With increased technological advances, the dental profession has developed an oral cancer screening device to help early detection. Velscope is the recently developed oral cancer detection device that is used to enhance the visualization of oral abnormalities. Velscope works through the use of a safe blue light, shone into the oral cavity. This allows the dentist to view and help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue.

The Velscope oral cancer screening device is quick, easy and convenient, allowing treatment to be swift. Velscope is the only adjunctive oral cancer screening system cleared to help clinicians detect, and surgeons remove, precancerous and cancerous lesions that may not be visible under white light examination.

The benefits of direct tissue fluorescence visualization technology, such as Velscope is that it is non-invasive, there are no stains or rinses required and it does not interfere with other care or treatments. As there is no need for mouthwashes, fluorides and paste in a Velscope screening there is no temporary or lasting discoloration.

Oral cancer screening should be implanted into your regular dental hygiene visits, in order to increase the chances of oral cancer detection.

The screening and detection of Oral Cancer is primarily the responsibility of dentists and the dental profession. Your dentist has the skills and tools to ensure that the early signs of cancer and pre-cancerous conditions are identified. It is crucial to maintain a healthy lifestyle and know the early signs and see your dentist regularly.

Oral cancer often starts as a small, unnoticeable red or white sore anywhere in the oral cavity, this can affect the lips, gum tissue, check lining, tongue and the hard or soft palate. Common signs of oral cancer can include discoloration in oral tissue, sores that bleed and if you experience difficulty chewing, swallowing and speaking. Various types of abnormal cells can develop in the oral cavity in the form of red or white sores. Some are harmless and other cancerous or pre-cancerous.

The risk of oral cancer increases when alcohol is used in combination with smoking. Prolonged exposure to the sun increases the risk of lip cancer. Although alcohol and tobacco increases the risks it must be noted that even people who do not smoke or drink alcohol can develop oral cancer.

Regular check-ups, including an examination of the entire mouth, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions. Being aware of the risk factors and seeing a dentist for oral cancer screenings can help prevent this deadly disease. An oral cancer screening device is quick, easy and convenient, allowing treatment to be swift.

With increased technological advances, the dental profession has developed an oral cancer screening device to help early detection. An oral cancer detection device such as Velscope can help detect oral cancer in its early stages and allow for planning of the best oral cancer treatment. If you want to maintain your oral health and overall wellbeing that it is worth considering having an oral cancer screening performed.

More dental patients ask their dentists about white fillings because they want their teeth to look natural when they talk and smile. White fillings, or composite fillings, are made from a tooth coloured material that return the natural appearance of a decaying or previously metal filled tooth cavity. Because white fillings blend perfectly with your tooth enamel, your dentist will often recommend them if the infected tooth needs to be restored are near the front of your mouth and also for back teeth as black fillings are gradually faded out.

A white dental filling typically requires only one dental visit, during which the tooth or teeth are prepared and restored with white fillings. An advantage of white tooth fillings, as compared with other dental restorations, is that they need less of the healthy part of a tooth to be removed to hold the filling in position. This is due to the fillings composite materials being capable of bonding to the teeth adhesively.

The dentist carefully applies an adhesive followed by a number of thin layers of the natural tooth coloured material. Once the filling is in place, it is chemically hardened, or cured, for less than a minute with a special light. White fillings are ideal for patients who are sensitive to metals and are concerned about the mercury content of an amalgam filling, or who simply want to preserve their natural beautiful smile.

Tooth whitening is a process recognised as oxidation. Clinical studies have shown that certain treatments, such as those used within the Zoon! Procedure, under the supervision of a dental professional is safe for the teeth and gums, and is one of the fastest teeth whitening systems available today.

There are many reasons why our teeth can become stained, most common causes are the consumption of highly coloured foods, such as berries, and drinks such as coffee, tea and red wine. Antibiotics at a young age, smoking, ageing and trauma can also be the cause of discolouration.

Unlike other Tooth Whitening products that are clinically unproven and may do more harm than good, Zoom! delivers the best results to give you the most desirable smile you always dreamed of.

The complete ZOOM! Tooth Whitening procedure takes less than an hour. Using a bleaching product, this treatment can lighten your teeth up to 8 to 10 shades within just one treatment.

With tooth whiteners, discolouration within a tooth will be lightened. The whitening will only eliminate existing stains on restorations on your teeth and it won’t have an effect on the original shade. Whitening will last forever although touch ups are required a few times a year.

No matter which method you decide, whitening your teeth is easy to do. Tooth Whitening will make you look and feel more comfortable with whiter teeth, you’ll be ecstatic with the results of your noticeably whiter teeth. Everyone deserves a brighter smile

We will always endeavour to answer any further questions that you have so in the event that you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact us, either by phone or via our online inquiry form.

In the mean time, you can browse through our website pages and view some of the topics covered in our blog, which we hope will keep you up to date on our latest treatments and procedures.

We hope that you’ll let us know your thoughts about our treatments and any experiences that you have had at our office – after all, it’s your practice!

I hope we’ll see you soon!

Dr Monica Crooks

If your smile is blemished by discolored teeth or metal fillings, there are new developments in professional tooth whitening that can help.

For traditional methods of teeth whitening, bleach has been used in varying forms, in addition to a multitude of other products and techniques, through both your dentist and in over-the-counter teeth whitening products.

Now, there exists a new and revolutionary No-Bleach Whitening System that only takes 30 minutes to apply!

Allowing for a swift and effective solution in the quest for beautiful white teeth, this new method completely eliminates the possibility of sensitivity that can be experienced after bleaching and there are no restrictions on the foods you can eat, as with traditional methods!

This new process involves a professionally applied, brush-on, bonded layer of translucent white filling material which is completely natural looking, fast and painless, meaning that patients love it!
More dental patients are now asking us about having their teeth whitened, after realising that they can achieve the pearly white smile they have always dreamed of, without the need to experience sensitivity and discomfort after their treatment.

As our new process only takes 30 minutes to complete, you can achieve a dazzling new smile in as little as one visit! Come get your dazzling new smile, during your lunch break or any time that suits you, and leave our practice, head held high with a renewed pride in you smile.

After an initial consultation with us, to establish the nature of your individual situation, we can set about applying the contact-lens thin lumineers to your teeth, without any need for grinding, shaving or cutting of the sensitive part of your teeth. This means that there is no need for shots and your entire procedure made more comfortable from start to finish. Minor contouring of the outer part of your tooth is required so that the final result is not bulky, bulbous or protrusive.

Lumineers have a great degree of versatility and can be effectively placed over existing porcelain work, such as bridges and crowns, to revitalise and rejuvenate your smile. They are made from a patented Cerinate porcelain material that is completely natural looking in its color and translucency, and your teeth are left feeling new and restored.

In spite of their delicate nature, lumineers maintain a high level of strength and durability, lasting for in excess of 20 years, if cared for adequately.

As with their more traditional counterparts, veneers, lumineers can serve to effectively treat chipped, cracked, misshapen, spaced or stained teeth with great success and provide you with a new, vibrant and healthy smile with which to shine.

Over a period of two or three dental appointments with us, your smile can be revitalized through lumineers and at a lesser cost then alternative restorative or enhancing dental treatments. We can provide you with this latest treatment at our Sacramento practice, at the expert hands of our cosmetic team and Dr. Monica Crooks.

See for yourself the amazing results of new lumineers technology!

Although only a temporary factor in the long term composition of your baby’s mouth, they are never the less, an important stage in the growth of the child and as such, proper oral hygiene should be maintained from the moment they appear. Not only will this serve to keep the child’s mouth healthy from the off set, and therefore minimise any risk of problems to the gums later on, it also allows the child to learn from the youngest age, the importance and regularity with which oral hygiene should be approached.

It is important for the parent to be aware of the importance of their child’s primary teeth and to appreciate the consequences of not implementing rigorous hygiene from the very beginning.

Baby teeth are not immune to tooth decay and in spite of their temporary nature, they are of fundamental importance in the health and development of the surrounding gum and permanent teeth.

At age six most children have ample dexterity to start developing responsibility for his or her own oral hygiene, nonetheless, parents should check behind their child’s effort.

At age six, generally baby teeth start to be lost and replaced by erupting adult teeth. The exfoliation of baby teeth progresses throughout the life of a child until about age 13 when usually all of the baby teeth have been lost and replaced by adult teeth.

Baby teeth serve many important functions for a developing child: chewing function and efficiency, appearance and self esteem, speech, enunciation and language development, and they hold a space in the mouth for the subsequent eruption of eventual adult teeth.

Primary teeth essentially allow the adult teeth to find their way through the gum in the correct fashion, and as such, act as a guide for the final development of the mouth. For this reason, the importance of the care and upkeep of baby teeth should not be overlooked.

Here at our dental practice in Sacramento, we pride ourselves on looking after you and your whole family with the utmost care and attention to detail. It is because we want to see you go through life, free from the trauma of dental problems, from childhood through to your later years that we will always provide you with the necessary help and advice needed for your optimum dental health.

If you would like to find out more about caring for your child’s teeth, or any other information relating to the services we offer for the whole family at our Sacramento practice, please do not hesitate to contact us, or make an appointment with Dr. Crooks.

While subsidies have proven to be an invaluable part of maintaining a consistent oral hygiene routine, by having dental check ups on a regular basis, it is of paramount importance that oral health care and hygiene be maintained in the absence of immediate available funding, supplied by state providers.

While routine brushing and flossing make up an essential part of your oral hygiene routine, professional preventive dental assistance from your family dentist is something which can serve to prevent a host of problems, which left undetected have the potential to become more costly in the future.

The message from dentists and dental hygienists, who understand the importance of regular annual examination is, that “It is less expensive to spend a few dollars for yearly cleanings and exams, so the individual can stay healthy and prevent problems, than it is to not see a dentist because they don’t have insurance. It is best to fix problems while they are small, inexpensive, quick and painless. Not knowing and not maintaining leads to bigger problems later on.”

Problems such as gum and periodontal disease, tooth decay (leading to root canal treatment) and loss of teeth are all problems that, when left untreated, have the potential to manifest into larger, infinitely more serious conditions than they would have become, had they been seen and targeted in their early stages.

Many toothaches and dental emergencies can be easily avoided through regular visits to the dentists, and in spite of the latest termination of available funding, to assist in your oral care, it is important to appreciate the hidden costs which can arise at any time, if dental issues are left undetected. Ultimately these can cause greater cost and serious discomfort in the long term.