PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY

Establishing an oral health care plan is important to avoid any dental issues. This includes regular visits for professional cleanings, x-rays, and other preventative maintenance procedures completed by our Dental Hygienists' at least every 6 months.

Periodontal disease, more commonly known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory diseases that affect the "periodontium", which are the hard and soft tissues surrounding and supporting your teeth. Just like tooth decay, gum disease is attributed to the harmful bacteria in dental plaque and tartar that accumulate around the teeth and under the gums. Since the progression of periodontal disease is often painless, you may not even be aware of an ongoing disease process.

It’s essential to practice good oral hygiene and schedule regular visits so our providers can evaluate your oral health and determine if you have gum disease and treat accordingly. We recommend that patients with more advanced cases of gum disease schedule in frequent intervals of about every three months, which can halt the progression of periodontitis and preserve their oral health.

This state-of-the-art technology allows us to take 3D digital images of your mouth, eliminating the need for impressions and expediting the start of your treatment. The iTero scanner is more comfortable, more accurate and faster than a routine dental impression. It does not expose you to any sort of radiation and is completely safe. The Itero scanner allows us to remotely treatment plan with a 3D model of your teeth as well as accurately track various concerns such as tooth wear from grinding, crowding and gum recession over time. We store your scan for our records as it can be used for various treatments including Invisalign and implant treatment

Our office uses digital technology to capture x-ray images with the safest, lowest-dose radiation possible. X-rays are integral in diagnosing gum disease, cavities, dental abscesses, and lesions. 

We also use 3D cone beam imaging to get a full 3D image of the teeth, bone, and nerves when we need to take a more detailed look. This allows us to diagnose your health and is a key step in planning and performing successful dental implant surgery. 

• Provide accurate measurements of the shape and dimensions of your jaw
• Identify gum issues
• Detect lesions that may indicate serious disease
• Locate the origin of any pain
• Evaluate your sinuses, nasal cavity, and nerve canal 

Our providers will examine your mouth, gums, and other oral tissues, keeping an eye out for lesions, lumps, discolored patches, and other abnormalities at every dental cleaning appointment If anything looks unusual, a biopsy can be taken and sent to a specialist for further analysis. Vizilite technology is the use of a LED blue light that allows us to see changes in the tissue that may not be seen with the naked eye. By incorporating this screening test into your traditional head and neck oral exam, we have the ability to detect abnormalities in the oral cavity that may be cancerous lesions in the early stages, as well as other abnormal tissue formations that may occur.

Oral cancer can occur anywhere in the orofacial complex but is most often found on the tongue, the tonsils and oropharynx, the gums, floor of the mouth, lips, cheek lining or the hard palate. It is important to be proactive and stay consistent with your oral healthcare routine, so your dentist can easily identify when something is wrong.

Fluoride treatments can easily be added to any routine hygiene visit to help keep decay at bay. Once your teeth have been cleaned, your hygienist will apply a fluoride varnish on the teeth. Fluoride works by attracting healthy minerals like calcium and phosphates which will bond to your teeth and help re-strengthen them.

As part of your child’s dental prevention program, dental sealants are often recommended to protect their permanent back teeth from developing dental decay as soon as they appear in the mouth. The reason for this is that the deeply grooved chewing surfaces of the back permanent teeth can be difficult for a child to keep free of leftover food and cavity-causing bacteria. Moreover, young children do not always brush their teeth, as often or as thoroughly as they should, making them particularly vulnerable to dental decay. Dental sealants are a clear, strong, plastic-like protective coating for the chewing surfaces of a child’s permanent back teeth. The material fills in the pits, fissures and grooves on these teeth to seal out harmful bacteria and food particles.

Nightguards are recommended to prevent the poor side effects of clenching and grinding. Nightguards benefit the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) by stabilizing it to a healthy equilibrium. Like wearing a brace on a twisted ankle, the nightguard will help stabilize the TMJ and reduce inflammation, tenderness, and headaches. Without a nightguard, enamel can be worn down excessively, leading to tooth sensitivity. Teeth may also become chipped or cracked, requiring extensive restorative dental treatments to repair them. 

It is important to determine WHY you may be clenching or grinding and treat the underlying cause first. Sleep bruxism (grinding) should be treated accordingly if there are findings of obstructive sleep apnea as a night guard won't cure sleep apnea.  

Retainers are recommended for patients who recently completed orthodontic treatment to maintain proper alignment. Also, aging can cause teeth to naturally shift. Retainers can be made for those who wish to maintain the position of their teeth as they are before more shifting occurs.

Athletic mouth guards are flexible, molded guards that we custom fit to your teeth to protect them from impact during contact sports.