Your First Visit to Health Centered Dentistry
Health Centered Dentistry offers a complete range of examinations that extend far beyond a simple tooth examination.
Your initial consultation with Health Centered Dentistry extends far beyond a simple tooth examination. During your visit we perform a complete series of examinations of your teeth, mouth and gums, discuss our results as well as your concerns, and help you to develop a treatment plan that will ensure optimal oral health in a most convenient and economical manner.
We believe our responsibility is to help make comfortable dental health achievable for all members of your family; beginning with your first visit.
XRays | Oral Tests | Soft Tissue Exam | Complete Tooth Exam
Bony Tissue Check | Oral Cancer Screening | Jaw Joint Screening
Blood Pressure Check
While unfortunate, it is true that most people see their dentist more frequently than their physician. At Health Centered Dentistry of Anchorage, we screen our adult patients for abnormal blood pressure. Blood pressure may play an important role in the dental office due to the effects of some dental anesthetics and/or medications, but additionally, we can play a valuable role in helping keep an eye on this important measurement for you.
Complete Series of X-rays
 One of the first steps in any dental evaluation will be x-rays to determine the presence and extent of dental decay, bone loss from periodontal disease, bone density, presence and extent of abscesses or cyst formations, or signs of bony degeneration.
Most dentists will take panoramic and bite-wing x-rays, but at Health Centered Dentistry of Anchorage we don't stop there.
Our cephalometric X-ray unit with digital output shows a profile image of the entire airway passage. This equipment is rarely found in dental offices and can aid in the identification of a range of breathing and speaking problems including snoring and sleep apnea.
Conventional visual interpretation of X-ray film is limited. The human eye is only capable of discerning a limited range of shades of gray. But through the use of digital image enhancement software, a far greater range of sensitivity is possible.
That means subtleties in the X-rays that would have gone unnoticed can now be seen, resulting in the detection of decay at a much earlier stage. By catching the decay early we can preserve more of the tooth.
In addition to tooth decay, digital imaging can alert the dentist to a range of potential threats such as erosion of a tooth’s enamel layer, bone and jaw related problems and more.
The benefits of digital imaging extend beyond enhanced diagnosis. At Health Centered Dentistry, safeguarding our patients’ health is a primary concern. Our imaging technologies require 90% less radiation exposure for the patient compared to traditional X-rays.
Oral Tests
PH
We conduct oral pH tests to determine the relative acidity in the mouth. This can be an important gauge of your immediate state of health. Many of the microorganisms that can contribute to oral diseases are anaerobic (they thrive in an oxygen-poor medium). A low pH (or acidic) environment is a potential indication of problems, and should be monitored.
Vitamin C Test
Vitamin C plays a great many important roles in the human body. On top of its well-documented effects in supporting general health, vitamin C is also essential in the construction and maintenance of collagen, a connective tissue. Vitamin C deficiencies may contribute to gum disease by limiting the body's ability to maintain the connective tissues between tooth and bone.
Zinc Test
Zinc is one of many minerals your body needs to maintain good health and is critical in the healing processes. However, zinc can be depleted by physical or emotional stresses, or by the consumption of diuretics (either in tablet form, or caffeinated beverages). Because of this, many of us suffer a zinc deficiency without even knowing it.
Oral Galvanism Screening
Many dental restorations are made of metal. No metals used in dentistry are pure, or unalloyed, however. This opens the potential for dental electrical currents to be produced. Through the use of a dental galvanometer presence of electrical currents in the mouth are measured. This information is useful in analyzing levels of mercury exposure.
Soft Tissue Exam
When most people think of a dental examination, they think of an evaluation of the teeth. The other tissues provide us a great deal of information about your health, both oral and general. Inflammation or changes to the condition of these tissues may affect the treatment offered to you. Continuing irritation of tissues may lead to some forms of oral cancer.
Oral health and systemic health are generally one and the same. If the soft tissues of the mouth are inflamed or are in otherwise poor health, the same is likely to be true elsewhere in the body. When we treat local problems properly, we affect the overall health.
Muscle Palpation
Often, when the teeth do not mesh completely, the muscles of the jaw are forced to position the jaw more comfortably. Over time these muscles become cramped or stressed by performing extra duty. The doctor will press gently over these areas to see if the muscles are sore and tense. Some of the muscles checked are on the outside of the mouth and others on the inside walls of the mouth. He can then determine if muscle function has been affected or damaged.
Complete Tooth Survey and Examination
 Obviously, when you see a dentist, sooner or later he's going to want to look at your teeth. The dentist conducts a visual survey of your teeth to see where you already have fillings or other restoration as well as check for signs of visible tooth decay or other concerns that may require attention.
Wear and Stress Check
Often in dentistry, the dentist and staff are so involved with fixing immediate problems, such as a broken tooth, that we fail to ask very basic questions (such as, "Why did this tooth break to begin with?"). If we could prevent problems from occurring, we could prevent the need for costly dental treatment. By looking at early signs of stress or wear on teeth, the doctor is evaluating the potential for problems to develop, and finding ways to prevent them.
Bony Tissue Examination
Care and restoration of the teeth may be ultimately futile if the surrounding tissue is in bad shape. Changes in bone density and the progression of periodontal disease can make radical changes in the supporting structures of the teeth. It is important to maintain the health of the bone to be able to keep your teeth.
Oral Cancer Screening
 Not only will the doctor check the hard tissues (such as tooth and bone), but he will also evaluate the soft tissues. The inside surfaces of the mouth will be carefully checked to rule out changes to the tissues there (some of which may be precursors to different forms of oral cancer). The doctor will explain his findings to you.
Jaw Joint Examination
Finally, the examination is concluded with a screening of the health and function of your jaw joints. You will be asked to open wide, move your jaw from side to side and relax as the doctor checks the health of the joints on each side. He will also put some firm force on the jaw to check its state of health. This check is not uncomfortable at all, and provides valuable information about the jaw joints. Finally, the doctor will tap your teeth together gently to see if and where your teeth are slightly mismatched.
Bony Tissue Check
Care and restoration of the teeth may be ultimately futile if the surrounding tissue is in bad shape. Changes in bone density and the progression of periodontal disease can make radical changes in the supporting structures of the teeth. It is important to maintain the health of the bone to be able to keep your teeth.
Complete Tooth Survey and Examination
Obviously, when you see a dentist, sooner or later he's going to want to look at your teeth. The dentist conducts a visual survey of your teeth to see where you already have fillings or other restoration as well as check for signs of visible tooth decay or other concerns that may require attention.
Wear and Stress Check
Often in dentistry, the dentist and staff are so involved with fixing immediate problems, such as a broken tooth, that we fail to ask very basic questions (such as, "Why did this tooth break to begin with?"). If we could prevent problems from occurring, we could prevent the need for costly dental treatment. By looking at early signs of stress or wear on teeth, the doctor is evaluating the potential for problems to develop, and finding ways to prevent them.
Oral Cancer Screening
Not only will the doctor check the hard tissues (such as tooth and bone), but he will also evaluate the soft tissues. The inside surfaces of the mouth will be carefully checked to rule out changes to the tissues there (some of which may be precursors to different forms of oral cancer). The doctor will explain his findings to you.
Jaw Joint Examination
Finally, the examination is concluded with a screening of the health and function of your jaw joints. You will be asked to open wide, move your jaw from side to side and relax as the doctor checks the health of the joints on each side. He will also put some firm force on the jaw to check its state of health. This check is not uncomfortable at all, and provides valuable information about the jaw joints. Finally, the doctor will tap your teeth together gently to see if and where your teeth are slightly mismatched.
Oral Cancer Screening
Not only will the doctor check the hard tissues (such as tooth and bone), but he will also evaluate the soft tissues. The inside surfaces of the mouth will be carefully checked to rule out changes to the tissues there (some of which may be precursors to different forms of oral cancer). The doctor will explain his findings to you.
Jaw Joint Screening
Finally, the examination is concluded with a screening of the health and function of your jaw joints. You will be asked to open wide, move your jaw from side to side and relax as the doctor checks the health of the joints on each side. He will also put some firm force on the jaw to check its state of health. This check is not uncomfortable at all, and provides valuable information about the jaw joints. Finally, the doctor will tap your teeth together gently to see if and where your teeth are slightly mismatched.
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