Scaling and Root Planing

At Prairie Hawk Dental in Castle Rock, CO, we strive to help our patients maintain optimal oral health and retain all their original teeth. By offering scaling and root planing to treat early gum disease, Dr. Aaron Goodman can restore your health and save your smile in a noninvasive way.

Scaling and root planing is one of the most effective ways to treat gum disease before it develops into more serious periodontal disease. The procedure allows the dentist to clean between your gums and teeth all the way down to the roots in order to smooth the root structure and remove the tartar that is causing your inflammation.

A local anesthetic is sometimes used to numb your gums for the procedure, and some dentists will use an ultrasonic tool for the planing and scaling, which can be more comfortable than a standard scraping tool, but it is not always necessary. 

The procedure is an incredibly effective and can stop the progression of gum disease before it irreversibly damages your teeth. However, if you don’t maintain proper dental care after the procedure, the gum disease can continue to spread. Patients should quit smoking and receive frequent cleanings to ensure that there gums stay healthy.  

If you’ve been diagnosed with gum disease or you have red, swollen or bleeding gums, schedule an appointment with our office by calling 720-515-1801. For more information, visit www.PrairieHawkDental.com. 

Do You Need Your Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Your last set of molars to emerge are your wisdom teeth, and they usually come in when you are between 17 and 21 years old. Because these teeth often become impacted, which means they come in at an angle rather than straight through the gums, it is often necessary for them to be removed before they cause pain or crowd your other teeth. At our office in Castle Rock, CO, Dr. Aaron Goodman can determine if your wisdom teeth need to be removed and extract them if they do.

If a wisdom tooth is impacted and can only emerge partially, it is possible for an operculum to form over the tooth. This flap of skin makes the molar extremely hard to clean, which means you are susceptible to an infection called pericoronitis.

When a wisdom tooth is in danger of causing such problems, Dr. Goodman extracts the tooth. Many times all four are removed at once. This is done either by using a local anesthetic to numb the area or a general anesthetic to sedate the patient. It depends on the preference of the doctor and patient, as well as how far the wisdom tooth has emerged. After an anesthetic is applied, the gum tissue over the wisdom tooth is cut and the tooth is loosened and pulled out. If necessary, the gums will be sutured.

After surgery, rest is required. You will also need to change the gauze applied to the incision every couple hours.

To see if your wisdom teeth may need to be removed, schedule an appointment with Prairie Hawk Dental, call 720-515-1801. For more information, visit www.PrairieHawkDental.com.

Are You Considering Dentures?

Many of our patients at Prairie Hawk Dental have chosen dentures as a replacement for their missing teeth. A popular option, these removable restorations are available as both full sets and partials.  

If you choose to receive conventional full dentures, Dr. Aaron Goodman will remove all the teeth from your mouth first. Then your gums will be given time to heal before dentures are placed, which means that you will not have any teeth or dentures for several months if you choose this type.

With immediate dentures, you would forgo this healing process with no teeth. Prior to having your teeth removed, the dentist would take measurements of your mouth and have the dentures created. Then when your teeth are removed, they would be placed immediately in your mouth. While more popular, this type of full dentures requires a follow up appointment to refit the dentures since the jaw bone will slightly change shape as your mouth heals.  

Partial dentures are another option for those who do not need all their teeth to be removed. They are similar to bridges, but are removable.  

Whichever type our patients receive, dentures take time getting used to, and even though they are not real teeth, dentures should still be cared for as if they were. They should be brushed before removal and then placed in room temperature water or cleaning solution overnight.

To find out if dentures are the right choice for you, schedule an appointment with in Castle Rock, CO by calling 720-515-1801. For more information, visit www.PrairieHawkDental.com.

Sedation Dentistry

If just the thought of going to the dentist for a procedure brings on fear and anxiety, there is no need to suffer. Between 5 and 8 percent of American avoid going to the dentist due to dental phobia, but you don’t need to let your oral health suffer because of fear. At our office in Castle Rock, CO, we offer a safe environment where we can comfort anxious patients through various sedation methods.

Sedation is mainly used when a patient has a high level of anxiety or dental phobia, not necessarily because of pain. At Prairie Hawk Dental, we can sedate our patients through intravenous sedation, anxiolysis or nitrous oxide. These methods will not put you in an unconscious state, but it will put you in a deep state of relaxation for your procedure.

A common sedation method utilized in the dental industry is nitrous oxide (N20). Nitrous oxide works very rapidly, reaching the brain within 20 seconds. With this method, Dr. Aaron Goodman will place a small mask over your nose and ask you to breathe normally. Within a few short minutes, you will begin to feel the effects. Nitrous oxide wears off quickly, and there is no “hangover” effect.

IV administration is also becoming a popular option for dentists. This type of sedation is administered through the veins, which allows for quicker effects and less recovery time. Anxiolysis is also used by our practice. Because some patients have trouble with needles and gas, Dr. Meyers provides them with an oral sedative, such as valium. This is utilized for patients with mild to moderate anxiety as it is not as powerful as other sedation methods.

To schedule an appointment, call 720-515-1801. For more information, visit www.PrairieHawkDental.com.

Intraoral Camera

Advancements in technology have dramatically improved the way that dentists practice, enhancing every step of dental care, from diagnosis to treatment. New technology has even improved the way that dentists view and diagnose patients’ teeth, with digital intraoral cameras quickly becoming an industry standard. At Prairie Hawk Dental, we use an intraoral camera to provide our patients dental care worth smiling about.

The intraoral camera is an effective tool for viewing patients’ teeth and mouths from different angles. This allows us to see the mouth from angles that were not available even a couple years ago. The camera connects to a monitor that allows the dentist to view the structures of your teeth more closely and with better accuracy than traditional methods. More views for our Dr. Aaron Goodman mean there is a greater chance he will spot any problems sooner and be able to fix them before they can become more serious or painful.

These digital images also allow the patient and insurance companies to see what the doctor has seen which lets you understand your oral health better and gain procedures acceptance from your insurance company more easily. In addition, by using digital intraoral cameras and digital X-rays, instead of traditional dental X-rays, you dentist can limit your exposure to radiation.

To schedule an appointment with us in Castle Rock, CO, call 720-515-1801. For more information, visit www.PrairieHawkDental.com.