The Healthy Mouth Baseline is a tool we use at our office as a standard for setting goals as the health of your mouth affects the health of the rest of your body. We promote good oral healthcare as a crucial part of your overall health and well-being, and the Healthy Mouth Baseline helps us determine where we should focus.This tool has helped us identify people who were at risk for chronic conditions like High Blood Pressure and Diabetes.We quickly referred them to a physician who helped them confirm that they were heading towards danger  and then went ahead to guide them in making plans to change lifestyle.

Here are some ways for you to assess your healthy mouth baseline:

• The ability to eat and drink comfortably at all times regardless of temperature of food
• Strong, solid teeth, free from decay
• Pink  or dark gums
• Measurement of gum pocket depths are either nonexistent or less than 3 mm
• Margins between the gum tissue and teeth are within normal limits without exposing too much tooth or root
• The ability to brush and floss without swollen or bleeding gums
• Freedom from signs of oral cancer
• Normal saliva production
• Crowns and fillings are in great shape and free from signs of wear, cracks, or leaks
• Minimal spaces between the teeth and gums that would allow food to get stuck
• Well-spaced teeth that are easy to floss
• Good teeth alignment to allow good brushing and flossing and minimize abnormal or excessive wear on teeth
• A full set of healthy teeth and the ability to chew comfortably
• Reasonable and normal wear on teeth without signs of chipping, cracking, fractures, or looseness
• The ability to smile confidently

We understand that many of the items above are difficult to measure without an expertise in oral health, but you are in GREAT hands in our practice since we use this standard during every office visit.

Let us know if you have any questions or needs – we are here to help!