time of a woman’s life.
Geriatric Dentistry
The aging population is rising, and we adore our dental patients in this group.
We celebrate our senior patient’s accomplishments and love helping them maintain a healthy dentition, realizing that a geriatric patient’s dentistry needs are changing with regard to tissue elasticity, rates of root decay and shifting of teeth.
Dental treatment is tailored to fit every individual’s needs and desires. We are happy to accommodate any special needs upon request.
Periodontal Care
Periodontal scalings and root planing is the treatment of choice for those who have developed deposits of plaque and tarter well below the gum in areas where the toothbrush and floss cannot reach.
By offering local anesthetics, our accomplished hygienists can comfortably debride these areas. With treatment and thorough home care instructions, we can help arrest and reverse this silent disease process to restore health. Local medications may be recommended and careful follow up is key to the success of our periodontal patients.
Oral Cancer Exams for Early Diagnosis And Treatment
As part of our routine examination following each cleaning and at the initial visit, our doctors visually and palpably check for abnormalities surrounding the neck, throat, lips, tongue and throughout the mouth as well as the ears and surrounding facial tissue. Any suspicious areas are discussed and referred for biopsy if deemed necessary.
Our office also has the ViziLite® system available for additional testing. Early detection and treatment of precancerous and malignant lesions saves lives.
Kavo Diagnodent Laser
The Kavo Diagnodent Laser assists in the early detection of dental lesions.
Our office confirms early and suspicious areas of dental breakdown by shining a painless laser light on the area in question. This technology helps the doctor determine if treatment is necessary to restore the tooth and aids the doctor in selecting the best restorative option.
Dental Sealants
These restorations apply flowable composite materials to deep grooves that toothbrush bristles cannot reach. Dental sealants are designed to help reduce cavities. Sealants are most important in the young permanent posterior teeth but can be used in primary or baby, anterior and select adult teeth as well.
Imaging Services
Our office uses state of the art intraoral sensors for images of the dentition as well as digital panoramic imaging to view potential lesions around the teeth, jaws and sinuses. These expose our patients to the least possible amount of radiation while providing the best quality images.
We believe the best amount of exposure to treat our patients is the least amount and we tailor frequency to our patient’s individual needs. Current studies support the use of dental radiography in the expectant mother.
Oral Hygiene Plans
Our capable and caring hygienists evaluate the needs of each of their patients and streamline an individualized plan to help them achieve maximum oral health. This includes not only proper brushing and flossing technique but also adjudicative therapy that may include mechanical brushes, rubber tips, oolitt tongue scrapers and prescriptive rinse and paste.
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