The American Dental Association recommends patients receive regular dental check-ups and cleanings every six months, unless more attention is required. During your first appointment you will receive a complete set of x-rays. This will allow us to perform a comprehensive examination of all of your teeth and address any concerns you may have regarding your oral health.

If a patient has not had a cleaning for a long time, there is a possibility they have lots of tartar under their gums and bone loss between their teeth. In these situations a regular cleaning will not suffice. The scaling and root planing procedure is a more thorough cleaning that focuses heavily on cleaning the tooth structure under the gums. It is usually completed in two visits.

Minimal areas of tooth decay or broken tooth structure may be successfully restored using dental fillings. We only use composite(tooth colored) fillings at our practice.

Crowns are used to restore broken, cracked, or root canal treated teeth. They cover the whole tooth and prevent further fracturing. Crowns can be made of a porcelain-like material or metal.

For patients who grind or clench their teeth, a night guard can be a very effective solution. We custom make the guard to fit the patient’s mouth.

Dental sealants are a tooth-colored, restorative material applied to the deep grooves of the chewing surface of your teeth. By blocking out these deep grooves, sealants prevent food from getting stuck in the grooves. This makes the teeth less susceptible to decay. This simple and painless procedure offers the patient protection against future cavities on the chewing surfaces of their teeth. Sealants are usually indicated for children and very rarely indicated for adults.

Teeth can break for a variety of reasons. If only a tiny part of your tooth has chipped off, then we do not need to do anything. If a medium sized part of your tooth has broken off, then we can usually fix it with a filling or crown. If a very large part of your tooth has fractured off, then we may not be able to save the tooth.

Crowns are a very strong dental restoration. White crowns can break, while metal crowns cannot. If a crown breaks, most times it will need to be replaced. If only a small part of the crown chips off, then we may be able to just smooth it out and leave it in place. If a crown simply comes off and is not damaged, most times we can glue it back on AKA crown recementation.

There are a few reasons why teeth may hurt. Some of the most common reasons are: damage to the nerve of the tooth, damage to the gums, or too much pressure on your tooth. The remedies for these problems vary. Sometimes the remedy can be as simple as leaving the tooth alone for a few days to see if it gets better. Other times the remedy may be complex and require the patient seeing a dental specialist. Either way, the first step is for a dentist to examine your tooth and figure out what is the cause of your pain. We know that dental pain can ruin your Saturday and weekend, that is why we will do everything we can to get you an appointment the same day that you call us. Specially on Saturdays!

If your tooth is very badly damaged, then pulling it may be your best option. Brookhaven Family Dentistry is one of the few dental offices in metro Atlanta that will extract teeth on a Saturday.