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Hours
Monday Closed - Closed
Tuesday Closed - Closed
Wednesday Closed - Closed
Thursday Closed - Closed
Friday Closed - Closed
Saturday Closed - Closed
Sunday Closed - Closed
Directions
Call 304-744-4670 for information.
VIVIAN L. FRENCH, DDS
VIVIAN FRENCH
139 7th. Avenue
South Charleston, WV 25303
About our Practice
We would like to welcome you to our office. We take great satisfaction in helping you maintain optimal oral health. Our practice is devoted to comprehensive and preventive patient care.
Throughout our website, you will find an abundance of information about our practice, procedures we provide, and dentistry in general. Please explore and learn as much about dentistry and our services as you desire. We believe our patients should have as much information as possible in order to make important, informed decisions regarding their oral health and treatment options.
Our patients are our most important asset, and we strive to develop long-lasting, trusting relationships with all of our patients. Your referrals are welcome and appreciated. We look forward to seeing you!
Services We Offer
ORAL EXAM
Our examine is the most important job we do. We want to ensure that our exam is very thorough. There are five very important parts to our oral examination.
Medical History, Meds, and Stats.
A thorough medical history and a complete list of all medications you are taking is vital to good dental treatment. Often our anesthetic can conflict with the medications or the medical conditions you have. Sometimes the medications taken for a health condition can effect the health of your oral tissue.
Dentistry can cause people anxiety-raising blood pressure and causing increases in heart rate-- We need to know what your blood pressure and heart rate is before we start treatment so that we can try to prevent unnecessary stress on the body.
Oral Cancer Screening
Dr. French will check your head, neck, face and oral tissues for lumps, red or white patches or recurring sore areas. Oral cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths --primarily because is it is not detected early. Screening for early changes in the oral tissue can help detect cancer at a stage when it can be more successfully treated. To that end, we have invested in a new technology called Velscope. Velscope is able to detect any dysplastic or precancerous cells and make them more visible to the doctor for early detection.
Soft Tissue Exam
The soft tissue exam involves observing the presence of infection, bleeding, swelling, discoloration, recession, mobility, or pus in the gums. The doctor or hygienist will measure the distance between the top of the gum and the place it attaches to the tooth. This measurement along with the results of our observations will determine whether we feel you may have a gum problem that needs immediate treatment. Gum infection has been proven to be a leading cause of heart disease.
Hard Tissue Exam
During the hard tissue exam, Dr. French will be looking at the entire mouth. In order to determine the best treatment for you, she needs to know the condition of all major parts of the dentition, and how they work together.
She will check (1) each tooth for caries, restorations, and pulp health (2) for evidence of grinding or wear on the surfaces of the teeth (3) examine areas with missing teeth and evaluate replacement alternatives (4) for orthodontic conditions (5) evaluate the overall aesthetics of your teeth (6) evaluate your occlusion and joint function. Dr. French uses an intra-oral camera and can show you any problems you may have.
Radiographic Exam
In order to "see" what is happening between the teeth, we need x-ray vision. Often we can see areas of decalcification on the radiographs before they become cavities.
We have also found calcifications on our Panorexes that have turned out to be major blockages of the blood vessels leading to the brain.
Education
Dr. French graduated from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland in 1983. She was among the few top students selected for membership into the honor societies of Gamma Phi Delta Prosthodotic Association and the Gorgas Odontological Society.
After graduation from dental school she moved to South Charleston. WV. She has been in private practice in South Charleston for 26 years.
In July of 2008, Dr. French received the prestigious award of Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. The FAGD is awarded to a select group of dentist that are dedicated to continuing the persuit of excellence in dentistry through continuing education.
