Dental cleanings & checkups in Johns Creek

New patients usually get a full series, then bitewings every year or two to catch new cavities between the teeth. Recent images from a previous dentist count too. Someone who hasn't had a cavity in a decade needs fewer than someone who's had three in two years.

The radiation is small. Dental X-rays are among the lowest-dose medical images there are, digital sensors keep it lower still, and we only take the images your care needs.

Occasionally we'll take a panoramic X-ray, a single wraparound image of both jaws. It isn't detailed enough to spot a small cavity, but it's the right tool for wisdom teeth, impacted teeth, jaw problems and planning implants or dentures. It's taken from outside the mouth, which also makes it the easy option if you gag on the regular sensors.

It shines a harmless light on each tooth and measures how much the tooth glows in response. Healthy enamel barely glows; decay glows more, and the readout tells us how much.

It finds decay hiding in the grooves of back teeth that an explorer can't reach and that may not show on film yet. Earlier detection means a smaller filling, or sometimes just a sealant and a watchful eye.

The chewing surfaces of molars have deep grooves that trap food and are hard to brush clean. Most decay in children starts there. A sealant is a thin coating painted into those grooves to seal them off.

We recommend sealants on the first permanent molars when they come in around age six, and again on the twelve-year molars.

Each tooth takes a couple of minutes: clean it, keep it dry, condition the surface, paint on the sealant and set it with a light. No drilling, no numbing. We check sealants for wear at each visit.

Everyone gets some fluoride from toothpaste and tap water, but that isn't always enough. We may suggest a professional fluoride treatment, or prescription-strength toothpaste for home, if you have exposed roots, a dry mouth from medication, a recent run of cavities, or a diet heavy in sugar or carbs. Kids typically get fluoride at each cleaning.

A caution for parents: too much fluoride while adult teeth are forming can leave white spots (fluorosis). Under age three, use a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice; from three to six, no more than a pea-sized amount. Supervise brushing, and ask us before adding fluoride supplements.