Serving patients of Erwin, Jonesborough, and Greeneville TN
Life is filled with decisions. You have to choose where you’re going to live, what job you’re going to have, how to raise your kids, and so much more. You also have to decide which professionals you trust to provide needed services for you and your family. At Tusculum Dental Care, we recognize that choosing a dentist is one of the most important decisions you make; after all, good oral health is crucial to maintaining good overall health. Here are three things to consider when choosing a dentist in Greeneville.
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Does the dentist offer sedation dentistry?
Millions of Americans haven’t been to the dentist in years—or even a decade or longer. The reason why? Dental anxiety. This refers to a condition where going to the dentist generates feelings of anxiety, fear, and even outright terror. Ironically, people with this condition actually often are in the greatest need of dental care, because neglecting their oral health through the years has created significant problems with their teeth.
Tusculum Dental Care offers sedation dentistry via nitrous oxide to help patients with dental anxiety, or pre-existing conditions that make dental visits difficult, receive the care they need. Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is mixed with oxygen and administered in a mask that slips comfortably over the nose. Nitrous oxide goes to work quickly when inhaled and produces a calming effect that eases any anxieties or fears toward your dental visit. A person under the effects of laughing gas stays conscious and able to communicate with others, and you can drive yourself home afterward.
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Can the dentist identify and treat sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious sleep breathing disorder. A person with sleep apnea experiences difficulty breathing or stops breathing altogether, due to a blockage in the airway that develops when they lay down to sleep. For people with severe, untreated sleep apnea, these blockages happen hundreds of times in a given night, disrupting the sleep cycle to leave you unrested, and also raising your risk factor of chronic diseases such as cardiac disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Our dentists, Dr. Craig Shepherd, and Dr. Nathaniel Renner, have completed specialized training that enables them to treat sleep apnea by addressing the root of the problem—the issue with the airway. They can identify if sleep apnea exists by conducting either an airway evaluation or studying the results of a sleep study. Next, if a sleep breathing disorder is detected, they can provide relief through a course of oral appliance therapy.
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Can the dentist treat temporomandibular joint disorder?
Also known as TMJ disorder or TMD, this condition occurs when the temporomandibular joint enters a state of dysfunction for some reason—usually because of a blow or impact that is sustained to the jaw. A bite misalignment also can lead to the development of TMJ disorder. This condition can have a wide range of symptoms manifesting everywhere in the body from the mouth to down your back, but one fairly common symptom across the spectrum of cases of TMJ disorder is pain.
This pain often is severe enough to be debilitating, meaning it is intense enough to impede your ability to function on a daily basis. The dentists at Tusculum Dental Care have studied the principles of neuromuscular dentistry, an advanced specialization of dental science that focuses on the alignment of the bite and jaw. Correctly identifying a case of TMJ disorder can be one of the greatest diagnostic challenges in medical science, but a neuromuscular dentist is the best-qualified medical professional to make a successful TMJ diagnosis. Once identified, our neuromuscular dentists can treat TMJ in Jonesborough by prescribing a mandibular advancement device. This customized oral appliance applies gentle pressure to guide the lower jaw forward into the ideal resting position, alleviating the source of stress on the temporomandibular joint.
Comprehensive dental care in Greeneville
At Tusculum Dental Care we strive to serve as a “one-stop shop” for you and your family’s dental needs. In addition to the services listed above, we also specialize in cosmetic dentistry and use some of the latest advances in dental technology so we can provide the highest level of care to our patients. Call our office at (423) 639-7575 to schedule a consultation.
Tusculum Dental Care is here to serve patients living in the areas of Greeneville, Jonesborough, and Erwin in Tennessee.