Total Dental Solutions Blog

To know for sure if your oral health could benefit from a gum disease treatment, visit George A. Hoop, DDS today for general dentistry.
Whether you visit our North Naples, FL dentist office or our Fort Myers, FL dentist office, we can provide dental services that will help you keep your whole mouth healthy.
The factors listed in the graphic below do not guarantee periodontal problems, but they are potential contributing factors you should be aware of.
Ensure your smile foundation is in good health with a gum disease treatment from George A. Hoop, DDS. Call (239) 594-8817 or fill out our online form to book an evaluation.

If tooth decay has turned a cavity into an internal infection inside your tooth, visit George A. Hoop, DDS soon to see if you need a root canal.
We use modern techniques and instruments to make root canals easier for patients at both our Fort Myers, FL and North Naples, FL dentist office locations. Watch the short video below to hear Dr. Hoop discuss this often misunderstood restorative treatment.
Save your tooth from removal with root canal therapy from George A. Hoop, DDS. Call (239) 594-8817 or use our online form to book.

You can’t anticipate a medical emergency, but you can be better prepared for it by having some supplies on hand just in case. To learn what you should have in the case of a dental emergency, call George A. Hoop, DDS today at (239) 594-8817 to get some professional advice from our dentist and team.
If you are experiencing an emergency type situation involving your teeth, gums, or some other part of your mouth, visit our Fort Myers, FL dentist office or North Naples, FL dentist office as soon as possible to get the speedy help you need. We will do our very best to provide a same-day appointment so we can:

• Get you out of pain as quickly as possible
• Assess your situation thoroughly
• Repair your smile with a variety of general dentistry and restorative dentistry options

The more quickly you see a dentist when you are in need of emergency dentistry, the better your chances at repairing your smile without issue. For example, if you knock out a tooth, you’ll have much higher odds of getting it put back into place if you visit a dentist within 30 minutes.
If you have an emergency that is causing you to bleed and you are unable to stop the bleeding, visiting your local emergency room as soon as possible. Then you can follow-up with us later to find out your options for repairing your smile once your condition is more stable.
To make paying for your care a little less stressful, we give you various options for paying. We even accept third-party financing through CareCredit and Lending Club, both of which offer no-interest options in many cases. We also accept:

• Cash
• Checks
• Most major credit cards
• A large variety of dental insurance policies

Learn What You Need In Case Of A Dental Emergency

Just like you keep antiseptic, adhesive bandages, and other various basic medical supplies on hand, you should keep a supply of some tools and material that will help you deal with emergencies that relate to your teeth and mouth.
You can purchase pre-made kits online or at some pharmacies or medical supply stores, but you can also compile your own and possibly for much cheaper.
One thing you should definitely have because it’s useful for a wide variety of emergencies, including dental ones, is some kind of gauze. If your mouth is bleeding, you can use the gauze to apply some gentle pressure to help stop the blood flow and assist in clotting. You can also use this soft material to apply various medications and avoid further irritation to an injury as well.
So you can rinse your mouth out and clean away blood, dirt, and any other substances that should not be in your mouth, you should also get some saline solution. You can buy this at just about any pharmacy or large grocery store or you can make your own using some salt and warm water.
You should also have some nitrile gloves. By wearing them when you are touching the inside of your mouth, you’ll avoid contaminating your mouth with any bad bacteria that may be on your fingers.
Some cotton swabs and/or cotton balls can also come in handy when you need to apply some form of medicine to the inside of your mouth, especially in areas toward the back of your mouth that may be difficult to comfortably reach.
To help you deal with any discomfort that may arise from your emergency, you should also keep some over-the-counter pain relievers. Benzocaine can also come in handy if you need to numb a certain area.
To help reduce swelling, apply an ice pack to the affected area. This will reduce inflammation and also numb the area some so you won’t feel nearly as much pain as you would otherwise. You can find self-contained ice packs that are shelf-stable and can be activated when you need them or use a plastic bag filled with ice and wrapped in a cloth.
Last but certainly not least, you should keep the phone number for your dentist office in a convenient place that you can get to in a hurry. The sooner you visit us when you have an emergency, the better. We’ll treat you quickly, help you calm down if necessary, and address your situation as gently as we possibly can.
Don’t be caught unprepared by a dental emergency. For professional advice and quality care, call George A. Hoop, DDS at (239) 594-8817. You can also use our online form to book in non-emergencies.

If you have lost one or even multiple teeth, we can help you get your oral function and gorgeous grin back in a number of ways at George A. Hoop, DDS.
To find out which tooth replacement option is best for you, book a restorative dentistry consultation with us at our Fort Myers, FL dentist office or North Naples, FL dentist office. We offer dental bridges, dental implant options, and more.
Return your smile to its former glory with restorative dentistry treatments at George A. Hoop, DDS. Call (239) 594-8817 or use our online form to book.

When you think of oral health, there’s a good chance that you think of your teeth first and foremost. But if you want to learn more about why your gum health is so important, schedule a visit to George A. Hoop, DDS during Gum Disease Awareness month or any other time by calling us at (239) 594-8817.
We offer a wide range of general dentistry treatments and much more at both our North Naples, FL dentist office and our Fort Myers, FL dentist office. Regardless of which one you visit, we can evaluate your periodontal health and provide a gum disease treatment if necessary. By keeping your smile’s foundation in good shape, you may just:

• Avoid dental troubles in the future, including potentially losing teeth
• Keep your gumline pink and beautiful
• Save yourself time and money in the long run by avoiding extensive and costly restorative dentistry treatments

Our own Dr. Hoop has both a general dental degree and a specialty degree in periodontics, which is a field in dentistry dedicated to the gums. You can trust the know-how and experience he and the rest of our team bring to the table when it comes to keeping your whole mouth healthy.
We offer several options to make paying for your dental care as stress-free as possible. For instance, if you are in need of extensive treatments, like ongoing gum health maintenance in the case of severe gum disease, you can take advantage of our Direct Dental Savings Plan.
This option gives you discounts on various services and is a great fit for patients that either don’t have dental insurance or are sick of the frustrations of dealing with insurance companies.
We also accept many other payment options, including third-party financing through companies like CareCredit and Lending Club.

Let Us Teach You About Gum Disease Awareness Month

Did you know that – according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – roughly half of all Americans have gum disease to some degree or another? Here’s another question: are you aware that gum disease is the number one cause of adult tooth loss?
Because periodontal disease is so widespread and can be such a serious oral health problem if left unchecked, the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry (IALD) launched an awareness campaign in 2012 that we now know as Gum Disease Awareness Month.
Gum disease, also known as periodontitis or periodontal disease, can affect patients of any age if proper oral health is not maintained, but here are some demographic breakdowns regarding American adults specifically to put the numbers in perspective:

• 8.7% have mild periodontitis
• 30% have moderate periodontitis
• 8.5% have severe periodontitis
• 47.2% aged 30 years and older have periodontal disease to some degree
• The likelihood of developing periodontitis increases with age with 70.1% of adults 65 years and older experiencing it

Just in case you’re wondering what causes gum disease in the first place, the issue arises when bad bacteria in your mouth gets between your gumline and your tooth roots and causes an infection. If caught in the early stages, the condition is easily reversed with two special processes called:

• Scaling, which allows us to remove plaque and tartar buildup from your tooth roots using a special tool
• Root planing, which is a process of smoothing your tooth roots so that their surface is less hospitable for bad bacteria to build-up again

If we do determine that you are in need of a gum disease treatment, we will use state-of-the-art dental technology to assess your situation and plan accordingly. Some of the technology we use will also be helpful to you. For example, thanks to our intraoral cameras, we can show you a close-up view of your mouth so you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.
If there’s any chance of discomfort during a given procedure, we will numb your mouth with an anesthetic before we begin. For patients that need some help relieving dental anxiety, we can also administer dental sedation options, such as:

• Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as “laughing gas”
• Oral conscious sedation in the form of a pill

Stop wondering if you have gum disease or not and visit George A. Hoop, DDS today to find out for sure. Give us a call at (239) 594-8817 or use our handy online form to schedule or ask a team member questions.