Prevention / Exams

Prevention is a very powerful tool that can save you money and time in the future.

Many oral diseases can be prevented if diagnosed in time.

A complete dental examination will allow us to identify any active diseases that could cause or contribute to the deterioration of oral health or function.

In order to have a complete examination, we perform:

• head and neck exam
• TMJ exam
• a complete series of x-rays
• oral examination identifying risk of developing tooth decay and other oral health problems, such as gum inflammation or bone loss

To diagnose more complicated cases of full-mouth rehabilitation, mounting diagnostic casts on the articulator might be required.

Prophylaxis

There are 2 major types of dental prophylaxis:

Supragingival Cleaning

This is cleaning the area above the gumline.

It is usually accomplished by hand instruments and/or ultrasonic scaler.

In patients who brush and floss their teeth on a regular basis, this is the only type of prophylaxis that may be required.

Subgingival Prophylaxis

This is cleaning the area under the gumline.

The subgingival plaque and calculus is what causes periodontal disease. In these more advanced cases, anesthesia might be needed in order to perform a proper cleaning.