Comprehensive Dental Exams

Regular comprehensive exams are one of the most important aspects of your dental care. Because our exams are so thorough, we can detect problems before they become major issues, saving more of your natural tooth structure – and saving you time, money and discomfort!

Digital X-Rays

We use digital x-rays for a low radiation, super-accurate digital image of your teeth. These x-rays are more comfortable than traditional x-rays and offer a large, accurate image that can be instantly seen by both you and Dr. Birriel. This allows you to be a more active participant in your dental care decisions. Digital x-rays are also conveniently stored on our computers so we can compare x-rays from year to year.

Intraoral Cameras

Intraoral cameras give you and Dr. Birriel a great opportunity to review and discuss the health of your teeth. The image provided is even easier to understand than your x-ray image and is an excellent educational tool. Even kids love the experience of a dental exam with the intraoral camera.

Using a wand the size and shape of a pen, digital intraoral cameras – really miniature digital cameras – let us show you a super enlarged, full color image of your teeth. Patients are always amazed to see what their smiles actually look like, and it can easily help both adults and children see areas they have missed when brushing and flossing. Just as with our digital x-rays, we can upload these images for future comparison, and we can even print them out so you can remember areas you need to pay special attention to. They also help us detect early damage and decay for conservative treatment.

Oral Cancer Screenings

We screen for oral cancer at every visit, checking for unexplained sores or bumps. But at your regularly scheduled oral exam, we do a little more – we use the Sapphire Plus Lesion Detection Light. This light shows normal mouth tissue as green while any irregularity or lesion shows as a dark area, letting us detect abnormalities that we could not have seen with the naked eye.

Dental Cleanings

Your regular cleanings are also very important to the health of your teeth, gums and body. How? Regular cleanings keep the buildup of tartar above and below your gum line under control. This control is crucial because when the bacteria that help create tartar accumulate, they can damage your gums, lead to tooth loss, and damage your entire body. Bacteria can enter your blood system and lead to strokes, cancers, diabetic and circulation complications, heart disease, low birth weight babies, and difficulty with joint replacement surgeries.

That’s why we use the Piezo high frequency ultrasonic cleaning device for effective, precision scaling. Ultrasonic cleaning uses high frequency sound waves combined with a jet of water to efficiently and comfortably remove even the most stubborn plaque and tartar without the discomfort of scraping. It’s just one of the ways we ensure that your smile and your body stay healthy.

Root Canal Therapy

The idea of a root canal is never appealing – but a root canal could save your tooth! If your tooth has an abscess, infection at the root or has become so painful you can no longer tolerate it, you have two choices – remove the tooth or perform a root canal. Most of our patients are very happy to choose a root canal to increase their chances of saving their tooth. In a root canal treatment, we start by opening, cleaning and disinfecting the nerve canal. After the canal is thoroughly cleaned and no infected matter remains, we seal the canal to keep out bacteria and place a crown to restore your tooth to strength and beauty.