Dental Education Clinic COVID-19 Information
The IU Northwest Dental Education Clinic is open!
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.
Precautions we are taking to ensure the health and safety of our patients, students, and faculty include:
- Students, faculty, and patients have their temperatures taken upon entry to the clinic area each day.
- Students and faculty wear gloves, gowns, masks, face shields, and head coverings.
- An air purifying system has been added to the clinic area.
- Patients are required to wear face masks unless seated in the dental chair.
- The clinic is operating at 1/2 capacity in order to observe social distancing.
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 
