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Q: My tooth hurts or feels sharp! I broke my tooth! I
have a toothache!
A: There are 3 kinds of hurting teeth:
- There is the sharp tooth that is cutting your tongue or cheek or lip, that is
usually because a part of the tooth or filling broke off leaving a sharp edge.
How you fix it can vary, if it is just a small chip it can be smoothed off or
a small white filling placed. If it is bigger, it might fall under one of the
following.
- There is the tooth that hurts when biting, usually a sharp pain that stops as
soon as the biting pressure is released. This usually indicates a cracked tooth,
which is more serious since as the crack enlarges, a large portion of the tooth
may actually break off. To fix this problem, a Crown is usually needed. If there
is a large filling already in the tooth, then a new Core filling may be needed
to build up the foundation of the tooth.
- The toothache. Dull, sharp or throbbing pain. It started as a slight annoyance,
now nothing you do seems to help the pain. The tooth probably has an abscess &
will need a Root Canal. Sounds terrible and everyone will give you exaggerated
sympathy, but don't be fooled, it's not that big a deal. After that, a Post will
be used to strengthen the tooth and a Crown will be placed on the tooth. The alternate
treatment is pulling the tooth out which leaves a big gap, creating more problems.
^top
Q: Can I still straighten my teeth, close gaps or change
the way my teeth look or whiten my teeth?
A: As long as your teeth are in good shape, we can straighten the alignment,
we can change the shape of your teeth and we can make them whiter. Our goal is to
make a smile you will be proud to use.
- Straightening with expanders &/or braces can be done anytime, they are comfortable
and effective in creating a great smile.
- If there are just a couple of front teeth that are slightly out of alignment,
this may best be corrected with porcelain veneers, or minor tooth movement.
- If whitening is a concern, then there are two whitening methods:
- 1st are the custom made whitening trays, custom fit to just your teeth with
a take home whitening kit. This provides the best whitening.
- 2nd Whitening Strips, these are a little slower and do not seem to get as
white of a result as the custom trays. ^top
Q: What are silver fillings, is there Mercury in
the silver fillings?
A: Silver fillings is an amalgamation of a primarily silver alloy with a
smaller amount of Mercury. When the two metals are mixed together, they chemically
combine and harden into a very durable, stable and reliable filling. Reliable studies
have shown, repeatedly, that amalgam fillings are safe. ^top
Q: White fillings vs. silver fillings, advantages
or disadvantages?
A: White fillings are more expensive because they are more technique sensitive
and therefore take more time to place is the main disadvantage. White fillings are
white and therefore blend with the tooth color and become "invisible",
they actually bond to the tooth so often times they can be smaller than silver fillings,
saving tooth structure, less tooth sensitivity both because they are smaller and
they are not metal like the silver fillings. Improvements over the past 5-10 years
have greatly improved the durability of white fillings. Silver fillings have been
used for decades and I have personally seen a filling that the patient knew that
it was put in his tooth in 1932, and it looked like it was put in yesterday. They
can last for decades, I personally have fillings that were placed into the teeth
in the 1950's. Unfortunately, they are dark and they can stain the teeth darker.
White fillings are great for aesthetics. ^top
Q: How often should I floss my teeth? Should I use mouthwash?
A: You need to brush at least 3 times a day and you need to floss once every
day between all your teeth. Mouthwash can help freshen your mouth for a few minutes,
but over the long run, brushing both the teeth and your tongue will do much
more to keep your breath fresh than most anything else.
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