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How Proper Toothbrushing Can Change Your Life :)

Here at Britten Periodontics, Dr. Britten and his dental hygiene team work together with our patients to tailor home oral care recommendations, focusing on a very personalized approach to treatment and prevention.

Home oral care is such an important contributor to oral health, and can help lessen the need for extensive dental problems. Here are some of our top tips to good oral hygiene!

Part 1: PROPER TOOTHBRUSHING

  • A proper toothbrushing technique is essential for keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
  • Brush gently, thoughtfully and thoroughly twice a day to minimize the debris and bacteria in your mouth.
  • Bristle selection: Bristles that are too hard, or an incorrect technique of brushing can cause your gums to be damaged during the toothbrushing process and can cause them to recede (gum recession) or cause destruction (abrasion) to the teeth and roots.
  • We recommend changing your toothbrush at least every 90 days or after an illness.
  • Hold the toothbrush at a 45° angle so that the filaments reach the gum line. Brush with light pressure using small circular or vibrating movements. Brush the inside, outside and biting surfaces of the teeth.
  • Brush twice a day for at least four minutes if using a manual toothbrush.

We recommend the Sonicare Power Toothbrush for our patients.

  • Divide your mouth into four quadrants. This can help ensure that you brush each section of your teeth and mouth cavity.
  • Hold your toothbrush at a 45 ­degree angle to your gum line with a Sonicare or 90 degrees with an oscillating brush such as the Oral B.
  • Apply gentle pressure, keeping the bristles in contact with your tooth surface and gum line, which can help ensure you get the most effective result possible.
  • Stay on each area for 30 seconds, moving the brush only when it is time to go to the next area. Once you’ve completed this procedure for a quadrant, move to the inner surfaces of your teeth and repeat the same procedure.
  • To brush behind your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically using only the front half of your brush.
  • Clean biting surfaces, your tongue, and soft palate. This can help remove debris and other odor ­causing bacteria.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Blog Article – Where We Will Talk About How To Take Care of Your Teeth In Between and Other Oral Hygiene Aids!

What happens after my gum surgery has been completed

Evaluation of Result & First Periodontal Prophylaxis

This visit takes place in the first 2-3 months following surgery.  Dr. Britten will re-chart and examine the treated area, and confirm that you are stable.  Since personal oral hygiene is compromised while the sutures are in place, a professional cleaning will aid in the healing process by keeping bacteria from getting back under the gums.  This is usually a one-hour visit and may be in addition to your normal cleaning schedule.  Then it is up to you!

Periodontal Maintenance “Cleanings”

Periodontal disease is a chronic condition our goal is to control the disease; we can’t cure it.  Your body has demonstrated that it needs help in keeping destructive bacteria from getting back into your gums.  Once you are stable, professional dental cleaning and examination at regular intervals is critical.

Some patients have questioned why they need to return to our office.  Since we have extensive experience treating patients with severe forms of periodontal disease and in detecting early changes, you will have better long-term stability if you remain under our care for periodic professional cleanings.

Depending upon the severity of your case, Dr. Britten may recommend that you have your teeth cleaned every 3 – 4 months.  These cleanings will alternate with Your Family Dentist. Together we can protect your gums and teeth. The following is an example of an alternating cleaning schedule:

  • January – Cleaning with Dentist
  • April – Cleaning with Periodontist
  • July – Cleaning with Dentist
  • October – Cleaning with Periodontist

Working Together with your Dentist

It is very important that your Family (restorative or general) dentist see you for cleaning visits on an alternating basis.  Both of our offices will provide a professional tooth cleaning at these visits, however, in our office the focus is definitely the gum tissues and health of the bone.  The focus of the cleaning and check-up at your general dentist will be to ensure that crowns, bridges, and fillings are healthy.

Home Care

Adequate home care after any periodontal treatment is crucial if you want the results to last!  Removing the plaque at home will help in preventing destructive bacteria and calculus (or tartar) from reforming between cleaning visits.   We will continue to help you with home care and provide tips and techniques for getting the best results; please ask for help if you need it!

Remember, your long-term periodontal health is directly dependent upon how well you care for your teeth at home and maintain your cleaning visits with Dr. Britten and your general dentist!

Are you a candidate for implant-supported dentures?

If you’re tired of high maintenance and uncomfortable dentures, you might be able to have implants placed to support your denture. An implant-supported denture is used when a person doesn’t have any teeth in the jaw, but has enough bone to support implants. An implant supported denture snaps into place on dental implants. This prevents the denture from slipping or coming loose in the mouth. It also removes the need for denture paste or adhesives. The implant supported denture can be removed at night for cleaning or, if you have a fixed implant supported denture placed, your dentures will act as permanent teeth.

There are two types of implant supported dentures, bar-retained dentures and ball-retained dentures. Both types of dentures require two or more dental implants to be placed and both will provide you with a beautiful, natural smile.

Bar-Retained Dentures

In the bar-retained type of denture, three or more implants are surgically placed in the gums. Attached to these implants is a metal bar that runs along the gum line. The denture then rests on the metal bar and is attached using clips or other types of attachments. This type of implant-supported denture holds the denture in place without the steel studs used in ball-retained dentures.

Ball-Retained Dentures

Ball-retained dentures, also called stud-attachment dentures, use a ball-and-socket design to attach the dentures to the implants surgically placed in the gums. Traditionally, the denture is fitted with sockets and the implants have a ball on top of them. The denture and implants snap together where the ball and sockets meet.

Many patients prefer implant-supported dentures to traditional dentures because they alleviates much of the discomfort and rubbing of traditional dentures. The denture is held in place far more securely and is less likely to come loose. Dr. Britten is a dental implant specialist who can evaluate to see if you are a candidate for implant-supported dentures. Call us today 727-586-2681 or visit www.brittenperio.com

How to do an Oral Cancer Screening at Home

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month

While smoking and smokeless tobacco use is certainly a major risk factor for Oral Cancer, there are other lifestyle, genetic and even viral causes that contribute this often disfiguring and sometimes deadly disease.

Your dentist, dental specialist and dental hygienist are your first line of defense for early detection of Oral Cancer. Dr. Britten routinely performs systematic examination of all the soft tissues of the mouth, including the tongue, floor of the mouth, as well thorough examination of the borders of the tongue, and the lymph nodes surrounding the oral cavity and in the neck.

If you have any questions about Oral Cancer, please feel free to contact us via email at or call at 727-586-2681.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJKf3nwx8hw

Clearwater FL Periodontist Dr. Todd M. Britten and the team at Britten Periodontics & Implant Dentistry are holding their 3rd annual Free Dental Day for Veterans on Friday, November 3rd

Clearwater FL Periodontist Dr. Todd M. Britten and the team at Britten Periodontics & Implant Dentistry are holding their 3rd annual Free Dental Day for Veterans this Friday, November 3rd, 2017. “The sacrifices made by veterans and their families are truly astounding. I am aware that dental coverage for veterans is very hard to attain, so each year, we have hit the ground running trying to deliver periodontal care to as many veterans as we could.” Britten Periodontics once again had overwhelming offers to help from many dental professionals in the community willing to donate their time and resources to provide free dental care. Patients were directed to the event this year from The Homeless Emergency Project in Clearwater, as well as local V.A. Branches from Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

“Once again, we have had an incredible response from the community and were able to get skilled and compassionate local restorative dentists involved.”  For the third year in a row, Clearwater Dental Associates, Dr. Jim Hayslett and Dr. Keith Kiskadden and their staff are on board to help out with our event, seeing patients for fillings, crowns and even dentures. New to this year’s event, Dr. Michael Podlusky in Seminole, Florida, also reached out to Dr. Britten to also help, making upper and lower dentures at no-cost for one of the patients.

Dr. Britten’s dental specialty, periodontics, often involves managing and treating advanced gum disease. A periodontist is often able to help a patient in danger of losing teeth or with active oral infection to turn their health around. “Having Clearwater Dental Associates involved again this year, and the gracious help of Dr. Mike Podlusky and his team enables us to provide more comprehensive care to our veterans. Being a periodontist, my specialty is really the surrounding structures of the teeth; roots, gum and bone. My job is to help with the foundation. Having the restorative specialists involved helps us to treat the whole mouth and really deliver comprehensive care to these veterans.”  “Most of the time, periodontal disease is not painful until it gets to be very advanced. Some of the veterans had been dealing with painful teeth for a long time,” Dr. Britten expressed his concern. “Even though we sometimes have to remove some teeth we felt better knowing these veterans do not have to be in discomfort anymore.” Britten says being able to offer two different forms of sedation to Veterans for this event in his Clearwater, FL practice has helped for patients who have PTSD, dental anxiety, or need extensive surgical treatment.

For Britten and his team this event is something they look forward to all year long. They keep in touch and have provided follow up care for many of the veterans. “This year we were able to invite Veterans from previous events to receive follow up maintenance care at this year’s event,” said one dental hygienist at Britten Periodontics who helped organize this year’s event.

Dr. Todd Britten explained how glad he is to be doing this the third year in a row and would like to do it annually for the entirety of his career. When asked why this is a cause so near and dear to his heart he stated that his grandfathers and uncles served in the military and giving back to veterans in need is a top priority for him. Dr. Britten said, “The entire staff at Britten Periodontics is so grateful to the men and women in the military that make so many sacrifices for our freedom.”

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