Your Regularly Scheduled Visits Are About More Than Clean Teeth

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED why it’s so important to see us every six months? From oral health maintenance to serious disease prevention, there are a lot of reasons to keep your semi-annual visits on your calendar.

Open Wide And Say “Aahhh”

So what do we look for when we examine your pearly whites? During typical checkups we examine the overall health of your teeth and gums, looking for signs of tooth decay, gum disease and checking up on the condition of existing dental work. X-rays may also be taken to ensure the health of the roots of your teeth, and to reveal things we cannot see.

Once we examine your mouth and teeth, it’s cleaning time. We do so by:
Doing an overall cleanliness check
Removing plaque and tartar
Polishing your teeth
Flossing between your teeth

After your teeth are cleaned, we’ll talk about recommendations for keeping your teeth and gums healthy until your next regular visit.

Thinking Outside The Mouth

While a clean and vibrant smile is a definite confidence booster, it can also promote sound overall health. Bacteria from untreated gum disease can spread to other parts of the body and increase the risk of heart disease and other serious conditions.

We can also spot warning signs of other conditions. Things such as vitamin deficiencies, osteoporosis and even diabetes can present symptoms in our mouths.

We Care About Your Whole Body Health

Our practice is focused on the latest treatments to create healthy and resilient smiles. In addition to helping your smile look and feel its best, we’re committed to your overall health. We want to make sure you’re as healthy as possible when you visit us!

Thank you for being our valued patient and friend!

Image by Flickr user Seth Lemmons used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The Importance of having Dental X-Rays taken

We use state of the art digital X-rays and digital camera to help with an accurate diagnosis of any concerns. Digital X-rays use less radiation to get a diagnostic picture of your teeth and they help the environment by eliminating the use of chemicals to process the film.  Dental X-rays are pictures of the teeth, bones, and soft tissues around them to help find problems with the teeth, mouth, and jaw. X-ray pictures can show cavities, hidden dental structures (such as wisdom teeth), and bone loss that cannot be seen during a visual examination. Dental X-rays may also be done as follow-up after dental treatments.  

The following types of dental X-rays are commonly used. The X-rays use 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. These X-rays are used to check for decay between the teeth and to show how well the upper and lower teeth line up. They also show bone loss when severe gum disease or a dental infection is present.
• Periapical X-rays show the entire tooth, from the exposed crown to the end of the root and the bones that support the tooth. These X-rays are used 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 (cleft palate), cysts, abscesses, or growths. Occlusal X-rays may also be used to find a foreign object.
• Panoramic X-rays show a broad view of the jaws, teeth, sinuses, nasal area, and temporomandibular (TMJ-jaw) joints. These X-rays do not find cavities. These X-rays do show problems such as impacted teeth, bone abnormalities, cysts, solid growths (tumors), infections, and fractures.
• Digital X-ray is a new method being used in some dental offices. A small sensor unit sends pictures to a computer to be recorded and saved.  

A full-mouth series of periapical X-rays (about 14 to 21 X-ray films) is most often done during a person's first visit to the dentist. Bitewing X-rays are used during checkups to look for tooth decay. Panoramic X-rays may be used occasionally. Dental X-rays are scheduled when you need them based on your age, risk for disease, and signs of disease.

Dental X-rays are done to:

• Find problems in the mouth such as tooth decay, damage to the bones supporting the teeth, and dental injuries (such as broken tooth roots). Dental X-rays are often done to find these problems early, before any symptoms are present.
• Find teeth that are not in the right place or do not break through the gum properly. Teeth that are too crowded to break through the gums are called impacted.
• Find cysts, solid growths (tumors), or abscesses.
• Check for the location of permanent teeth growing in the jaw in children who still have their primary (or baby) teeth.
• Plan treatment for large or extensive cavities, root canal surgery, placement of dental implants, and difficult tooth removals.
• Plan treatment of teeth that are not lined up straight (orthodontic treatment).

Without X-rays, dentists may miss the early stages of decay between teeth.

*Source: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/dental-x-rays-when-get-them