Dental hygiene

Dental prophylaxis

Prevention is better than cure!

Optimal oral and dental care is an important cornerstone of whole-body medicine and holistic dentistry. Regular check-ups are important to prevent unnecessary “construction sites” from developing. It is often forgotten that our digestion also begins in the mouth. For example, severe gum or periodontal disease can weaken gastrointestinal health and lead to chronic intestinal inflammation. The reverse is also true; a chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract can cause inflammation in the mouth. No dental filling, dental prosthesis, dental implant or denture is as resilient and resistant as a healthy tooth. Dental prophylaxis starts with the first milk tooth, as milk teeth are, among other things, placeholders for the permanent teeth that will follow. Take preventive measures to keep your own teeth for as long as possible – through regular professional dental cleaning and, of course, thorough daily cleaning at home.

Teeth and gums

A healthy mouth is full of bacteria – around 10 million per milliliter of saliva. Most of these bacteria are harmless and are important for our immune system.

The harmful minority is normally kept under control by other bacteria and our defenses. However, the harmful bacteria can become dangerous for teeth and gums if they multiply excessively or if a solid coating forms on the teeth. In the event of inflammation, the gums become red and swollen and bleed very quickly. In the long term, bleeding gums can progress to periodontitis (atrophy of the jawbone). This causes the tooth to lose its retaining element. Periodontitis is often the main cause of tooth loss in people over 40. Heavy smokers and immunocompromised people as well as diabetics have an increased risk of developing periodontitis. Professional tooth cleaning The trained prophylaxis assistant removes plaque and tartar gently and carefully. Dental prophylaxis focuses not only on cleaning the teeth, but also on providing information on topics such as nutrition and instructions on various oral hygiene products. Regular professional teeth cleaning is one of the most important measures for protecting and maintaining healthy teeth and for the early detection of tooth decay. Caries (also known as tooth decay) is favored by bacteria in the oral flora. Milk teeth are particularly susceptible to caries.

Determination of oral health using molecular genetic test systems

We develop your individual dental care program

As you have already learned in the first paragraph, the bacterial density in our mouth is around 10 million bacteria per milliliter of saliva. Harmful bacteria are in the minority and meet with appropriate resistance in a healthy mouth. But apart from assessing the condition of the teeth and gums (which is only a snapshot of the effects of bad bacteria on teeth and gums), how can we get an accurate picture of the ratio of bad to good bacteria in the mouth at the moment? Or thinking further: how does the determination of an actual status work, which not only represents the current situation at a bacterial level, but on the basis of which it is also possible to look into the future of your oral health?

So-called molecular genetic test systems, which we use at the Alpstein Clinic, offer us this possibility. They not only provide an accurate picture of the bacterial ratio, but also allow us to develop a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. The results help to determine medication and plan repeat appointments, and they also have a documentation function, i.e. they show changes in oral health over a longer period of time.

But even before major procedures, such as the insertion of implants, it is possible to check in advance whether the conditions are ideal for implementation and the success of the procedure is not jeopardized by existing bacterial infections. The analysis therefore helps to identify risks before irreversible damage occurs and costly treatments become necessary.

How exactly does this work?

Bad bacteria actively destroy periodontal soft and bone tissue, lead to inflammatory reactions and ultimately to the loss of natural teeth and implants. This is referred to as infection by periodontopathogenic marker germs. A simple swab provides the basis for a so-called marker germ analysis, which is then carried out. This provides information about the occurrence and concentration of several periodontopathogenic species and their affiliation to “bacterial complexes”. Only knowledge of the individual composition and level of the bacterial load enables diagnostically sound treatment and the planning of optimal individual therapy, so the analysis makes a significant contribution to therapeutic success. And last but not least, it helps to reduce the cost of dental prostheses through the main objective of preserving the patient’s own dental material.

Registration for the individual dental care program

The gentle, innovative dental prophylaxis

Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT)

We would like to introduce you to a new, gentle and painless method of removing biofilm and tartar, “Guided Biofilm Therapy”, or GBT for short. We are convinced that this treatment concept, which is based on the latest scientific findings and technical advances, fits perfectly into the quality and treatment standards of the Alpstein Clinic and generates high added value for you as our patient. We are therefore very pleased to be able to offer you this method in our clinic with immediate effect in the areas of prophylaxis/tooth cleaning and periodontal therapy.

Let us introduce GBT to you in detail in the following sections and see why the concept is so different and special that we have been specially certified for it as a dental practice at the Alpstein Clinic. We look forward to hopefully welcoming you to our clinic soon for a prophylaxis using the GBT method.

The Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) protocol

GBT advantages

Making the biofilm visible
The problem with biofilm, apart from its damaging effect, is that it is almost invisible to the naked eye. In order to make the invisible visible, the teeth are stained as a first step in GBT therapy. This not only makes tartar visible, but also any bacterial plaque.

Gentle and painless cleaning without sharp instruments & polishing cup
Previously, teeth were cleaned by curettage of the root surface and the neck of the tooth using hand instruments. This was followed by polishing using a rubber cup and polishing paste.

Consistent quality standard of cleaning
GBT is a clinical protocol which, together with Swiss precision equipment, guarantees a consistently high standard of quality for your professional teeth cleaning.

Registration for gentle dental prophylaxis
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