Lisa Reviews Brushing and Flossing

Every patient thinks they know how to brush their teeth, and some do but most do not brush their teeth long enough. They think they are brushing for the recommended two minutes, but they are usually only brushing about 45 seconds.  You cannot do a quality job brushing in 45 seconds.  If a patient has gum disease or a history of gum disease then they have to brush even longer than two minutes and work harder than somebody who has never had a history of gum disease. 

If I notice a patient is having a hard time removing plaque from their teeth when they brush or floss, I will put a dye on their teeth that stains their plaque and ask the patient to remove it so they know what it takes to thoroughly clean their teeth at home.

When it comes to flossing, I try not to have anybody be a slave to the mirror, because if you are a slave to the mirror then you will only floss your teeth in the bathroom.  Instead, I try to teach them by feel.  I put the floss in their mouth and I floss their teeth for them and then I have the patient floss their teeth and give them feedback.

We also have other supplies to help patients with their oral care. For example, if a patient has larger spaces between their teeth, I will give them a tool that will clean those spaces better than flossing alone would.

What a patient does on a daily basis at home is far more important than what I can ever do for them. Not every patient is the same each patient deserves oral care instructions that fit their needs. I feel demonstrating brushing and flossing and then having patients repeat what I just showed them is the best way to teach them great oral care habits.

Lisa, Registered Dental Hygienist

Metropolitan Periodontists

Minneapolis, MN

Periodontist Dr. Mark Wilson at Metropolitan Periodontists in Minneapolis talks about 3D imaging and diagnosis for dental implant placement.

At Metropolitan Periodontists we use modern 3D imaging.  It gives us a much clearer picture of what is going on around the tooth than traditional two-dimensional x-rays. We use it to see if there is enough bone to be able to place an implant.  It also helps to choose the correct size and type of implant needed.  After placement, 3D imaging confirms the positioning and gives us a baseline image for the future.

With traditional x-rays we can measure bone height and the amount of space between the teeth, but we are guessing about bone thickness. With 3D imaging we are able to get a cross-section of that bone and see the thickness.  If you are looking for a nerve or a sinus you can see where the sinus relates to the crest of the bone much more clearly by using 3D imaging.

Three-dimensional imaging is very handy for looking for cracked teeth, furcation involvement, and apical involvement around teeth. Furcations are on the larger teeth in the back of the mouth when you have multiple roots.  The area where the roots come together is called a furcation.  The apex or the apical part of the tooth is the root tip, where if the pulp is dying inside of the tooth then the tooth needs a root canal.  For these reasons we can see problems much earlier on a three- dimensional picture than we can on a two-dimensional picture.

The 3D imaging is a very important part of modern periodontal practice. We have seen that third dimension and we are confident that the bone is there.  A drawback to two-dimensional x-rays has been only finding out after we start the procedure that we do not have enough bone to put the implant in that the patient is expecting that day.

Having the capability to do 3D imaging in the office is convenient for the patient because they do not have to travel to another facility.  Because we use these images, we do not have surprises when we go into the surgery.

Dr. Mark Wilson

Periodontist

Metropolitan Periodontists

Minneapolis, MN

New Patients Welcome

www.metroperio.com