Maintaining Your Health

Although our main focus as dentists and hygienists is to keep your teeth and gums healthy, there is also increasing evidence that if we can help to do this, we may also help to keep other important areas of your body healthy.

Gum disease is really a disease of inflammation due to bacterial plaque. Inflammation anywhere in the body is bad. When your gums are inflamed, bacteria or their toxins get into your blood stream daily, and then flow all through your body.

Treating any areas of gum disease in its earliest stage can help you lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. (Journal of Periodontology, July 2009).

We know that a large percentage of our population live with undiagnosed high blood pressure (hypertension). Hypertension or high blood pressure untreated leads to serious life threatening conditions, like heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease.

As members of the health community at Valley Dental Clinic we would like (with your permission) to monitor your blood pressure and if it need be refer you to your doctor for appropriate testing or treatment.

Another area of concern that of course is never pleasant to consider is the reality of oral cancer in our society. This form of cancer is unfortunately on the rise, and in new portions of our population, most likely due to the association of the malignancy with the HPV virus that is so prevalent now. (See oral cancer foundation).

Dr. Levin has always made head and neck and oral screening an important part of his practice. We are now offering additional diagnostic capability by investing in the “Velscope” examining device, for better and earlier detection.