FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Absolutely!  

We are all exposed to natural radiation in our environment.  The amount of radiation exposure from a full mouth series of x-rays (19 separate x-rays) is about equal to the amount of radiation you receive from the sun in a single day at the beach.

The digital images that we use at the office require a significantly lower level of radiation than the x-rays that are taken with films and are considered very safe.  We take all necessary precautions to limit the patient’s exposure to radiation when taking dental x-rays including using lead apron shields to protect the body.

The need for dental x-rays depends on each patient’s individual dental health needs.  Your dentist and dental hygienist will recommend necessary x-rays based on the review of your medical and dental history, dental exam, signs and symptoms, age, and most importantly your risk for disease.

A full mouth series of dental x-rays (19 images) is recommended for new patients.  A full series is considered current if it was taken in the last five years.

Bite-wing x-rays (x-rays of top and bottom teeth biting together) are taken at recall (check-up) visits and are recommended every 1-2 years.

Sealants are easily applied by your dentist or dental hygienist and the process takes only a couple of minutes per tooth.

The teeth to be sealed are thoroughly cleaned and then surrounded with cotton to keep the area dry.  A special solution is applied to the enamel surface to help the sealant bond to the teeth.  The teeth are then rinsed and dried.  Sealant material is carefully painted onto the enamel surface to cover the deep grooves or depressions. The material will then harden when activated with a special curing light.

Proper home care, a balanced diet, and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your new sealants.

Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth.

In instances when a single tooth needs to be replaced, the dental implant is placed into the jaw where the tooth once was.  Once the implant is integrated into the bone, a crown is connected to the implant and the implant/crown unit functions just as though it were a real tooth.

In cases where an entire arch of teeth is missing, 4-6 implants can be used to stabilize a complete denture.  This creates a much more stable solution than a traditional complete denture which simply rests on the gums.

The process of getting implants requires a number of visits and can take several months.

X-rays and impressions (molds) are taken of the jaw and teeth to determine bone, gum tissue, and spacing available for an implant.

The implant will be surgically placed into the bone and allowed to heal and integrate itself into the bone for up to six months.  Depending on the type of implant, a second surgery may be required in order to place the “post” that will hold the artificial tooth in place.  In some situations, the post and anchor can be attached at the same time the implant is placed.  Your dentist and surgeon will determine if this is possible.

After several weeks of healing the artificial tooth is made and fitted to the post portion of the anchor.  Because several fittings may be required, this step may take one to two months to complete.  After a healing period, the artificial tooth is securely attached to the implant, providing excellent stability and comfort to the patient.

You will receive care instructions when your treatment is completed.  Good oral hygiene, eating habits, and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your new implant.

A crown procedure usually requires two appointments.  Your first appointment will involve, numbing the tooth, preparing the tooth for the crown, and taking a highly accurate impression that will be used to create your custom crown.  After the impression, the doctor will create a temporary crown that will stay on your tooth until your new crown is fabricated by the dental laboratory.

At the second appointment, your temporary crown will be removed, the tooth will be cleaned, and your new crown will be adjusted and carefully cemented in place to ensure that the bite is accurate.

You will be given care instructions and encouraged to have regular dental visits to check your new crown.

A bridge is a method of tooth replacement that utilizes adjacent teeth to support the missing tooth.  The teeth on either side of the missing tooth are prepared for crowns.  The lab then fabricates a single prosthesis that crowns the adjacent teeth and replaces the missing tooth.  The bridge is cemented in place so that you can treat it just like a normal tooth.

Bleaching is a safe, non-invasive way to whiten the teeth.  The bleaching material that your dentist provides is stronger and safer than any bleach you can buy at the pharmacy.

Invisalign® takes a modern approach to straightening teeth, using a custom-made series of aligners created for you and only you. These aligner trays are made of smooth, comfortable and virtually invisible plastic that you wear over your teeth. Wearing the aligners will gradually and gently shift your teeth into place, based on the exact movements your dentist plans out for you. There are no metal brackets to attach and no wires to tighten. You just pop in a new set of aligners approximately every two weeks, until your treatment is complete. 

Most children will have lost their first baby tooth at 6-7 years of age.

Baby teeth are important because they hold spaces for adult teeth.  If a baby tooth is lost prematurely, there may not be adequate space for the adult tooth when it is ready to come in.

Baby teeth also have nerves just like adult teeth so a cavity in a baby tooth can be painful just like a cavity in an adult tooth. 

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Coastal Dentistry, PC complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

Coastal Dentistry, PC does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

Coastal Dentistry, PC:

Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:

Qualified sign language interpreters

Information written in other languages

If you need these services, contact Dr. Matt Grill, DDS

If you believe Coastal Dentistry, PC has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with, Matt Grill, DDS owner of Coastal Dentistry at 15 Lake St STE 100 Savannah, GA 31411 (912)598-8111 or coastaldentistrypc@gmail.com either in person or by mail fax or email. If you need help filing a grievance Dr. Matt Grill, DDS is available to help you.

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf or by mail or phone at:

US Department of Health and Human Services,

200 Independence Ave SW

Room 509F, HHH Building

Washington, DC 20201

1(800) 868-1019

1(800) 537-7697 

Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html

We will take reasonable steps to provide free-of-charge language assistance services to people who speak languages we are likely to hear in our practice and who don’t speak English well enough to talk to us about the dental care we are providing.

Spanish: Tomaremos acciones razonables para proporcionar servicios de asistencia lingüística gratuitos a aquellas personas cuyo lenguaje escuchemos frecuentemente en nuestro consultorio y que no hablen un inglés lo suficientemente bueno como para hablar con nosotros sobre el servicio odontológico que suministramos.

Vietnamese: Chúng tôi sẽ thực hiện các bước cần thiết để cung cấp dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí cho những người giao tiếp bằng những ngôn ngữ mà chúng tôi có thể nghe thấy tại phòng khám của mình và cho những người không có đủ trình độ tiếng Anh để thảo luận về dịch vụ chăm sóc nha khoa mà chúng tôi đang cung cấp.

Korean: 저희는 적절한 조치를 통하여 언어 지원 서비스를 무료로 제공할 것입니다. 다만, 실제로 저희에게 관심이 있는 언어를 쓰지만 저희 치아 관리 서비스에 대해 의견을 줄 수 있을 만큼 영어로 의사소통이 원활하지 않는 경우로 한정합니다

Chinese: 我们将有序地做到提供免费的语言服务使我们能听懂英语不好的人向我们咨询有关牙齿护理

Gujarati: અમેએવા લોકોનેવવના મ ૂલ્યેભાષા સહાય સેવા પ ૂરી પાડવા ઉચિત પગલાાંલઇશ ાં જેઓ એ ભાષાઓ બોલેછેજે અમને(તબીબી ) પ્રેકટીસમાાંસાાંભળવા મળી શકેઅને જેઓ અમેજે દાંત સર ક્ષા પ્રદાન કરીએ છીએ તેના વવષેવાત કરવા પરૂત ાં યોગ્ય ઇંગ્લીશ બોલી શકતા નથી.

French: Nous prendrons les mesures raisonnables pour fournir des services d’assistance linguistique gratuits pour les individus qui parlent des langues que nous sommes susceptibles d’entendre durant nos séances et qui ne parlent pas suffisamment bien l’anglais pour discuter avec nous concernant les soins dentaires que nous fournissons.

Amharic: አገልግሎት በምንሰጥበት ወቅት ልንሰማቸው የምንችል የተለያዩ ቋንቋዎችን ለሚናገሩና ስለምንሰጠው የጥርስ ሕክምና ለመነጋገር የሚያስችል በቂ የእንግሊዝኛ ቋንቋ ችሎታ ለሌላቸው ሰዎች የቋንቋ ድጋፍ አገልግሎት ከክፍያ ነጻ ለመስጠት ተገቢ የሆኑ እርምጃዎችን እንወስዳለን፡፡

Hindi: हम उन व्यक्तियों को, जो कक ऐसी भाषाएंबोलिेहैंजो हम अपनेअभ्यास मेंसंभाविि रूप मेंसनु ना चाहिेहैंऔर जो हमारेद्िारा प्रदान की जानेिाली डैंटल देखभाल के बारेमेंहमारेसाथ उचचि ढंग सेअंग्रेजी नहीं बोलिे, मुफ़्ि सेिाएं प्रदान करनेके ललयेउचचि कदम उठायेंगे।

French Creole (Haitian Creole): Nou pral pran mezi rezonab pou bay sèvis asistans lang gratis pou moun ki pale lang nou pagen ide deyo ak ki pa pale angle byen ase pou pale ak nou sou swen dantè nou ap bay.

Russian: Мы принимаем необходимые меры, чтобы предоставить бесплатные услуги переводчика для общения на языках, с которыми мы сталкиваемся в нашей практике с клиентами, которые не владеют английским языком достаточно, чтобы обсудить с нами стоматологическое обслуживание, которое мы предоставляем.

Arabic: سوف نقوم باتخاذ خطوات معقولة من أجل توفير خدمات المساعدة اللغوية بدون تكلفة لألشخاص الذين يتحدثون لغات أخرى من المرجح أن نستمع إليها خالل ممارستنا والذين ال يتقنون تحدث اإلنجليزية بشكل جيد يمكنهم من التحدث إلينا فيما يتعلق برعاية األسنان التي نقدمها.

Portuguese: Tomaremos medidas razoáveis para prestar serviços de assistência de linguagem livres de encargos para as pessoas que falam línguas que poderemos ouvir na nossa prática e que não falam Inglês bem o suficiente para nos falarem sobre os cuidados odontológicos que estamos a fornecer.

Persian (Farsi): ما برای ارائه خدمات ترجمه رايگان به افرادی که زبان انگليسی آنها برای صحبت با ما درباره خدمات مراقب از دندان ارايه شده ما در حد کافی نبوده و به زبان های صحبت می کنند که ما به احتمال زياد در هنگام کار با آنها سر و کار پيدا می کنيم گام هايی منطقی را بر خواهيم داشت.

German: Wir werden angemessene Schritte unternehmen, um denen eine gebührenfreie Sprachunterstützung zu bieten, die Sprachen sprechen, die wir möglicherweise in unserer Praxis hören, die aber kein Englisch sprechen, das gut genug ist, um mit uns über die Zahnpflege zu sprechen, die wir anbieten.

Japanese: 実際に練習の中で耳にするく可能性がある言語を話す人々で、弊社が提供している歯科治療について、英語がそ れほど上手でない人々に、無償の言語支援サービスを提供するために合理的な措置を講じるつもりです。

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