Preventive Care

   Proper gum care is essential for optimal oral health. Flint Dental Associates has established an excellent periodontal program that has helped many patients avoid tooth loss and maintain healthier bone levels. Our doctors offer gentle, comprehensive nonsurgical gum care and a soft-tissue program that has helped restore many smiles over the years. Contact us for more information about Gum Care. 

     If you are experience snoring or obstructive sleep apnea, keeping your family awake with your sounds of slumber is the least of your concerns. If left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can lead to serious medical problems, such as an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and other serious illnesses. Choosing a dentist who is qualified to handle sleep disorders and willing to work with your physician is essential to your health or the health of your loved one.

     Neither snoring nor sleep apnea should be taken lightly, as your health could be at stake. Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that is associated with cardiac problems, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, ED, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, and numerous other medical concerns. Current research explores the complex interrelationships between sleep apnea and the aforementioned medical problems. Management by a dentist should always involve your family physician and any specialists who are involved in your healthcare.

     Legally, any dentist can treat snoring and/or sleep apnea with an oral appliance; that does not mean, however, that your overall health is being addressed. Because no special qualifications are required, it is your responsibility to choose your dentist wisely. A qualified sleep-disorders dentist should have:

• Extensive knowledge of sleep medicine and oral appliance research.
• Training in oral appliance therapy.
• Experience with multiple appliance types.
• Relationships with local sleep labs and sleep physicians.
• Knowledge of emerging trends.
• Ability to derive maximum insurance benefits for you.
• Willingness to work with other professionals.
• A proven follow-up system to ensure healthy, long-term results.

     If you think you may have sleep apnea, please contact us for a consultation. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and cannot tolerate a CPAP device, our office can help. Our doctors are educated and have extensive experience treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Contact us for more information on sleep apnea or to schedule a consultation.

     If you suffer from pain in your jaw and face, experience “popping” sounds when you chew and talk, or occasionally have headaches or lockjaw, then you may have a Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, or TMJ. TMJ affects more than ten million people in the U.S. alone and is more than just painful; over time it can cause serious damage to your jaws and teeth.

     TMJ is a common term used to describe disorders of the jaw joints or the muscles that control them. Those who experience TMJ may be unaware that they even have it, as symptoms masquerade as a host of other health problems such as sinus headaches, migraines, neck and shoulder stiffness, and earaches.

     With regular cleanings and check-ups, you can keep your natural smile for a lifetime. Prevention begins with the control of plaque and calculus, the main cause of decay and periodontal disease. In fact, the major cause of tooth loss in adults is periodontal disease, which is known as the silent killer of teeth because most patients feel no symptoms until it’s too late.

     In order to maintain a healthy smile, dental cleanings should be performed at least every six months to remove plaque and tartar. If plaque is left on teeth, either above or below the gum line, it can lead to unhealthy gums, bone loss, and/or tooth decay. Dental cleanings should include scaling, root planing and polishing, along with a complete periodontal evaluation.

Scaling

     Scaling is the process of removing plaque and tartar from all tooth surfaces using a variety of methods, depending on the amount of plaque and tartar. Scaling is traditionally performed by dental hygienists. Advanced technology has lead to more modern methods such as ultrasonic scalers which allow dental cleanings to be performed more more efficiently. Sometimes both ultrasonic and manual scaling methods are combined for dental cleanings to give you the best results.

Periodontal Evaluations

     Dental hygienists perform periodontal evaluations which involves the measurement of the space, or “pocket” between the tooth and gum to the level of bone that surrounds each tooth. These measurements are recorded along with the presence of any gum recession and / or mobility for each tooth.

Root Planing

     Root planing is the process of cleaning the area around each tooth called “periodontal pockets,” to treat and/or prevent gum disease.

     Root planing is used to effectively treat moderate to severe gum disease. Periodontal pockets become deeper and may lose connections to the bone surrounding each tooth when gums are inflamed. The deeper the pockets, the easier it is for plaque to become trapped and worsen the gum disease.

     Root planing involves the use of both ultrasonic scalers and hand instruments to effectively remove both tartar and plaque from periodontal pockets. Depending on the degree of difficulty, root planing may take multiple appointments and local anesthesia may be used to prevent discomfort.