General Dentistry

Prevention is the Best Medicine, and this must be your faith. Timely preventative measures and treatments can save your teeth, money, and time. In the process, you will also avoid any unnecessary pain, stress, and anxiety.

We, at the Oak Cliff Dental Center, understand and value the importance of good oral health. Our goal is to provide you and your family with excellent care and quality professional services to ensure we meet all your dental care needs.

Oral Examinations:

We use advanced technology such as low radiation digital x-rays and INTRAORAL HD CAMERAS for a thorough evaluation of your oral health and hygiene to provide our patients with effective treatment, and positive experience. Our dentists conduct comprehensive patient exams that include:

• Reviewing your medical history.
• Blood pressure screening
• Evaluation and Treatment Planning
• Oral cancer screening
• Smile evaluation
• We listen to your concerns carefully and work with you to address them
• X-rays – Low Radiation (based on need)
• High definition images displayed to you using the Intraoral Camera. Intraoral Cameras are a vital tool in dental diagnostics; it can show areas in your mouth that x-rays cannot.
• Evaluation of your dental decay
• Evaluation of the jaw and joint (TMJ)
• Periodontal screening to determine the health of your gums and supporting structures
• The doctor will review all findings and discuss possible treatment options to help you achieve the smile you deserve.

Oral Cancer Screening

As a policy, our providers perform and Oral Cancer Screening. Early detection can save lives, and this is a growing threat. Oral Cancer Screening can save lives, and we make sure we do that for every patient. We recommend you look for more details on the Oral Cancer Foundation’s website. 

As a policy, our providers perform an Oral Cancer Screening using visual and physical examination without the aid of any screening equipment. This does help in early detection to some extent and save lives. Oral Cancer is a growing threat. We make sure we do that for every patient without any extra cost to the patient. We recommend you look for more details on the Oral Cancer Foundation’s website. However, now there are some external screening tools that can help detect abnormalities much earlier than a physical examination can detect. This screening now comes with a very small cost and we advise every patient to get it done on every visit. We charge for the first visit and one follow up on the next appointment is free.
According to research conducted by the American Cancer Society, more than 50,000 cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year. More than 10,000 of these cases result in the death of the patient. The good news is that oral cancer can easily be diagnosed with an annual oral cancer exam, and effectively treated when caught in its earliest stages. This is where the screening device comes in!

Oral cancer is a pathological process which begins with an asymptomatic stage during which the usual cancer signs may not be readily noticeable. This makes the oral cancer examinations performed by the dentist critically important.

There are many different places in the oral cavity and maxillofacial region in which oral cancers commonly occur, including:

• Lips
• Mouth
• Tongue
• Salivary Glands
• Oropharyngeal Region (throat)
• Gums
• Face

Reasons for oral cancer examinations
The following signs will be investigated during a routine oral cancer exam:

• Red patches and sores – Red patches on the floor of the mouth, the front and sides of the tongue, white or pink patches which fail to heal and slow healing sores that bleed easily can be indicative of pathologic(cancerous) changes.
• Leukoplakia – This is a hardened white or gray, slightly raised lesion that can appear anywhere inside the mouth. Leukoplakia can be cancerous, or may become cancerous if treatment is not sought.
• Lumps – Soreness, lumps or the general thickening of tissue anywhere in the throat or mouth can signal pathological problems.

Oral cancer exams, diagnosis and treatment

The oral cancer examination is a completely painless process. During the visual part of the examination, the dentist will look for abnormality and feel the face, glands and neck for unusual bumps. With the help of specialized equipment, which can highlight pathological changes are also a wonderful tool for oral cancer checks. The light can “look” below the surface for abnormal signs and lesions which would be invisible to the naked eye. We use the OralID system which uses natural tissue fluorescence to increase our ability to see changes in the mouth.

If you have any questions or concerns about oral cancer, please call or visit us.

Hygiene

Professional Teeth Cleaning: Preventative dental care is essential for good oral health and hygiene. We aspire to provide and maintain a gorgeous and healthy smile for our patients. The Oak Cliff Dental Center’s professional teeth cleanings help prevent troubles such as Gum Disease and Gingivitis by removing tartar, plaque, and polishing your enamel to ensure a beautiful, healthy smile. Our dental professionals recommend that you get this treatment twice a year.

Periodontal / Gum Disease and its Treatment: Periodontal disease has been linked to complicate chronic inflammatory conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Some studies have even linked it to infertility. In the case of pre-existing Gum Disease or teeth bone loss, you may require deep cleaning. Deep cleaning requires periodontal scaling and root planning. In some cases, advanced periodontal disease may require surgery to treat gums. Deep cleaning prevents further bone loss and saves teeth besides giving you a fresh breath. Our providers will evaluate your teeth and measure your bone loss to see if you require deep cleaning. Deep cleaning is very different, time-consuming, and costly compared to regular preventive cleaning.

Dental Sealants & Fluoride Treatments:

Sealants and Fluoride applications prevent cavities and tooth decay. Sealants are a substantial preventative measure for our patients that are susceptible to cavities as they shield your teeth from harmful bacteria and acids. Fluoride Treatment helps to re-mineralize your teeth and build resistance against bacteria that can cause cavities and decay.

Sports & Night Mouth Guards:

We want to protect your teeth from damage. Mouth guards are an excellent form of protection if you are involved in sports or grind your teeth in your sleep.

Night Guards: It takes dental evaluation to diagnose whether you grind your teeth or not. Minor or silent grinding can go undetected by you or even your spouse. Night guards prevent damage to the teeth that may result from bruxism- grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw at night. Nightguard can protect all this by absorbing and spreading the force to protect the enamel from harm. Grinding may cause your teeth to crack in a few years.

Sports Mouth Guards: They help athletes prevent injuries to the mouth by absorbing the force of an impact while it fits over your teeth.

Nitrous Oxide / Laughing Gas

Nitrous Oxide, also called laughing gas, is a safe sedation method. It relaxes the patient quickly and, with its colorless/odorless properties, patients mostly feel no trauma associated with regular sedation. It is an affordable sedation method for patients who feel anxiety with dental treatments.

SIMPLE EXTRACTIONS:

Our priority is always to save your tooth, but sometimes it becomes essential to extract a tooth to prevent you from other complications. In such a case, we make it as comfortable as possible. We do not recommend sedation for such minor issues; we would instead use Nitrous Oxide Inhalation or counseling to talk you out of your anxiety.

We may recommend you extraction if:

• Your tooth suffers from severe periodontal disease and cannot be saved or restored.
• Your tooth has broken or decayed beyond repair
• Your new dentures require removal of a tooth.
• You are in extreme pain, and the tooth is beyond restoration.

Extraction is often a consequence of irregular or no preventative dental maintenance!