Dental Health

Dental Health

Cleanings

Your dental hygienist will perform the teeth cleaning. This involves removing the tartar that develops in areas difficult to reach with routine daily brushing.

During the cleaning process various instruments are used to perform tooth scaling, tooth polishing and debridement (removal of plaque and calculus that have accumulated on the teeth). These procedures remove hard and soft deposits which prevents gum disease and cavities from occurring.

Daily flossing and brushing help prevent unscheduled visits to the dentist when combined with annual dental exams and dental teeth cleanings every 6 months. Also important for avoiding tarter build-up, cavities and gum disease is a healthy diet.



Why regular dental cleanings are important:

  • Help prevent bad breath
  • Maintain a bright and white smile
  • Help prevent Gum Disease
  • Detect dental problems early
  • Help oral cancer
  • Maintain good physical health
Dentist Checking Clients Mouth — Clarksville, TN — Clarksville Dental Center

Dental Specialties

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon is an orthopedic surgeon focused exclusively on the facial region, dealing with a range of issues including:

  • Removal of impacted teeth
  • Jaw joint repaired with TMJ surgery
  • Jaw alignment or orthognathic surgery
  • Realigning of facial bones following facial trauma, such as a car accident
  • Replacing teeth with dental implants
  • Have a tooth extracted 
  • Repair of facial trauma
  • Diagnoses and removal of facial, oral of jaw cysts
  • Facial and jaw reconstruction

Periodontist

Periodontics is a specialty of dentistry concerned with diagnosing then treating gum disease and the placement of dental implants. A dentist will recommend seeing a Periodontist when a patient’s gums are in need of a specialist’s help due to disease, cosmetics or implant placement. Together, working as team, the dentist and periodontist will combine to decide on the most effective treatment option to provide the highest level of care.

Prosthodontist

Prosthodontists specialize in replacement of missing teeth and the restoration of teeth. They are at the forefront of dental implantology and concentrate on preserving a healthy mouth, creating tooth replacements and dynamic smiles.

Endodontist

Endodontists specialize in issues concerning the inside of the tooth. When the inside of the tooth is infected or inflamed an endodontist may perform a root canal procedure, often referred to as endodontic treatment.

Pediatric Dentist

A pediatric dentist is required to take at least 2 additional years of schooling following dental school. The additional training includes the study of child behavior, unique requirements of children’s dentistry and children’s physical growth and development. A pediatric dental office is focused on the treatment of children – this includes the staff, office atmosphere and furnishings.. all is designed to put a child at ease.

Orthodontist

An orthodontist uses braces, retainers and other devices to straighten a patient’s teeth and correct jaw miss-alignment.



The majority of bad bites are inherited. Genetic problems include protrusion, crowding, spacing, extra or missing teeth and jaw growth problems.


Other bite problems develop over time due to thumb sucking, loss of primary or permanent teeth, an accident, etc.

Emergency Care

Emergency Care


When you have a dental emergency, you should call a dentist immediately – most dentists allocate time to emergencies and will see you immediately.

The following tips can help preserve the tooth until your appointment:


  • Knocked-Out Tooth – pick the tooth up by the top or crown and do not touch the root then rinse the tooth carefully. If possible, you should replace the tooth gently in the socket, otherwise place the tooth in a cup of milk or small container of water.


  • Loose Tooth or a Tooth Out of Alignment – gently try realign the tooth – your dentist may splint the loose tooth to adjacent teeth to keep it stabilized.


  • Chipped – a chipped tooth that doesn’t hurt is not usually considered a dental emergency requiring immediate attention but be careful chewing so you don’t make the chip any worse. Your dentist will either smooth out the chip or fill it in with composite material.


  • Cracked and Fractured teeth – to increase the changes your tooth can be saved, rinse your mouth thoroughly with warm water, apply a cold compress to minimize swelling and take acetaminophen to alleviate pain.

Fluoride Treatments

Fluoride is naturally present in teeth and strengthens teeth while also preventing teeth decay. Fluoride exists in water, eggs, fish, meat and tea. Dentists recommend using toothpaste with fluoride and use fluoride in a several dental treatments. Fluoride is very safe and poses no danger when used in the dosages your dentist uses.



Prior to fluoride treatment it is very important to have clean teeth. Your dentist will polish away stains prior to treatment. Brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste twice a day and flossing goes a long way to preventing tooth decay. It is recommended that you brush prior to going to bed so the fluoride can remain on your teeth during the night.

Fluoride Treatment Process

In fluoride treatments, children and adults are given relatively high concentrations of fluoride. Your dentist will dry the teeth then apply fluoride as a gel, foam or varnish. Your dentist will paint the fluoride on the teeth or apply using a mouth guard-like tray. Following treatment a patient is not allowed to eat or drink for thirty minutes.

Oral Health For Infants To Age 4

  • Drink unfiltered water out of tap, or bottled H2O with Fluoride
  • Make formula with above H2O
  • Drink only H2O with fluoride, milk, or in the mornings diluted fruit juice
  • No Cola Drinks EVER!!!
  • Use washcloth wrapped around finger to brush teeth when first teeth appear
  • Start brushing with manual or child’s electric toothbrush when most baby teeth are erupted. Brush at least two times a day.
  • Use pea-size amount of reduced fluoride toothpaste, such as Stages®
  • Between meals snacks should be fruit or vegetables, never cereal
  • Serve sweets as dessert then brush teeth
  • First dental visit at age 2-with parents or older sibling

Oral Hygiene

Dental hygiene or oral hygiene means maintenance of the mouth, teeth and gums. Oral hygiene is made up of at-home daily maintenance and regular visits to your dentist. The daily brushing and flossing you do at home combined with the professional cleanings provided by your dentist and dental hygienist will ensure you keep your natural teeth for a life time.

The Dental Hygiene process…

No matter how thorough an at-home brushing and flossing routine may be, calculus will build up on the teeth over time. As calculus builds below the gum line, bacteria eventually invade the area with the potential to create a host of dental problems. A dental hygienist is trained to eliminate this calculus buildup and eliminate this threat to ones health.


Dental hygienists are specialists at scraping away the hard plaque and removing calculus deposits. Once a year they also take X-rays and look for changes to the patient’s bite.


When the hygienist is done cleaning, the dentist will conduct a periodic exam of the gums and mouth for signs of tooth decay or gum disease. The American Dental Association suggests patients schedule a visit to the dentist and dental hygienist twice a year to guarantee good oral hygiene.

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