We are now Re-open for Routine and Preventative Care!

Macadam Dental logo, Portland Oregon

Preventative
Care

SERVICES

Preventative Care

Preventive dentistry is how you and our dentists, Dr. Kevin Morich and Dr. Jodi Morich, and their staff can work together to prevent dental problems. Together, our team at Macadam Dental can help you have a healthy set of teeth that can last you a lifetime.

Our preventive services include:

  • Dental Cleanings
  • Digital X-Rays
  • Dental Sealants
  • Maintain Gum Health

Dental Cleanings and Exams

Having dental cleanings and exams twice a year is an important preventative step. Regular cleanings will us help catch problems when they are small or even hidden, which in turn will save you time and money.

Dental cleanings are very important to your regular oral hygiene. Our experienced dental hygienists, at Macadam Dental, completes all regular cleanings. Your appointment will involve the removal of plaque, calculus, or tartar and surface stains that have built up on your teeth and along your gum line through daily use. By scheduling regular dental cleanings and exams, we can help prevent cavities and maintain a healthy periodontal staving off gum disease.

Modern Technology - Ultrasonic Scaler

An ultrasonic scaler is a fantastic tool that we use to keep your mouth plaque and tartar free. Using ultrasonic vibrations the scaler produces thousands of microscopic bubbles that break up caked on plaque and tartar. The vibrations are so tiny and quick that they generally can only be detected by the patient as a high-pitched sound. This tool helps us to keep your teeth clean and your gums healthy and free from gingivitis.

Deep Cleaning

Our Macadam Dental office has dental tools including an ultrasonic cleaner and a hand scraper that may be used during your cleaning. These tools help to loosen and remove plaque and calculus from your teeth and gums. This process is sometimes thought to be uncomfortable, and some patients request an anesthetic beforehand.

Occasionally, our hygienist may decide that a more thorough cleaning, known as a deep cleaning, is necessary. The deep cleaning process involves cleaning between the gums and teeth and then smoothing the roots. By having a deep cleaning done, our hygienist is able to remove plaque, which is filled with bacteria, from the deep pockets that have formed. (Finally, our hygienist will brush, floss, and polish your teeth to remove any surface stains that have accumulated. At the end of the appointment, we may offer a fluoride treatment, this will help strengthen your teeth. You will leave our office with a brighter and more importantly, healthier mouth.)

Intra-Oral Camera

The intra-oral camera is a great educational tool that we use to show you anything of note that we find upon examination of your mouth. Using the intra-oral camera we can take live footage from inside your mouth and project the video feed onto a monitor in front of you. When we are able to show you what’s going on in your mouth in real-time, it can make a big difference. This allows us to show you things like:

  • Broken fillings
  • Chipped teeth
  • Visible decay
  • Bleeding around the gumsAbscesses or cysts

Digital X-Rays

At Macadam Dental, we use digital X-rays. This differs from the traditional X-ray film you may remember from your youth. We can view images on a large screen and zoom in on points of interest, making this such a huge advancement from the small two-inch slides of traditional X-rays. We can also quickly forward to specialists for a second opinion. Most importantly, it almost eliminates the radiation from the process and
exposes you to just one-tenth of the radiation you experience from spending a day outside.

At Macadam Dental, we can protect your vulnerable back teeth from decay, by using a product called dental sealants. With this product the incidence of cavities will drop considerably and has been noted as one of the most proactive preventative treatments in dental care.

Dental sealants are a plastic material that our dentists, Dr. Kevin Morich and Dr. Jodi Morich, literally paint onto your teeth as a liquid and then dries hard creating a protective shell on your teeth. Since it does not involve drilling, there is no discomfort in the application process, and is completely painless.