Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Care in Nashville TN

We recommend visiting the dentist every six months for a routine check up and teeth cleaning appointment. This way we can see small problems and treat them before they become larger problems. We recommend more frequent visits for people that suffer from gum infection.

Common dental procedures include:

• New patient exam and all necessary X-rays: $40.00
• Routine teeth cleaning: $110.00
• Fillings: Starting at $180.00
• Teeth removal: starting at $200.00
• Professional teeth whitening: $500.00
• Braces: starting at $4,600.00. We offer affordable monthly payments of 150.00 per month

Yes, we do not like people to suffer with swelling and pain. If you are experiencing a dental emergency where there is significant pain and swelling, we can get you in and evaluate the problem and give you options to get you out of pain.

Yes, people with cavities experience:

• increased sensitivity to sweets, cold air or when eating or drinking acidic foods.
• a bad smell coming from the cavity
• pain when biting.

When a cavity gets too large, then you may experience significant pain and feel a pulsing from the diseased tooth.

Symptoms of gum disease include:

• bleeding when flossing or brushing
• pain when eating harder foods due to inflamed gums or loose teeth,
• a bad smell from the bacteria that causes gum disease

We recommend to brush with a soft bristle tooth brush in the morning and right before going to sleep. Use small circular motions with light pressure for two minutes. Flossing is important. Brushing only cleans three out of five surfaces of the tooth, so if you do not floss you’re not cleaning 40% of your tooth. Lastly, a mouth rinse is beneficial to keep your mouth cavity and gum disease free.

Composite resin is the best filling material for most situations. There are a few types of filling materials. There’s amalgam, composite resin and glass ionomer. We do not use amalgam filling materials. Most of the fillings we place are composite resin. Composite resin is strong and esthetic. In some situations we will use glass inomer as a filling material. Glass inomer is good for situations where the person has a high cavity risk. It releases fluoride so it helps fight cavities. In addition, it is able to be placed in difficult situations where moisture control is difficult.

If you have a dental emergency, we would love to help. Give us a call so we can arrange to see you as soon as possible.

For a broken tooth, bring the broken piece with you if it’s a front tooth so we can evaluate if the fragment can be bonded back on. For back teeth, it’s not as important because we will most likely replace the broken piece with composite resin or crown the tooth.

If you are experiencing severe pain, you can take 600mg Ibuprofen and 600 mg acetaminophen 4x a day. We will evaluate you as soon as possible and recommended appropriate treatment.

If you are experiencing significant swelling that extends to your neck, please go to your local emergency room as significant swelling can lead to breathing issues.

If you have a permanent tooth that has been knocked out of you mouth:

• Only hold it from the crown side, not the root side
• Gently rinse the tooth to remove any debris with water, saline or cold milk
• If possible, put the tooth back into the socket as soon as possible
• If that’s not possible, put the tooth underneath your tongue, or put it in milk or saline while you transport it to the dentist.
• It is important to get the tooth reimplanted as soon as possible.

There are minimal risks associated with dental treatments. Since we are dealing with the human body, there are some minor complications that can occur. Swelling, and discomfort are possible as the body heals.

Dental anxiety is a very common. Between 36-80% of adults experience dental anxiety. 12-27% of adults experience severe dental anxiety. We have the tools to help you get through your dental treatments. Oral sedation and IV sedation are great options to calm a patient, and get all dental treatments done at time.

Research shows that standard levels of fluoride are safe and not associated with any negative impacts. The fluoride we apply in the dental office helps protect against cavities and is made to stick to the tooth while minimizing any swallowing. We recommend topical fluoride on a case by case basis.

Dental implants are a great solution to replace one missing tooth. Traditionally bridges were used to replace missing teeth by cutting one tooth on either side. So to replace one tooth, two teeth were cut for crowns and one artificial tooth would be placed in the middle. This makes one missing tooth a three tooth problem, since a problem with any single tooth would affect the entire 3 unit bridge.

In come cases where adjacent teeth are missing, implants are the only fixed solution since bridges need to anchor on one tooth on either side.

Yes, we recommend seeing a dentist for routine cleanings especially when pregnant. The gums typically are more inflamed during pregnancy, so routine dental care is even more important.

We offer take home whitening kits so you can whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own home. The strength of the whitening agent is weaker, so it is safe to use at home. We also offer in office whitening treatments with stronger concentration agents in office. A combination of in office and take home work best since whitening is all about repetition.

Bad breath is caused by bacteria. When somebody has poor dental hygiene, food particles are left in the mouth. Bacteria eat the food and release acid and gases that smell. The acid breaks down healthy tooth structure and causes it to decay and smell unpleasant.

People with gum disease have hardened bacteria on their teeth and roots that is difficult to remove at home. This trapped bacteria releases bad orders.

We recommend a routine cleaning and check up every 6 months for healthy individuals. For people with gum disease, we recommend cleanings ever 3-4 months.

A general dentist typically treats preventative, restorative and cosmetic dental problems. This includes routine cleanings, treatment for gum disease, fillings for cavities, crowns, bridges, dentures and veneers.

An orthodontist is a dentist who receives additional training in braces and focuses only on that one treatment.

Here at Dental Design Studios, we provide general dentistry, orthodontics and implant dentistry all in one office. That’s why our patients love our office.

There are some natural remedies that will temporarily relieve some dental discomfort, but do not treat the actual cause of the pain. Until you can see a dental professional you can:

• Use saltwater rinses. Put 1 teaspoon of sale in 8 oz of warm water. Rinse for 30 seconds. This simple rinse disinfects and reduces inflammation
• Cold compress- apply an ice pack against the inflamed area to help reduce discomfort.
• Ice water rinse- the cold will help numb dental pain

Root canals typically do not hurt. Before the procedure, we make sure the patient is adequately numbed. Sometimes when the body is inflamed, the anesthetic does not work as well. If that’s the case we medicate the tooth and prescribe antibiotics to reduce the inflammation before we finish the treatment.

We recommend a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. This works well for the majority of patients. Depending on the treatment, we may prescribe stronger pain medication or steroids to reduce inflammation.

Yes we provide sedation dentistry. We offer oral sedation, where you take a pill on hour prior to dental treatment. We also offer IV sedation where we are able to achieve a higher level of sedation.

Some people are more prone to dental cavities. To help reduce cavities:

• Spend 2 minutes brushing your teeth with a soft toothbrush and gentle pressure, using small circular movements. Brush ideally after every meal.
• Invest in an electric toothbrush
• Floss after every meal ideally, or at least once before sleeping
• A water flosser is another great tool to supplement regular brushing and flossing
• Reduce acidic foods and drinks. After drinking acidic foods or drinks, rinse your mouth with water.
• We may prescribe a fluoridated toothpaste on a case-by-case basis.

During your first dental visit we’ll get your contact information and health history. We then take a series of x-rays. The dentist will review your x-rays and examine your mouth. The dentist will then give you a solution to your dental issues and make a treatment plan. We will discuss different treatment options and make a plan to get your mouth healthy.

Absolutely! We want to treat small problems before they get larger, more costly and more painful.

A child’s first dental exam should be scheduled by their first birthday or 6 months after their first tooth erupts. We recommend scheduling with a pediatric dentist.