Questions on Everyday Dental Care

An appointment. Your smile and your goals are unique. Dentistry at East Piedmont offers a wide range of cosmetic services, and after your consultation, you’ll know which services will deliver the smile of your dreams.

That sounds like an easy question to answer, but it isn’t! Your smile is unique, and we won’t compromise your individuality with smile enhancements. Smile design dentistry done right requires an initial consultation in which we will discuss your goals, preferences, and options for care. Generally speaking, we may suggest porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, all-white restorations, and/or replacement teeth. Orthodontics may also be involved. After your comprehensive evaluation and consultation, we’ll present a smile makeover plan for your new smile. We offer digital imaging for smile previews, as well.

Your safety is important to us, so we sterilize our reusable instruments in an autoclave and use disposable products as much as possible. Each operatory is cleaned thoroughly between patients. We adhere to guidelines set by the CDC and OSHA and perform weekly tests on our sterilization equipment. Our state-of-the-art sterilization center ensures your safety.

With innovative CEREC technology, we can create custom crowns, inlays, and onlays in about an hour. This means that in just one visit, you can get a custom-made, all-white, reliable restoration. No temporary crowns. No follow-up visit. It’s that simple.

Dark fillings and metal crowns can be replaced with strong, aesthetic solutions. Dr. Patel has placed composite resin fillings for years, and we also offer porcelain crowns.

One of the things that sets our office apart from other dental offices is our commitment to getting to know you as a person, not just a patient. On your first visit, you will meet with our patient coordinator, discuss your current dental needs in a private consultation room and then go to a serene, relaxing treatment room to start your new patient experience. A full series of digital photos will be taken, digital x-rays (if needed) will also be performed and our hygienist will perform a complete periodontal exam. Dr. Patel will then perform a comprehensive exam, complimentary oral cancer screening and spend time with you reviewing the findings. Many patients complain that their previous dentist never spent any time with them and he/she was in and out of their check-up appointment without so much as a word to them. That will never be the case at Dentistry at East Piedmont. We are dedicated to creating a positive experience every time and with every patient.

We have chosen not be participating providers on ANY insurance plans. When you agree to be a provider, you also agree to provide “covered” services, not services that are needed. You should have the right to choose the type of care you need and desire, not what your insurance dictates. Dr. Patel will strive to provide you with options from the most optimal treatment to more affordable short-term options. We will do everything possible to make sure you receive the maximum allowable benefits from your insurance plan, submit claims and pre-treatment estimates and do everything possible to give you accurate estimates for your out of pocket costs and provide you with the highest level of care available.

No Prep-Veneers are porcelain restorations that are specifically designed to fit over your existing dentition or teeth with no alteration of the actual tooth itself. These prepless veneers are extremely thin, about the thickness of a contact lens and are an excellent option when building out a smile, placing veneers on someone very young or covering healthy teeth that are stained and do not respond to whitening. To see if you are a good candidate, contact us at (678) 648-4214 and receive a complimentary smile analysis.

In a word, Yes! Over the counter whitening products are made for the general public with no consideration for the shape of their teeth, how big or small their mouth is and whether or not they have sensitivity. They work “ok” for most people and can bring teeth up a shade or two. Results do not tend to last very long and you need to whiten frequently in order to maintain the result. Professional whitening products are designed to work with custom made, whitening trays. The product is extremely effective, with maximum results being reached typically after a week or so and multiple shades achieved. The actual result depends on the individual’s ability to whiten, however, teeth tend to be consistently white at the gumline and in between the teeth unlike with over the counter whitening strips. Touch ups do occur but it tends to be many months before it is necessary and usually one to two applications are all that are required. Depending on the product chosen, trays need to be worn for only 30 minutes to 1 hour.

While it is sometimes referred to as ‘sleep dentistry,’ this is not entirely accurate. During conscious sedation, patients are awake enough to respond to verbal cues and breath independently but may not remember the appointment due to amnesia depending on the level of sedation chosen.

Medication dosage is custom tailored to maintain maximum comfort. In addition to sedatives, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medications can be given to increase healing and minimize the medications taken at home.