Diagnostic & Preventive

Good oral hygiene, or home care, is the first, and the foremost line of defense against oral disease and discomfort. Good oral hygiene demands three simple habits:

• Regular brushing- You must brush your teeth regularly, at least twice a day. And it helps to develop a pattern in brushing, like an algorithm in a computer program. One routine preferred by wise people is to start brushing with the outer side of the teeth of the top right jaw. Starting from the last molar move to the front and go on brushing all teeth up to the last molar in the top left of the upper jaw. Now shift your brush to the inside and clean all teeth moving from the left to the last molar on the right. You have cleaned your upper teeth. Now do the same with the lower jaw: cleaning the outer surfaces from right to left and inner surfaces from the left to right. While on the molars do clean their biting surfaces also. Spend about two minutes evenly on all teeth. Use a soft brush.
• Flossing- You can easily imagine that brushing will not be very effective on the surfaces between adjacent teeth. You need to floss to clean these surfaces. Flosses are available as threads or tapes in dispensers. These may be simple or pre-waxed. Your dentist can help choose.
• Rinsing- If it is not possible to brush / floss your teeth after a meal or a snack, say a lunch in the office, it is useful to use water to rinse your mouth vigorously. In addition, rinsing with antiseptic mouth rinses at bed-time will also help prevent gum infection.

At Sherman Oaks Advanced Dentistry, we want to make sure that all our patients enjoy perfect oral and physical health. That is why our dentists focus on providing high-quality preventive treatment. Some of the preventive treatments offered at Sherman Oaks Advanced Dentistry are:

• Checkups – at each visit, our dentists will thoroughly assess your dental health. We will perform a detailed clinical examination of your teeth,gums, jaws, jaw joints, face, the head and neck. In addition, we will also look at the x-ray images of your teeth to check for teeth cavities which may not be visible to the naked eye.
• Oral Hygiene Instructions – During checkup visits, we educate our patients regarding the best oral hygiene practices and dietary habits which are good for their teeth. In case of children, we educate their parents regarding the best methods to minimize the chances of development of teeth cavities as a result of intake of sugary items like candies and chocolates.
• Teeth Cleaning – one of the main reasons behind the development of gum disease is the adhesion of plaque and tartar on the teeth. We perform professional teeth cleaning to remove this plaque to reduce, or stop the progression of periodontal disease.
• Prophylaxis or Fluoride Therapy – fluoride treatment has been shown to be very effective in preventing, and even stopping the progression of teeth cavities. We apply fluoride varnishes and gels on the teeth of our patients who are at a high risk of developing teeth cavities. In addition to professional fluoride application, we may also recommend fluoride dentifrices and chewing gums to further strengthen your teeth.
• Oral Cancer Screening – during clinical examination, we will perform preliminary examination to check for the signs and symptoms of oral cancer. This helps in an early detection of oral cancer. The chances of recovery from cancer treatment are higher when it is detected in early stages.
• Preventive Orthodontics – preventive orthodontics involves the use various habit breaking appliances in children to eliminate factors which cause worsen tooth misalignment.
• Mouthguards – mouthguards are prostheses which are similar to removable retainers. They are especially indicated for preventing dental injuries in sportsmen or children who are actively involved in outdoor activities.
• Night Guards – night guards are similar to mouthguards. We prescribe nightguards to our patients who have a habit of excessively grinding their teeth. The night guards prevent the teeth from sensitivity and wear because of grinding.