Preventive services we offer:
Our teams offer your family diagnostic, dental hygiene, and some treatment services. We are licensed dentists, licensed dental hygienists, and clinical assistants. We focus on dental hygiene and disease prevention, including dental cleanings, deep gum cleanings, and chemo-antimicrobial therapy. We will bring these services to senior care facilities on a regular and repeating schedule, allowing each patient to have routine maintenance care up to several times a year.
Exams and xrays
Our on-site dental team will perform examinations of the mouth and teeth, appropriate for the needs of each patient. This may include oral cancer screenings, periodontal probing, or digital dental xrays. We follow the ADA’s recommendations on prescribing x-rays based only on the individual needs of each patient. We use digital radiography sensors, which allow the lowest radiation exposure.
Oral Hygiene Instructions
All our patients and their immediate caregivers receive self-care coaching and oral hygiene instruction. The best factor leading to long-term health is a daily lifestyle marked with proper daily care, healthy behaviors and habits, and nutritious dietary choices. Our dental experts will spend focused time to teach seniors and their caregivers practical techniques for daily brushing, flossing, and denture care, an discuss with seniors dietary choices and healthy habits. Its never too late to start being healthy, and our team cares about empowering seniors and their caregivers with knowledge to help them live as healthfully as possible.
Basic Cleanings
Gum disease is caused by a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Plaque is always forming on teeth, and if teeth aren’t cleaned well every day, the bacteria in plaque can cause gums to become inflamed. Basic dental cleanings remove bacteria and debris from teeth, and allow for the careful inspection of teeth and surrounding tissues. Cleanings are physically easy for most patients, and promote a confident feeling of oral health and freshness. If repeated regularly, the process can help maintain long-term tooth and gum health, and can build trust and positive relationships between patients and our team.
When plaque and debris accumulate over time, gums will pull away from the teeth and form spaces called gum pockets. More plaque then gets trapped in these pockets and cannot be removed with regular brushing. If gum disease is caught early and hasn’t damaged the structures below the gum line, a basic cleaning should be fine.
Fluoride and other preventive agents
Patients can benefit from use
Contact us
808-735-2583
Info@pacific.com
Disease therapy services we offer:
Deep Cleanings
If the pockets between the gums and teeth are too deep, a condition called periodontitis develops, where gums and the bones around teeth are chronically inflamed and under attack from bacteria. A detailed dental exam is needed to determine if this condition exists.
To treat periodontits, scaling and root planing may be needed, and involves deep cleaning of the teeth and gums. This deep cleaning process has two parts. Scaling is when our clinicians remove all the plaque and tartar (hardened plaque) above and below the gumline, making sure to clean all the way down to the bottom of the pocket. Root planing is the smoothing out of the surface texture of the roots to help the gums heal and reattach to the teeth. Scaling and root planing may take several visits to complete and may require a local anesthetic for patient comfort, or placement of antibiotics to promote proper gum regeneration. After a deep cleaning, gums also may be swollen, and feel tender and bleed for a week. Management of this disease can be a long-term process.
In addition to these advanced procedures, proper daily brushing and cleaning are important contributors to fighting periodontal disease.
cavities
Tooth decay (cavities) can be big or small. For small cavities, we may recommend minimally-invasive therapy to attempt to stop or reverse the cavity process without repairing the tooth decay. This may include tooth re-mineralization with special toothpastes, or treatment of cavities with silver diamine fluoride (SDF).
If cavities warrant repair, we may recommend white composite/resin fillings. Our dental team does not use mercury fillings. White fillings have zero risk of mercury neurotoxicity, and are visually pleasing. White fillings may be only partially covered by insurance plans.
If cavities are very large, or if teeth are compromised due to periodontal disease, simple extraction (pulling the tooth) may be the best treatment option to rid the body of the infected tooth.
other Advanced dental procedures
Some large cavities or problems may require treatment beyond what we can offer with our mobile equipment. Some advanced dental procedures, including some restorative dentistry (crown & bridge), endodontic therapy (root canals), oral surgery (tissue and bone surgery), and prosthodontics (dentures and implants), may be offered on a limited basis - however,we likely will facilitate referral of a patient to a traditional dental office for these types of advanced dental needs.
Scheduling & Financial
Informed consent
We will always discuss recommendations, options, and anticipated financial costs with the responsible parties, prior to delivering any services. Our goal is to help the senior citizens in our community be healthier and happier - and we will make honest recommendations that attempt to avoid unnecessary treatment and minimize financial expense.
scheduling
Our mobile teams currently rotate among selected locations only, and we can discuss scheduling a dental checkup for you or your family member. Please call our main office in Honolulu, to discuss an on-site dental appointment for you or your family. (808) 735-2583.
Financial matters
We hope our on-site service brings you convenience and comfort, and saves you time and money from managing appointments and transportation to an off-site dental office. As much as possible, we discuss financial expectations in advance of a dental appointment, so that care appointments can be focused on clinical care and comfort.
Any patient is able to receive our dental services, regardless of dental insurance coverage, on a self-pay basis. Payment arrangements are must be discussed before any appointment. We accept cash, or credit card over the telephone or through an online link. Payments may also be conveniently made through a personal expense account managed by a senior care home. We do not accept personal checks.
DENTAL INSURANCES
For most dental insurance plans, including Cigna, Aetna, MetLife, HMAA Dental, HMSA Dental, UHA, United Concordia, or BlueCross you must prepay for the entire dental appointment using either cash or credit card. This may be several hundred dollars. Our office will submit claims to your insurance carrier for reimbursement checks to then be mailed directly to you. The amount that the insurance company sends you is based on the details of the plan you have purchased. Many patients may have medical insurance through the companies listed above, yet not dental insurance. If you have multiple dental insurance plans, we are pleased to submit primary insurance claims for your reimbursement. Any secondary insurance claim is your own responsibility.
If you have Hawaii Dental Service (HDS), or Delta Dental, we will collect an estimated co-payment. After each appointment, we will process insurance claims, and if necessary we will collect from you any additional payment. All appointments will involve some out-of-pocket financial costs. HDS and Delta enrolled patients should expect a minimum copay of $120 for any appointment, and copay may be higher.
We know that with insurance plans, financial matters can be confusing. Please call our Honolulu main office, and we can help clarify any questions. (808) 735-2583