Susan White Dentistry - How do you treat periodontal disease?

This patient improved her smile with crowns for the front six teeth and whitening the lower teeth.

All porcelain crowns on the two front teeth.

Failing bridge replaced with partial denture.

This patient improved her smile with crowns for the front six teeth and...

All porcelain crowns on the two front teeth.

Failing bridge replaced with partial denture.

Dental Hygiene
Implants
Cosmetic
Endodontics
Restorative
Pediatric
Periodontic
Oral Surgery
Orthodontic

Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth and teeth clean to prevent dental problems, most commonly, dental cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath. There are also oral pathologic conditions in which good oral hygiene is required for healing and regeneration of the oral tissues. These conditions included gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental trauma, such as subluxation, oral cysts, and following wisdom tooth extraction.

A dental implant (also known as an endosseous implant or fixture) is a surgical component that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis such as a crown, bridge, denture, facial prosthesis or to act as an orthodontic anchor. The basis for modern dental implants is a biologic process called osseointegration where materials, such as titanium, form an intimate bond to bone. The implant fixture is first placed, so that it is likely to osseointegrate, then a dental prosthetic is added. A variable amount of healing time is required for osseointegration before either the dental prosthetic (a tooth, bridge or denture) is attached to the implant or an abutment is placed which will hold a dental prosthetic.

Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance (though not necessarily the function) of a person's teeth, gums and/or bite. Many dentists refer to themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their specific education, specialty, training, and experience in this field. This has been considered unethical with a predominant objective of marketing to patients. The American Dental Association does not recognize cosmetic dentistry as a formal specialty area of dentistry. However, there are still dentists that promote themselves as cosmetic dentists.

Endodontics (from the Greek roots endo- "inside" and odont- "tooth") is the dental specialty concerned with the study and treatment of the dental pulp. Endodontists perform a variety of procedures including endodontic therapy (commonly known as "root canal therapy"), endodontic retreatment, surgery, treating cracked teeth, and treating dental trauma. Root canal therapy is one of the most common procedures. If the dental pulp (containing nerves, arterioles, venules, lymphatic tissue, and fibrous tissue) becomes diseased or injured, endodontic treatment is required to save the tooth. Endodontics is recognized as a specialty by many national dental organizations including the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, Indian Dental Association, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

Restorative dentistry is the study, diagnosis and integrated management of diseases of the teeth and their supporting structures and the rehabilitation of the dentition to functional and aesthetic requirements of the individual. Restorative dentistry encompasses the dental specialties of endodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics and its foundation is based upon how these interact in cases requiring multifaceted care. In the UK restorative dentistry is legally recognized as a specialty under EU directive, with voices from the British Society for Restorative Dentistry and the Association of Consultants & Specialists in Restorative Dentistry.

Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics or pædiatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents, and the age limit usually ranges from birth up to 18 (in some places until completion of secondary education, and until age 21 in the United States).[citation needed]A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician, or paediatrician. The word paediatrics and its cognates mean "healer of children"; they derive from two Greek words: παῖς (pais "child") and ἰατρός (iatros "doctor, healer").

Periodontology or Periodontics (from Greek περί peri "around"; and ὀδούς odous "tooth", genitive ὀδόντος odontos) is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, as well as diseases and conditions that affect them. The supporting tissues are known as the periodontium, which includes the gingiva (gums), alveolar bone, cementum, and the periodontal ligament. A professional who practices this specialty field of dentistry is known as a periodontist.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to treat many diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral (mouth) and Cranio-maxillofacial (jaws and face) region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty. In most countries around the world, including the United States, Canada and Australia, it is a recognized specialty of dentistry; in others, such as the UK, it is recognized as a medical specialty.

Orthodontia, currently known as orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, was the first specialty created in the field of dentistry. An orthodontist, specialist in orthodontia, is limited to practice orthodontia only. Whereas general dentists can provide orthodontic treatment along with other treatments for teeth like fillings, cleanings, crowns, etc. Orthodontists are concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions (improper bites), which may be a result of tooth irregularity and/or disproportionate jaw relationships. Orthodontic treatment can focus on dental displacement only, or can deal with the control and modification of facial growth. In the latter case it is better defined as "dentofacial orthopedics".

Digital X-Ray

The radiological examinations in dentistry may be classified into intraoral – where the film or sensor is placed in the mouth, the purpose being to focus on a small region of the oral-maxillofacial region and extraoral where the film or sensor is placed outside the mouth aiming to visualize the entire oral maxillofacial region. Extraoral imaging is further divided into orthopantomogram, showing a section, curved following more or less mandible shape, of the whole maxillofacial block and cephalometric analysis showing a projection, as parallel as possible, of the whole skull.

Digital radiography in dentistry provides the clinician with the ability to store their images on a computer. This provides two key advantages over film in the form of full screen images that can be enhanced and zoomed in on, aiding diagnostics and providing easier patient communication, as well as allowing dental offices to communicate images electronically, allowing for simpler referrals and, where applicable, easier insurance claim submission.

Oral Cancer Screenings

Oral cancer screening is an examination performed by a dentist or doctor to look for signs of cancer or precancerous conditions in your mouth.

The goal of oral cancer screening is to identify mouth cancer early, when there is a greater chance for a cure.

Most dentists perform an examination of your mouth during a routine dental visit to screen for oral cancer. Some dentists may use additional tests to aid in identifying areas of abnormal cells in your mouth.

Medical organizations disagree on whether healthy people without risk factors for mouth cancer need oral cancer screening. No single oral exam or oral cancer screening test is proved to reduce the risk of dying of oral cancer. Still, you and your dentist may decide that an oral exam or a special test is right for you based on your risk factors.

Electric Handpieces

The most important change to dental practices in the past 10 years has been the introduction of the electric handpiece. It has allowed dentists to do better dentistry for their patients. Tooth preparations are more precise, and done with less noise and vibration - another benefit for the patient. With the latest versions of electric motors and handpieces, the noise level has become less and less. Most patients comment on the difference in the sound; that it makes their dental experience much better.

Intraoral Camera

While X-rays provide valuable information that we can’t get from any other source, they can’t show you everything that’s going on in your mouth. That’s why we have invested in an intraoral camera — a highly advanced piece of diagnostic equipment that allows you to see what we see inside your mouth.

The intraoral camera handpiece is approximately the size and shape of a dental mirror. It has a built-in light source, and serves as a tiny video camera that allows us to zoom in on one tooth with 25 times magnification, or give you a “video tour” of your entire mouth. The images are displayed on a television or computer monitor, so you’ll be able to see problems such as worn or broken fillings, cracked teeth, plaque deposits, cavities next to fillings and excessive wear. We can also print an image for you to take home with you.

Panorex

A panoramic radiograph is a panoramic scanning dental X-ray of the upper and lower jaw. It shows a two-dimensional view of a half-circle from ear to ear. Panoramic radiography is a form of tomography; thus, images of multiple planes are taken to make up the composite panoramic image, where the maxilla and mandible are in the focal trough and the structures that are superficial and deep to the trough are blurred.