Preventive Dentistry
In Nampa, Idaho
Preventive Dental Care
Basic Dental Health
The key to preventing issues like cavities and gum disease is understanding them and their underlying causes. The basis for most oral health issues is plaque. Plaque is made up of bacteria that lives within your mouth and feeds on the things that are left over from your meals and drinks. These bacteria congregate around food particles that become stuck to your teeth, then they spread. As they spread they eat away at the enamel of your teeth.
Enamel is the outer-most layer of your teeth, which is responsible for protecting them from bacteria and preventing wear and tear. When bacteria is allowed to stay on a tooth and proliferate it can eat through the enamel and start affecting the inner layers of the tooth, resulting in cavities.
Plaque is a sticky substance that is easy to clean away using floss and a tooth brush. However, if plaque is allowed to build up on teeth, after some time it will harden and form a substance called tartar. Plaque and tartar don’t only affect your teeth; these bacterial colonies can also hurt your gum health.
Gum disease (AKA gingivitis and periodontal disease) is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in America. When these bacteria are allowed to go unchecked for a long enough time they begin to infect the gums
What Can Be Done About Plaque?
The things that make the biggest difference in your fight against tooth decay are within your control. Brushing at least two times a day is critical to your oral health. By brushing after meals you remove a huge amount of decay causing bacteria. Flossing has a similar affect, but helps you to reach the debris and bacteria that sits between your teeth. We suggest rinsing your mouth out with water after lunch while at work. This simple method can wash away large amounts of bacteria and most importantly, food debris.
Dental Plaque
When we talk about dental plaque we are referring to a buildup of bacteria within the mouth. Usually you can feel this buildup as a mossy feeling film that coats the surface of your teeth after a long day or a particularly sugary snack. These bacteria feed on the leftovers of your meals, and can be washed away with a light brushing and flossing.
Dental Tartar
When the plaque buildup is not removed either because of lack of oral hygiene or maybe because there are some spots that are hard to hit with your brushing and flossing, it can turn into tartar. Tartar is a hard substance that can’t be removed by brushing and flossing. Tartar buildup can seriously affect your oral health, which is why we work so hard to remove it from your teeth.
Making sure to see us two times a year for a regular cleaning and exam makes up the other half of caring for your mouth.
Professional Dental Cleanings
A trip to our office for a twice yearly cleaning and examination is critical to your ongoing dental health. We can give your teeth a deep clean, making sure to remove plaque and tartar buildup. This will give your teeth a fresh start. A bi-annual appointment also allows us to take x-rays and check for issues like oral cancer and cavities. If we are able to catch these issues before they become too large, we may be able to help you takes steps to reverse them.
Most appointments start out with a thorough cleaning. We typically start by looking for deposits of plaque or tartar in hard to reach areas of your mouth. What is plaque and tartar? They are words we hear often when talking about oral health but most people don’t fully understand what they are and what the consequences of buildup is, other than “bad for our mouth.
We finish the cleaning by flossing all of your teeth thoroughly and allowing you to rinse out your mouth with water. schedule your regular cleaning and exam every six months. Call our office today at (208) 505-9975 to make your appointment.
Dental Exams
Dental examinations start with an x-ray of your mouth. Using this we can see between teeth and places that aren’t easy to see with the naked eye. Often, we are able to catch cavities while they are still in the early, preventable stages. When we do, we can alert you to their presence and with careful consideration and a lot of attention often patients are able to prevent them.
We will also check your mouth for signs of common oral issues. If you have noticed any changes in your mouth over that last few months, the examination is a perfect time to bring them up. Any condition or irritation lasting more than a week should be noted.
Here are some things that we will include in the examination.
Complete History and Examination
This is our first phase of the dental exam, which will entail a thorough historical overview and examination of your teeth, mouth, and gums in a bid to rule out past conditions, which could have played a key role. Our dentist will then ask you questions about your habits, such as how often you floss, brush or use mouthwash and whether you have any concerns about other issues, such as gum disease or tooth decay.
A Thorough Examination of Your Mouth
After the evaluation of oral hygiene, our dentist will carefully examine your teeth, gums, cheeks, tongue, lips, and jawbones using diagnostic tools like X-rays.
At Middle Creek Dental we utilize the latest in digital dental x-rays to provide our patients with high-quality images that allow for precise diagnostics and treatments for your dental issues.
Digital dental x-rays use electronic sensors to capture images rather than using traditional film. This allows for instant viewing of the image and easier storage, eliminating the need for film development in a dark room to capture and store the image.
The digital dental x-ray sensor also directly transmits the image to a computer, allowing for enhanced magnification and manipulation of the image to compare it to previous ones.
By using this method, a computer can eliminate identical images, only capturing and storing anything that is different. This process is called subtraction radiography and can highlight even the smallest changes, allowing for early intervention.
Another major difference is the amount of radiation exposure. Digital x-rays emit up to 90% less radiation compared to traditional x-rays. Since they use a much lower level of radiation, they reduce radiation exposure for both the patient and the dental healthcare professionals performing the x-ray.
This also prevents radiation-related health complications like skin burns, cancer, radiation sickness, and damage to tissue and bones.
Unlike traditional dental x-rays, digital x-rays allow for more precise and detailed images of the entire structure of the teeth to be taken. This enhanced precision can lead to earlier detection and treatment of potential dental issues.
Dental Sealants
A dental sealant is a thin coating applied to the surface of the teeth, especially your back molars, which are the most responsible for your strength in chewing and bite force. This is the most likely place to develop cavities. Dental sealants are preventative, however, and must be applied before a cavity develops.
The process for getting dental sealants is quick and easy. There is no pain associated with getting dental sealants. The dentist will clean and dry the teeth that will receive the sealants and then apply the sealant to your teeth. It will be cured and hardened with a special dental light.
The process of applying dental sealants is quick and painless. The teeth are cleaned thoroughly to remove plaque, and a gel is applied to the top of the tooth. The chewing surface is washed and dried. The sealant is then painted on the occlusal surface and cured.
Dental sealants work by covering the chewing surfaces of the back teeth and keeping out germs and bacteria which can lead to cavities.
Gum Disease (Periodontal Treatment)
Gum disease is characterized by unusually red or swollen gums, tender gums, loose or sensitive teeth, and persistent bad breath. Another common symptom is bleeding gums when brushing your teeth.
At Middle Creek Dental, we have different treatment plans to treat your gums and improve your oral and general health.
Danger of Gum Disease
If caught in the early stages, gum disease can be controlled and even reversed. If not caught early enough, or if it allowed to progress, gum disease can easily lead to tooth and bone loss.
What is Gum Disease?
The early stages of gum disease is known as gingivitis. Gingivitis is known to have hard to detect symptoms. People with it probably won’t feel any discomfort or easily notice any signs. If gingivitis is allowed to progress it can reach the more serious classification of periodontitis. Periodontitis is similar to gingivitis in that it is hard to know when/if you have it. Discomfort is rare but other signs will start to show. When the gums start to separate from the teeth leaving a gap, or if the teeth start feeling loose to the touch that is a telltale sign of periodontal disease.
What Causes it?
Gum disease is caused by the amalgamation of bacteria and mucus in our mouth that causes plaque. Over time, unless removed through regular brushing, plaque hardens to form tartar, which can only be removed professionally by a dental hygienist or a dentist during a preventative visit.
Gum disease can also be caused by smoking or chewing tobacco, improper nutrition, for instance, lack of vitamin C, medications that dry your mouth, crooked teeth that cannot be cleaned properly through brushing, and genetics.
Call us today at (208) 505-9975 to schedule an appointment.
EN 
ES