Another way we are different from other offices is that, at Harmony Dental Wellness, we pay attention to saliva. Saliva is a vital component to your oral health! Of course, there are the obvious benefits of lubricating your food and helping you speak, but did you know that saliva does so much more?

Testing For Gum Disease

Your saliva is a fantastic buffer to neutralize the acids made by bacteria and helps prevent cavities and gum disease. Throughout your experience with us, we will monitor your saliva. At your first visit, we measure the quantity and consistency of your saliva and ensure that adequate saliva is being produced from all three major saliva ducts in your mouth. At all hygiene appointments, we measure the pH of your saliva to screen for reflux, buffer capacity (quality) and other possible issues. If periodontal (gum) problems are present, we may recommend salivary testing.

A simple sample of your saliva can tell us what kinds of bacteria live in your mouth and how many of them there are. That means we will know which antibiotic, if any, is best for your mouth. Dr. Farahani always tries to avoid the use of antibiotics unless absolutely necessary and she believes that saliva testing allows her to choose a medication that will be minimally impacting to the rest of the body. Use of the correct antibiotic in conjunction with gum therapy can result in a reduction of your harmful bacterial levels to below your body's reactive threshold levels.

In some situations, we may recommend the use of that same saliva sample to screen for genetic markers or viruses, such as HPV, that would indicate higher risk for you of diseases such as cancer. While most people think of HPV as being related to cervical cancer, it more commonly causes throat cancer.

We are always looking for ways to prevent disease! Call our office if you have any further questions.

Preventative Dentistry at Harmony Dental Wellness

You may have heard rumors that you don't really need to floss. We are here to give you the long and short answer to the confusion.

The short answer is YES, you do need to clean effectively between your teeth!

The longer answer is this: Bacteria in your mouth eat the same food you eat. They digest the food and make acid as their waste product. When bacteria are allowed to stay on your teeth and gums the acid dissolves away the tooth to make a cavity or causes inflammation of the gums to cause gum disease. That's why you need to get those pesky bacteria off of your teeth! There are several ways to effectively clean between your teeth. Classically, it is thought to be best to use floss, but depending on your mouth, you may also be able to use a waterflosser (like a WaterPik), interdental brushes, stimudents or one of many other tools. Floss effectively cleans up to 3mm below the gum line when used properly in a healthy mouth. If you have buildup, bone loss, crooked teeth, deep pockets, missing teeth or other dental conditions, you should definitely check with your dentist (or come see us!) to find out what is best for your mouth. Things change quickly in the mouth so coming back for your regular exam and hygiene visit will ensure that you can hang on to those pearly whites!

We are here to support, not judge, so please don't feel embarrassed to tell us that you don't floss. We can help!

Call to Schedule to Book a Preventative Dentistry Appointment in Austin!

Maintaining good oral health is extremely important and the best way to do that is to schedule regular visits to your dentist. Call Harmony Dental Wellness in Austin, TX today! 

Of course we do! Dr. Farahani uses virtual dental appointments to reduce the number of times patients need to come to the office. Using either photographs or video chats, Dr. Farahani is able to help answer questions or give guidance to patients. This is especially useful for patients going through Invisalign clear aligner therapy. Where as we usually see these patients every 6 weeks, we can reduce those visits to every 10 weeks or even longer between visits! Feel free to ask if Virtual Care is right for you.