North GA Dentists

Dental health is an important part of taking care of ourselves. People feel good when their teeth are clean, white and free of any active decay. Finding a good dentist in North Georgia can sometimes be tricky, as people often mistake all dentists as being the same. In reality, your dental office experiences depend a great deal on the dentist you see just as much as their staff, location, and whether or not they work with your insurance if you have coverage.

Sometimes people go to the closest dentist on the list of preferred providers, but it may be worth the drive to go to a neighboring town in North Georgia to find the right dentist for you and your family. Take a look at the dental offices listed on this site and feel free to contact them directly for more information about the services they provide, hours of operation, insurance networks they participate in or to schedule a new appointment.

Similar to other forms of health care, there are specialty fields in dentistry. Here are some types of dentists you'll find in North Georgia and what they specialize in:

General Dentist - this is the typical family dentist who can do all sorts of work, including cleanings (usually by the Hygienist), fillings, crowns, basic root canals, bridges, partials, veneers, dentures, extractions, teeth whitening and even dental implants. Some doctors only provide basic restorative services though and refer the rest out to specialists.

Orthodontist - a dentist who specializes in braces, invisible braces, palatal expanders, and general teeth alignment. Orthodontists are most often seen by teenagers, but more adults are also getting their teeth straightened these days as well.

Pedodontist - specializes in providing dental care to children.

Endodontist - specializes in root canals. While many general dentists can perform routine root canals, some of them prefer to have a specialist do the work for their patients, as endodontists are the experts at both simple and complicated root canal procedures.

Periodontist - a dentist who deals mainly with the gums. These specialists treat gum disease and may work with dental implants as well.

Oral Surgeon - a dentist who deals mainly in tooth extractions. People who have their wisdom teeth romoved typically get referred to an oral surgeon, especially if they are still impacted or there is a very difficult extraction to be done.

If you are one of the people in North Georgia fortunate enought to have dental insurance coverage, then there are a few things you should know about it, if you don't already.

Most dental insurance plans have a coverage breakdown of 100% for preventive care (cleanings, periodic x-rays, and possibly sealants and flouride treatments for children), 80% coverage for restorative care (mainly fillings), and 50% coverage for major care (root canals, crowns, bridges, extractions, dentures, etc.). There is almost always a deductible that must be met and often a waiting period before major services are covered, and there are typically yearly maximums as well. Orthodontic usually has a lifetime benefit maximum.

You should also be aware what your policy coverage regarding in-network vs. out-of-network benefits, as these may vary. Coverage rates are also based on what are called usual and customary charges, which are compiled based on averages in different locations. If you choose to see a dentist out of your Preferred Provider Network, it may be worth it to you for the additional personal expense, or you may choose to find one that will agree to your provider's fee schedule as part of the PPO. Your insurance carrier can give you a list of North Georgia dentists in their network, or you can also contact a dental office and see if they are a participating provider. Some people switch insurance policies to be able to stick with a doctor they feel most comfortable with as well.

It is worth noting that purely cosmetic procedures are often not covered by insruance, though that can vary from policy to policy in North Georgia. If you have any questions about your policy, your dental care provider can do a verification of coverage and estimation of benifits for your overall plan as well as individual procedures.