Preventative services

What is a Dental Hygienist?

The Importance of Regular Dental Hygiene Appointments:

Why Do I Need Dental X-rays?

The importance of your Oral Cancer Screening:

Complete diagnostic appointments.  Because your health is a top priority, we take the time to completely examine your mouth and chart our findings.  This appointment is very important as it helps to establish a base-line for your care needs and also alerts us of your dental history and any current issues you are having.  Services included in this appointment are:
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• Complete Radiographs: x-rays help us determine the health of your teeth and gums.  These films are necessary so that our dental team can correctly identify and diagnose your oral health.
• Periodontal Screening:  your gums are measured to determine your risk of periodontal disease and what type of dental cleaning you require in order to achieve a healthy smile.  Periodontal disease is an indicator of heart disease, certain cancers, stroke risk and more - therefore, this diagnostic screening is extremely important to your overall health!
• Oral Cancer Screening:  during your diagnostic exam, and at each preventative (hygiene/cleaning) appointment, you will have a visual oral cancer exam.  We inspect your mouth for any abnormalities or findings that may suggest an oral cancer risk.  In addition, we recommend that you have an advanced screening at least once per year using the Oral ID screening tool.  This technology allows us to see abnormalities long before our eye could detect them.
• Medical and Dental History - we will discuss your medical and dental history and note any past treatments or medical alerts in your patient chart.  These items will help tell us what treatments will work best for your smile!

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Make Your Appointment

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Regular hygiene visits are very important to your dental health and can help prevent many issues from occurring!  People of all ages need to see their dental team regularly so that we can help maintain your healthy smile.  In fact, the American Dental Association recommends that children visit the dentist as soon as their first tooth comes in (Ask us about FREE HAPPY VISITS for kids under age 5!)  The most common scheduling recommendation is to see your dentist every six months for a check-up and cleaning, however, some people need to have their teeth cleaned more frequently due to excessive build-up and other health issues.

In some cases, a deeper cleaning is necessary due to periodontal disease and your hygienist will actually need to remove plaque and calculus build-up from under your gum line.  We will help you be more comfortable during this cleaning by providing numbing and will continue to monitor any gum disease conditions for future appointments.

For children and for many adults, we may recommend dental sealants.  Sealants help protect the chewing surfaces of your teeth by coating the grooves along those surfaces.  This will help keep bacteria away from those areas, limiting the risk of cavities.  Your dental hygienist plays an important role in the health of your smile.  They can help answer your dental health questions and address areas of concern - such as bad breath or homecare for your smile.  We care about the health of our patients and their family - and we're here for you!

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What to expect during your
​Dental Hygiene Appointment (Cleaning):

Discussing Deep Cleanings 
For patients with Periodontal Disease: