Periodontal Health Solutions
Our hygienist gets rave reviews for her thoroughness. She is good at letting our patients know exactly what she is doing to keep them informed. There is also the option for a silent cleaning, just let her know your wishes.
Our hygienist offers several services, from a routine cleaning to a deeper cleaning to a full Soft Tissue Management program for those who have inflamed and bleeding gums, with deep space between the gum and tooth.
We do not use fluoride in our practice, but encourage patients to use supplements that help gum health, such as vitamin C, CoQ10, and others. We are avid supporters of Fluoride Action Network, a group who is educating people on the fallacy of using this toxic industrial by-product.
“The Secret”
This is THE most effective way to keep a high level of gum health at home. It is inexpensive, easy and IT WORKS. Dr. Beata A. Carlson has written this to explain how you can prevent gum disease, prevent tooth decay, and even avoid most gum surgery. Periodontal disease, gingivitis, and halitosis (bad breath) can be avoided with natural, simple preventative care. Read the entire article “The Secret To Healthy Gums, or How to Keep Your Teeth for the Rest of Your Life.” This highly informative “how to” article can show you how to save your teeth and gums.
Gum Disease
Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in America. Many Americans suffer from sore and bleeding gums, painful brushing, bad breath, and other signs of gum disease.
How can a Microscope help you keep your teeth?
Did you know you can keep your teeth for the rest of your life? It’s surprising to have to tell people that, but we find we do have to. Dentures are not the ideal end to your dental experience and should not be thought of as such.
Lets face it, as we get older, this is the time we need our nutrition to be at its best. Not having our teeth during this time is inconvenient to say the least. Nobody wants to have to drink their food after being put through a blender. Steak just wouldn’t taste as good that way.
We want to help you keep your teeth for the rest of your life and the best start is by educating you. Gum disease is an epidemic that starts off with bleeding, puffy gums when you brush or floss and ends in enough bone loss that your teeth can literally fall out while eating a piece of bread.
Your teeth are surrounded by pink gum tissue. It hugs each tooth like a collar, nice and snug. To understand it better lets take a closer look under the microscope.
What you can’t see without the aid of the microscope is the different types of bacteria that are living in your mouth. When these start to overpopulate (much like growing cities) this is where trouble begins.
The Hygiene Garden Room
What is LANAP® - Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure
What is LANAP®?
LANAP® is a non-surgical periodontal therapy that stands for Laser-Assisted New Attachment Procedure.
It is performed with the Nd: YAG laser specifically made to target the bacteria that cause gum disease.
LANAP® is the first and only FDA-approved laser gum disease procedure that is an alternative to the traditional painful scalpel and suture gum surgery.
Is the LANAP® procedure painful?
Most patients find gum surgery very uncomfortable, and after having half the mouth done, they prefer not to finish the other half.
But with the LANAP® procedure, there is no downtime. There is no pain because you are anesthetized while doing it. The post-op discomfort is very minimal.
What are the benefits of LANAP®?
It is a no-cut, no-sew alternative to traditional gum surgery. LANAP® can effectively kill a lot more bacteria, regenerate new bone, and save many teeth this way.
There is no bleeding and no sutures involved. So, patients find it to be a very comfortable procedure as an alternative to the scalpel and sutures.
Their waste is toxic and acidic and once they sneak between your tooth and gum they create “pockets” where they can breed. Their toxic waste will eat away at the bone that supports your teeth in your mouth.
How do they overpopulate? Several factors, the most important being emphasis on your nutrition. Sugar is a food that bacteria loves to eat more than you do. It is their bread and butter, so to speak.
The chart here shows different bacteria that are commonly found in the mouth.
Proper nutrition is key to maintaining the body’s pH balance, which also controls bacteria overpopulation.
Another and equally important factor is your dental hygiene. This would include your home care as well as your 6-month visits to get your teeth cleaned. Doing “The Secret” is an essential role that you can play in maintaining healthy teeth and gums when included into standard homecare (brushing, and yes, flossing IS a must).
We do our part by cleaning your teeth every 6 months and get the spots you miss and can’t reach, such as under the gum (this is a place where bacteria thrives, as you can’t reach it and it’s dark and moist – its’ favorite).
A quick test to see if it’s been too long since you’ve been in for a cleaning: run your tongue along the surfaces of your teeth. Are they smooth like glass? Or are they slightly gritty? Unsmooth? Sticky? If every surface does not feel as smooth as glass, its time to call and set your next cleaning appointment.
While you’re here for your cleaning we like to take a whole body approach by testing your pH balance (important for dental health), testing your vitamin C absorption, checking the “pockets” between your teeth and gums to ensure bacteria is not getting the best of you and using a microscope that allows us to view the different types of bacteria present in your mouth.
This helps us to detect and handle the bacteria that causes gum disease BEFORE it starts to erode the bone that the teeth are sitting in.
By maintaining these key points we can help you keep your teeth for the rest of your life, and look forward to doing so.
Periodontal Services
Periodontitis, or gum disease, is the number one cause of tooth loss in adults. Periodontitis has also been linked to cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia and pregnancy complications.
Our hygienist showing a patient the bacteria in his gums.
The American Academy of Periodontology states that periodontal diseases are serious bacterial infections. The toxins produced by the bacteria stimulate a chronic inflammatory response in which the body, in essence, turns on itself and the tissues that support the teeth are destroyed.
We offer a complete range of services to treat periodontal disorders. Early detection is the key to successful treatment, as the early stages of periodontal disease are often painless and you may not be aware that your gums are infected. We examine, not just screen, all patients on their first visit and annually thereafter and recommend a personalized course of treatment to arrest the disease and optimize your dental health.
