Comprehensive Dental Services
Dr. Silvers practices comprehensive dentistry, an approach that is designed to give patients complete and consistent care in a personal setting.
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Because Dr. Silvers provides the majority of dental procedures right in her office, patients know they can count on getting all of their dental issues treated, without the stress and inconvenience of being referred to specialists.
With comprehensive dentistry, you can expect much more than regular cleanings and the occasional cavity filling. Dr. Silvers looks at the complete health of your mouth, jaw, teeth, and gums. She offers a wide range of services, including general oral health, periodontics, cosmetic dentistry, implant restorations, and much more. She and her highly skilled and experienced staff are able to address many of her patients’ dental concerns right in their office.
What does comprehensive dental service mean?
Comprehensive dental service means that Dr. Silvers tries to minimize referrals out of her practice and instead takes care of all of a patient’s dental needs right in the comfort of her office. While many dentists will do only the basics, like crowns and cavity fillings, Dr. Silvers is able to perform periosurgery, extractions, root canals, biopsies, and dentures all under one roof.
How does the practice of comprehensive dentistry change your approach to treating dental problems?
Practicing comprehensive dentistry allows a dentist to see how things are connected. The goal in any case is to fix the underlying cause of a problem, as opposed to using band-aid treatments. For example, if Dr. Silvers sees a patient with a flattened back tooth, she can identify that as a possible sign of bruxism, or excessive teeth grinding. That can lead to gum recession or cracked teeth down the road. So rather than simply fixing the flattened tooth, she will look at how the person functions, how they move their jaw, and how it’s affecting their teeth and their jaw—addressing the current problem while preventing further damage in the future.
What do you look at besides teeth and gums?
In her thorough dental exams, she will look at a patient’s gums and teeth, but also their nerves and joints to make sure the whole system is functioning properly. She will look at indicators such as saliva flow, pH balance, and even your diet to see if there are any red flags you should pay attention to.
What is the CAMBRA movement?
CAMBRA stands for caries management by risk assessment. It is a modern, evidence-based approach to dentistry that focuses on cavity prevention. When there are signs indicating that a cavity is forming, rather than tracking the cavity as it develops, Dr. Silvers will proactively treat the problem spot—perhaps by putting a sealant on it, or remineralizing your enamel using calcium phosphate or fluoride—in order to prevent the cavity from forming in the first place.
What types of problems do you look for?
Dr. Silvers looks for cavities, cracked teeth, a misaligned bite (also known as a malocclusion), overall health of the gums, recession, inflammation, gingivitis, periodontal disease, signs of grinding, or worn teeth.
What is a comprehensive dental exam like?
A new-patient exam starts off with paperwork, X-rays, and digital photos (both extraoral and intraoral) before Dr. Silvers sits down with the patient to evaluate the dental work they’ve had done in the past. She talks to the patient about any concerns or treatment needs and looks for potential problems, including doing an oral cancer screening. A typical new-patient exam will take about 30 minutes. Next, one of her skilled hygienists will do a regular cleaning and check for gum recession.
Dr. Silvers sees herself as the “informer,” while patients are always the “deciders.” In the event that she does find something that might be of concern, she will take pictures and put them up on a screen to clearly explain the situation. Patients can trust that Dr. Silvers will give them all the information they need to make smart decisions about their health, and that they will never be pressured into treatments or procedures they don’t want or need.
