Prevention, as we all know, is better than cure. This is something that we seek to promote with regular 6 monthly visits so that we can keep and eye on your overall oral health and address any potential problems before they occur.
All our dentists work closely with our hygienists to ensure that you receive the best comprehensive dental care possible.
During your regular assessment appointments we will listen to you and address any need and concerns that you may have. We will conduct a through examination and take any relevant x-rays and records. In particular we will look at :
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1. |
Your jaw joint and its alignment |
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2. |
The internal lining of your mouth |
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3. |
Your gum tissue |
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4. |
All surfaces of every tooth |
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5. |
Any fillings or dental restorations that you have |
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6. |
Oral Cancer screening |
During the examination we will fully chart any findings that we make and report them to you in a language that is non-technical and easy to understand.
More serious problems such as mouth cancer are thankfully very rare, but if we have any doubts we refer patients direct to a specialist. We check the lining of the mouth for pre-cancerous blemishes. Smoking and drinking (particularly spirits) can increase your chances of oral cancer twenty-fold in addition to the other damage inflicted, so we try to encourage patients to give up or cut down. Smoking can also dramatically worsen gum disease.
During your appointment our hygienists will carefully examine and chart your teeth and gums noting in particular: inflammation, bleeding, swelling, and the presence of plaque and calculus. Plaque and surface stains will be removed by gentle scraping, polishing and high-tech powder sprays.
Research is also showing that gum disease is linked with systemic illnesses, such as diabetes and even heart disease. Pre-term and low weight births are also being associated with gum disease in some instances. As a progressive practice, we ensure that we keep abreast of the latest scientific research and advances, so that we can continue to offer our patients the best possible advice.
Our hygiene role doesn’t stop in the surgery, it is important that you follow a good oral hygiene routine at home to ensure that you maintain healthy teeth and gums and our hygienists are keen to educate patients on the correct techniques to use for brushing and flossing.
For those situations when the gum disease is more advanced we can refer you to Vandna Dharmar our periodontist or you may opt for treatment using our PAD laser.
Laser gum treatment.
The PAD laser is another piece of state of the art equipment which we use to eliminate the disease causing bacteria from difficult to treat gum pockets.
