Improving Your Overall Health with Complete Dental Care: Regular Exams and Cleanings
The office of Stephen Huber, DDS, witnesses the profound impact of oral health on our patients’ overall well-being every day in Leawood, Kansas. A broken smile, with gaps and aching teeth, can affect everything from how you feel about yourself (and how you look) to your risk factors for heart disease and other systemic conditions due to chronic inflammation associated with untreated decay. Furthermore, Dr. Huber appreciates that the condition of the mouth often mirrors the condition of the rest of the body. So, by uncovering issues with the gums during regular exams and dental cleanings, we may also find potential problems with blood sugar control and other systemic health threats that contribute to oral infections and other oral health challenges.
How do you examine my teeth?
A routine exam generally involves reviewing and updating your medical history. Dr. Huber also assesses your gums by using special dental instruments to measure the pockets or space between the teeth and gums. These periodontal pockets expand as gum disease progresses. In turn, they can help detect the presence of gingival inflammation or infection and the severity or extent of such early-stage disease (gingivitis) or advanced gum disease (periodontitis). What Dr. Huber cannot detect with his eyes or touch can be isolated with x-rays. We use advanced, low-radiation digital imaging and other diagnostic tools to accurately pinpoint potential pre-cancers, cancerous lesions, periodontal disease, decay, and more issues with the jaw joints and associated tissues of the mouth and face.
What makes a professional cleaning different from my cleaning at home?
Ideally, you are brushing and flossing well and consistently. However, our hygienists do more than brush and floss your teeth and use more than standard toothbrushes and floss products. Plus, based on what is found during the gingival screening, approaches to your cleaning are customized to your needs. Generally, most individuals with healthy gums will only need oral prophylaxis (“prophy”). Routine cleaning is a standard dental procedure where our hygienists use specialized handheld instruments to remove bacteria, plaque, surface stains, and stubborn tartar. Tartar cannot be removed with regular oral care products and techniques. A professional hand is required to remove tartar. As a finishing touch, our skilled hygienists polish the teeth to a beautiful luster, a step that also promotes a minty-fresh mouth and fights bad breath.
What if you find that my gums are damaged?
As appropriate, a deep clean alternative to the standard prophy may be in order. This cleaning technique gets underneath the gums and helps smooth the teeth’s rough root surfaces. Bacteria, plaque, and other bad stuff tend to collect on these rough surfaces.
How often do I need to visit you for cleanings and exams?
Dr. Huber generally recommends that these routine visits be scheduled every six months or at least two “check-ups” yearly. If we find that your teeth or gums are damaged, we may need to schedule more frequent visits to follow up on how well-recommended interventions and therapies are working. As a provider of total care for the total “self,” our office in Leawood, KS, also develops a healthy schedule for routine preventative services that accounts for existing diseases, such as diabetes and other potential risk factors for oral disease. Call (913) 349-9795 to schedule your visit today!
