Total Smiles

The American Dental Association recommends all new patients being evaluated for dental disease and development have posterior bitewing, selected periapical and panorex x-rays. Bitewing and pericapical x-rays are to be repeated every 6-12 months depending on your dental decay history. Panorex x-rays are to be repeated every 3-5 yearsdepending on your dental development.

Flossing

1. Wrap about 2 feet of floss around the middle fingers of each hand or make a loop by tying the ends together.
2. Use your thumb of one hand and index finger of the other to guide the floss between your upper teeth.
3. For lower teeth, slip the floss down with both index fingers.
4. Work the floss gently between your teeth pulling past the gum line until you feel pressure.
5. Bend the floss around the tooth into a U shape and pull against the tooth.
6. Hold firmly maintaining contact between the floss and your tooth and floss against the tooth in one pull.
7. Repeat for all teeth.

Brushing

1. A smear of toothpaste is all that is needed.
2. It takes 3-5 minutes to brush properly.
3. Place the bristles at a 45 degree angle to the teeth. Slide the tips of the brush bristles under the gums.
4. Jiggle the bristles gently in small circles.
5. Be sure to brush both the outside and the tongue side of your teeth.
6. Brush the chewing surfaces of your teeth in a back and forth motion.
7. Brush the tongue side of your front teeth with the end of the brush, cleaning one tooth at a time.
8. Brush your tongue.
9. Rinse thoroughly.

Your mouth is a busy place. Bacteria – tiny colonies of living organisms are constantly on the move on your teeth, gums, lips and tongue. Some of these bacteria can be harmful and attach themselves to hard surfaces like the enamel that covers your teeth. If they’re not removed, they multiply and grow in number. Proteins present in your saliva (spit) mix with the bacteria becoming a whitish film on the tooth. This film is called plaque. The plaque produces acid as it uses the sugar (and food remains) in your mouth as a form of energy.  The acid dissolves the minerals that make your tooth enamel hard. The surface of the enamel becomes porous – tiny holes appear. After a while, the acid causes the tiny holes in the enamel to get bigger until one large hole appears. This is a cavity. Removing the plaque from your teeth on a consistent daily basis by brushing and flossing can prevent this entire process.

If you are 18 years old and have healthy gums and teeth you are a candidate for tooth whitening. There are many products on the market today.  Our office offers ADA approved products such as Crest Professional Strength White strips, Opalescence Tray Whitening System and ZOOM Whitening.  Please ask one of our friendly dental team members about which option is best for you.

Bad breath (halitosis) is caused by odor-producing bacteria that grow in the mouth. When you don’t brush and floss regularly, bacteria accumulate on the bits of food left in your mouth and between your teeth. The sulfur compounds released by these bacteria make your breath smell. Certain foods, especially ones like garlic and onions that contain pungent oils, can contribute to bad breath because the oils are carried to your lungs and out through your mouth. Smoking is also a major cause of bad breath. If you brush and floss properly and visit your dentist for regular cleanings, but your bad breath persists, you may have a more serious dental or medical disease. Make an appointment with our office to evaluate the cause.

Teeth that are broken down or decayed to the degree of needing to be removed or extracted are weak and fragile.  Weakened teeth can often break, fracture or crumble further during and extraction.  An oral surgeon is a special trained dentist in the surgery of the mouth and jaw and is best qualified for such extractions.

A routine cleaning involves scaling above and lightly below the gum line, polishing the teeth and can be completed in one appointment. A deep cleaning or scaling and root planning (SRP) often encompasses the entire length of the tooth root below the gum line. The SRP is necessary when you have tartar build up on the roots of your teeth. This type of scaling is tedious and lengthy and usually is done in two to four appointments versus one.

Teeth come into or erupt into the mouth until they hit or occlude with something usually an opposing tooth. Selected tooth loss and bite discrepancies can be contributing factors to why this may happen. For example if a lower molar is removed, the upper molar no longer has something to hit when you chew and bite down. Over time the upper molar will drift into (super erupt) your mouth until it reaches something such as your lower gum tissue.

Parents are offered to tour our office with their child and then directed back to the waiting room. You are asked to remain in the waiting room so a relationship can be built between your child and our dental team.  Parents can inadvertently interfere with this bond.  Our dental team needs your child’s undivided attention in order to complete their dental procedures safely and properly.

Many people do not seek regular dental care due to anxiety and fear surrounding the dental experience. We recognize that your anxiety is serious. Empower yourself with the knowledge of your treatment procedures to alleviate fear of the unknown. You have input into treatment decisions and choices. You should be honest with your dentist regarding how much treatment you think you can tolerate at first. As you build confidence in yourself and trust in the team that is caring for you, the length of your appointment and the amount of work accomplished will increase. We have a signally system we will teach you that allows you to stop treatment whether it is because you need more anesthetic, need to rinse out, or just simply need a 2 second break. Practice relaxation techniques such as breathing and distracted focus to help calm your body and mind.  We offer auditory distraction with headphones if you wish. We also offer oral sedation and nitrous oxideprovided you have a driver to take you home from your visit. These methods will make you feel drowsy and relaxed.

*Not all of our locations offer Nitrous Oxide so please call ahead and confirm this IF you are uncomfortable with having dental procedures without it.

Teeth that are broken down or decayed to the degree of needing to be removed or extracted are often accompanied by infection of the root, surrounding bone and soft tissue.  The infection can often counteract our dental anesthetics preventing them to sufficiently numb your tooth and tissue. A round of antibiotics will reduce the infection and allow our anesthetics to work properly.

The benefits you receive are based on the terms of the contract that were negotiated between your employer and the dental insurance company. The goal of most dental benefit plans is to provide only basic care for specific dental services. Some services you need or want may not be covered by your dental benefit plan. Companies will also use a downgrade rule paying an alternate benefit of amalgam (silver filling) fees instead of composite (tooth colored) filling fees. Our office only offers tooth colored fillings. Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain optimal dental care.  We do not compromise your care based on the limitations of your insurance company.

Insurance Information