Oral Health

The Clinics at West Central Dental provide gentle, caring, and highly qualified hygienists that specialize in the care and health of gums. Our hygienists offer you important and often overlooked oral care including an oral cancer screening at each recall visit and a thorough "teeth cleaning" -- routine gum treatment and removal of calculus, the hard deposits on teeth that can't be removed with a tooth brush. Between appointments you can perform an oral cancer self exam.

Gums have to be healthy to help hold teeth in place. If plaque is not removed by brushing and flossing then gum disease follows. Minerals from the saliva deposit in the plaque and harden to form calculus which can only be removed by a dental hygienist. If it is not removed, tiny infections form and gum tissue and bone are destroyed. Nine out of ten people have the initial stages of gum disease. Often this progresses without warning until major damage is done and teeth start to hurt, loosen, or fall out. Regular periodontal probing warns the patient that there is a problem before major damage is done. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in Canadian adults. Fortunately, it can easily be prevented.

One of the most important services provided by our Family Clinic is to routinely record the health of a patient's gums by taking periodontal readings. We provide periodontal probing for every patient beginning at the time all permanent teeth are present. Probing is painless, and is the only way to tell the extent of gum disease. A tiny "ruler" measures the loss of gum and bone support at six points around each tooth. If it is more than three millimetres, the dentist is alerted to a potential problem. "Each of our patients knows exactly how healthy their gums are. This periodontal service is included in our standard fees, at no extra cost. And it can save the patient lots of money - and lots of teeth!"