Preventative Care
Comprehensive Dental Examinations in The Comox Valley
Acreview Dental Clinic offers comprehensive dental examinations in Courtenay. Our goal is to give you exceptional dental care. Contact us for more info . As part of the overall clinical assessment of our patients, comprehensive examinations are performed at each preventive re-care visit.
These assessments include a thorough evaluation of the oral cavity and adjacent structures. Dental disease may be diagnosed and any variation from normal may be identified and treated further. Oral tissues are very keen indicators of our patients’ general health. Changes identified in oral structures may be the first indication of systemic disease present in other parts of the body.
Oral Hygiene Instruction
Dental hygiene preventive maintenance visits (re-care appointments) involve professional treatment by our registered dental hygienists. Comprehensive oral assessments are completed utilizing professional knowledge and technical skill. Clinical evaluations utilize instruments that measure the attachment level of the gum tissues to screen for gum disease. In addition, examinations are performed to evaluate the presence of decay (cavities). During your re-care visit, the removal of both hard (calculus) and soft (plaque/biofilm) deposits that accumulate on the teeth and around the gingival (gum) tissues are removed. These deposits contain microorganisms responsible for the dental diseases that we fight to prevent, namely decay (dental caries or cavities) and periodontal (gum) disease. Based on individual evaluations, dental re-care visits range in frequency from three-to-six-month intervals.
The success of dental hygiene treatment depends upon the control of biofilm by our patients on a daily basis. Individual oral hygiene instruction will be tailored to meet your unique needs. A variety of physiotherapy aids are discussed, and proper instruction for their use is demonstrated. These include, but are not limited to, electric toothbrushes, dental floss, interdental brushes, and a variety of manual toothbrushes.
Risk Assessments
As part of our preventive care program, both cavity risk assessments and periodontal risk assessments are completed for each patient during the dental hygiene appointment.
Upon evaluation of individual risks, the probability and susceptibility of developing dental disease can be recognized. Each patient is placed in a risk category depending upon the individual risk factors they present. Based on the risk factors, we work with patients to create a strategy that will help to prevent the occurrence of dental disease. Interventions are suggested as a part of the preventive care program to minimize the patient's risk of disease.
Oral Cancer Screening
The goal of oral cancer screenings is to detect cancer in the oral cavity and the adjacent oral structures at the earliest possible stage. Early detection increases the probability of a favourable prognosis. Both intraoral and extraoral examinations take place by visual inspection and manual palpation. We are pleased to offer the use of a VELscope as an adjunctive tool to assist us with early detection of lesions that may not be visible by the naked eye. Early lesions often present without symptom and are unreported by the patient. Recognition of variations from normal during our oral cancer screening is the principal method for early detection and control of oral cancer. If a suspicious lesion is detected, a brush biopsy may be performed in our office or, if necessary, a referral to a specialist will be arranged. Learn more about the VELscope.
Low Radiation Radiographs (X-Rays)
Proper patient evaluation and patient protection measures are considered prior to any radiation exposure. With these measures, the amount of radiation received by our patients is minimized. We will work to limit the amount of radiation received by each of our patients.
With digital radiography, your Acreview Dental Clinic expert uses state-of-the-art digital diagnosis to view your dental structure. This way we can instantly view and enlarge images to help detect problems more easily. Digital radiography helps us help you. It does this by reducing your exposure to radiation by 80-90% compared to traditional dental X-rays. Patient protection measures are used to limit the amount of radiation received by each of our patients.
Radiographic evaluations are critical to the comprehensive diagnostic capabilities of our team. Interpretation of our patient's radiographs is a very important component of patient care and enables us to detect diseases, lesions, and conditions that would otherwise be missed.
Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy / Soft Tissue Management Program
Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that surround and support our teeth, specifically gum tissues and bone. When disease producing bacteria invade the gum tissues and are not properly removed, the breakdown of these tissues occurs and teeth are put at risk. As the disease progresses, bone breaks down, leading to tooth mobility. Early stages of periodontal disease can be managed in our office utilizing a non-surgical, less aggressive approach to periodontal therapy.
Non-surgical therapy involves careful removal of plaque and calculus from the root surfaces (scaling and root planning) to decrease inflammation and promote tissue reattachment. At times, non-surgical therapy requires the use of local anesthesia, application of fluorides, and placement of antibiotic medications underneath the gum tissues that present with deep pockets. This type of treatment may require multiple appointments in which quadrants of the mouth are treated one at a time.
Throughout the course of therapy, your periodontal health will be continually re-evaluated. Plaque control at home is a key component to the success of this therapy. In addition, adherence to a more frequent re-care interval helps to control disease. At times, additional treatment may be required that involves referral to a specialist to manage disease sites that do not respond to non-surgical therapy.