Dental questions, answered plainly.

Not at all! At Sonrisas, we offer memberships that work like dental insurance, but exclusively with us. The membership gives you discounts on the entire treatment plan prescribed by the doctor. It's a one-time annual payment of $89, about $7 a month (the price of a cup of coffee!).

Our consultation is just $20 and includes a visit with the doctor, your treatment plan, all X-rays, and a scan for a complete evaluation, all just for you!

You can book an appointment whenever you're ready to come in, or we can see you the same day at any of our three locations.

We do everything we can to help you complete your treatment plan. We partner with financing companies you can apply to; they'll give you a credit line you can use at any of our locations. Crowns, root canals, and dentures can be paid in installments. Plus, our membership gives you discounts to make everything even easier!

No! All you need is the desire to start taking care of your dental health.

Yes, ages 10 and up. If a specialist is needed, we'll gladly refer you to a pediatric dentist.

Of course! All of our staff speak both English and Spanish, so you'll feel comfortable during your appointment. We'll explain your entire treatment plan and answer all your questions.

We need to see you for a consultation to understand your full treatment plan and how to get started, so we can offer you the best payment plan.

But we guarantee our prices are the lowest you'll find in central Tennessee! Extractions start at $250, basic cleanings are $120, and no one can beat our customer service. That's why we have over 2,000 five-star reviews on Google, all of them genuine!

No. Anesthesia is included in all our prices, so don't worry about it.

No. We make sure you're properly numbed before starting any treatment.

We have 3 locations to be closer to you: Smyrna, Nashville, and Nolensville Pike.

Yes, we're open two Saturdays a month. In addition, at least one of our locations is always open every Saturday for any emergency you may have.

Ideally, you should have a checkup every 6 months along with your routine cleanings, as a preventive measure against advanced cavities and gum or bone disease.

---

Because the decay has eaten away at the inside of the tooth and reached the nerve. That's why it hurts when you drink, or why the pain gets worse at night. The best way to eliminate that pain and save the tooth is to remove the nerve and fill the tooth with a filling material.

Not necessarily. The tooth may be dead, meaning the part that kept it alive has lost its vitality. That's where dental abscesses come from: that little white bump that appears on your gum.

Just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean the infection isn't progressing. That's the tricky thing about teeth: sometimes, by the time they start to hurt, it's too late to save them, or it becomes much more difficult.

To keep the tooth from breaking in the future and losing the time and money you invested in the root canal. If the decay was extensive and little of the tooth remains, we need to rebuild it, and the best way is with a dental crown. Because it's ceramic, it's very strong and long-lasting.

It's always better to save the tooth. When a tooth is extracted, the opposing tooth (for example, the upper one if a lower tooth was removed) gradually drifts into that space, the neighboring teeth tilt, and the bone in that area resorbs.

Here's another way to look at it: if one of your car's tires goes flat and you drive on three, those three will wear out much faster! In the same way, missing teeth put extra strain and wear on the teeth you have left.

Because on the inside, it has already reached the nerve. Decay develops from the inside out, so the hole can be much larger inside than it looks from the outside. That's why we always take X-rays to determine its exact size and your treatment plan.

---

Yes, of course! The whole process, including the crown, usually takes about 5 months. From the day the implant is placed, we wait 4 months for the bone to fuse with the implant and become solid enough for the final crown.

We need to do an evaluation with all the necessary X-rays. All of our clinics have special 3D X-ray machines that help us measure how much bone is available. Best of all, this 3D X-ray comes at no additional cost to you!

Approximately $3,750, including your ceramic crown. It can be split into several payment plans to make it more affordable.

From age 18, as long as you meet all the requirements.

That depends on how much bone is available. Our special 3D X-ray, at no additional cost, lets us determine whether you're a candidate and whether a graft is needed.

---

First, we do an evaluation with the dentist, who will use your X-rays and scan to determine whether you need a routine cleaning, a cleaning for inflammation, or a deep cleaning.

It's hard to give an exact answer without X-rays; that's why, for patients without insurance, the first consultation is just $20.

A deep cleaning removes not only visible tartar (that hard buildup around your teeth) but also tartar you can't see with the naked eye but that shows up on your X-rays, and that can damage your bone if left untreated.

A basic cleaning removes plaque (the white film you wake up with and can feel on your teeth) and visible tartar. A deep cleaning goes below the gumline, where we can't see, so we use anesthesia and do it in two sessions: one for the right side and one for the left.

Your teeth will feel clean and free of plaque, and they may look a little lighter, but they haven't actually been whitened; they're just cleaner. The only thing that can whiten your teeth is professional whitening.

If you're a periodontal patient (meaning you already have bone loss and recurring gum bleeding), we recommend a deep cleaning twice a year and a maintenance cleaning every 3 months. If you keep up with your maintenance cleanings on schedule, you'll only need a deep cleaning once a year.

---

Today, dentistry offers many options: fixed dentures, removable dentures, and dental implants.

For comfort, aesthetics, and durability.

Of course! We make all kinds of dentures and will find the one that fits you best.

At Sonrisas, we keep wait times to a minimum: 1 to 2 weeks at most for crowns and bridges, and 3 weeks at most (maybe less) for removable dentures.

---

Yes. The resins we use today are white, and we aim to match them exactly to your tooth color!

Of course. First, we assess the depth of the amalgam to determine whether it can be replaced with resin.

Yes! Just keep in mind that resin needs a little extra care with very hard foods like ice, nuts, etc.

Yes, they tend to stain from smoking and drinking a lot of coffee, so take good care of them.

---

They're our favorite! We use highly durable, stain-resistant materials to give you that natural shine and the smile you've always wanted.

Smile makeovers with porcelain veneers, ceramic crowns, and gingivectomies (gum contouring) to improve the visual size of your teeth. A gingivectomy is virtually painless with our laser!

We also offer Zoom whitening, the best professional whitening system on the market.

At Sonrisas, we offer every option to correct your smile, not just veneers. Sometimes veneers aren't an option if your teeth are severely worn or damaged, but our dentists are trained to offer you all the cosmetic options available.

Today the process is minimally invasive: we just add a slight contour to the tooth so the veneer bonds better.

It depends on how yellow they are, but they'll lighten by 2 to 3 shades. After a week, you'll see them even whiter; you'll just need good habits to keep them white longer.

---

Both work: each has specific indications, and it also depends on your comfort. Think of it like driving from Point A (where you are now) to Point B (straight teeth). Braces and Invisalign are both cars that will get you there. Sometimes, in a more complex case, you need four-wheel drive for the dirt roads; other times, if it's more straightforward, both will get you there in the same amount of time.

Yes, we have board-certified orthodontists to handle your orthodontic case.

It all depends on the orthodontist's initial evaluation. For young patients, we use orthodontic appliances along with braces, depending on your needs.

• First treatment typically begins around ages 10–12 (once all baby teeth are gone).
• We have patients who get braces as late as age 70!
• A typical case takes 18–24 months.

But again, this varies a lot depending on your smile and your goals.

The price is $5,500: a $500 down payment, then monthly payments of $200.

It depends on your needs and what your orthodontist recommends: anywhere from 1 to 2 years.

When teeth are crowded (think small mouth), they end up bunched together. We create a small space between the teeth, then use aligners or braces to close everything up. The spaces don't harm your teeth because we only remove a tiny bit, and they'll all be closed by the end of treatment.

---

We recommend crowns when more than 50% of the tooth is gone, because a filling can't withstand the force of chewing. Before the tooth fractures and you lose it, it's better to restore it with a crown.

Simply put: if the filling takes up more space than the tooth's natural structure, the tooth will break. A crown acts like a helmet that keeps the tooth intact, so you can keep it for a long time.

Crowns are made of extremely durable materials. It can happen, but it depends on the patient's habits, such as using your teeth to open things.

Absolutely! That's why we make crowns: so you can chew and smile with confidence.

---

One or more. Sometimes we can replace up to six teeth with a single bridge! It depends on your teeth and your bite, so it's hard to say without a consultation.

Yes. Bridges need anchor teeth (abutments), so we slightly reshape the teeth next to the gap so they can support the bridge.