Personal Protective Equipment is Important Now More than Ever

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Classic Denture Center

When operating, dental healthcare personnel risk exposure to a wide range of contaminants including blood, saliva, and other potentially infectious materials… This simple fact makes it vitally important to take protective steps.

This is where personal protective equipment (PPE) comes into play. PPE provides a potent safeguard against the dangers of infection in the dental space.

How PPE Works

Protective barriers reduce the exposure of mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth, hands, and body of oral healthcare workers to microorganisms and prevent injury due to chemicals and particles of debris.

A Few Ways PPE is Used

PPE is used during client care, laboratory, disinfection, and sterilization procedures.
PPE includes gloves, masks, protective eyewear, and clothing.

Gloves:

The use of gloves provides a high level of protection for both practitioners and patients. It prevents direct contact from microorganisms in the patient’s mouth and on contaminated surfaces (bare hands often will have areas of non-intact skin providing portals of entry for pathogenic microorganisms). Gloves also can prevent saliva and blood from being retained under the fingernails, which have been shown to persist for several days even with hand washing.

Gloves protect dental providers against contact with disinfecting and cleaning chemicals.

Different types of gloves are suitable for varying clinical situations and should be selected accordingly. To protect patients and staff, the CDC also stipulates that a new pair of gloves be worn for each patient and that dental health-care personnel wash their hands immediately after removal.

Types of gloves:

1. Non-sterile ambidextrous gloves are adequate for most procedures.

2. Sterile gloves are recommended for surgical procedures.

3. Use puncture and chemical-resistant utility gloves to prepare chemicals, handle contaminated instruments, and clean and disinfect surfaces.

4. Over gloves are worn over treatment gloves to prevent cross-contamination of items and surfaces such as charts and phones.

5. Heat-resistant gloves are worn when handling hot items.

At Classic Denture Center, we use latex-free gloves during patient care to prevent latex allergy reactions.

Masks

Masks prevent the inhalation of potentially harmful air born microorganisms while performing dental treatment. Wearing masks help to protect the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth and prevent dental providers from aspirating harmful airborne pathogens. Masks provide some protection to the patient from nasal/oral secretion of dental staff. The CDC suggests that masks be changed between patients and if the mask becomes wet.

Protective Eyewear

Protective eyewear protect mucous membranes of the eye from microbial invasion, chemicals, and physical projectiles.

Clothing Covering

Protective clothing like gowns and lab coats protect the skin and keep it safe from blood, saliva, and other potentially infectious materials. The CDC advises that gowns be changed if visibly soiled and removed before leaving the work area. By combining PPE with comprehensive workplace education on infection prevention, we can ensure the health and safety of our team and our patients.

With the current health crisis, these items are more important now than ever! Medical professionals are using them in their treatment rooms, and many of you are using them to protect yourself from COVID-19. Stay healthy out there and feel free to reach out if you need anything.

The Oral-Systemic Connection

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Classic Denture Center

For many years dental professionals have explored the links between oral and systemic health, and here at Classic Denture Center, we feel this connection is a big one!

Beginning as early as the late 19th century, researchers proposed that bacteria in the oral cavity could cause issues elsewhere in the body. However, over the past several decades, scientific study has helped us further understand these connections and added to the list of systemic conditions associated with periodontal disease.

Find oral health with a denturist in Portland OR

By the year 2000, the United States Surgeon General issued a report on the national oral health status. This report formally acknowledged the association between periodontal disease and the following conditions:

-Cardiovascular disease

-Diabetes

-Pneumonia

-Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth.

The report also suggested that more research was needed to establish causation.

Experts have identified two mechanisms that could explain the connection between oral and systemic health.

The first is chronic inflammation in the oral cavity – this could hypothetically lead to an increase of inflammatory markers in the bloodstream and, in turn, add to the body’s inflammatory response or general burden of disease.

Second, the oral cavity may act as a reservoir for pathogenic bacteria that can enter the bloodstream and affect distant sites within the body. While this phenomenon, known as bacteremia, is not generally a risk for patients with healthy immune systems, it can pose a serious threat to immunocompromised patients such as those with HIV/AIDS or diabetes.

Many dental patients will resist treatment, especially when their condition isn’t causing them pain or other serious symptoms.

In order to maintain your oral health, it is important to take part in routine dental appointments. This will help with the early detection of both oral and systemic diseases. In turn making treatment as manageable and effective as possible!

Medical experts, including your denturist in Portland OR recommends two annual visits to the dentist as an important investment to your oral as well as overall health! Not only can you catch conditions in the early stages, you can also prevent future issue from popping up.

This is even more important if you have full or partial dentures. Regular care can prevent disease as well as the costly mistake of need to prematurely replace your dentures.

When you do visit your dentist, it is important to know that saliva can act as a powerful diagnostic tool, offering a window into oral and systemic disease, even in the absence of traditional symptoms. During a dental visit, saliva can be collected and tested for biomarkers of:

-Hepatitis

-HIV

-Cancer

-Osteoporosis

-And more.

Saliva additionally wards off disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

These are just a few of the ways that your oral and systemic health are connected, further research could show even more of a correlation. To learn more about your health, contact your denturist in Portland OR! We can help you develop a dental hygiene plan that can give yourself the best chance you have at staying at the top of your game.

Dentures: Determining Good Quality

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Classic Denture Center

This week, your denturist in Portland OR wants to ask you… Would you like to know the difference between a quality denture and a cheap one?

You might not realize how much of a difference it can make, but spending a little extra on those dentures that will be in your mouth for many years to come is worth every penny!

We see it all the time! A patient comes in with their lowest cost denture on the market. They are in pain, they are frustrated, and they don’t understand why they cannot get used to wearing their new dentures.

This is because those cheap, bottom of the barrel dentures are not made to fit the patient, they are made to cut costs… And those costs are not coming out of the pocket of the denturist. They are coming out of the cost of the materials and the creation of the dentures themselves!

When these patients come into our clinic, we always take time to explain to our patients that denture material and comprehensive patient care is of utmost importance when it comes to customer success and satisfaction!

So when you are trying to decide between our dentures and those discount ones, here are a few things to know:

Materials Matter

Dentures quality is based on the types of material used to make them. The base can either be made from metal, plastic, acrylic, and the teeth are usually acrylic.

Those low grade and inexpensive dentures that you might be considering are likely made from plastic. It is important to realize though that plastic dentures can damage the gums around natural teeth if not designed and cleaned properly.

The difference in the price of dentures can be also be directly related to the workmanship in crafting dentures and post denture care.

Cheap Denture

Your basic cheap denture may be outsourced to a dental lab. There, dental technicians will make the denture as per the specifications of your dentist. Often times, the dental lab will use the lowest cost materials in order to meet the price charged. The product will then be marked to cover their cost of taking the impression, administering the denture, and any post denture care offered.

Minimized Personalized Care and Adjustments

Another problem you might notice with that cheap denture is that once you get your dentures, you are shown the door. Once you walk out that door, if you experience discomfort or pain, you are expected to deal with it! As a result, patients may end up resorting to getting new dentures within a few months or a year later. In the long run, this doesn’t save you money at all.

Premium Care with Classic Denture Center

As your denturist in Portland Oregon, we deal with dentures on a personalized, case by case basis. Dr. Tanya Poleon goes out of her way to meet with you as many times as required to meet all of your denture needs! Your comfort and smile are the most important things to her and she understands that special care might be required to ensure the best fit.

At Classic Denture Center, we understand that you are uniquely you… Contact us today to find the comfort and confidence you need to face the day!

What Lies Beneath a Dental Implant

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Classic Denture Center

You might not realize it, but over the past few years, a great deal of progress has been made in implant dentistry. This is great, but it has unfortunately given rise to peri-implant disease.

We at Classic Denture Center are true believers in the saying that “it is true that you can’t prevent that which you cannot control.” For general dentists and specialists alike, this is a frustrating reality in cases of peri-implantitis, a serious problem that’s on the rise with an increasing number of implants placed annually.

Notably, official diagnostic criteria for peri-implantitis, which would be globally recognized by the dental community, have not yet been introduced. In fact, research on most of the features of peri-implant disease remains at an early stage. Still, clinical studies have shown a higher prevalence of peri-implantitis among patients who are chronically prone to the condition, have poor oral hygiene, or who choose not to maintain the implant site.

Tanya Poleon, L.D., your denturist in Portland OR fully understands that she can’t control patients’ personal habits, but she does want to give help where she can. One suggestion she has is to use products that promote osseointegration and hygienic healing for long-term stability.

To Rinse or Not to Rinse Before Implant Surgery?

Chlorhexidine mouth rinse is a well documented antibacterial rinse that has been shown to reduce infection and complications associated with dental implants.

A separate study concluded that chlorhexidine gluconate 0,2% mouthwash is an effective prophylactic material to prevent and treat oral pathogens in association with the implant prosthesis.

Antibiotics: Not Always the Answer

Antibiotics are a controversial topic in implant dentistry. The pre- or postoperative use of antibiotics in conjunction with implant surgery and its correlation with failure and success rates are yet another poorly documented area in literature, according to researchers. While the benefits of prophylactic antibiotics are well recognized in dentistry, their routine use in the placement of endoosseous dental implants remains controversial.

A 2016 literature review concluded that prophylactic antibiotic treatment for each implant surgery is not mandatory, however, antibiotics are useful in preventing postoperative infections after implant placement.

According to this study, the accepted principles for the use of prophylactic antibiotics are as follows: The procedure should have significant risk for an incidence of postoperative infection; the appropriate antibiotic should be selected; the appropriate tissue concentration at the time of surgery is necessary, and the shortest effective antibiotic should be used.

Getting a Grip on Excess Cement

Cementing crowns, bridges, and fixed partial dentures onto implants has become increasingly popular, but not without issue. Dental cement is one cause of local tissue inflammation associated with dental implants. Cements have been linked directly to peri-implant diseases and have been blamed for bone loss and implant failure. This is especially concerning considering that it often takes a minimum of three years for bone loss to become easily discoverable.

The main point of this guide was to show you the ins and outs of dental implants. W hope it has helped you make some decisions about whether or not they are the right choice for you! If you have questions about your options or would like to discuss those options with your trusted denturist in Portland OR, contact us today. We are excited to help you create the smile you deserve!

The Amazing Benefits of Removable Partial Dentures

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Classic Denture Center

At Classic Denture Center, we are your premier provider of dentures and partial removable dentures in Portland Oregon. Dr. Tanya Poleon strives to give you back your efficiency and confidence through fixtures that are composed of the strongest and highest quality materials on the market. She utilizes the newest technology to ensure a perfect fit, so you can be proud of your new smile.

From dentures to partials, your denturist can help you decide which of our services will make the most profound impact on your life. Sometimes our patients come into our office with missing teeth. These patients already know from experience that living with this can be emotionally and physically draining. Not only have they had to adapt for eating their favorite foods, but their social interactions have also become much more challenging because of a lowered self-confidence. In many cases, these patients tell us that they avoid socializing altogether because they are so worried about showing their mouth to the world.

What are the physical impacts of tooth loss?

When a tooth is lost in your mouth, the teeth around it may begin to tilt and drift into the empty space. The teeth below or above may also begin to shift downwards or upwards towards the space. This shifting around can affect your bite and cause more stress to be placed on your remaining teeth and jaws. One major implication can also be the development of temporomandibular disorder, causing further pain and discomfort with your mouth.

These physical changes are exactly why we always recommend replacing missing teeth.

When we see a patient missing one or more teeth, we will often suggest using a removable partial denture to uphold the integrity of their mouth, jaw, and overall wellbeing.

Why use removable partial dentures?

Removable partial dentures offer a variety of benefits to our patients suffering from tooth loss. Not only can they make it much easier to chew food, but they can also help you speak more clearly and support your cheeks and lips so your face is not sagging.

Here are a few more benefits of using removable partial dentures to replace missing teeth:

They can help you look younger
They can make it easier for you to chew food
They can give you a smile that you are proud of
They can be easily put in and taken out for your convenience
They are affordable

What are removable partial dentures composed of?

Your new removable partial dentures typically are constructed with replacement teeth fixed to a plastic base that matches the color of your gums. In some cases, this plastic base may cover a metal framework. These partial dentures will often have some form of a clasp that attaches to your natural teeth. This holds the denture in place. Your dentist or denturist may also recommend crowns on some of your natural teeth to help improve the way your removable partial denture fits your mouth.

Types of partial dentures:

1. Acrylic partial dentures

2. Metal frame partial dentures

3. Flexible (Valplast, Duraflex, etc…) partial dentures

Your denturist will know which kind of removable partial denture is right for you.

A few tips from your denturist regarding adjusting to your new dentures:

Begin by eating soft foods cut into small pieces
Chew on both sides of the mouth to keep the pressure even
Do not eat very sticky or hard foods, and do not chew gum
If you find that some words are hard to say at first, try reading out loud. With time and practice, you should be able to speak well.

If you have missing teeth, it is a good idea to set up a consultation with your local denturist to see if removable partial dentures in Portland OR might be right for you. Once you are fitted for them, your denturist will make follow-up appointments to look for pressure points or sore spots. Dr. Poleon will make adjustments so your denture fits comfortably. Once it’s perfect, you can begin to experience the confidence and happiness of a bright new smile.