Preventive Dentistry: The Perfect Smile for Special Occasions

Most people already know that having a clean mouth is very important. It makes you feel good about yourself and it gives you fresh breath and a great smile. You have probably also heard that brushing and flossing your teeth daily are necessary for good dental health.

But like many people in Montreal, you may not be sure what all the fuss is about when it comes to preventive dentistry services. Here is the simple truth about caring for your teeth. Brushing teeth every day, with a soft-bristled brush, and flossing between your teeth, removes plaque from between the teeth, areas where the toothbrush can’t reach. The following preventive dentistry services are essential in preventing gum disease and maintain good oral health.

Preventive Dentistry Importance

By taking care of your teeth, eating a balanced diet and visiting your dentist regularly, you can have healthy teeth and an attractive smile your entire life.

Like you, we work hard to prevent dental problems before they occur. Subsequently, here are some of our preventative services.

Adult and Child Teeth Cleanings with Fluoride Treatment

When it comes to children and adults, they should receive fluoride treatment every six months. Almost any patient can benefit from this fluoride application immediately after a dental cleaning in our office. It’s a simple preventive dentistry service that makes a big impact.

Sealants for Children

We can provide a special sealant for children’s teeth that flows onto their biting surface. This preventive dentistry service can significantly reduce the potential for dental caries (cavities) in young people.

Deep Cleaning (Scaling and Root Planing)

Periodontal Examination: Using a preventive dentistry measuring instrument, Dr. Slepchik will examine your pocket depth between each tooth. Pocket depth is the length between the top of the gum and where the gum attaches itself to the tooth. Pocket depth that extends beyond the normal ranges of good oral health may require surgical or non-surgical therapy (scaling and root planning), an excellent home care regimen on the part of the patient.

Caries (Cavity) Examination

During this visit Dr. Slepchik or Dr. Deylami locates areas of decay both on chewing surfaces and between teeth. He uses both clinical exams and radiographic findings to determine the most conservative treatment plan for your oral needs. This preventive dentistry approach can help determine the best course of action.

Oral CancerScreening

If you are a tobacco user, you are in primary danger of oral cancer. More than 8,000 deaths were attributed to oral cancer through early detection of pre-cancerous lesions. We provide an oral cancer screening at each preventive dentistry care appointment.

Occlusal Examination

The forces of your bite can sometimes affect positioning of the jaw and teeth. Through minor polishing of the enamel surfaces or fillings of the teeth, Dr. Slepchik can help redistribute and redirect the biting forces. Adjustments to chewing surfaces can often eliminate headaches that occur as a result of irregular biting patterns.

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Dysfunction Examination

TMJ is a condition that can put stress on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Causes of TMJ disorders vary, but include misaligned bite, bruxism (teeth grinding), among other factors. Unfortunately, TMJ if not corrected, can result in very painful symptoms, from headaches to ear and neck pain, just to name a few. In general, it is best to seek treatment. Usually a Nightguard fabrication is indicated.

Scaling and Root Planning

When plaque extends below the gum line, gingivitis can deteriorate into a condition known as periodontitis, which is an inflammation that can erode the ligament and bone beneath your gums, creating deep pockets that foster the growth of destructive bacteria. Treatment may include the use of antibiotics and root planning (deep scaling of the bacteria filled pockets).

Being a Dental Hygienist

Being a Dental Hygienist requires being passionate about smiles, people and health. After 14 years of practice I am still passionate when I speak of dental health and smile makeovers.   I’ve seen so many cases aver the past decade, and trying to put all that experience in a few simple and motivating phrases can be a challenge. If my patients knew what I did, they would jump on their tooth brushes and flosses twice a day at the least.  I love these challenges and I love making people more comfortable in the chair. There’s enough stress as-is in every day life, so why add to it?

These days, dental appointments can be fun and an enjoyable experience.  More and more people start looking forward to their dental cleanings because they understand the benefits of it and feel the difference in their month’s health; this keeps me motivated and makes me enjoy my work more than ever.  Most of time consists of interacting, soothing and educating. I still find myself being extra thorough, that’s a good sign. I love being a dental hygienist, love the challenge, love the people and most of all love lovely smiles.

 

Dentistry is a Team Sport

Who are the members of my team?  First of all, they are the faces you see on our web site. The welcoming staff at our front desk is Anna and Kathy; our dental assistants Carmen and Alma; our hygienists Kinga and Melanie; our girl Friday Nadia and our Office Manager Arlene.

The second part of our team are the members you never meet. They are the oral surgeons, the periodontists, the dental lab technicians and the organizations that provide continuing education to our primary team. In our case the are: The Dawson Institute, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, The American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the International Team for Implantology. The Quebec and Canadian Dental Associations and Alpha Omega.

These professionals and organizations are essential to 21^st century dentistry. The knowledge we have gained from the courses provided by these wonderful organizations is why we start each day excited to help our patients with their dental needs.

What is gum disease and what are the early signs of it?

Gum disease affects 75 percent of the population, and most of the time is detected around 35 years of age. Periodontal disease implies loss of the bone height supporting the teeth caused by bacteria. This can lead to movement and loss of teeth. Also research has shown that gum disease and heart disease are more often than not connected.  It's a quite affliction, since most of the time there is no pain to warn the patient that something is wrong.  Most of the time it starts slowly, but in some cases, it can be quite aggressive. Some symptoms that the patient can look for are bleeding and swelling of the gums, change in position of the teeth, movement or bad breath. Healthy gums should never bleed when brushing or flossing. At each dental hygiene appointment your hygienist checks the health of your gums using a probe that measures the depth of the pockets in the gums, she will let you know if any of them go deeper than 3mm which is the sign for periodontal disease. If so, she or he will recommend you to do your cleanings as often as 3 months in order to avoid accumulation of the bacteria responsible for it. This is a method that helps slow down or even stop the disease from spreading, since there is no cure for it. If a more severe condition is detected, a deeper cleaning is a must, we need to make sure all tartar lodged deeper in the pockets is removed, this appointment will be followed up every 3 months. In these cases, deep cleanings are required once in a while depending on regular hygiene appointments and home care. 

How can I make dental care affordable?

How can I make dental care affordable?

Dental care can be quite costly, and many patients prefer to ignore the problem until they're confronted with pain. It is important to understand that when pain starts, usually the decay or gum disease is advanced, therefore, it is costs more, if it's not too late. Furthermore, it can also end up in tooth loss which can effect the bite and smile long term. Taking all this into consideration, there is never a less invasive and less expensive way to take care of the problem as it is. Today the cheapest way to deal with dental situations is to go regularly to your dentist so that when a condition is detected, it's taken care of before it gets complicated. A treatment plan can be done over 1 year or several years depending on the patient's budget to help achieve optimal health in the long run. Once it's completed, it's all about maintaining it.  Most dentists offer payment plans to make it all affordable, and dental fees can be deducted from your income in Canada. In the end it's just a question of priority.

Pourquoi préferons -nous des restaurations sans mercure?

     Les obturations gris sont ceux avec le mercure. Ils se contractent au froid et se dililatent au chaud.(Ce qui crée des fissures de l'émail et affaibli la dent.)  Nous devons égalemet creuser d'avantage la dent pour que l'obturation tienne bien.  Ce qui nous raproche de la pulpe(la partie vivante de la dent)! La dent ainsi a  plus de risque de casser et se retrouver avec un traitment  de canal. Il est très important lorsque nous enlevons ces restaurations de mercure. Le Dr.Slepchik  utilise une digne(écran de caoutchou) pour que le patient n'avale rien.
     L'idéale, lorsque nous enlevons ces restaurations d'amalgame est de les remplacer avec une incrustation en porcelaine pour renforcer la dent et la garder  vivante le plus longtemps possible.

Comment arrive la maladie parodontale? par Melanie (hygieniste dentaire certifiée chez Dr. Lenny Slepchik)

     70% de la population est atteint de la maladie parodontale. Cette maldie arrive entre 35-40 ans. Si c'est dans votre famille, faites attention! De plus, si vous etes fumeur, 50% du problème vient de la; les tissus ont moins de vaisseaux sanguins suite à un choc nerveux, dépression ou grande stress. Quand vous etes susceptible, la maladie peut se réveiller.  De plus, si votre conjoint est atteint, faire très attention. Elle peut etre contagieux tant et aussi logtemps que la maldie n'est pas stable.   Avec les mesures prisent avec une sonde sous la gençive, nous saurons quand la maladie débutera.
     Si la couleur de votre gençive est rose pâle et qu'il n y a aucun saignement ni inflammation, ni douleur, c'est que vous avez fait du bon travail à la maison.! Félicitations! Et si votre hygieniste vous le confirme.

Questions? Commentaires?