Protect Your Health with Dr. Nguyen
In order to maintain a healthy smile for life, it’s not enough to just brush and floss at home every day. You also need to visit our practice at least twice a year for dental checkups. These visits give Dr. Nguyen an opportunity to thoroughly examine your smile and address any potential issues that could threaten your health.
The Many Benefits of a Dental Checkup
We provide a variety of services during a dental checkup that can benefit you in many ways. Some of these include:
- Polished Smile — Our hygienist will use specialized tools to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth so you can leave our office with a clean and sparkling smile.
- Comfort and Security — Dr. Nguyen will use our advanced technology to examine your mouth in close detail and ensure you don’t have cavities or any other developing dental issues.
- Oral Cancer Screening — One of the most important aspects of a dental checkup is an oral cancer screening. By checking every six months, we can help to shield you from this harmful disease and prevent it from spreading too far if it ever develops.
What is Gum Disease?
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is an oral infection that results from excessive plaque built up around your gumline. It’s primarily caused by inadequate oral care at home and neglecting to visit your dentist for regular checkups.
Other factors that increase your risk of gum disease include:
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Medications that reduce saliva flow
- Diabetes
- Certain health conditions, such as cancer or AIDS
- Stress
- Aging
- Genetics
If your gums look red and swollen, or if they start to bleed when you brush your teeth, contact our office right away.
The Stages of Gum Disease
- Gingivitis — In this early and mild stage of gum disease, your gums will start to appear red and swollen. There’s often no pain or other symptoms at this point, so many patients don’t even realize they have an infection.
- Periodontitis — Without treatment, gingivitis will develop into the far more serious stage of periodontitis. This is when bacteria starts to destroy the underlying bones and tissues in your mouth, causing severe pain and eventually leading to tooth loss.
Treatment Solutions for Gum Disease
If you seek treatment while your infection is still in the gingivitis stage, we can reverse your condition with relative ease. Sometimes, you can eliminate gingivitis on your own with improved oral care at home.
If not, Dr. Nguyen will rid your mouth of bacteria with scaling and root planing. Also known as deep cleaning, this procedure involves removing plaque from above and below your gumline.
Once your infection reaches the periodontitis treatment, it becomes far more difficult to treat. At this point, surgical intervention such as a gum graft or laser therapy is often required. That’s why it’s essential to identify gum disease early and get it treated right away.
Though we don’t perform oral surgery at our practice, Dr. Nguyen will happily refer you to a local specialist if necessary.
Visit Sycamore Creek Dental Today
If you want your smile to stay healthy and beautiful for life, Dr. Nguyen will provide the treatment you need to make this possible. Whether you need gum disease treatment or a regular checkup, he’ll take care of your specific needs and help turn your smile goals into reality.
Call our office today at (951) 277-7678 and schedule a consultation with Dr. Nguyen. We look forward to meeting you.