Preventative dentistry focuses on healthy habits for a lifetime of good oral health. The staff at Hutchinson Dental Center uses a variety of techniques to encourage healthy teeth through all stages of life. When we start infants and young children on a path of proper oral hygiene and preventative dental measures, they’re able to realize a lifetime of healthy teeth and a natural smile.
We embrace and invest in new technologies that allow us to detect issues earlier than ever before! The benefits to early tooth decay detection allow our patients to avoid costly and painful procedures, while opening up a realm of non-evasive, prevention techniques that have our patients leaving with a smile!
Preventative Dentistry Services Include:
Cleaning/Polishing: Dental cleanings (also known as prophylaxis) for our adult and young patients is an integral part of our preventative dentistry, as well as fluoride treatments and sealants. We have two unique polishing choices available to you, click here to learn more. Both are fast, gentle and quiet, as well as effective. You’ll leave with your teeth looking and feeling great!
Diagnostics: Comprehensive oral examinations, digital & panoramic x-rays, digital photographs to guide the restorative dentistry process. We use the newest in diagnostic technology including the DIAGNOdent Diagnostic Laser and Intraoral Camera.
DIAGNOdent Diagnostic Laser: DIAGNOdent aids in the early detection of caries, which allows us to give patients what they really want; healthy and attractive teeth. DIAGNOdent is a laser which finds hard-to-spot areas of tooth decay. The device is a compact laser used to identify areas of tooth decay that are missed by traditional means, including X-rays. The diagnostic ‘reading’ it gives helps us diagnose decay at its initial stages and allows for early, minimally invasive treatment of your tooth.
Peridontics: Perio scaling & root-planing, provisional splitting, chemotherapeutic agents.
Schick Digital: Takes X Rays of your teeth using digital technology that allows up to 90% less radiation and a clearer picture. Through the use of Schick Digital X Rays, we’re able to utilize this patient friendly digital technology to get a clear, digital picture of your teeth.
SOPROLIFE® Intraoral Camera: See the invisible…Dentistry has changed forever. SOPROLIFE® allows you to see what was once invisible to the naked eye by providing greater accuracy in identifying, evaluating and determining the location of a carious lesion with image magnification of 30 to 115 times. It offers the ability to detect tooth decay at different stages of its development, allowing us to determine the most effective, accurate course of treatment.
With the push of a button the blue LED lights are activated and variations in the architecture result in visible color changes to the tooth’s image detecting decay. This allows us to involve you in visually observing your own decay at its earliest stages when it can be missed by x-rays. Also, during treatment of these carious lesions, SOPROLIFE® allows us to clearly differentiate healthy tissue from infected tissue in order to excavate the affected areas.
Galileos 3D Imaging: Hutchinson Dental Center is one of just a handful of offices in the State of Minnesota who owns and regularly uses this piece of diagnostic equipment. With its large, spherical volume the Galileosnot only captures an image of the entire jaw, including the jaw joints, but also all important anatomical structures of the craniofacial region. Using just the lowest necessary dose of radiation, Galileos creates a very detailed representation of the craniofacial region comparable with the resolution of a CT scan at a simultaneously drastically reduced patient dose. This 3D imaging equipment has superior diagnostics for all indications including:
- Maxillary sinus diagnosis
- 3D diagnosis in middle ear region
- 3D volume determination of the upper respiratory passage
- 3D diagnosis of nasal obstructions, displaced teeth, cysts, retained roots & cleft lip/jaw/palate
- Fracture diagnosics
- Comprehensive evaluation of eruption pattern of permanent teeth
- Assessing the surgical conditions for dental implants and extraction of teeth
- Recognizing the finest structures when detecting root fractures and traumas
Youth Education: Proper oral health care starts young, and we value helping kids start out with proper habits and information. Together with parents, we demonstrate and support children in understanding their role in their own dental health.
Regular check-ups and cleanings are important. We recommend preventative appointments every six months. To schedule your next appointment, click here.
