Panorex Machine at Ardas Family Dental

Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado is a provider of comprehensive dental services. As providers of prosthetic teeth and endodontic care, we utilize the latest technology to ensure that our patients are treated appropriately. Among the devices our patients may have noticed is the Panorex, and we thought people might be curious about it.

A Panorex is an x-ray machine that provides a panoramic view of the patient’s mouth. It does not require any special effort from the patient. They only need to remove metal objects from their person, wear a lead apron and bite down on a piece of plastic. It will take about twenty seconds for the Panorex’s panels to rotate around their head. The Panorex subjects a patient to fewer x-rays than a traditional machine and can be adjusted for people of different heights.

As an x-ray machine, the Panorex cannot provide us with a detailed view of the patient’s soft tissues. But it does provide crucial information about how well a patient’s implants are integrating with their jaw bone. It also allows us to strategize where to place new implants, determine whether unerupted teeth will need to be extracted, and plan how to remove them with minimal inconvenience to the patient. We can also use its highly detailed images to more accurately determine whether a patient is developing an infection or jaw tumor.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Gum Disease and Heart Disease at Ardas Family Dental

Dental care from an early age is essential for health throughout life. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado, we accept Medicaid and treat patients of all ages. Part of the reason for this is that poor oral hygiene not only puts people in pain, but also increases their risk for other diseases. Recently, scientists have been examining the correlation between gum disease and heart conditions, and we thought it would be good for our patients to understand the possible links.

Childhood dental habits influence children’s adult oral health, with children who have cavities being likelier to lose permanent teeth. A recent study also found that children with dental infections are likelier to develop thickened blood vessels. Another recent study found that people with gum disease are likelier to have high blood pressure, and a third found that people who lost teeth to gum infections are likelier to have angina, strokes, and heart attacks.

It’s too soon to say that gum disease and heart disease directly cause each other, and they share common risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol. But we are learning more about how oral bacteria are able to travel to other parts of the body and trigger inflammation. We also know that infections of tooth root tips and dental pulp can lead to blood poisoning. During regular cleanings, we provide scaling to remove bacterial build-up below the gum line. We can also do scalings on people with outbreaks of gum inflammation, and if we are able to intervene quickly enough, we may be able to save their teeth and implants. 

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Scaling and Root Planing

If you’ve neglected your oral hygiene, the new year is the perfect time to resume it! Brushing and flossing twice a day is essential for good oral health, but twice-a-year visits to the dentist will allow you to get a deeper cleaning. This is when people get scaling, and if necessary, planing. We want all our patients at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado to feel informed about our procedures, so let’s look at what happens during a deep cleaning.

Scaling is the process by which a hygienist uses a hooked wand, called an explorer to break apart tartar. Plaque is the sticky mixture of bacteria and acid that accumulates on teeth, and it contributes to tooth decay and gum recession. Tartar is the hardened version of plaque which commonly builds up near the gum line and on the sides and back of the teeth. Removing it prevents the gum tissue from retreating from around a tooth, allowing the gum pocket to stay tight and free of infection.

If the gum pockets have developed an infection, we may carry out a root planing procedure. What this means is that, after administering local anesthesia, we’ll smooth the tooth roots. This will eliminate crevices that bacteria hide in, making the teeth easier to clean in the future and reducing the risk of the infection returning. Patients may also be advised to take an antibiotic for a brief period and to make a return visit so we can confirm the gum pockets are healing.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Determining Causes of Gap Teeth at Ardas Family Dental

Are you tired of looking at a gap between your teeth? Do you find it causes you to whistle or that it’s interfering with your bite? We may be able to help at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado. Besides working closely with orthodontists and oral surgeons, we can help determine what is causing a gap and which treatments are appropriate. Some require more significant interventions than others.

The skull bones do not fully solidify until a person is in their adolescence, and before that, their teeth may migrate quite a bit. If a child sucks their thumb, this can cause an overbite and a diastema, which is the formal name for a gap between teeth. The same thing could happen if they thrust their tongue forward when they swallow. In these cases, traditional braces or aligners may close the gap, but the patient may need psychological counseling or treatment from an ear-nose-and-throat doctor to stop the behavior that created it.

In rare cases, a gap may form partially because a person has an overly large or tight labial frenum, which is the strip of tissue connecting the inside of the upper lip to the maxilla. One solution is to surgically reduce the frenum after orthodontic treatment. A person’s teeth may also simply be small for the amount of space in their upper jaw, or they may migrate slightly in adulthood after completing orthodontic therapy. When the gap is small, me may be able to close it just by using veneers.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.