While periodontal disease is caused by plaque, a number of other factors, including poorly fitting bridges, badly aligned teeth and defective fillings contribute to the development of this condition. Our dental hygiene program pays extra special attention to the potential problems of periodontal disease. We constantly monitor and record any changes that may show early signs of problems.
While seldom painful and frequently free of any obvious signs or symptoms, periodontal disease can progress, undetected, to the point where supporting bone is destroyed. With 80 to 90% of all teenagers having some form of gingivitis (inflamed gums) and 75% of adult tooth loss for people over the age of 35 due to periodontal disease, early treatment and prevention is essential.
Signs that you may have gum disease include:
Your risk of developing gum disease may relate to the following habits and conditions:
If a tooth's pulp (nerve and blood supply) becomes infected or inflamed, root canal treatment may be the only way to save the tooth, short of removing it. Root canal treatment consists of removing the nerve that lies within the root of the tooth. Root canal treatment may be an effective treatment for toothache.
Many people have harmful habits during their sleep. Grinding of the teeth (bruzism) can flatten one's teeth. A custom fitted nightguard can be made to prevent this excessive wear.
TMJ Dysfunction is a popular term to describe a disorder of the jaw joints or the muscles that control the joints. Symptoms masquerade as a multitude of other problems such as sinus headaches migraines, neck and shoulder stiffness and earaches. This can be successfully treated with TMJ Therapy.
Bad Breath or Halitosis can be a serious problem and source of embarrassment and shame. Some people are not even aware there's a problem. Nearly all bad breath originates from the mouth, mostly from the surface of the tongue, below the gum line, between the teeth and other hard to reach areas. The mouth is normally inhabited by bacteria and the balance between the different kinds of bacteria determines the quality of your breath.
These are steps to help treat bad breath:
American Dental Association recognizes only nine specialty areas. Cosmetic dentistry, TMJ, implant dentistry, Neuromuscular dentistry and Aesthetic dentistry are not part of these nine specialty areas. While Dr. Shackelford is a general dentist that has received training in these areas, since there is no ADA recognition of specialty in these areas, Georgia rules require the following statement. "Cosmetic dentistry, TMJ, implant dentistry, Neuromuscular dentistry and Aesthetic dentistry are specialty areas not recognized by the ADA that requires no specific educational training to advertise this service".
A professional Atlanta or Suwanee Georgia dentistry practice focusing on cosmetic dentistry is hard to find. The same is the situation for Alpharetta dentistry and Alpharetta Cosmetic dentistry or a convenient Johns Creek dentist or alpharetta dentist. Dr. Robert Shackelford has created this site so people can learn about cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry, dental implants, esthetic dentistry, micro dentistry and general dentistry in Atlanta. There are tons of video and educational dentistry information located throughout www.askaboutasmile.com. Our main location is 3915 Johns Creek Court Suite 110 Suwanee, Georgia GA 30024, but many of our patients are from Atlanta, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Cumming, Gwinnett, and Duluth, Georgia. We literally built a practice from the ground up with an emphasis on State-Of-The-Art Dental Technology, establishing lasting relationships and a high level of patient comfort. We know that there are a lot of dentists in Atlanta and Suwanee so we appreciate you taking the time to review our dental practice. We invite you to come visit our office and see for yourself how great dentistry can be. It's not the same old experience that it used to be.