As far as how quickly a child’s teeth begin to develop, each child is different. Typically by the age of two, your child should see a dentist for an evaluation and prevention of early childhood cavities. By learning about risk factors for developing cavities, parents can encourage their child’s dental health, as well as manage a tooth healthy diet, maintain regular dental hygiene, and schedule any fluoride treatments that might be recommended to prevent potential dental problems.
During a child’s Happy Visit, parents can discuss:
After their Happy Visit, Dr. Angela will recommend a schedule of follow-up visits and/or treatment options, should treatment be necessary. In the past, dentists typically recommended dental visits every six months. For maintaining healthy teeth, current wisdom recommends that a child’s office visit schedule be tailored to each child’s needs and/or risk factors. As your child grows, your Lunn Dentistry family is here to help you learn how to prevent common oral problems and maintain oral health.
Your Lunn Dentistry family would love to meet you, show you around the office, and answer any questions you may have on any dental procedure. Please understand that no diagnosis or treatment can be given at a meet and greet visit. Without proper x-rays and a complete oral exam, an accurate dental health assessment and/or plan for treatment cannot be determined. Our patient advocates will be glad to schedule a comprehensive oral exam to fully evaluate your dental needs before you leave our office!
If it’s been a while since you’ve seen a dentist and need an overall “look see”, this option is for you.
A Comprehensive Oral Exam is an extensive evaluation, including a recording of all extra oral, intra oral, soft and hard tissues thereby laying the foundation for the “routine oral exam” (check up).
Your mouth is really a window into your body. Medical conditions may be discovered by a comprehensive oral exam before symptoms show up elsewhere in the body. Diabetes (especially poorly controlled or undiagnosed), systemic disorders such as leukemia, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, oral cancer, immune abnormalities, sinus issues, snoring and sleep disorders are just a few examples of health related issues that can be uncovered by a comprehensive oral exam.
By doing a comprehensive oral exam, your Lunn Dentistry family can devise an individualized strategy for maintaing long-term oral health, thereby promoting overall health and a general sense of well being.
If you have a particular concern that needs special attention, this option is for you.
In spite of a vigilant oral care routine and regular adult cleanings or pediatric cleanings, there are some instances where you may find yourself having to visit Lunn Dentistry to address a specific dental complaint or problem. In these instances, we will perform what is known as a limited oral evaluation to address a specific oral concern. Digital x-ray(s) may be taken along with a visual exam. Examples of a limited evaluation include, but are not limited to:
If you need an issue taken care of right now, before any other exams or treatment(s) are completed, this option is for you.
A detailed and extensive problem focused evaluation entails extensive diagnostic and cognitive modalities based on the findings of a comprehensive oral evaluation. Integration of more extensive diagnostic modalities to develop a treatment plan for a specific problem is required. The condition requiring this type of evaluation should be described and documented. Examples of conditions requiring this type of evaluation may include dentofacial anomalies, complicated perio-prosthetic conditions, complex temporomandibular dysfunction, facial pain of unknown origin, conditions requiring multi-disciplinary consultation, etc.
This is a routine exam that takes place at each cleaning appointment to ensure healthy teeth and gums.
No matter how vigilant one’s oral care regime, the irrepressible development of plaque and the porous nature of teeth makes them prone to decay. To forestall the excessive development of plaque that can result in gum and tooth loss, routine prophylaxis (Dental cleaning) is recommended for all individuals.
Dental hygiene (cleaning) is only one component of oral health that promotes overall health and a general sense of well being health. In fact many illnesses first represent themselves as changes within the mouth. As a result, a periodic oral evaluation is performed each time you visit Lunn Dentistry to serve as a benchmark of your overall health, and to see if anything has changed with your oral health since your last regular visit.
During a dental examination, Lunn Dentistry will perform a visual examination, and possibly bitewing or 360° panoramic X-rays to detect:
Dr. Angela and/or Dr. Riley may also perform a visual and digital examination of lymph nodes throughout the face and neck looking for any abnormalities, pain, or flexibility within the nodes that could be markers for disease.
Likewise, a similar examination of your lips, gums, tongue and other internal mouth surfaces will be conducted, again looking for various signs of illness or disease.
“This is indeed a family dentistry; you are treated like part of that family. I highly recommend to any one who wants to visit a dentist, go to Lunn Dentistry!” — Gibbs R.
© 2019 Dentist Chattanooga TN, Cosmetic Dentistry, (423) 933-3666