COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL HYGIENE
Get your routine check-up and a professional teeth cleaning.
ROUTINE HYGIENE WELLNESS
Improve your daily brushing and flossing with Dental Care Of Sumner
Daily brushing and flossing remove a great deal of the plaque and bacteria that accumulate on your teeth, but it’s nearly impossible to remove it all on your own.
Your dental hygienist can partner with you to achieve good oral health. Visiting the dentist at least twice a year for a professional cleaning can prevent tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease. Your dentist may recommend more frequent visits based on the condition of your teeth and gums.
What to expect at your dental hygiene check-up appointment:
- Visual evaluation of teeth, face, jaw and neck
- Digital images to check for cavities and other possible problems
- Gum disease evaluation
- Professional teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment
- Screening for oral cancer
How Can We Help With Your Dental Hygiene?
We provide a range of services to help with your hygiene and overall health. Please select an option:
Request an Appointment
Caring for your Smile
Here is what is included in your typical hygiene appointment.
Visual & Gum Disease Evaluation
During your dental exam, your Sumner dentist will check for cracked, broken, or decayed teeth as well as examine your cheeks, gums, tongue, and the roof of your mouth for any abnormal areas.
Since gum disease affects almost 50% of adults in the U.S. (Center for Disease Control), we will perform a comprehensive assessment during your exam to check for any signs of periodontal disease.
When addressed in the early stages, periodontal disease is easily controlled and possibly reversible. Since gum disease exhibits minimal symptoms until it is significantly advanced, it is important that we evaluate you for early stages of the disease. Our team will assist you in choosing the best treatment options for your condition. Conservative, early intervention is the best approach.
Digital Imaging
The dentist may recommend digital x-rays and photographs to help identify problem areas in your mouth. The type of images may vary based on your particular situation, but a full jaw x-ray, called a panoramic x-ray, will give the dentist a comprehensive view of all the structures in your mouth as well as your jaw joint and your sinuses.
Your situation may require digital 3D imaging to determine the exact positioning of your teeth. Dentists may also use a special digital camera to take close-up pictures of your teeth or gums. This will help them identify and monitor any areas of concern. We also use intraoral cameras to provide live images while we examine your smile.
Fluoride Treatment
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends fluoride treatments based on your risk for developing cavities. Our team evaluates your risk for cavities as low, moderate, or high, based on criteria outlined by the ADA.
If we determine you have a low risk for cavities, we will offer you a fluoride treatment twice a year.
If we determine you have a moderate risk for cavities, we will offer you fluoride treatments twice a year as well as provide you with a take-home fluoride product to help reduce your chance of getting another cavity.
If we determine you have a high risk for cavities, we may offer you fluoride treatments more than twice a year, provide you with a take-home fluoride product, and recommend an antimicrobial rinse to reduce the cavity-causing bacteria.
Professional Teeth Cleaning
Our highly trained hygienists thoroughly clean your teeth. They remove the plaque and tartar from your teeth and then polish them to remove stains and smooth the tooth surface.
In addition to the hand-held hygiene techniques our skilled hygienists use, we also employ ultrasonic devices to deliver targeted treatments to hard to reach areas. These devices use ultrasonic vibrations to crush and remove calcified deposits of calculus.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer is on the rise. When detected in the early stages, most oral cancers respond very favorably to treatment. Smoking increases the risk of developing oral cancer five times, excessive alcohol use increases it two and a half times, and the presence of a persistent HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) infection increases it thirty-two times.
Your dentist will look over all the tissue in your mouth, including your tongue, lips, and cheeks, checking for anything abnormal. They will also feel for any unusual lumps or bumps and make recommendations for follow up if necessary. Your dentist also has the ability to do a salivary screening to check for an active HPV infection.
Recommendations for reducing your risk of developing oral cancer include regular screenings and possible lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption.
LASERS IN DENTISTRY
Taking your dental care into the modern age.
Dentists have used lasers in dentistry for several years, and these lasers provide additional benefits when combined with regular cleanings or therapy for gum disease. Our hygienists perform two specific procedures that can reduce your risk of gum disease or provide improved healing.
LASER BACTERIAL REDUCTION
Also known as "Laser Decontamination".
Dentists use a procedure in which they emit thermal, light energy through a small, fiber optic tip between the teeth and the gums. This energy vaporizes the harmful bacteria at or below the gum-line called biofilms.
Research shows that biofilms directly increase the risk of developing gum disease, a serious infection affecting the supporting bone. During your hygiene appointment, the hygienist will disrupt the biofilm to reduce the risk or severity of periodontal disease, but cannot eliminate the bacteria without using the laser. Destroying the bacteria with the laser reduces inflammation in the gum tissue, keeping your gums healthier between visits.
There are no known side effects to laser decontamination. Most patients do not report any sensation during or after the use of the laser. Occasionally, patients will describe a warm, tingling sensation felt during the procedure. Laser decontamination takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and the entire mouth undergoes treatment at one time.
The laser uses light energy that it absorbs into the pigmented cell walls of the harmful bacteria, vaporizing them. The bacteria in our mouths that do not contribute to inflammation typically lack pigment in their cell walls and thus the laser does not affect them in the same way
Dental professionals now have access to this technology by using a laser specifically designed to treat the gums. The advances in the production of these dental lasers have made it possible for our office to offer laser decontamination. We are happy to treat our patients with an elevated level of care that is not only supported by years of research but also affordable.
Although the laser kills millions of harmful bacteria at your hygiene appointment, the bacteria will begin to multiply again over time, and will eventually return to their original levels in a few months. For this reason, we recommend that you include laser decontamination every time you see your hygienist. For some patients with a history of periodontal treatment, that is every 3 months. You may be thinking to yourself, “If the bacteria just grow back, what’s the point?
One of the most important factors in obtaining optimal oral health and control of periodontal disease is your body’s ability to fight off these harmful bacteria. It is true that we cannot kill the bacteria forever with a single use of the laser, but if you complete the laser treatment at each appointment, we can keep them at a constant lower level, giving your immune system the chance to keep your body healthier.
LASER ASSISTED PERIODONTAL THERAPY
In Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy, a dental professional emits thermal, light energy through a small, fiber optic tip between the teeth and the gums. This energy vaporizes the harmful bacteria at or below the gum-line and removes the infection.
The bacterial infection causes a breakdown of the gums and bone surrounding the teeth, resulting in active periodontal disease. During gum therapy, the dental hygienist performs a procedure called curettage to remove the infected, diseased tissue. This is a non-surgical, conservative procedure that uses a local anesthetic.
Research shows that incorporating the use of the laser into gum therapy procedures can produce an earlier and greater improvement in gingival health. These applications can also improve periodontal wound healing. The thermal energy produced by the diode laser stimulates circulation and formation of collagen fibers while reducing inflammation and bleeding.
There are no known side effects to incorporating the laser into gum therapy. Most patients report no discomfort during or after the use of the laser. Local anesthetic is utilized for most laser assisted periodontal therapies. It is also recommended to apply vitamin E oil following the therapy to provide a lubricant barrier and additionally promote healing.
Dental professionals now have access to this technology by using a laser specifically designed to treat the gums. Due to the advances in the production of these lasers, our office now has the ability to offer laser-assisted periodontal therapy as part of our standard of care. We are happy to treat our patients with an elevated level of care that is not only supported by the research but also affordable.
Although the laser kills millions of harmful bacteria during the procedure, the bacteria will multiply again over time, returning to original levels over the next several months. For this reason, we recommend laser decontamination therapy be included every time you see your hygienist. For some patients with a history of periodontal disease, this may be every 3 months. One of the most important factors in obtaining optimal oral health and controlling periodontal disease is the body’s ability to fight off these harmful bacteria. Incorporating laser bacterial reduction into appointments following initial gum therapy keeps the bacteria at a lower level, giving the immune system a chance to keep the gums healthier.
How often should I get my teeth cleaned?
The Academy of General Dentistry recommends that you see the dentist for a check-up and cleaning at least twice a year. Your Sumner dentist may recommend that you visit more often, depending on your specific situation and risk of disease. Some conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or pregnancy, may require you to get more frequent cleanings to keep you and your mouth healthy.
Will my insurance cover my check-up appointment?
Most insurances cover the procedures that you complete during a check-up and cleaning appointment. Our great team of insurance coordinators will help you navigate through your specific insurance benefits and provide you with an estimate of any remaining costs after the insurance payment.
