What are Crowns and Bridges?
A crown is indicated when a tooth has a large filling with not enough tooth structure left, a crack, or to cover a tooth that is discolored or misshaped. Crowns are fabricated in a laboratory and made out of porcelain and precious metals. A bridge is essentially more than one crown fused together to replace one or more teeth. Bridges are cemented into place and do not cover any portion of your palate.
What is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment involves removing infected dental pulp (nerve, blood vessels, and connective tissue). Infections can start many ways including cracked teeth, deep cavities, or periodontally involved teeth. Once the infected pulp is removed, a filling is placed in the space and a permanent restoration (crown, filling) is placed.
How Can I Whiten My Teeth?
Teeth can be stained from the inside (instrinsically) or from the outside (extrinsically). If stains are formed during development (intrinsically), there is little that can be done besides masking the tooth with a veneer. If white or dark spots are a concern, sometimes microabrasion can be performed. This is dependent on how deep the stains go into your tooth. If stains are external, from coffee, tea, pop, etc., a good way to whiten is through bleaching techniques. The dentist offers stronger, yet safe, bleach than what can be purchased over the counter, making your smile whiter for longer.
When Should I Bring My Child to the Dentist?
The Amercian Dental Association recommends your child's fist vist to the dentist be within 6 months of their first tooth erupting. The first couple of visits are so the child can get assimilated to the dental office. These visits may only involve a simple exam, teeth brushing, or merely a ride in the dental chair.
Why do My Gums Bleed?
Bleeding gums is typically an indication of gingivitis (gum inflammation). Gingivitis occurs when plaque (food debris) builds up along your gums and an inflammatory process begins. Gingivitis can be prevented by brushing at least two times a day (making sure to remove all debris from the teeth) and flossing at least daily and visiting your dentist on a regular basis.
What is Periodontal Disease?
Periodontal Disease is an inflammatory process that causes the breakdown of the tissues supporting your teeth. The tissue around the teeth is not tightly attached and food debris collects under your gums. This allows for even more loss of attachment, including bone loss. When bone loss occurs, teeth become mobile. Deep cleanings and / or surgical intervention may be used to aid in treating periodontal disease
What are My Post-Operative Instructions?
Extractions
- Keep biting pressure on gauze for a 1/2 hour. It is common for the socket to seep a little and mix with your saliva, but if bleeding continues
you can repeat with fresh gauze or a moistened tea bag.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not drink through a straw for 2 days.
- Drink plenty of liquids. Any rinsing or spitting needs to be done very gently.
- Cool, soft foods are best the day of surgery. Avoid hot, spicy foods.
- Brush as usual, yet avoid the extraction site for the remainder of the day.
- Rest; do not engage in strenuous activity for the remainder of the day.
- The day after surgery, rinse with warm salt water several times a day. Avoid mouthwash for 2 days.
- Ice can be applied to the side of your face near the extraction site for 20 minutes at a time several times a day for 2 days.
- You can take Tylenol or Ibuprophen before the numbness wears off.
- Take any medications as prescribed. Call your dentist if you have any complications.
Crown Preparation
You have had your tooth prepared for a permanent crown today and the tooth is now covered with a temporary crown. This temporary crown helps maintain your gums and your surrounding teeth, so if it should become loose please let our office know. Also, this temporary crown is made to sustain mild biting forces for a short period of time, so it is imperative that you get your permanent crown seating appointment scheduled.
Some patients experience post-operative sensitivity to hot and cold and that is normal. Some tenderness around the gums is also normal the first few days. Biting sensitivity and extreme discomfort is not normal and you should let our office know as soon as you experience these symptoms.
A temporary crown is cemented with temporary cement, so please do not eat sticky foods that may dislodge the temporary crown. Also, when flossing, place the floss between the teeth and instead of pulling back up/down on the floss, pull the floss through the teeth as to not pull the temporary off.
Root Canals
After your root canal treatment, it is normal to have some discomfort around the tooth. If our doctor has prescribed an antibiotic, take the prescription until it is gone or you are told otherwise. If the root canal was not completed in one appointment, it is imperative that you return to your dentist to finish. The temporary material in your tooth breaks down over time and by waiting to finish the root canal, it may have been reinfected. A crown is typically indicated after a tooth has had endodontic treatment. The reason for this is because the tooth essentially dies and becomes brittle and is liable to fracture. The crown protects the tooth from fracturing.
Scaling and Root Planing
Scaling and root planing involves cleaning under your gums while they are anesthetized. Before the numbness wears off you may want to take over-the-counter pain medications NSAIDS (Ibuprofen, Motrin or Advil) to help manage the discomfort in your gums. Your gums will be sore for a couple of days and your teeth may become sensitive to hot and cold. The sensitivity happens because your tissues become healthier and tighten up around your tooth, whereas before the root planing, the gums were swollen. As the gums tighten up more root is exposed, which is a sensitive part of your tooth.
Links
We hope we have answered most of your questions. If you are looking for more information, please visit any of the following websites:
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