Private Exam
It is important to attend a dentist on a regular basis as any potential problems will be identified early and appropriate action taken. Tooth decay can, if left untreated, cause the total loss of a tooth within a year. For this reason it is important to attend your cleaning regular.
What will the dentist do at the examination?
Firstly they check your teeth for cavities and broken fillings or crowns. Dental decay may appear as a hole or sometimes as a dark shadow underneath the surface of the enamel. If there is a hole in a tooth the dentist may place a temporary filling to stop food accumulating in it.
The dentist will then check the gums and your general oral hygiene to ensure there are no problems there. They may use a special probe to test the depth of the pockets around your teeth in order to detect gum disease early.
Finally the soft tissues are checked for ulcerations or other lesions. The dentist may also check the jaws and associated muscles.
The dentist may then take radiographs if necessary. These show any hidden decay between the teeth and the level of the bone which may indict periodontal disease.
But I wear dentures, do I still need an exam?
Call our office to schedule an appointment today. (757) 425 1828
Ultrasonic Cleanings
Did you know that your teeth can now be cleaned with ultrasonic vibrations, using ultrasonic scalers? These instruments actually vibrate plaque and calculus off your teeth, even in areas below your gums, which are beyond the reach of ordinary scalers.
If you have a tendency to build up hard calculus or tartar on your teeth, then you may find this new method of cleaning particularly enjoyable. Most of our patients now demand to be cleaned with this new method since we leave their teeth feeling cleaner than ever before. These ultrasonic cleaners may not completely eliminate the need to use standard scalers, but they certainly reduce their use.
Do you have heavy stains on your teeth, or perhaps periodontal disease? If so, an ultrasonic cleaning may be just the treatment you need to embark on a new level of oral hygiene. We can now clean nicotine, coffee, tea and other stains better than ever before.
If your gums bleed, the reason is almost certainly that plaque and calculus have irritated the tissues and that your gingival will continue to bleed until the debris (hidden under your gums so you can’t see it) is removed.
If you have loose teeth or puffy and bleeding gums, wet can help you slow down the process of your condition with a thorough cleaning. We will be very happy to help you improve the health of your gums.
The teeth in the second photograph look smaller because of the extent of calculus (tartar), which was removed with ultrasonic scalers. They are the same teeth! The gums on the above teeth have receded several millimeters due to the chronic inflammation caused by this plaque and calculus.
Call our office to schedule an appointment today.
(757) 425 1828
Mouth Guards
ustom designed mouthguards and nightguards are made of flexible plastic and molded to fit the shape of your teeth. Mouthguards are recommended to protect the jaw and teeth during physical activity and sports such as boxing, football, basketball, or other activities where your mouth may be hit. Guards also protect the soft tissues of your tongue, lips and cheek lining. Nightguards are recommended for patients who clench or grind their teeth at night as a way to protect their teeth and bite.
According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented annually in this country by sports mouthguards1. While this is an impressive preventative figure, it is unfortunately estimated by the National Youth Sports Foundation that more than 5 million teeth will be knocked out in sporting activities this year2. These oral traumas will happen to children, high school and college level athletes. In fact, dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports.
Why Custom Fabricated Sports Mouthguards?
The benefits of sports mouthguard protection has been well documented. In 1995 a study on the high incidence of oral injuries showed that in football, where moutguards are mandatory, only .07% of all injuries involved teeth and the oral cavity3. Conversely, in basketball where mouthguards are not worn, 34% of all injuries to players involved teeth and/or the oral cavity! Obviously dental injuries could also be significantly reduced if children, teenagers and adults involved in the following sports wore custom fabricated mouthguards: soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, rollerblading, skateboarding, martial arts, boxing, hockey, kickboxing and mountain biking.
The Cost Of Sports Related Oral Injuries…
According to the Academy for Sports Dentistry, the lifetime dental rehabilitation costs can approach several thousand dollars per tooth, for the child or athlete who looses a tooth (or teeth) in a sporting injury4. This does not include the associated costs of hours in the dental office and the possible development of secondary problems such as periodontal disease. The total rehabilitation costs for a single knocked-out tooth are more than 20 times the preventative cost for a custom laminated, professional grade mouthguard.
PLAYSAFE mouthguards fit and protect better, providing you with a real competitive advantage.
This Could Have Been Prevented!
This serious trauma was caused by an elbow blow. It could have been avoided if the basketball player had been wearing a PLAYSAFE mouthguard.
Prevention Of Oral Injuries Can Save You Thousands!
Sports Mouthguards Are Not All Created Equal!
Comparing dentist fabricated, custom sports mouthguards with stock or boil and bite type mouthguards, typically found in sporting goods stores, reveals significant differences. Boil and bite type mouthguards do not fit as accurately as custom fabricated types so they often are uncomfortable and frequently interfere with the athletes breathing and speaking ability. At the First International Symposium on Dental Biomaterials in August of 1993, Dr. J. Park, Phd reported that boil and bite mouthguards provide a false sense of protection due to the dramatic decrease in thickness when the athlete bites it into place during its softened state. Dr. Park further stated that unless dramatic improvements are made, they (boil and bite mouthguards) should not be promoted by dentists to their sporting patients.
A Custom Fit Ensures Protection
Call our office to schedule an appointment today.
(757) 425 1828
Sleep Apnea Appliances
Oral Appliances
Oral appliances that treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are small plastic devices that are worn in the mouth, similar to orthodontic retainers or sports mouth guards. These appliances help prevent the collapse of the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat, keeping the airway open during sleep and promoting adequate air intake. Oral appliances may be used alone or in combination with other means of treating OSA, including general health and weight management, surgery, or CPAP.
Oral appliance therapy is indicated for:
- Patients with primary snoring or mild OSA who do not respond to, or are not appropriate candidates for treatment with behavioral measures such as weight loss or sleep-position change.
- Patients with moderate to severe OSA should have an initial trial of nasal CPAP, due to greater effectiveness with the use of oral appliances.
- Patients with moderate to severe OSA who are intolerant of or refuse treatment with nasal CPAP. Oral appliances are also indicated for patients who refuse treatment, or are not candidates for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, cranofacial operations, or tracheostomy.
Advantages of Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral Appliance Therapy has several advantages over other forms of therapy:
- Oral appliances are comfortable and easy to wear. Most people find that it only takes a couple of weeks to become acclimated to wearing the appliance.
- Oral appliances are small and convenient making them easy to carry when traveling.
- Treatment with oral appliances is reversible and non-invasive.
Call our office to schedule an appointment today. (757) 425 1828
Intraoral Camera
Many patients, especially younger patients, are very familiar with the latest technology and are more comfortable with the high tech practice. Computers and TV screens are their primary method of information processing.
Dr. Bredologos & Dr. Mendrinos utilize intraoral camera technology that helps enhance your understanding of your diagnosis. An intraoral camera is a very small camera. In some cases, an intraoral camera is just a few millimeters long. An intraoral camera allows our practice to view clear, precise images of your mouth, teeth and gums, in order for us to accurately make a diagnosis. With clear, defined, enlarged images, you see details that may be missed by standard mirror examinations. This can mean faster diagnosis with less chair-time for you!
Call our office to schedule an appointment today.
(757) 425 1828
Gum Care
Many people underestimate the value of healthy gums. The most common reason that people lose teeth is because of gum disease. But if you are faithful in having regular dental care including tooth cleaning, and if you follow basic home care practices like brushing and flossing, you should be able to prevent most gum disease.
The Progress of Gum Disease
The clinical name is periodontal disease, and it means disease that affects the tissue around (“perio”) your teeth (“dontal”). And it’s an insidious disease. Most people have it to one degree or another, but it is practically symptomless. Without a comprehensive dental examination, people can be totally unaware that they have it until their teeth begin to become loose, at which point it can be too late to save them.
In its simplest form it is called gingivitis—or an inflammation of the gums. The gums may swell up and may tend to bleed more easily. This swelling of the gums may lead to pockets around the teeth.
Let’s illustrate how this occurs. The diagram on the right shows a healthy gingival sulcus. To a certain extent, it provides a hiding place for bacteria. But it isn’t out of the reach of careful brushing and flossing. However, if the gums swell, it will provide a more protected area, called a pocket. Plaque can then accumulate in this pocket and treatment and prevention of gum disease begins in the gingival sulcuscan harden into calculus (tartar), which further protects the bacteria.
If not removed, the toxins produced by the bacteria begin to destroy the tissue supporting the teeth. Over a period of ten or twenty years, the teeth will become loose and may end up needing to be replaced.
Please call or visit our office to make an appointment for a comprehensive examination to determine
if you have gum disease.
Call our office to schedule an appointment today.
(757) 425 1828
Night Guard
Do you suffer from headaches, jaw joint pain, or neck and shoulder pain? You may, without knowing it, be clenching and grinding your teeth as you sleep.
Teeth grinding and/or clenching causes extensive wear on your teeth, and can cause the facial muscles to overwork and becomes sore. Close to 20% of the adult population engage in this behavior as it is a common response to a stressful life.
Forceful biting when not chewing can cause the jaw to move out of alignment, creating more long-term problems. TMJ (temporomandibular joint) problems can occur, manifesting in pain in the joint, and/or pain up the side of the face or around to the back of the neck. A weak TMJ joint will make clicking and popping sounds when opening and closing the mouth. Headaches can be caused by a TMJ disorder. One out of 10 Americans suffer with frequest headaches. In the U.S. consumers spend over a half a billion dollars each year for medications to remedy headaches.
Wearing a night guard often lessens these problems. It is an oral appliance that is worn in your mouth as you sleep. It is used to move the jaw forward and/or hold the mouth open. In this way, a Night Guard correctly fitted by our team will keep you from snoring and grinding your teeth.
Call our office to schedule an appointment today. (757) 425 1828
Paperless Charting
Our office is a completely digital (paperless) dental office. This means all x-rays and charting are made and recorded with the aid of the computer. This technology allows us to maintain your dental records electronically, and cuts down the unnecessary paperwork used with traditional paper charting. Traditional paper charting is difficult to keep standardized from doctor to hygienist to assistant. Even handwriting differences and coding make the charts look different. The computer eliminates this problem by using consistent charting methods that are accurate and precise, making it easy to read your dental chart and see up-to-date information. Digital charting standardizes the charting process so it is clear, easy to understand, and enables us to provide on the most accurate and precise care to our patients. When needed, this method also allows us to quickly and securely share information with your other health care providers.
