Treat Gum Disease with Arestin

Periodontitis is a chronic bacterial infection caused by microbial plaque, also called dental biofilm that colonizes on the tooth’s surface and below the gingival margin. For early stages of periodontitis, scaling and root planing treatment may be all that is needed to get the condition under control. At Top Choice Dental, Dr. Greg Fort uses ARESTIN Microspheres in accompaniment to scaling and root planing.

When dental biofilm irritates the gums, it breaks down the tissue and bone supporting the dentition. Left untreated, periodontitis can increase periodontal pocket depth and bleeding on probing may lead to the spread of active infection to healthy sites. ARESTIN Microspheres is an antibiotic that is placed in the pockets below your gum line. This may happen at the time of scaling and root planing or during routine periodontal maintenance. ARESTIN contains microspheres—tiny particles – that are smaller than grains of sand and are not visible to the eye. The microspheres are filled with the antibiotic minocycline hydrochloride and release the antibiotic over time, killing bacteria so your gums can heal better than with scaling and root planing alone.

If you have questions about Arestin treatment, give us a call. To learn more about Snap-On Smile, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585. 

Protect Against Cavities with Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are plastic coatings that are usually placed on the chewing (occlusal) surface of the permanent back teeth – the molars and premolars – to help protect them from decay. As long as the sealant remains intact, small food particles and bacteria that cause cavities cannot penetrate through or around a sealant. At Top Choice Dental, we offer sealants to our pediatric patients, because it’s best to have a sealant placed when the molars first come in to ensure they are protected early.

Children, because they have newly erupted, permanent teeth, receive the greatest benefit from sealants. The chewing surfaces of a child’s teeth are most susceptible to cavities. Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental can apply sealants easily, and it only takes a few minutes to seal each tooth. Sealant treatment is painless and takes anywhere from five to 45 minutes to apply. As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from decay.

If you have questions about dental sealants for your child, give us a call. To learn more about Snap-On Smile, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585. 

Transform Your Smile with Snap-On Smile

Snap-On Smile is a great product for those looking to makeover their smile without undergoing extensive and invasive dental procedures. Snap-On Smile is not only an excellent provisional, but it also provides patients with exceptional esthetics. If you are hesitant to commit to more involved restoration for your teeth, ask Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental about Snap-On Smile the next time you come in for a visit.

Snap-On Smile is a patented, easy and painless way to obtain a beautiful smile. It’s unique, proprietary formula of hi-tech dental resin make it very thin yet extremely strong. It fits right over your own teeth to give you a beautiful, natural looking smile – even if you have stains, chips, gaps or missing teeth. Snap-On Smile is an affordable and life-changing solution for people of all ages. Getting a Snap-On Smile requires two, short, painless visits with no drilling, no shots and no change in tooth structure.

If you have missing teeth, give us a call to discuss your options. To learn more about Snap-On Smile, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585. 

Benefits of Digital X-rays

There’s a newer dental X-ray technique that is utilized here at Top Choice Dental and that is called Digital Imaging. Instead of developing film in a dark room like most dental X-rays, these ones are sent directly to a computer and can be viewed on screen, stored, or printed out. There are several benefits to using this technology and we will discuss them here.

Within this imaging program there are a number of tools that will allow Dr. Greg Fort to take a very close look at the teeth and surrounding structures with amazing accuracy. The image taken, of a tooth for example, can be enhanced and enlarged many times its actual size on the computer screen, making it easier for Dr. Greg Fort to show you where and what the problem is. In addition, the technique also uses less radiation than the typical X-ray (about 80% less) and there is no wait time for the X-rays to develop – the images are available on screen a few seconds after being taken.

To learn more about digital X-rays, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585. 

How to Prevent Gum Disease

Gums protect your pearly whites and the tissue that holds them to the bone. When your gums aren’t healthy, you risk losing those teeth – and damaging your overall health. At Top Choice Dental, Dr. Greg Fort wants you to have the healthiest smile achievably possible, which is why he wants you to know how to identify, treat and manage gum disease.

Gum disease is usually caused by plaque, a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on teeth. If plaque is not removed with thorough daily brushing and cleaning between teeth, gums become irritated and inflamed. If left untreated, this inflammation can cause the gums to deteriorate. This can lead to gum recession or even tooth loss.

While regular dental exams are necessary to remove tartar and detect early signs of gum disease, oral health begins by properly caring for your teeth and gums at home. Adding these habits to your daily routine can help.

• Brush your teeth after meals because it helps remove food debris and plaque trapped between your teeth and gums.


• Flossing at least once a day helps remove food particles and plaque between teeth and along the gum line that your toothbrush can’t reach.


• Using mouthwash can help reduce plaque and can remove remaining food particles that brushing and flossing have missed.

To learn more about root canal therapy and the procedure itself, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585.

Root Canal Treatment at Top Choice Dental

At Top Choice Dental, Dr. Greg Fort utilizes root canal treatment to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. Without treatment, the tissue surrounding the tooth will become infected and abscesses may form.

There is a space inside the tooth called the pulp chamber and this houses the root canal system and pulp – the living tissue that keeps the tooth alive. The pulp includes blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues, and during childhood, creates the surrounding hard tissues of the tooth. Root canal treatment is needed when the pulp becomes inflamed or infected. The causes could be deep tooth decay due to poor oral hygiene, repeated dental procedures on one tooth, or traumatic damage such as a crack, chip, or even a root fracture.

If you have a tooth that is causing you pain, give us a call to discuss your options. To learn more about root canal therapy and the procedure itself, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585.

Oral Cancer Screening

 

Oral cancer screening is an examination performed by Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental to look for signs of cancer or precancerous lesions in your mouth. The goal of oral cancer screening is to detect mouth cancer or precancerous lesions that may lead to mouth cancer at an early stage – when cancer or lesions are easiest to remove and most likely to be cured.

During your dental visit Dr. Greg Fort can talk to you about your oral health history and examine your oral cavity for signs of mouth/throat cancer. The oral cavity includes your lips, cheek lining, gums, front part of your tongue, floor of the mouth beneath the tongue and the hard palate that makes up the root of your mouth. The screening itself will consist of a visual inspection of the mouth and palpation of the jaw and neck. Regular visits to Top Choice Dental can improve the chances that any suspicious changes in your oral health will be caught early, at a time where cancer can be treated more easily. 

Ask us today whether oral cancer screening is appropriate for you. To learn more about oral cancer screenings, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585.

Oral cancer screening is an examination performed by Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental to look for signs of cancer or precancerous lesions in your mouth. The goal of oral cancer screening is to detect mouth cancer or precancerous lesions that may lead to mouth cancer at an early stage – when cancer or lesions are easiest to remove and most likely to be cured.

During your dental visit Dr. Greg Fort can talk to you about your oral health history and examine your oral cavity for signs of mouth/throat cancer. The oral cavity includes your lips, cheek lining, gums, front part of your tongue, floor of the mouth beneath the tongue and the hard palate that makes up the root of your mouth. The screening itself will consist of a visual inspection of the mouth and palpation of the jaw and neck. Regular visits to Top Choice Dental can improve the chances that any suspicious changes in your oral health will be caught early, at a time where cancer can be treated more easily.

Ask us today whether oral cancer screening is appropriate for you. To learn more about oral cancer screening, give us a call or visit www.hoptowndental.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Greg Fort at Top Choice Dental in Hopkinsville, KY, call 270-886-8585.