Dental Health Checks

Conditions affecting the gums, teeth and mouth can often be painless, going unnoticed for prolonged periods. That’s why the team at Cherrybank in Perth thinks it is imperative that you visit your dentist at regular intervals for dental health checks to ensure your oral health is in excellent condition.

We have devoted ourselves to keeping up-to-date with all the latest dental research and providing new and innovative dental health check screening assessments to our portfolio.

Dental Health Screening Portfolio 

Total Health Screenings

Have you ever checked some of your basic health markers and do you know if they are healthy or not?

We know that many of our patients may be coming to the dentist more frequently than they see their medical GP, especially if they are not under any treatment. Often, we see our GP only when we know we have a medical issue. Like in dentistry, sometimes there are early signs of disease or imbalance that can be detected before symptoms occur. Checking some of the basic health markers in your body regularly is extremely important to reduce the risk of any systemic disease.

Blood pressure is an important key indicator of health. Most people have had their blood pressure recorded at some point in the past (that’s that cuff that tightens up as it goes around your arm), and for some it is monitored regularly, but it is a great habit to check regularly.

Alongside blood pressure, there are a number of different basic health markers that we can measure like cholesterol and blood glucose. There is an increasing amount of evidence which connects oral health to total health and we now understand that poor oral health is directly linked to an increase in systemic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

At Cherrybank Dental Spa we strive to continually support our patients to achieve optimum oral health, dental function, and wellbeing. The mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body and as we continue to strive to keep up with the latest technologies, we are now offering a ‘Total Health Screen’ for all of our patients alongside your regular dental examination.

The Total Health Screen is a simple test that can be carried out by our dental hygienist or therapist and it identifies some of your basic health markers. The results are easily accessible for you to see where your results sit compared with the healthy ranges.

Blood Pressure Screening

This is offered as a complimentary service to our patients as part of their regular dental health checks. Many people attend their dentists more often than their GPs. So by providing this service, we aim to alert any patient who may have high blood pressure.

We have detected several cases of undiagnosed hypertension, which reinforces the importance of this service.

Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer is generally a painless disease. If caught early, the survival rates are much higher than if detected later. All our hygienists, dental therapists and dentists are trained in oral cancer screening. We believe in providing this service at every dental health review.

Periodontal (Gum and Supporting Bone) Screening

Signs of periodontal disease include bleeding of the gums or pocketing around teeth. This allows bacteria to enter the bloodstream and damage the heart and cardiac vessels. It has also been linked to diabetes and low birth weight.

Scotland has a high rate of cardiac disease compared to other European countries. It is vital that anyone who may be at risk of cardiac disease is screened for gum disease.

Teeth Screening

Our teeth screenings include regular x-rays. This allows us to view the mouth from all angles accurately. We can also use tools such as the Itero Scanner that uses NiRi (Near Infrared Imaging) to detect early caries . All of our subsequent prevention programs are tailored to the individual.

Bacterial Testing

As part of our Health Screening and Prevention Protocol, we may recommend Bacterial DNA testing to enable us to give the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment options for treating periodontal (gum) disease.

This may be necessary if traditional hygiene therapy is ineffective when combatting bacteria present in the mouth. With targeted antibiotic treatment, the cleaning process and immune system will efficiently halt the progression of the disease.

Genetic Testing

The more knowledge we have about you as an individual, the better equipped we are to help you to keep your teeth and gums healthy. That is why we recommend Cherrybank Periodontal Genetic Testing as part of our overall Health Screening and Prevention Protocol.

This new genetic screening system allows you to discover if you are genetically predisposed to periodontal (gum disease). Testing is quick and completely painless by a simple mini-swab inside your mouth.

If the result comes back that you are at high genetic risk, we will be able to devise an individual preventative or therapy treatment plan to avoid or slow down the development of periodontal disease.

Initial Periodontal Assessment

As part of your dental health checks, our hygienists will thoroughly examine your mouth for signs of gum infection. They will also carry out a risk assessment to determine how prone you are to gum disease.

No “cleaning” will take place at this first appointment. Treatment will be initiated by lowering the bacterial levels and introducing oxygen into the gum area, which helps to prepare the gum tissue before any treatment therapies.

Unfortunately, this disease can be genetic, which is why some of our patients can undergo genetic testing. This very simple test is sent to the laboratory. Having this information allows us to plan the appropriate bespoke care for you.

There are three possible outcomes:

• Healthy – no sign of gum disease
• Gingivitis – mild gum disease
• Periodontal Disease – established/advanced gum disease

We have different therapies to treat each type of gum disease, and we have great successes with each one of our patients.

Get in contact with our team today to plan a dental health check and see if we can devise an individual preventative or therapy treatment plan.