atlanta

Dental Checklist for Infants

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

See the dentist by age 1. Schedule your infant’s first dental visit by the age of 1 or after the first tooth erupts.

Clean baby’s gums. Use gauze to clean your infant’s gums after feedings and at bedtime. Ideally, this should be done even before your baby’s first tooth erupts.

Brush baby teeth. Once your infant’s baby teeth erupt, brush them with a small soft-bristled toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of toothpaste after feedings and at bedtime.

Floss baby teeth. When two baby teeth erupt side by side, gently floss them at least once a day (preferably before bedtime).

Wean baby from the bottle. Ask your pediatrician when you should stop breastfeeding. Bottle-fed babies should be weaned from the bottle by the age of 1.

Keep an Eye On:

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay – Keep your infant’s teeth healthy by cleaning them after feedings, and avoid putting your baby to bed with formula or fruit juice (these contain decay-causing sugars); use water instead.

Signs of Teething — Your infant’s first tooth can erupt, or “cut,” as early as three months and as late as a year. Teeth symptoms can vary greatly, but if your baby becomes increasingly irritable or starts drooling, biting and coughing more than normal, he or she could be teething. Try a teething ring or bottle of cold water for relief.

Excessive Pacifier Use – If your infant uses a pacifier for more than three years, he or she may develop slanted teeth or a misaligned bite later. If you have a difficult time weaning your infant from pacifier use, ask us about alternative ways to give the comfort your little one craves.

Prevention: Let It Shine

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

While lasers were at one time just material for science fiction writers, they’ve become a common part of our everyday life. They zap through your groceries, they open garage doors … and now they can detect wear and tear on your tooth’s surface before it becomes a cavity.

Is it caries [cavity]? Or is it a healthy tooth? Dentists often experience anxiety when attempting to diagnose the phenomenon known as hidden caries. A suspicious-looking tooth presents a treatment dilemma for dentists. Should the tooth be opened up? What if no cavity is found? Should the tooth just be watched? Or does that give caries more time to destroy the tooth’s structure? In the case of hidden caries, traditional diagnostic methods all too frequently yield indeterminate results. If you can’t detect a sub-surface lesion, how can you treat it?

Diagnodent is a revolutionary new dental laser tool that safely and effectively detects changes on your tooth’s surface that might not be visible on a traditional x-ray. When this light source is directed at your tooth, anything unusual about the tooth’s surface, such as the beginnings of a surface breakdown, or the start of a cavity, causes a different type of light to be bounced back to the instrument. This light is transferred into an acoustic signal and the wavelength is then evaluated by the control unit. This lets us know what type of preventive treatment you might need. Diagnodent can even detect decay occurring under a crown, allowing us to quickly catch what could later become a problem.

Treatment decisions require a higher degree of certainty. The Diagnodent laser caries detection aid removes the doubt from treatment decisions regarding hidden caries or questionable stained grooves. The device’s ability to see into a tooth’s biting surface pits and fissures enables dentists to treat sub-surface caries lesions with confidence.

We want to ensure that every tooth remains yours for life, and that your visit to our office is comfortable and pleasant. Diagnodent is a unique development that will not only reduce your need for x-rays, it will catch problems before they even get started.

Let Your Smile Do the Talking!

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and a brilliant smile can make a big impact. Come see us for a total smile makeover and you’ll send the right message with every single flash of your pearly whites.
Did you know that new advances in cosmetic dentistry mean you can perfect your smile in just a few appointments? Our practice offers veneers, bonding and long-lasting whitening — we can even straighten crowded teeth and close gaps in no time at all!
You deserve to look and feel your best. Call us today and let our team give you a smile that says it all.
Call 678 810 1100

I Lost my Dental Insurance!

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

Occasionally we get a call from a patient who wants to cancel their cleaning appointment because they have lost their dental insurance. If you have been a regular patient and your teeth are in good shape, the worst thing you can do is try to save money by avoiding preventive care.

If you do not have dental insurance, we offer the convenient option of getting your own Smile Solutions Dental Plan.  We accept most insurance plans. If you don’t have insurance, you can get an individual plan through us.

Preventive maintenance can keep your mouth healthy for less than the premium costs of a decent dental insurance plan. Too often when we have insurance coverage we don’t even know how much our treatment really costs.

I don’t think any of us would neglect the regular maintenance of our car considering the cost of an oil change vs. a new engine. The same is true (but thankfully on a much less expensive scale) for our teeth.  By letting our office check for cavities regularly, most problems can be found while they are small and relatively inexpensive to cure. We can catch a small cavity before it becomes a root canal, a cracked filling before it needs a crown or gum disease before it results in extractions and dentures.

If you do need more extensive treatment we can work with you to design a course of treatment to bring your mouth back to good oral health. There are usually several ways to restore your mouth to better health – each with its own unique cost and time frame.  We can discuss the options, organize your treatment in order of necessity and make financial arrangements to suit your budget.

Let us help you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile and don’t let your insurance dictate your dental care.

Can Teenagers get Gum Disease?

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

Can Teenagers Get Gum Disease?
Gum disease might seem like something only adults get, but the truth is it affects people of all ages. In fact, TeenHealth.com reports that 60 percent of 15-year-olds have gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease. Other studies show that teenage girls may be even more vulnerable to gum disease because of hormonal changes.

This is bad news for teenagers, who may have bad breath or sore gums as the result of gingivitis. But there’s also good news: Gum disease can easily be treated and prevented.

Treatment of gingivitis usually involves a scaling and root planing treatment (SRP) to remove plaque and tartar buildup below the gum line. Just one SRP treatment can reverse the signs of gingivitis and prevent gum disease from progressing.

But how do you keep gum disease from coming back? Pretty much the same way you can prevent it from developing in the first place: brush, floss, get dental cleanings AND eat healthy foods. Healthy eating is where teens often get tripped up – sweets, sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks are heavily marked to and consumed by teenagers.

You can make it easy for your teen to choose healthier options for their teeth and body by making sure the fridge is always stocked with things like fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese and water.

Quality Dental Care

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

Quality dental care is essential for your child’s lifelong oral health. It’s important that your child’s first experiences with the dentist are positive. That’s why your dentist will make every effort to help your child feel comfortable and in control during each visit. Your own attitude and example also play an important role in setting the stage for a lifetime of healthy smiles!

Your child should visit a dentist as early as six months, when the baby’s first tooth appears. A first tooth’s appearance is an excellent time to schedule a dental evaluation. At that time, your dentist will diagnose and help prevent any future oral disorders. Your dentist can also answer any questions you have about caring for your child’s teeth.

During your visit your attitude can convey the message that dental visits are pleasant adventures. Emphasize the attention that your child will get while in the chair. Try to schedule the appointment for the time of day when your child is most rested and cooperative. To prepare your child, read a story together about a trip to the dentist. You may want to play dentist and take turns looking into each other’s mouth with a flashlight. Have fun; this should be a pleasant experience!

Choosing A Toothpaste

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

While toothpaste [dentifrice] is a valuable adjunct to a toothbrush in oral hygiene, it is the correct brushing action that removes the plaque [sticky mixture of bacteria, food & debris] from your teeth.

• Fluoride Any brand toothpaste that contains fluoride and the ADA Seal of Approval, to attest that there is evidence of its safety, reliability and effectiveness through clinical trials, is acceptable. It makes no difference if the toothpaste is a gel, paste or powder or which flavoring agent is used. However, from an individual motivational standpoint, and assuring its use, these characteristics may be important. Other than fluoride, which strengthens the enamel and fights decay, toothpastes contain abrasives to remove stain and polish the teeth and ingredients to leave the mouth with a clean, fresh feeling.

• Sensitive Teeth If your teeth are sensitive to hot or cold, choose a desensitizing paste with either strontium chloride or potassium nitrate as an added ingredient. Expect about 4-6 weeks to see real improvement.

• Tartar Control There are brands of toothpaste that advertise “tartar control” and usually have the active ingredient pyrophosphate. While it will not remove tartar, studies have shown it will reduce tartar formation up to 36%. Tartar [calculus] can only be removed with a professional prophylaxis [cleaning].

• Abrasiveness Many toothpastes now contain baking soda, which is less abrasive. This is advantageous for reducing tooth sensitivity in people with gum recession or those who have eroded their teeth by rigorous brushing with an abrasive toothpaste.

• Whitening Bleaching teeth to make them lighter has become popular. If you desire a whitening toothpaste, look for the active whitening agents of carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. These toothpastes serve best to maintain the tooth shade after bleaching procedures. Call our office if you have bleaching questions.

• Dentures If you wear partial or full dentures, they will also stain and absorb odors. Ask your pharmacist to recommend an ADA Accepted denture cleaning paste and/or solution. When brushing, it is not necessary to overload your brush with toothpaste. Squeeze a “pea-sized” amount on the top of the bristles. Correct brushing techniques will cause the paste to foam and cover all of your teeth.

The Science And Art Of Smile Design

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

Patients have asked why this office puts an emphasis on cosmetic dentistry. The answer is easy. Cosmetic dentistry involves some of the more creative aspects of dentistry, rather than the simple, straightforward and routine mechanical side. There are so many things to evaluate when trying to remake someone’s smile. The challenge of figuring out the puzzle so that the patient will look their best is really intriguing and fun, and the results are highly satisfying.

The finished product of a smile design is the result of a lot of work with excellent communication and cooperation between our dental office, the lab and the patient. Please call our office, if you would like to evaluate or discuss your smile.

The Instant Makeover

Posted on by Dr. Chea Rainford

More and more these days, instant sorts of makeovers are shown on television shows and in the news. It seems that once a person makes the commitment to proceed, they want to get moving quickly. Our practice has noticed that too, and we are doing many more “makeovers” where we finish the entire treatment in a short period of time.

It seems like many people just hit a point where they have “had it” with their smile or their appearance, and decide it’s time to look better. The next steps are important, because how happy a person is with the results, depends on how the treatment is approached and accomplished.

Here is what we do when someone presents with some true esthetic concerns and is ready to do something about them:

• First of all, we interview the patient to determine their true desires, needs and wants. Everything starts with getting a good understanding of what the patient wants and expects.

• We have to do a complete exam to understand the underlying health of the teeth, gum and bone, and how the bite, or occlusion, is working.

• We take photographs, and impressions of the teeth for what we call study models. Sometimes we ask the dental lab to create the desired appearance in an ideal wax smile. It is a fun process.

Once we know where we want to be at the finish, the process of getting there is usually just a couple of long and relaxed appointments.

In the First Visit the teeth are prepared and impressions are taken; the patient leaves with plastic temporary restorations that are an actual preview of the desired end point. These provisional restorations allow us to personalize shape, size and color so that before the final porcelain restorations, we know that the patient is going to love their smile. This works really well, relieving much of the anxiety of someone not knowing how they will look.

The patient generally receives the final restorations in the Second visit, where we take off the temporary crowns/veneers and try in the permanent ones. If they are fitting and looking like we want, these restorations are permanently bonded to the teeth. Subsequent visits are made as necessary for any follow up or adjustments.