PREVENTIVE CARE
The most important part of oral health is preventive care. Our mission is to preserve healthy teeth and gums and prevent dental caries and oral disease. This is done through regular brushing and flossing at home and routine visits to your dentist and dental hygienist for exams and cleanings. At each appointment with your hygienist, you will receive a thorough dental cleaning, exam by the dentist, dental x-rays and periodontal charting. Healthy teeth and gums not only look good, but are an important part of your overall health!
Scaling & Root Planing Regular visits to the dentist are necessary to remove plaque and calculus in hard to remove places. Plaque – which includes a film of bacteria that attaches to teeth and gums – is always forming even as you sleep. The bacteria in plaque cause irritation of the tissues that support your teeth, and can lead to chronic inflammation, bleeding, and infection that can destroy your gum and bone tissue. Plaque that is not completely removed may harden into a rough porous deposit called tartar or calculus. The only way to remove tartar is to have your teeth cleaned at the dental office.
With regular dental checkups, we can detect developing periodontal diseases before the gums and bone supporting your teeth are irreversibly damaged.
Scaling and root planning is a method of treating periodontal disease to remove plaque and tartar deposits on the tooth and root surfaces and help gum tissue to heal and periodontal pockets to shrink. A "periodontal" or "deep cleaning" may be recommended for early periodontal disease to help increase the chances of keeping your natural teeth and alleviate the risk of other health problems. Scaling is used to remove plaque and tartar beneath the gum line, to help gum tissue heal and periodontal pockets to shrink. The procedure also makes it more difficult for plaque to accumulate along the root surfaces.
Sealants One of the most common places that tooth decay develops is on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, such as premolars and molars, because of the depressions and grooves in the teeth. While brushing and cleaning between teeth with floss is effective at removing food particles and bacteria from the smooth surfaces of tooth enamel, it's difficult to keep the grooves in the back teeth clean with just brushing. The likelihood of developing tooth decay on the chewing surfaces begins shortly after teeth come into the mouth, so therefore children and teenagers are more apt to have difficulty with decay, and we often recommend sealants for decay prevention in children and teenagers. A dental sealant is a plastic material that is applied to a chewing surface of a back tooth, and acts as a barrier, protecting enamel by "sealing out" plaque and food.
Oral Cancer Screenings As part of your dental examination each visit, the doctor checks your mouth, neck and oral tissues for any signs of oral cancer. As with most other types of cancer, early detection is extremely important for more successful treatment. Smoking (cigarettes, cigars or pipes) especially combined with heavy alcohol consumption (20 drinks a week or more), is the primary risk factor for oral cancer. Oral lesions, which are detected early offer a better chance for a more successful treatment – making oral cancer detection one more reason to see us regularly!
For information or to schedule an appointment, call (978) 535-3800, or request an appointment online by clicking here.
"Finding this dental office was the best thing I did for myself and my dental health. Thank you!" —Suzanne, New Hampshire
"From the moment I walked in the door everyone went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. . . I am not afraid anymore and I owe it to all the wonderful people at Varinos Dental. Thank you!" —Ida, Everett
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