When I was in Hygiene school, I was told by my professors that whether I chose to use an electric brush or manual brush, the end result was the same. This statement may be true for some, but not for all. I have seen the difference between the two over and over again during the course of my practice. Recent studies have shown that power toothbrushes decrease the amount of plaque build up, pocket depth, bleeding, gingivitis, stain accumulation and therefore improve health in general. According to some periodontists when using an electric brush, the bristle gets into the sulcus as far as 3.5mm where as when using manual brush it goes down only to .5mm in the sulcus.

I saw a female patient in her 60's a month ago with pocket depth of 4 to 5mm, inflammation of the gingiva, moderate bleeding upon probing and some redness. I recommended that she comes in for scaling and root planning and that she uses the Sonicare toothbrush which is my favorite power toothbrush: especially since I have seen good results over the years with my patients. The patient came back for Scaling and Root Planning two weeks later after her initial visit for her treatment and when I looked in her mouth, her gum tissue was pink, there was a reduction in pocket depth and so on. I am a Sonicare fanatic and patients who listen to my recommendation can improve their whole over all health and more importantly have a healthy smile.

Bernadette Charles, RDH

Root canal: A procedure to remove diseased or dead tissue from teeth so the tooth can be restored.

When you hear Root Canal, it sounds painful, but it doesn't have to be! A Root Canal procedure can save a tooth that has severe infection, trauma, decay or any unknown factors, which in the past years would have to be extracted.
A Root Canal procedure can be described as a coal mine that is filled with dangerous materials that need to be removed and sealed off so nothing dangerous can get back in.

At Dr. O'Neil's office you will have an overall great experience!