February is an Important Month for Oral Health!

Centrix is making it easier for you to treat your patients and keep their smiles healthy for a lifetime.

February is National Gum Disease Awareness and Children’s Dental Health Month, and we at Centrix want to help raise awareness to both causes. Gum disease can occur at any age; neither children nor adults are exempt. While typically painless and thus easy to overlook in the early stages, gum disease is a serious issue that can lead to permanent damage to the teeth or even tooth loss. Gum disease begins with bacterial growth in the mouth which develops into gingivitis. The common symptoms to look out for include swollen, tender, red gums that bleed easily, gum recession and bad breath. Gingivitis is reversible if caught early but if left untreated, the disease will progress and become more severe over time.

What is important to remember is that the health of gums and teeth is closely interconnected. A tooth infection can lead to gum infection. The most common dental disease is caries. While ubiquitous, caries is not always easily identifiable. There are various reasons why dentin might be a different color – decay is just one of them. Thus, it is important to ensure that what is being removed is infected and not healthy dentin. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is through a caries indicator like Exposé^®, our disposable caries detector. Exposé includes Benda^® Micro applicators with a pre-applied detector solution.

Simply touch a wet tooth surface and infected dentin will be stained. No bulk containers, brush-tipped syringes, dispensing, dripping, or mess involved! Below is a list highlighting Exposé’s features:

• Available in fine tip with a yellow handle or extra fine tip with an ivory handle
• Perfect for minimally invasive preps; allows you to identify and remove affected tooth structure, leaving healthy enamel and dentin
• Single-use applicators make tray set-up easy – simply place one on the tray – no syringe, no sheath, no tips to replace, no cross-contamination 
• Contains an FD&C dye in a propylene glycol base
• Works by staining the by-products of carious lesions
• Made in the USA

Make sure to remind your patients about the importance of dental health and gum disease prevention not only during National Gum Disease Awareness and Children’s Dental Health Month but all year round. Remember Exposé will help you keep your patients’ teeth healthy and prevent subsequent gum infection. To learn more about this product or to purchase, visit our website.

For more information, call 800.235-5862 or visit www.centrixdental.com.