Tag Archive for: healthy gums

East Vancouver Dentist Addresses Oral Health Education

Besides brushing and flossing, what else can we do to optimize oral health? This is a great question and while not every dentist, or dental hygienist, may agree on what else is needed to get and keep your gums and teeth healthy I feel you should know about the other oral hygiene tools that are available. That way you can make up your own mind.

First, you must be aware that everyone is different in regard to the state of their oral health and even within one’s mouth there will exist different conditions, requiring different dental tools. Thus, in some parts of your mouth, a toothbrush may be all you will need to keep that part healthy. Yet in another area, you will need to floss regularly to keep it disease free. And in some areas, you will need to use the toothbrush, floss, water irrigator and other unique dental tools to maintain optimal oral health.

But before I get into the various ‘preventive dental tools’ that are available you will need to be aware of the fact that regardless of the tools that are available you must first know why you are using them, what they do, when to use them, how to use them, and be committed to being responsible for your own oral health. As I like to say, ‘it isn’t the brush, it’s the brusher’ and ‘it isn’t the floss, it’s the flosser’! While treatment is something that is done to you, prevention is something that is done by you! So when it comes to achieving and maintaining optimal oral health you, and you alone, will determine how successful you will be – not the tools you use.

How to Know What Tools to Use

If, when you were 6 years old, you learned everything you needed to know about taking care of your teeth and did what you needed to do – the only dental tool you would ever need would be the toothbrush. If you didn’t learn that lesson and later found that you had the early stages of gum disease and some decay, you could add dental floss to the toothbrush and if you knew when and how to use it, those two dental tools would be adequate to keep your gums and teeth healthy. But, if over time you didn’t know what you needed to do, or just got lazy and didn’t do it, and eventually progressed to moderate or advanced gum disease (which a high percentage of the population has) – those two dental tools would no longer be sufficient.

Anyone who has had bone loss and gum recession, or have periodontal (gum) pockets of 4mm or more, will need to add other tools to their dental arsenal – if they want to keep their teeth that is. The key to understanding this is to realize that every dental tool available does something that the others do not. Another way to put it is: the toothbrush doesn’t do what the floss does; floss won’t do what a toothbrush does; and the water irrigator can’t do what the floss and brush do. They all overlap to some degree but make no mistake about it; once your gums deteriorate to the state I mentioned above you will have to use all three of those tools and possibly more – to get and keep your gums healthy.

The Dental Tools

Aside from the toothbrush, floss and water irrigator, there are many preventive dental tools that weren’t available 20 years ago and all have some value in the right situation. I’ll list some of the more common ones.

There isn’t the space to go into each of the above supportive dental tools and if you are interested in them you can search the Internet and ask your dentist and hygienist to explain them to you.

Suffice to say that if you are motivated and have learned how, when and why to use the toothbrush, floss and water irrigator – most people will have no need for other tools.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t give additional support to your oral hygiene program. But the most important thing you can do is to consult with your dental hygienist and learn what preventive tools you’ll need for your own unique oral situation. But remember, if you don’t use them properly, and at the right time, it won’t matter if you have 100 of the best toothbrushes, or 5 superior water irrigators – because your gums won’t get and stay healthy by wishing them to be.

Regardless of the dental tools, you also need the support of your dental professionals, especially if you have, or had more serious gum disease. Your dentist can be of immense value to you in supporting and monitoring your oral hygiene program so don’t forget to enlist his/her support.

There two very important preventive dental tools that I haven’t mentioned and if you take advantage of them your oral hygiene program will have a much better chance of being successful. The first is a good, healthy, natural diet and one that eliminates or reduces refined sugar and refined food consumption. This is a separate topic but the more natural your diet is, the more raw fruits and vegetables it contains the easier it will be to keep your gums and teeth healthy. The second is to supplement your diet with adequate amounts of vitamins and natural supplements. These are big subjects and cannot be adequately dealt with here but supplementing your diet with good multiple vitamins, multiple minerals, and vitamin C is essential.

Oral Hygiene Education

Practicing good oral hygiene is of the utmost importance. To ensure all our patients maintain healthy, clean, and fresh teeth and gums, we encourage them to schedule regular check-ups and cleanings with our highly trained dental hygienists every 4-6 months. Everyone at East Van Dental is here to help you with any questions or concerns you have regarding daily dental practices like brushing and flossing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Oral Hygiene Education

1. What is the first thing that you will do while going to a regular oral check-up?

Before anything is done inside your mouth your dentist will need to know about your medical history if this is your first appointment at the dental clinic or, if you have been to the practice before, any changes in your health such as new medications, diabetes, arthritis, pregnancy, etc. It is important that your dental care team knows about any health concerns, anxieties, or allergies you may have in order to avoid incidents and to make sure you get the kind of care you need.

2. What is a teeth examination?

It is having a look at any problem areas in your mouth. A metal probe with a small angled mirror will be used, which will help we see behind and between teeth and gums, as well as check for the softening of tooth enamel and dentin.

We will also be on the lookout for the swelling of gums in any areas, mouth sores, and redness. Finally, we will measure your mouth’s periodontal pockets, which are the spaces between the top of the gum line and where the gum tissues firmly attaches to the tooth. Ideally, this pocket should only be between one and three millimeters deep, however, deeper pockets can be a sign of gum disease and thus should be closely monitored.

3. What is a dental exam?

east vancouver dentist checkup

The dental exam is different from the initial teeth examination that your hygienist completed as this one is done by your Vancouver dentist. They will use your dental x-rays to see if there is any loss of bone, fractures, or any other abnormality below your visible gum line before moving on to look for issues with jaw alignment, teeth grinding, and oral cancer.

Once all of this is done, your dentist should have a full understanding of what your oral health needs are, and will be able to prescribe any necessary dental treatments to prevent or treat your issues.

4. Who Needs Dental X-Rays?

Dental x-rays are used diagnostically to help dentists see issues that are otherwise nearly invisible to the naked eye. Adults receive dental x-rays so dentists can better identify and treat various issues. Using these x-rays, your dental professional provider can see:

  • Areas of decay, including those in between teeth or under a filling
  • Bone loss associated with gum disease
  • Abscesses, which are infections at the root of the tooth or between the tooth and gum
  • Tumors
  • Changes in the root canal

Without an x-ray, many of these problems could go undiagnosed. With an x-ray as a reference, dentists are also better equipped to prepare tooth implants, dentures, Invisalign, and other cosmetic dental treatments.

5. What happens during a Teeth Cleaning?

We will start by scraping off built-up plaque and tartar that collects above and below the gum line before flossing between and around every tooth to remove any plaque or food particles that are clinging on.

We will also give your teeth a smooth and shiny finish using a tooth polisher with a spinning head and slightly abrasive paste. The polishing will get rid of any residue that was previously missed and will make your teeth smoother so that plaque will not collect as easily on them between visits to the dentist.

6. What are the differences between Hygienist and Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)?

Hygienists are trained dental professionals who take care of routine dental care, such as regular cleanings and assist dentists in other procedures. They are an integral part of any Vancouver dental practice and make up a big part of the team that works to keep your oral health at its best.

CDAs don’t do as much of the nitty-gritty cleaning work that hygienists do, but they provide excellent help with the preparation work and with assisting dentists during procedures.

You can think of both of these roles as the truly unsung heroes of a dental practice.

7. What is the VELscope® Vx?

The VELscope® Vx is an oral disease visualization device, not an oral cancer diagnostic device. The VELscope® is the first adjunctive device cleared by the FDA and Health Canada to help clinicians visualize cancerous and precancerous lesions and other lesions that might not be apparent to the naked eye. The VELscope is also cleared to help surgeons determine appropriate surgical margins around lesions prior to excision.

The VELscope® Vx is LED Dental Inc.’s newest model release of the VELscope system, and has identical Indications for Use to the original VELscope system.

The VELscope® Vx’s blue light excites natural “fluorophores” in mucosal tissues. The VELscope® Vx’s proprietary filter makes fluorescence visualization possible, by blocking reflected blue light, and by enhancing the contrast between normal and abnormal tissue.

Like other visualization technologies, such as panoramic radiography, CT, MRI, PET and ultrasound, the VELscope is NOT a stand-alone diagnostic test. However, used in conjunction with the standard oral soft tissue exam, VELscope® Vx provides visual information that cannot be acquired in any other way.

8. How long does a VELscope® Vx exam take?

In about 2 minutes, with no rinses, dyes or discomfort, a VELscope® Vx examination helps healthcare professionals assure their patients that their oral mucosa has been assessed to an advanced level of preventative care.

9. Is VELscope® Vx safe?

Yes, the VELscope® Vx system is safe. All that’s being shone into the oral cavity is blue light, generated by light emitting diodes. However, patients with a history of photosensitivity or those using photosensitive medications should not be exposed to the light emitted from the VELscope® Vx device.

10. What is the last thing of a regular oral check-up?

The final step of the routine dental checkup is scheduling your next one for a date 4 to 6 months in the future. Scheduling your next appointment right away is the easiest and most effective way to ensure that you don’t forget to have your dental checkup regularly. Even if you are diligent in your personal dental care, there is no better protection against oral issues than having your mouth professionally cleaned and monitored.

Velscope: Our East Van dental office on Commercial drive is dedicated to both helping you maintain a beautiful smile and to your overall wellness and health. We take a slightly different approach to your care, which includes a screening for oral cancer as part of your regular exam. Like other cancers, oral cancer is life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated at the early stages.

We have the skills, tools, and knowledge to identify early signs of oral cancer and ore-cancerous conditions. While some symptoms might be caused by other problems, it is very important to visit our office to rule out the possibility of oral cancer.

Some advantages to using the Velscope system:

  1. FDA approved
  2. Easily combined with digital photography
  3. Detects problem areas unseen under white light
  4. Detects lesions, as well as white and red patches
  5. Checks soft tissue
  6. Helps diagnose oral cancer in earliest stages
  7. Examinations are always quick and painless