April is National Oral Health Month. In order to encourage good oral health, the Herald will be profiling dental clinics for April’s Business Features, beginning with Cascade Dental.
Cascade Dental has been helping Merrittonians with all of their dental needs for more than twenty years.
Dr. Paul Comartin and Dr. Elizabeth Denison are the oral health professionals who provide professional and considerate care from the Cascade Dental office, which is located at 1700 Garcia St. in the Railyard Mall.
They, along with their staff, strive to make the office a happy and positive place.
“At Cascade Dental we have a fantastic bunch of individuals with great energy that truly love what they do and take pride in the care they provide to patients,” said the dentists.
“One of the most important values in our office is creating a fun and friendly environment where staff enjoy working and patients love coming. Having a healthy and positive energy between all of us is quintessential to establishing that atmosphere for our patients. We nurture that bond between us, outside of pandemic times, through regular staff dinners and outings such as hikes, skiing and bonfires.”
This friendly attitude in turn helps patients to feel at home in what may otherwise be a sterile and, for some, stressful, environment.
“Making sure that our patients feel welcomed, accommodated, comfortable, appreciated and cared for are a few of the keywords that lie at the forefront of what we are all about at Cascade family dental,” said Drs. Comartin and Denison.
“We are one of the few health professionals that get to see our patients every six months or more, and getting to know our patients makes the whole job that much more fulfilling.”
Cascade Dental provides all manner of services to help their patients enjoy top notch oral health, and pain free dentistry. These services include exams, such as diagnostic radiographs, oral cancer screening, and evaluation for gum disease, tooth decay, infection, cracked teeth, failing restorations, functional tooth alignment and aesthetics. Oral hygiene services ranging from professional cleanings, polishing and fluoride treatments. Restorative services such as fillings, sealants, crowns and bridges, implants and dentures, as well as aesthetic services like Invisalign teeth straightening, veneers and teeth whitening. For those already struggling with a problematic tooth, Cascade regularly performs extractions and root canals. Most of these services can be provided with the assistance of laughing gas sedation.
Denison and Comartin stress the importance of maintaining oral health, and not just seeing your dentist when you have pain or have discovered a problem.
“Oral health is the gateway to your overall health,” said the Cascade dentists.
“There is a strong correlation between poor oral health and heart disease, diabetes, pregnancy complications, and more. In fact, studies have shown improvement in cardiovascular health when the overall health of the gums and mouth improves. In addition, poor oral health is the second most frequent modifiable contributor to systemic inflammatory burden, second only to obesity. So, it is incredibly important to reinforce proper home care, where it all starts and regular cleanings with the hygienist.”
That “proper home care” includes regular brushing and flossing, which should be established with children at an early age, in order to create good oral health habits. Teeth should be brushed 20 minutes after breakfast and brushed and flossed again before bed. Two minutes of brushing time is recommended.
“Investing in a good electric toothbrush and water flosser can be a great addition to the arsenal for cleaning your teeth and gums,” suggests Cascade.
“An interesting fact is that the bacteria that causes tooth decay can spread from person to person, so adults should avoid sharing straws and eating utensils with their children, particularly if they have a history of cavities.”
Diet also plays an important role in oral health. Reducing the frequency of sugar and buffering pH in your mouth are ways to keep your teeth in tip top shape.
“Universal precautions (treating every patient equally as a possible carrier of an infectious disease) has long been a part of the dental profession and other industries have looked to us, in part, for guidance during this time,” said dentists Comartin and Denison.
“An interesting finding is that, while dentistry was rated at the very top of the list for occupations with a suspected high risk of COVID-19 transmission, the reality is that there has been little to no transmission in dental offices, as reported by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
