Did you get a dental check-up and cleaning in 2010?

Time seems to fly by and it is easy to let important doctor visits go unscheduled. If you aren't sure if you saw us in 2010, call the office to ask. It is very important to see your dental professionals at least two times every year. There are so many reasons regular dental appointments are important. Plaque and calculus builds up very easily, especially if you are diligent in brushing and flossing. Plaque build up will cause periodontal disease. In addition to cleaning away the plaque build up, Dr Johnson monitors the health of your teeth and the condition of your dental restorations. Decay can and does happen under fillings, crowns, and bridges. If left untreated, you are putting your teeth at risk. While we understand that dental work can be expensive, it only gets more costly to procrastinate. The first step is a simple phone call! Call today to schedule your 2011 dental appointment!

Dr Brian Johnson
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell,GA 30076
770.993.9809
www.BrianJohnsonDMD.com

Will your friends tell you that you have bad breath?

Your friends may not tell you that you have bad breath... Good oral hygiene habits will help to freshen your breath. Here is a surprise for your. Brushing, flossing are important for fresh breath! Regular brushing and flossing will help to remove the bacteria that causes bad breath from your teeth. We won't even mention here what that same bacteria does to your gums...but I digress. The same bacteria likes to cling to your tongue. You can brush your tongue; but a tongue scraper is far more effective in cleaning the back of your tongue. So, when you go back to your favorite Walmart/Target/drugstore, take a moment in the oral hygiene section to find a few new products to help you freshen your breath!

Sometimes, the cause of bad breath is more complex than just dirty teeth or tongue. It can be periodontal problems, an infected tooth, chronic sinus problems, cancers, oral infections, and ill fitting dental appliances such as dentures. If you think you are doing a good job of daily care and prevention of bad breath, but just can't seem to get rid of it, a visit to our office is probably necessary.

Dr Brian Johnson
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell, GA 30076
770.993.9809
www.BrianJohnsonDMD.com

Dental insurance...Are we on your "list"? Do you have a "list"?

We are asked often what dental insurance plans we participate in and what plans we recommend. So , here goes...
We participate in Aetna PPO, Ameritas,Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Dental, Guardian, MetLife, Principal, and United Concordia. We accept as out of network providers with Cigna and United HealthCare. We are listed on a couple of "transparent fee" lists : Signature Dental Plan, Aetna Dental Access, PriceDoc.com and GE Wellness.

Some employers who provide these plans : United Postal Service(Aetna), ADP(Aetna),MedAssets (Aetna), Fulton County BOE(Ameritas), Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta(Metlife), Microsoft Corporation (Blue Cross Blue Shield), Equifax (Aetna), Hewlett Packard ( Deltal Dental), Wendy's/Arby's Group ( Blue Cross Blue Shield).

Regarding the question of what insurance plan we recommend... that depends. If your employer offers options of dental coverage, then hopefully they are paying for a significant part of your deductible. If they offer choices, opt for comprehensive care that allows you to choose your own dentist. Stay away from "DMO" plans. These plans require you to select a dentist on their list and do not provide "out of network benefits" . We do not and WILL not sign up for DMO plans. If they offer a PPO option, that is usually safe because you can go "out of network" and still be o.k. In addition, we participate in many PPO plans. Most "open" plans allow you to go to your dentist of choice.

Are you unemployed, self employed, or retired and don't have dental insurance? No problem. I do not recommend that anybody pays the expensive premiums for dental insurance. Dental insurance is very different from medical insurance. It is financially irresponsible to not have health insurance. Not so for dental insurance. The average person only needs two cleanings and maybe a filling or two per year. The amount that you would pay for dental insurance premiums would likely exceed the amount that you would pay as a fee for service patient. Additionally, we offer as a courtesy to our patients a "fee for service" adjustment. The amount varies from 10-15% depending on payment method.

As always, I am happy to help you understand your dental benefits. I'm just a phone call or email away.

Debbie Johnson

Brian Johnson DMD
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell,GA 30076
770.993.9809
www.BrianJohnsonDMD.com

What can you expect at a new patient dental appointment?

Making an appointment with a new doctor or dentist can really be a little bit stressful. We understand that and want to help you rest your fears. It is our hope that from your first contact (usually a phone call) with us, you'll feel more relaxed about your upcoming dental visit. Here are some things that you can expect once you make the appointment as a new patient:

• Welcome email with date and time of your appointment, this email will include an attachment with our health history forms. It is helpful if you can print these and complete them prior to your appointment.


• Email and telephone reminders. As a courtesy, we call 1-2 days prior to all appointments to remind you of upcoming reminders. Please try to call or email us back to verify that you get our messages. You can always reply to any email that you receive from us .


• Warm welcome when you arrive! We try to to give everyone a warm welcome and big smile on arrival. We think that this helps to reduce the stress of going to a new office!


• Insurance information verification. If you provided dental insurance information via the phone call, we will check and copy/scan your dental insurance card.


• Additional paper work. We will give you 3 forms to sign. These a consent for treatment, consent for release of information to insurance companies and trusted professional, ie specialists as needed, and a document stating that you understand that you are responsible for fees not covered by dental insurance. If your insurance is a PPO that we participate in, we are contracted to the fee schedule of that PPO.


• Once all the paper work is completed, you will be welcomed by a member of our clinical staff. We will then take a full set of dental x-rays. This includes 18 images. It seems like alot; but be patient, it is important to get a clear picture of your oral health .


• You will finally meet Dr Johnson. He greet you and ask what your goals are for your oral health and smile. He will then perform a comprehensive oral exam, including periodontal measurements and notations of existing dental restorations. He will then take pictures with an intraoral camera. Lastly, he will present treatment options to you. Feel free to discuss your concerns and questions.


• As you can see, alot happens on this first visit. We schedule plenty of time for you. However, it is important for you to arrive promptly for your dental appointments.

Why are you putting off necessary dental work? Anxiety or money problems?

Have you delayed necessary dental work? The two most common reasons are nervousness and budget problems. We try to help our patients with both of these.
If anxiety is the problem, we can give you nitrous oxide for the acute anxiety. We also offer blue tooth headphones to listen to while we work. We also have Sirius radio to choose your music from. Many patients find that the headphones and television at each operatory help to distract them from the drilling. The anticipation is generally worse than the actual procedure.
If money is a problem, we offer a couple of options to help with that as well.

Proactive dentistry is far less costly than reactive dentistry. It is easier to plan and schedule an appointment for something that needs to be done than to fix something that is broken. Call and ask for Debbie!

Debbie Johnson
Dr. Brian Johnson
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell, GA 30076
www.BrianJohnsonDMD.com
770.993.9809

Do I really need to get dental check ups and cleanings two times a year?

We are asked all the time, " Do I really need to get regular dental check ups?" There are many reasons that the answer to that is ABSOLUTELY! These are the things that you can expect to happen on your routine cleaning appointments.

• Health history update. Your mouth is truly the gateway to your health. If you have changes in your health , it is important that Dr Johnson is aware to be able to make a proper diagnosis



• Gum measurements. We measure and record the gum pocket depths. These are the "numbers" that the hygienist calls out or enters in the computer. We are checking pocket depths. Numbers 1-3 are healthy. Numbers greater than that show varying degrees of periodontal disease.



• Scaling of tartar. The registered dental hygienist will scale away all build up of tartar/calculus.



• Polish. The registered dental hygienist will polish away as much staining as possible.



• Oral exam by Dr Johnson. He is looking at the overall health of your mouth, diagnosing oral health concerns/diseases, checking cranial nerve responses, and the health of your teeth. This is your opportunity to express any concerns or questions that you have for him. He needs to know if you are having new problems. He will also review your x-rays and the periodontal exam that was done by the hygienist.



• Dr Johnson and the registered dental hygienist will recommend how often you should get your teeth cleaned/checked. Most people can enjoy a 6 month "recall". If there is periodontal disease, then a 3 or 4 month "recall" may be recommended.

We hope this helps you to understand why it is so important to keep up with your dental check ups. If you have fallen behind schedule, please call today to schedule an appointment.

Debbie Johnson

Dr. Brian Johnson

1240 Upper Hembree Road

Suite C

Roswell, GA 30076

770.993.9809

www.BrianJohnsonDMD.com

Ask your dentist...I still have silver fillings..should I replace them?

So, you have some old silver/amalgam fillings and you are wondering if you should get them replaced? For over a century, amalgam has been used as filling material. It was relatively cost effective and easy to use, as well as very durable. While there has not been any research to support the concerns about "mercury poisoning" from dental fillings, many patients and dentists have begun to choose an alternative treatment, composite resin. Composite fillings are far more aesthetic and have been used on front (anterior) teeth for some time.
When should the metal fillings be replaced? I don’t recommend replacing old fillings as long as they are in good shape. I recommend replacement when they begin to break down and leak, or of course if decay develops in the tooth . If you are wondering what the status of your fillings are, give us a call.

Dr Brian Johnson
1240 Upper Hembree Road
Suite C
Roswell, GA 30076
(770)993-9809
www.BrianJohnsonDMD.com