Cleanings & Prevention

Regular visits to the dental offices of the James Van Sicklen, Jr. DDS team are your first defense against gum disease, decay and tooth loss. Many expensive restoration procedures are avoidable if patients simply visit their Stockton dentist every six months for routine dental care. With the latest anesthetics, sleep dentistry and cleaning techniques, the visit that many clients dread is actually over before they expect it.

Dentistry has improved tremendously in the last decade — find out how simple it is to maintain your dental health now!

Dental Cleaning

Officially called dental prophylaxis, we believe that our hygienists provide you with the finest dental cleaning in Stockton dentistry.

During your dental cleaning, we remove any accumulated tartar or calculus, the hardened deposits of plaque caused by oral bacteria. This material, along with plaque itself, is one of the primary causes of gum disease. Removing both substances, regularly and professionally, is essential to your dental health.

Polishing your teeth is the final step in your cleaning. Not merely a cosmetic procedure, polishing removes stains or plaque missed during the cleaning. It leaves your teeth feeling fresh and your mouth remarkably clean!

As a Stockton family dentist, we effectively perform this service for all members of the family, no matter what their age. If you have problems with anxiety in a dental office, Stockton Dentistry also offers sleep dentistry to guarantee that you visit us regularly so you can avoid the larger problems that come from dental procrastination.

Dental Exam

The office of James Van Sicklen, Jr. DDS team, your Stockton dentists, want you to remember that a basic dental examination and dental cleaning are the primary steps in preserving your oral health and preventing dental decay.

Our staff of highly qualified hygienists will perform your complete dental exam. This essential service is necessary to identify potential problems with your teeth and gums. It includes the following safe procedures, administered in our comfortable office:

• Check for oral cancer, by examining the facial area, tongue, mouth and throat.
• Check for gum disease, evaluating the gums and bone, searching for excessive pockets, gaps or regression of the gums, early indicators of potential periodontal disease.
• Examine the teeth for decay, using the latest innovations in dentistry.
• Take and examine your dental x-raysto make certain that we find any unseen decay, tumors, cysts or bone loss that could lead to painful conditions or tooth loss in the future.
• Verify the effectiveness of your current dental restorationssuch as fillings, crowns, implants, etc.
• Plan the necessary steps and procedures for your dental cleaning, which follows the exam.

If you experience anxiety from visiting a dental office, all of these procedures may be completed using sleep dentistry, so you can have a worry free visit to the James Van Sicklen, Jr. DDS team.

X-Rays

Dental x-ray images are an indispensable part of your regular dental examinations. Some people have concerns about the effects of radiation on their well-being. Rest assured that advanced technology has considerably limited the amount of radiation exposure involved with dental x-rays.

First, the x-ray components are shielded so that your exposure is limited to just the amount necessary for images of your jaw and teeth. Second, your vital organs will be covered with a lead protector as a precaution to further limit radiation exposure. Finally, your typical exposure in a dental office is far less than the radiation you receive from other medical images or even from natural doses experienced on planet Earth. Walking in the sun each day literally provides you with a larger radiation dosage than a single dental x-ray. It would take thousands of dental x-rays in one year before a patient might notice any ill effects and we do not plan on giving any patient that many x-rays.

X-rays are very important for our dentists, as they let them and our staff determine if you are experiencing any of the following conditions:

• unseen decay between teeth;
• early bone loss due to periodontitisor other factors;
• tumors, cystsor abscesses;
• developmental problems;
• impactedor misaligned teeth.

Dental associations recommend annual bitewing x-ray images at a minimum (so-called because you “bite” on the device used to create the picture). These let your Stockton dentist see the condition of your crowns and the height of the bone between the teeth.

Full-set x-rays of the entire mouth are suggested every three to five years, providing a complete view of every tooth in relation to the bone and neighboring teeth.

A periapical x-ray will take a picture of a single tooth. This will typically be done if a patient is complaining of a toothache, so that the dentist can examine that tooth specifically.

A panoramic x-ray of your teeth and jaw, called a Panorex, can be taken without the patient placing anything in their mouth. Both the upper and lower jaw are seen together with one picture. This type of image is generally taken when treatment is necessary for impacted teeth or to examine other suspected problems below the gum line.

As part of our Stockton dentistry practice, a dentist only recommends x-rays necessary for ensuring your oral health and safety. Every precaution and advancement available to guarantee your well-being is considered and utilized by the James Van Sicklen, Jr. DDS team. The diagnostic and preventative benefits are well worth the use of this time-tested medical tool.