General/Preventive
Most of the conditions that negatively affect your smile can be avoided with regular care. Your team at Floss Family Dentistry is committed to answering your questions about proper hygiene and to providing you with the most advanced preventive dentistry possible.
Supportive Care
Most of the conditions that negatively affect your smile can be avoided with regular care. Dr. McCullough and Dr. Stevens and their team are committed to answering your questions about proper hygiene and to providing you with the most advanced preventive dentistry possible.
Appointments
This appointment is performed by a registered dental hygienist. In our practice, you will see the same hygienist at each cleaning visit so that you can develop a relationship. The hygienist will remove plaque (soft deposits), tartar or calculus (hard deposits), and stain from your teeth. The evaluation of the gum tissue, including probing pockets and recording their depths for future reference will also be accomplished. After the cleaning, the hygienist will polish your teeth to a beautiful shine.
Additionally, you will have all of your questions answered about your homecare procedures and products. If you have trouble choosing the right toothbrush or flossing effectively, your hygienist can help. Should you develop gum disease, which is extremely common; our hygienist will provide counsel and treatment to control the condition.
Fluoride is a mineral that is found naturally in many things we eat or drink. It is nature’s way of helping prevent cavities, and it plays an important role in helping to keep your teeth for a lifetime. Professional (in-office) fluoride treatments make teeth stronger and even reverse damage from decay in the outer layers of enamel on the smooth surfaces of the teeth. Additional home fluoride treatments assist in this process. In the lifelong fight against cavities, Drs. McCullough and Stevens believe that both adults and children benefit from in-office treatment and home fluorides.
The benefits of fluoride include:
- Strengthening teeth
- Remineralizing weakened areas on teeth
- Desensitizing
- Expanding some antimicrobial effects
- Increasing salivary action
- Enhancing the rate of natural remineralization
It will be important for you to work with the dental hygienist so that you can achieve the healthiest mouth possible. This will mean working together through homecare or co-therapy to keep your teeth for your lifetime. It is a commitment from you, the patient, to do your best at home and a commitment from your hygienist to provide the best treatment possible during your hygiene appointments.
Did you know there is a link between your oral health and cardiovascular disease? New research shows that certain people may be predisposed to periodontal disease. The bacteria associated with periodontal disease are the same bacteria associated with heart disease. These bacteria cause plaque and tartar (soft and hard deposits) around teeth and in arteries. Take time to talk to the Floss Family Dentistry team about the connection between your mouth’s health and your body’s health at your next appointment.
Do you have any of the following?
- History of periodontal/gum disease
- Family history of periodontal disease
- Gums that bleed or are irritated
- Heavy plaque (soft deposits) or tartar buildup (hard deposits)
- Inflammation (swelling and redness) of the gums surrounding your teeth
- Family history of cardiovascular disease
- History of cardiovascular disease
- Diagnosis of periodontal disease
Periodontal Therapy
Most Americans experience some form of periodontal disease, often without realizing it. Periodontal disease is chiefly responsible for adult tooth loss, bleeding gums, bad breath and receding gums. The truth is, the disease is easily prevented with proper hygiene, home care and professional treatment. If diagnosed in its early stages, gum disease treatments are easier, less invasive and more effective. Your visit with Drs.McCullough and Stevens includes a complete evaluation of your gums and supportive tissues. At Floss Family Dentistry, you will have access to advanced periodontal therapy to heal and restore your oral health.
The following treatment is included in your periodontal maintenance appointment:
- Evaluation of oral health to detect subtle signs of disease recurrence
- Appropriate debridement of teeth and gums (professional cleaning and polishing)
- Antimicrobial therapy to destroy difficult to reach bacteria as deemed necessary by the doctor
- Evaluation of home care regimes and aids
- Oral health evaluation, including oral cancer screening, necessary dental films, and decay detection
- Recommendations based on individual needs, as a result of your medical and dental histories review
Preventive Fluoride Therapy
Fluoride is a mineral that is found naturally in many things we eat or drink. It is nature’s way of helping prevent cavities. Professional strength (in-office fluorides) and low strength (home fluorides) each play important roles in helping to keep your teeth for a lifetime. Professional fluorides make teeth stronger and even heal weakened areas while home fluorides assist in this process. In the lifelong fight against cavities, both adults and children benefit from in-office treatment and from home fluorides.
Root Planing and Scaling
This extensive cleaning treatment is provided by the hygienist for patients who have tartar, calculus, and bacteria buried below the gum line on the tooth. Your regular tooth brushing and flossing removes the tartar that is above the gum line of your tooth. Root planing and scaling helps to prevent and in some cases to treat gum disease. This technique is most often used when the gum pockets of your tooth have a measurement that is greater than 3mm (average pocket depth is less than 3mm). When tartar and calculus attach to your tooth below the gum line, they pull the gum tissue away from the tooth, creating the deep pocket. The tartar and calculus must then be removed so that the gum can heal and close the pocket to less than 3mm. If not treated, the tartar and bacteria will begin to cause gum disease and will deteriorate your bone, tissue, and teeth.
Dental Technology
Drs. McCullough and Stevens and their team utilize the latest technological advances in dental equipment and techniques to ensure your satisfaction with your visit and your continued excellent health.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Do you still have your wisdom teeth? If so, have you been putting off their removal? Drs. McCullough and Stevens at Floss Family Dentistry can help. At some point in your life, most everyone requires that their wisdom teeth be extracted as a measure of preventative dentistry. A number of painful and lasting problems can occur due to the arrival of wisdom teeth. But, with today’s dental technology, this procedure has been improved to maximize your comfort and to speed along your recovery time.
Before extracting your wisdom teeth, a local or general anesthetic will be administered based on your own needs and on your patient history. The doctor will then open up the gum tissue over the tooth, will remove any bone covering the tooth, will separate any connective tissue, and will remove the tooth itself. If necessary, Dr. McCullough and Dr. Stevens will use stitches to close the surgical wound.
In most cases, your recovery from wisdom tooth extraction will only last a few days. Your Floss Family Dentistry team will provide you with detailed information on the do’s and don’ts of recovery, and you will be prescribed medication to manage any pain. Finally, you will have peace of mind knowing that you are no longer at risk for the many problems wisdom teeth can present.
Root Canals
Damage to the nerve tissue inside of a tooth sometimes requires a root canal procedure. Despite the tales you may have heard regarding the procedure, most root canals are minimally uncomfortable, especially compared to the pain and discomfort you may be feeling before the procedure. Your dentists at Floss Family Dentistry take advantage of advances in both technology and dental techniques that make root canal procedures more effective, while taking less time.
A root canal involves removing the soft tissue within the tooth (the pulp) when it has become infected and inflamed. Your dentist gently files the infected tissue out of the root canals of the tooth (this is where the procedure gets its name) and fills the void with an inert material. The procedure is completed with the placement of a filling or, in some cases, with a crown.
Tooth Extractions
In some cases, injury or decay damages a tooth extensively and an extraction is the proper treatment option to start you on the path toward complete dental health. We can remove your troublesome tooth and can give you the treatment options for replacing that tooth to complete your beautiful smile once again.
Fillings
When the decay has been removed from the tooth, it is replaced with “filling” material. In the past, amalgam (silver) fillings were placed into the cleaned out portion of the tooth. With advancements in dentistry, you can now have tooth-colored fillings instead of silver fillings. You may even elect to remove your old silver fillings in favor of new, undetectable tooth-colored fillings.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer affects tens of thousands of Americans every year, and one case in four is fatal. As with most cancers, the key to beating the disease is catching it before it progresses to a later stage. With early detection through a routine oral cancer screening, there is a 90% success rate after diagnosis. Trusted dentists like Drs. McCullough and Stevens, are truly your only line of defense against oral cancer. They and their team of dental professionals are the only ones to regularly evaluate your oral health and to notice any potential abnormalities. Gain the peace of mind that comes with a regular oral cancer screening from Drs. McCullough and Stevens. With the help of the latest dental technology, even a diagnosis of oral cancer can be successfully treated through early detection.
Nightguards
Many people who notice chipped or cracked teeth, but who don’t remember when the injury occurred, damaged their teeth while they were sleeping. Grinding or clenching your teeth during the night will cause your teeth to chip, crack and even break. To keep you from seriously damaging your teeth, we recommend a dental appliance called a night-guard, which protects your teeth from grinding and clenching in your sleep. Our team takes great care in making sure you have a proper fit in order to prevent pain in your jaw joint. Do you also suffer from headaches? If so, you may find that a side benefit of your night-guard is headache prevention. Many headaches start during the night, caused by the extreme pressure generated as you grind and clench your teeth. Ask our team about having a night-guard custom created especially for you.
Sealants
Dental sealants are plastic coatings or barriers that protect the teeth against decay-causing bacteria. Usually, sealants are applied to the chewing surfaces of your back teeth (premolars and molars) where decay occurs most often. Applying a sealant to your teeth can prevent cavities and the need for fillings (which must be replaced every six to eight years). Children especially benefit from sealants.
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