Preventive Dentistry - Florida
Your smile is one of your biggest assets, that is why we believe in catching problems when they are small and easy to treat. This allows our patients to stay healthy, comfortable and free from unnecessary discomfort and possible toothaches. Everything we do in our office revolves around “prevention”. These are just a few of the ways we help keep our patients healthy:

Complete Comprehensive Examination and Dental Care
We believe that the best way to provide our patients with the finest dental care that they deserve is to start all of our new patients with a Complete Comprehensive Examination. This allows us to completely evaluate your current dental health condition so that we can, along with you, determine the best plan of treatment for your individual needs.

At the beginning of the examination, we will take a Digital Panorex Xray, which gives us a wide view of the jaws, sinuses and jaw joints. We use this Xray to check for tumors, infections and the location of any wisdom teeth. Next, we take a complete set of Digital Intra-oral Xrays that gives us a detailed and close-up look at the teeth and bone support around each tooth. We use these xrays to detect the presence of decay between the teeth, any bone loss that has occurred as a result of periodontal disease, and any abscesses that may be present.

After we have taken the time to talk to you to find about your specific concerns, wants and desires, we continue with a thorough examination of your mouth. We first screen your TM jaw joint for any current or potential problems. We, then, examine all of the soft tissues in your mouth for any possible pre-cancerous or suspicious areas. Our attention is then directed to the teeth. We assess the current condition of your teeth, including their appearance when you smile, their structural integrity, the condition of the existing restorations, any decay that may be present and any missing teeth. Next, we examine the condition of the gum and bone support around the teeth. We are looking to see if there is any gingivitis, an infection of the gums, or periodontal disease, an infection of the bone support, that might be contributing to any bone loss or possible loss of any teeth.

Finally, we use two types of digital cameras to photograph the condition of your mouth. First, we use an Intra-oral Digital Camera to take very close-up photographs of each and every tooth. This allows you to see, in minute detail, the condition of each tooth and the restorations that are present in those teeth. We then use an Extra-oral Digital Camera to get a wider view of your smile and the upper and lower jaws. These photos will give us a chance to discuss your specific cosmetic concerns with you while displaying the photos on the computer screen.

At this point, we review all our findings and photographs with you. If you require minimal treatment to restore your mouth to a completely healthy condition, we then can go ahead and schedule the treatment you have decided upon. If more extensive treatment is required, then we will have you return for a consultation and review appointment. Before that appointment, Dr. Burks will review all the findings and photographs to gain an intimate knowledge of the condition of your mouth. He will then begin to formulate a Master Treatment Plan based on the concerns you expressed during the examination process.

When you return, Dr. Burks will discuss, in detail, the results of his examination of the condition of your mouth. Your feedback at this time is critical to the success of the development of the Master Plan. Together, the two of you will then finalize a Master Treatment Plan based on your individual desires and needs for your mouth and oral health. We won’t ask you to make a decision concerning your treatment until you thoroughly understand the Master Plan and have had all your questions answered. Once the treatment has been discussed and agreed upon, the financial aspects of he treatment will be explored, so that we can make sure that the treatment you have agreed upon will fit within your dental budget. We feel that there is nothing more important than the trust that you place in our hands to take care of your dental needs and that the first step in establishing this trust is to provide you with a Complete Comprehensive Examination.

Recare (Hygiene) Appointments
To help patients maintain and monitor their oral health, we recommend regular hygiene or “recare” visits. At this important visit, we will clean your teeth professionally by removing plaque, tartar and stain that has built up. We will take x-rays, when needed, to monitor the bone support around each tooth and make sure that your existing restorations are strong and decay free. Depending on each patient’s individual oral health, the interval between recare visits will be customized for each patient and may be every 3 months, 4 months or 6 months.

The importance of dental x-rays
Dental radiographs (x-rays) are an invaluable tool. They allow Dr. Burks to determine what is happening to the tooth below the gum line and in between the teeth, where we cannot see. The following conditions can only be fully diagnosed with the use of radiographs: cysts and tumors, periodontal disease and bone loss, decay, abcesses, and impacted teeth. In order to properly care for our patients, we only take necessary radiographs as recommended by the American Dental Association and each patient’s individual needs.

Smaller restorations (“fillings”) mean stronger teeth
Decay is a widespread epidemic in America today. The earlier decay is detected, the smaller the restoration that is needed to restore the tooth. This means that the more tooth structure that remains, the stronger the teeth. Smaller restorations mean stronger teeth and fewer problems as your teeth age. Regular hygiene visits help us detect small problems early on.

Preventive Resin Restorations (Microdentistry)
There are naturally occurring grooves and crevices in the tops of the back (molars and pre-molar) teeth. For some people these grooves are so deep and narrow that even the bristle of the toothbrush can’t reach the bottom of the groove to keep it clean. This can result in decay starting in the deep recesses of the groove. This is especially true in children’s teeth as the permanent teeth start to erupt. When this situation is present, we may recommend Preventive Resin Restorations. When we place these restorations, we open the groove just enough so we can thoroughly clean to the bottom of the groove and then we seal the groove with a resin material. This will prevent any decay from being able to start on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. These Preventive Resin Restorations are the ultimate in preventive smaller restorations in your teeth.

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