One of the most important things a patient can do to improve and maintain healthy gums and teeth is to practice good oral hygiene. Although this ultimately is in the hands of the patient at home, our office is here to help and offer advice. We take our patients oral health very seriously and recommend daily preventative care in between dental check ups, which can reduce the risk of tooth decay, gum disease and other dental problems brought on by lack of oral hygiene.
To make your oral hygiene routine effective consider incorporating the following to your daily habits:
A prophylaxis is a cleaning service performed by one of our talented hygienists at Generations Family Dental. A prophylaxis should be performed every six months to prevent plaque buildup. When plaque is left untreated it can lead to unhealthy gums and tooth decay.
A prophylaxis usually includes scaling, root planing and polishing. Scaling and root planing are two forms of removing plaque from any surface it may have attached to, each one is used depending on the amount of buildup of plaque and tartar. Some dental hygienists perform scaling by hand, however, at Generations Family Dental we use state-of-the-art technology that allows us to combine both mechanical scaling as well as manual scaling that leads to the most efficient results in less time. Polishing is the last step of a prophylaxis, which ensures the surface of each tooth is smoothed to prevent future plaque buildup.
Bad breath and the term “halitosis” can be used interchangeably. Bad breath can be caused for multiple reasons and may be a more persistent or occasional condition depending on the patient. Our doctors will work together with our patients to find the root of the problem and create a treatment that is best for you. The most common reason for bad breath is the bacteria that is left over from your meals. 80% of bad breath is caused by something in the patient’s mouth. When bacteria is the cause of bad breath treatment options are rather simple; regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash and regular visits to your dentist at Generations Family Dental for a deep professional cleaning and exams should take care of most issues.
Persistent bad breath even when the a patient keeps a regular hygiene routine can be a sign of more serious problems with the gums and teeth.
Some causes of persistent bad breath can be:
– Infections in the mouth such as periodontal (gum) disease
– Respiratory tract infections; throat infections, sinus infections or lung infections.
– Dry mouth caused by salivary gland problems or breathing through the mouth
– Systemic illnesses such as diabetes, acid reflux disease, liver disease, kidney disease, lung disease and sinus problems.
When persistent bad breath is present, your dentist will perform an examination of the mouth to determine the cause, depending on the diagnosis your dentist will refer you to a family doctor or a periodontist.
Call our office immediately if you have swollen and painful gums that bleed easily or loose teeth.
A common preventative treatment in dentistry is a sealant. Some teeth can have fine grooves and pits that easily accumulate plaque. These are often hard to reach with a toothbrush and its presence on the tooth can lead to cavities and tooth decay. To prevent this from happening a sealant is applied, this fills in those pits and grooves that will not allow plaque to continue to build up in that spot. Sealants make healthy teeth attainable.