Dental Hygiene Experts in Tumwater
Book your routine check-up and professional teeth cleaning today!
Dental Hygiene Routine
Improve your smile with Reflection Dentistry.
Comprehensive hygiene begins with daily brushing and flossing, which remove a great deal of the plaque and bacteria that accumulate on your teeth. However, it’s nearly impossible to remove it all on your own.
Your dental hygienist partners with you in achieving good oral health. Consequently, visiting the dentist at least twice a year for a professional cleaning prevents tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease. Additionally, our dentists may recommend more frequent visits based on the condition of your teeth and gums.
What to expect at your check-up appointment:
- Visual evaluation of teeth, face, jaw and neck
- Digital images to check for cavities and other possible problems
- Gum disease evaluation
- Professional teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment
- Screening for oral cancer
How Can We Help?
We provide a range of services to help with your hygiene and overall health. Please select an option:
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Caring for your Healthy Smile
Here is what is included in your typical dental hygiene appointment.
Visual & Gum Disease Evaluation
During the evaluation, your Tumwater dentist will first check for cracked, broken, or decayed teeth and then examine your cheeks, gums, tongue, and roof of the mouth for any abnormal areas.
Moreover, since gum disease affects almost 50% of adults in the U.S. (Center for Disease Control), we comprehensively assess your gums to check for any signs of periodontal disease.
When you address periodontal disease in the early stages, you can easily control and possibly reverse it. However, since gum disease exhibits minimal symptoms until it significantly advances, you must get evaluated for early stages of the disease. As a result, our team recommends conservative, early intervention as the best approach, and we will assist you in choosing the best treatment options for your condition.
Digital Imaging
Furthermore, your dentist may recommend digital X-rays and photographs to help identify problem areas in your mouth. Although the type of images may vary based on your particular situation, your dentist will take a full jaw x-ray, called a panoramic x-ray, to get a comprehensive view of all the structures in your mouth as well as your jaw joint and your sinuses.
In addition, your dentist may use digital 3D imaging to determine the exact positioning of your teeth. Similarly, your dentist may also use a special digital camera to take close-up pictures of your teeth or gums. This will help them identify and monitor any areas of concern. Likewise, we also use intraoral cameras to provide live images while we examine your smile.
Fluoride Treatment
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends fluoride treatments based on your risk for developing cavities. Consequently, we evaluate if your risk for cavities is low, moderate, or high, based on criteria outlined by the ADA.
As a result, we offer most individuals with low risk a fluoride treatment twice a year. Similarly, we offer moderate risk individuals fluoride twice a year as well as a take-home fluoride product to help reduce their chance of getting another cavity.
Professional Teeth Cleaning
Our skilled hygienists are thoroughly trained to perform a thorough teeth cleaning. First, we remove the plaque and tartar from your teeth and then polish them to remove stains and smooth the tooth surface. In addition to hand-held hygiene techniques we use, ultrasonic devices deliver targeted treatments to hard to reach areas. Subsequently, these devices deliver ultrasonic vibrations to crush and move calcified deposits of calculus.
Oral Cancer Screening
On another note, oral cancer is on the rise. Fortunately, when doctors detect oral cancer in the early stages, most patients respond very favorably to treatment. Nevertheless, smoking increases the risk of developing oral cancer five times, excessive alcohol use increases it two and a half times, and a persistent HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) infection increases it thirty-two times.
Therefore, your dentist will examine all the tissue in your mouth, including your tongue, lips, and cheeks, checking for anything abnormal. Additionally, they will feel for any unusual lumps or bumps and make recommendations for follow up if necessary. Furthermore, we also have the ability to do a salivary screening to check for an active HPV infection. In conclusion, to reduce your risk of developing oral cancer, your dentist recommends regular screenings and possible lifestyle changes.
LASERS IN DENTISTRY
Taking your comprehensive dental care into the modern age.
Dentists have used lasers in dentistry for several years, and these tools provide additional benefits when hygienists combine them with regular cleanings or therapy for gum disease. Our hygienists perform two specific procedures in our offices that can reduce your risk of gum disease or provide improved healing if gum therapy is necessary.
LASER BACTERIAL REDUCTION
A procedure uses thermal, light energy to emit through a small, fiber optic tip between the teeth and the gums. This energy vaporizes the harmful bacteria at or below the gum-line called biofilms.
Studies show biofilms directly relate to an increased risk of developing gum disease, a serious infection affecting the supporting bone.
During your hygiene appointment, the hygienist disrupts the biofilm to reduce the risk or severity of periodontal disease, but cannot eliminate the bacteria without using the laser. Destroying the bacteria reduces inflammation in the gum tissue and keeps your gums healthier between visits.
There are no known side effects to laser decontamination. Most patients do not report any sensation during or after the use of the laser. Occasionally, patients will describe a warm, tingling sensation felt during the procedure. Laser decontamination takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and the entire mouth is treated at one time.
The laser uses light energy that is absorbed into the pigmented cell walls of the harmful bacteria, vaporizing them. The bacteria in our mouths that do not contribute to inflammation typically lack pigment in their cell walls and thus are not affected in the same way.
Dental professionals now have access to this technology by using a laser specifically designed to treat the gums. Due to the advances in the production of these dental lasers, our office now has the availability to offer laser decontamination. We are happy to treat our patients with an elevated level of care that is not only supported by years of research but also affordable.
For some patients with a history of periodontal treatment, that is every 3 months. You may be thinking to yourself, “If the bacteria just grow back, what’s the point?”. One of the most important factors in obtaining optimal oral health and control of periodontal disease is your body’s ability to fight off these harmful bacteria.
It is true that we are unable to kill the bacteria forever with a single use of the laser, but if it is completed at each appointment, we are able to keep them at a constant lower level, giving your immune system the chance to keep your body healthier.
LASER ASSISTED PERIODONTAL THERAPY
Removes the Infection – Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy is a procedure in which a dental professional emits thermal, light energy through a small, fiber optic tip between the teeth and the gums. This energy vaporizes the harmful bacteria at or below the gum-line.
Active periodontal disease results from this bacterial infection, which causes a breakdown of the gums and bone surrounding the teeth. Typically, the dental hygienist removes the infected, diseased tissue with a procedure called curettage during gum therapy. It is a non-surgical, conservative procedure that uses a local anesthetic.
How often should I get my teeth cleaned?
The Academy of General Dentistry recommends seeing the dentist for a check-up and cleaning at least twice a year. Your Tumwater dentist may recommend you visit more often depending on your specific situation and risk of disease. Some conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or pregnancy may require more frequent cleanings to keep you and your mouth healthy.
Will my insurance cover my check-up appointment?
Most insurances cover the procedures completed at a check-up and cleaning appointment. Our great team of insurance coordinators will help you navigate through your specific insurance benefits and provide you with an estimate of costs should there be a remaining balance after the insurance payment.
