Dental Education Clinic COVID-19 Information
- As IU President McRobbie explains, it is necessary to strictly limit visitors to the campus (this includes patients to the Dental Clinic). So all on-campus events, whether sponsored internally or by community-based organizations must be cancelled, with the possibility of rescheduling to later dates.
- At this time, patients cannot be scheduled to come to the dental clinic until May 18, 2020. We apologize for the inconvenience.
- Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented national emergency.
As soon as we can resume normal operations, the IU Northwest Dental Education Clinic will be open to the public. We are a preventive dental clinic offering services to the population of Northwest Indiana at a reduced cost. Our services include dental prophylaxis (cleaning), fluoride treatments, non-surgical periodontal therapy (deep cleaning), periodontal assessments, oral cancer screenings, dental radiographs (x-rays), dental sealants and oral hygiene education.
A dental prophylaxis is commonly known as a teeth cleaning. The dental hygienist is typically the person that cleans the teeth in the dental office. Here at IU Northwest, our dental hygiene students are supervised while providing treatment by qualified faculty. Cleaning the teeth is vital to the health of the mouth. Calculus (tartar) builds up on the teeth causing more destructive biofilm (plaque) to accumulate. This biofilm houses bacteria that are destructive to the teeth and the gums. It can build up above and below the gumline. When the biofilm is allowed to build up below the gumline (due to not having professional cleanings every six months or sooner), it destroys the gum tissue attachment to the tooth, causing inflammation and swelling. This condition is called gingivitis. If it is left untreated it can worsen and become periodontitis. Periodontitis requires a deep cleaning sometimes called scaling and root planing (SRP) or non-surgical periodontal therapy.
Dental x-rays (radiographs) are vital to diagnosing oral 
