Comprehensive Exams
There’s no better way to monitor your dental health than with a comprehensive exam with your East Cobb dentist. You’ve got the best defense against decay and disease by seeing your dentist regularly, about every six months, for a checkup and cleaning. We want to catch any issues as early as possible to fix them before they grow into a more significant dental problem.
Comprehensive exams from Young & Tanner General Dentistry include x-rays. We have digital x-rays in our office with a panoramic scanner that scans your entire head for a unique view of your teeth and their roots. During your comprehensive exam, you’ll also receive a visual/manual oral cancer screening. Like decay and cavities, the earlier you detect oral cancer, the better your chances are of beating it. We’ll be evaluating how your mouth functions as a whole, assessing your jaws and your bite. Schedule your comprehensive exam today to keep your smile healthy.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer affects millions of Americans each year. It’s one of the often undiagnosed types of cancers because it can be challenging to detect in the early stages. This is also why it’s important to know what the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer look like. They include:
- A recurring lip or mouth sore that won’t heal
- A white or reddish-colored patch in your mouth
- Teeth that are slowly loosening
- A suspicious bump or growth in your mouth
- Pain in your mouth
- Pain in your ear
- Difficulty chewing and swallowing
Oral cancer occurs when there is a mass of cells that damage nearby tissue that could be found anywhere on your lips, tongue, cheeks, throat, and palates. During your comprehensive exam at Young & Tanner General Dentistry, we always conduct a thorough visual/manual screening to look for abnormalities and causes of concern or pain. We encourage patients over the age of 40 to be screened regularly due to a heightened risk. Remember, early detection is key to beating oral cancer. Get screened today!
X-rays
To provide you the very best dental care has to offer in East Cobb, we have to know and understand exactly what’s going on inside your mouth. We can best assess your oral health needs and overall health goals even more effectively using high-tech dental x-ray technology. X-rays give us a detailed, non-invasive glimpse into your dental health with clear images.
High-resolution digital x-rays can be easily shared with you and specialists. We can also zoom in on something interesting, enhance the images, and brighten them for improved precision and clarity. Our panoramic x-rays allow us to evaluate how your bite is functioning and your mouth as a whole. We love x-rays because they’re our amazing tool designed to detect dental issues and stop them before they become more complicated. Our digital x-rays are also great because they’re safe, exposing you to less radiation. They’re a more comfortable, convenient than the dental x-rays you might remember from the past. Ask us about our digital and panoramic x-rays today if you want to learn more.
Hygiene
You brush your teeth twice a day. You floss once, just like your East Cobb dental hygienist and dentist always remind you. So, why do you still have dental issues. The truth is that even with the most impeccable at-home dental care routine, annoying plaque and tartar can still build up in places where your brush might not be able to reach. When this happens, there’s a heightened risk of developing bacterial infections, decay, or discolorations.
Thanks to advancements in technology and our highly-trained team of dental professionals, hygiene cleanings are easy, effective, and more comfortable than ever. During a cleaning, your hygienist will use a state-of-the-art Prophy Jet ultrasonic scaler. This helps us to eliminate debris between your teeth and below the gum line without scaling and root planing. We’ll make sure your smile is clean and smooth before giving your enamel a finishing polish. Schedule your next hygiene cleaning and prepare to love the way your smile looks and feels.
Periodontal Therapy
Believe it or not, the inside of your mouth is filled with bacteria — some of it’s beneficial; some of it’s bad. Bacteria is what makes plaque so dangerous to your oral health. The sticky film that loves to cling to your teeth is full of bacteria. If plaque bacteria is left untreated and hanging around your mouth for too long, it can harden into something your East Cobb dentist and hygienist will call tartar. Both tartar and plaque are two of the leading causes of tooth decay, cavities, and periodontal or gum disease.
Periodontal therapy is designed to focus specifically on getting your gums healthy and removing the harmful bacteria above and below your gum line. Having healthy gums is vital to have a healthier you overall. Recent studies have linked gum health to overall health issues such as:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Premature births
- Low birth weight
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer’s disease
We hope you understand how important it is to have healthy gums to keep your smile whole. Improve your gum health with periodontal therapy from a team you can always trust.
Fluoride Treatments
Have you ever been told by your dentist in East Cobb that your teeth are more susceptible to developing cavities? Do you experience a sharp pain or sensitivity every time you’re attempting to eat something hot or cold? Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, can remineralize your tooth’s enamel making it more durable and better protected from decay. Fluoride is effective at creating a barrier that helps when your weakened teeth experience extreme temperatures.
You can get fluoride a few different ways:
- Water – Fluoride is found in most public water sources. There are also bottled waters enhanced with fluoride
- Toothpaste/Mouth rinse – You can purchase fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash over the counter
- Dentist – We can provide you with a professional fluoride treatment that’s simply a professional-grade varnish we can quickly brush on your teeth.
We recommend adults have a fluoride treatment as needed to help keep your smile going strong. Talk to us today if you think fluoride can strengthen and improve your smile.
Mouthguards
If you’re prone to grinding your teeth, you might be suffering from a condition known as bruxism, where unwanted clenching and gnashing is also present. Generally, there are two types of bruxism your dentist can diagnose. They are:
- Awake bruxism – Clenching and grinding while you’re awake (and you may not even know you’re doing it)
- Sleep bruxism – Clenching and grinding while you’re asleep (again, you may not even know you’re doing it)
- You’ll want to discuss bruxism with your East Cobb dentist, especially if it’s happening while you’re resting, which is considered a sleep-related movement disorder. Also, if you’re clenching and grinding during the night, there’s an increased risk of dangerous snoring and sleep apnea. Bruxism can lead to these additional unwanted health issues:
- TMJ disorder
- Deteriorating or broken teeth
- Headaches or migraines
If you think bruxism might be to blame for your oral or overall health issues, it’s important to talk to the team at Young & Tanner General Dentistry. We can create a custom mouthguard to protect your teeth from further damage and help you experience more refreshing sleep.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
Snoring is more than just annoying all around for everyone it affects in your household; it could be dramatically reducing your body’s efforts to get a good night’s sleep. Snoring is also one of the most significant warning signs associated with something called obstructive sleep apnea.
With nearly 54 million adults diagnosed with some form of sleep apnea, it’s essential to know and understand the symptoms and signs your body is showing you such as:
- Waking up frequently throughout the night
- Gasping for air
- Snoring
- Choking
- Waking up with headaches and dry mouth
- Increased depression and anxiety
Talking to someone about your snoring and how it could be related to sleep apnea is incredibly important. If left alone without any treatment solution, you could put your overall health risk for more serious health problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and more. Start the conversation with us. We can get you connected with a trusted sleep specialist who can pinpoint your problems and provide a precise, personal diagnosis and plan for treatment.
TMJ Treatment
Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is working overtime basically all day, every day, and it’s something you probably don’t even think about. If you reach back and feel just below your ears, that’s where you’ll find your TMJ. Sometimes these jaw muscles and nerves get to be out of whack, causing pain and discomfort. This is what’s commonly referred to as temporomandibular disorder (TMD). If TMD is affecting your health, you might be experiencing issues in your:
- Head
- Jaw
- Face
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Ears
Most dentists agree that things like bruxism or grinding your teeth, arthritis in your TMJ, and stress can all be contributing to TMD. Most commonly, we see there’s a bite problem in patients with TMD, affecting your jaw joints directly. If you’re experiencing pain, popping, and locking with your jaw, you should talk to us. Your East Cobb dentist can recommend the next steps to get you healthy and direct you to a trusted specialized for more advanced care.
Emergency Care
No one ever plans for a dental emergency, but at Young & Tanner General Dentistry — we do! We take your needs seriously, especially if you or someone in your family is struggling with a dental emergency. After all, these things always seem to happen when it’s least convenient, and your schedule is already overflowing with commitments. As soon as a dental emergency occurs, you should call our East Cobb dental office right away. A dental emergency can be a:
- Knocked out tooth
- Cracked or broken tooth
- Painful, infected tooth
- Lost filling
- Broken or lost crown
- Broken jaw or jaw pain
No one deserves to deal with extreme pain from any dental emergency. We want to work with you quickly to help you be free from discomfort. For most mild injuries and instances, we can take care of you in the comfort of our dental office in East Cobb. If your injuries are more complex, we can work with a trusted local specialist who can fix your smile fast.
