Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Archives for December 2012

How Long Can You Delay a Root Canal?

December 20, 2012 by lrickwood

I have a tooth that needs a root canal but I don’t feel any pain in the tooth. How long can my root canal be delayed before I get the procedure?
– Jonathan from Oklahoma

Jonathan,

It’s hard to estimate how long you can go without a root canal without seeing your tooth. If your tooth is causing you pain, you need to do the procedure right away. If your tooth hurts a little or hurt recently and the pain went away, you still need to have the root canal as soon as you can schedule it. Pain, past or present indicates an active infection that’s growing and when it comes to your teeth, the sooner you deal with it, the better.
If you notice a pimple in your gums or drainage in your mouth, the same applies. Active infections must be handled promptly. While it’s not an emergency, you want to schedule the procedure soon.

If your tooth hurt a long while ago, or never hurt at all, it may or may not be a problem to delay your procedure. Sometimes a tooth infection slowly eats away at the tooth root and will keep growing until the tooth is destroyed. If you are told the infection is latent and your tooth is fully intact with no active decay, you may be able to wait. Be sure you get expert advice.

This blog sponsored by Dr. Noah of Region Dental

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: root canal, root canal procedure, root canal treatment, root canals, tooth infection

Can I bleach my non-veneered teeth?

December 12, 2012 by lrickwood

I have veneers and wanted to know if over-the-counter products like Crest White Strips will ruin or damage my veneers? I’ve noticed that over time, my other teeth look yellow in comparison to my veneers and the color change is noticeable between my natural teeth and the veneers. I want to bleach my natural teeth to match the veneers but don’t want to damage the expensive veneers. What do you recommend?
– Brent from Oklahoma

Brent,
If you want to bleach your natural teeth, you may use over-the-counter whitening products such as: Crest Whitestrips and products by other manufacturers but only for limited situations. The strips hold peroxide in a gel that’s attached to the strip. When you affix the strip to your tooth, it allows the peroxide to penetrate your teeth and whiten them.

If you decide to use other products with powders, rinses or toothpastes, these won’t be that effective as they’re on the teeth briefly and don’t penetrate the teeth. Also, some of these products are acidic and etch the tooth surface. The teeth may look white for a few days but then they start attracting stains and look darker because the etched surface easily attracts stains.

The challenge when using the White Strips is that they’re designed to cover only your front six teeth so if you’re attempting to reach the natural teeth that aren’t in the front, you’ll need to cut the strips and try to fit them to your teeth that are further back. This is a hassle.

The other issue with the strips is they whiten slowly because the peroxide bleach is fairly weak as it’s sold over the counter and can’t be too strong. The strips are also expensive and may end up costing you more than if you had your teeth whitened in a dental office.

The best solution would be to see a dentist and have your teeth bleached properly. Dentists have experience with bleaching and use stronger peroxide that easily covers your teeth.

Bleach won’t harm your veneers and they won’t change color. You may notice slight lightening of your veneered teeth, but this will come from behind the tooth and won’t affect the look from the front.

For more information about Dr. Noah, visit Region Dental.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bleaching teeth, porcelain veneers, teeth bleaching, teeth whitening, tooth whitening

Recent Posts

  • Is Smile Care Club a Good Option?
  • Antibiotic and Tooth Infections
  • Dentist Damaged Daughter’s Tooth Removing Her Retainer
  • My Dentures Won’t Stay In
  • Invisalign and Missing Teeth

Categories

  • Affordable Dentist
  • Braces
  • Dental Implant
  • Dentist
  • Dentures
  • Emergency Dentist
  • Glenpool Dentist
  • Invisalign
  • Orthodontics
  • Porcelain Crowns
  • Root Canal
  • Snap-on Dentures
  • Snap-On Smile
  • Teeth Whitening
  • Tooth Pain
  • Uncategorized
  • White Fillings
  • Wisdom Teeth

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011

©2010-2022 Region Dental • All Rights Reserved

Website Design and SEO by Infinity Dental WebIDW Logo

Region Dental
3210 E. 21st Street Tulsa, OK 74114
Phone: (918) 742-5521

Privacy Policy

  • Welcome to Dr. Noah’s Dentistry Blog
  •  
  • Click to Call
    (918) 742-5521