At my dental office in Buckhead, we want your smile to look its very best to help you get more satisfaction out of life both professionally and personally. We know your smile is a powerful tool that can tell the world quite a lot about who you truly are. Did you know that evolutionary scientists believe that smiling has its origins as a social signifier? Think of it like a dog wagging his tail. With this action, he can let you know that he wants attention, is happy, etc. A smile does the same thing!

Feeling Self-Conscious About Your Smile

When our smiles say so much about who we are, it’s important that they look their very best. Sometimes due to wear and tear or a dental injury, teeth become cracked, chipped or broken. This can lead to missing teeth and lowered confidence to smile proudly. It can also lead to bad habits such as slouching or poor posture and mumbling. Your smile is your best accessory, so it’s always good to make sure it’s healthy and looking brilliant. This is why it’s important to maintain regular checkups and cleanings with your dentist in Buckhead as well as to brush and floss regularly to keep your teeth looking and feeling great.

Teeth and History

Like dentists, archaeologists are big fans of teeth when it comes to discovering more information about how people of the past lived their lives. It’s easy to determine how old teeth are and the kind of person they belonged to because all teeth follow similar growth patterns. A teenage boy will have slight variations that differ from those of an adult female. These differences can tell scientists a lot about who a person is, how they lived, what they ate, and how old they are. Your teeth are also one of the very few parts of the body that can start to wear down but still function properly.

Teeth Tell Your Story

Your teeth have something known as universal signifiers, meaning characteristics that are commonly found in people of a certain age, gender, etc.

• Central incisors – When you’re younger your central incisors (your front teeth) tend to be a little bit more curvier and rounded at the edges. But the older you grow, these teeth tend to become more square in shape.

• Lateral incisors – Right next door to the front teeth are your lateral incisors. These teeth are round at the ends in women and longer and more square shaped in men.

And guess what else your teeth tell us? If you grind your teeth, it’s usually evident in breaks and chips in your enamel. We can also tell if you smoke, drink coffee and alcohol, and even snore!

If your teeth are painful or making you self-conscious it’s probably a good idea to give my Buckhead dental office a call. We can do a thorough exam to get a more complete idea of what your teeth might be trying to tell you. It’s important to take the steps to have a healthy smile so that you can present your most healthy you to the world!

Serving patients in Buckhead, Atlanta, and Sandy Springs  

Considering a career as a dentist? We may be biased, but the team at our dental office in Buckhead thinks it’s the best job you could have. Dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists are an important part of a total healthcare team, and are crucial to keeping patients healthy. We get to serve people in a very unique manner and get an opportunity everyday to help people feel better about themselves.  The spiritual reward from serving others, especially over a long period of time, is incredible. If you’d like to experience the rewarding feeling we get each and every day, dentistry may be right for you.

Will You Enjoy Being a Dentist?

Before we go into the specific steps on how someone becomes a dentist, it’s important to discuss the qualities and interests one should possess in order to be happy in this field.  You need to enjoy learning.   An interest and excellence in the sciences is recommended. Dentistry and the courses required to become a dentist are highly science focused, so it’s crucial to have an organic attraction to science.  Dentistry is also incredibly artistic, so having an artistic eye helps and obviously you should have good eye-hand coordination.  You also need a true desire to serve others.

The Steps to Become a Dentist

After you’re able to identify that the basic, underlying characteristics of being a dentist interest you, you can start to outline the steps you need to take to become a dentist.

• Complete Your Bachelor’s Degree. While you can get your Bachelor’s in anything, you’ll be one step ahead if you focus on biology, chemistry, physiology, and other sciences.  
• Score Well on the DAT. Following undergraduate school, you’ll need to take the Dental Acceptance Test and score well to be considered for dental school.
• Go to Dental School. Typically, dental school lasts four years and includes a combination of classes and clinical work.
• Take Your Board Exams. Before you can practice dentistry, you’ll need to pass the National Board Dental Examinations as well as any other requirements necessary for the state you wish to practice in.

“Will I Be Able to Find a Job?”

While the job hunt is always a daunting task no matter which industry you decide to enter, there’s some good news about the rising need of dentists from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job availability is projected to grow at 18% through 2024, more than double the average growth for other careers.

If you’re seriously considering a career as a dentist, our Buckhead dental office recommends that you perform research on what dentists do and what your job environment could look like to see if it’s something that will make you happy.  We highly recommend it!

Welcoming patients from Buckhead, Atlanta, Sandy Springs.

One of the most important services you can receive is an accurate diagnosis and understanding of your present condition. Our co-diagnostic comprehensive examination process gives you both. We are told repeatedly by our patients who have experienced our comprehensive examination process that it is the most thorough and informative exam they have ever experienced.

Every new patient in our Buckhead dental practice enjoys a comprehensive oral exam and screening that includes:

• Time spent listening to you. It is important to us that we get to know you and your history as well as your wants and desires for your health
• Oral cancer screening
• Periodontal examination of the gums and bone around your teeth
• Thorough exam of your teeth
• Muscle exam
• TMJ evaluation
• A functional exam of how your joints, muscles, and teeth are working and their interrelationships
• Exam with intra-oral camera
• Diagnostic digital photos of your mouth
• Digital & panographic x-rays ,if needed
• Impressions for models of your teeth and records to mount those models on an instrument that simulates how your jaw works, if needed

If you are looking for a thorough diagnosis and understanding of your oral health, call our Buckhead practice for an appointment to start a comprehensive process that will serve to make it easy to make decisions about your oral health.  Whether those decisions involve the best way to maintain an already healthy situation or completely restore a beautiful, healthy smile with predictability, our Buckhead office is the place serve your needs.

Welcoming patients from Buckhead, Atlanta, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and SandySprings.

At my dental office in Buckhead, we not only care about your oral health, we care about your whole body. To reach optimal wellness for both, it’s crucial that you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals. While all are important, we wanted to highlight a few that are necessary to keep your mouth healthy.

A is For… Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps support a strong immune system. And that’s important to both overall health and oral health. An adequate amount of vitamin A keeps gum tissue healthy, can quicken the healing process for any sores, and aids in the production of saliva.

Find it in: Carrots, mangos, kale.

B is For… B Vitamins

Good for controlling inflammation, B vitamins may help painful canker sores from popping up and causing a nuisance. Too little of these vitamins can also lead to bad breath.

Find it in: Chicken, fish, spinach.

C is For… Vitamin C

Not enough vitamin C leaves you more exposed to illness as well as loose teeth and even bleeding gums. In fact, people who are vitamin C deficient are at increased risk for developing gum disease.

Find it in: Citrus fruits, sweet potatoes, red peppers.

D is For… You Guessed It, Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption. Without it, all the benefits of calcium aren’t received. As we know, calcium is crucial for strong, healthy bones, like your jaw. Without it and its sidekick vitamin D, teeth may become loose or weak.

Find it in: Milk, egg yolks, fish.

Most of the time, all the vitamins and minerals you need are obtained through the foods you eat. But sometimes not. Whether a natural deficiency, a diet that’s lacking in certain nutrients, or medical condition, there are absolutely times when a supplement is needed. We encourage you to talk to your physician before starting a vitamin or mineral supplement.

By eating right and ensuring you’re getting enough of the crucial vitamins, you’re on the right track towards a happy, healthy smile. But that doesn’t mean regular dental appointments can be ignored. You should visit the dentist at least twice a year. Is it time for your next checkup? Give my Buckhead dental office a call and schedule your appointment today!

Serving patients from Buckhead, Atlanta, and Sandy Springs.