Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Archives for July 2018

Gum Recession During Braces

by

I had a problem with gum recession during my braces. This created a black triangle at my gums. Is there a solution for this?

Dave

Dear Dave,

images of teeth with black triangles

Unfortunately, quite a few patients develop this problem with traditional braces. Many patients find it harder to keep up with their oral hygiene as well. Yes, gum recession can lead to black triangles. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. The first thing I’d do is find out the cause of the gum recession, making sure it’s not a result of gum disease. If gum disease is the cause, that will need to be dealt with first.

There are orthodontic treatments that make it easier to brush and floss properly. For instance, with Invisalign, you simply remove your aligners then brush and floss as you normally would.

Treating Black Triangle After Orthodontics

Sometimes orthodontics can correctly repair a black triangle, but if this happened during your treatment that’s not going to happen. Instead, you’ll need a cosmetic solution.

I’ll be honest with you, not many dentists can do this repair. It’s treated with dental bonding, but because of the placement of the spaces, it requires some real expertise in cosmetics to make this look natural.

Unless your dentist is among the top cosmetic dentists in the country, I’d have him recommend someone for you.

This blog is brought to you by Glenpool Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah

Can I Use Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection?

by

I have a pimple on my gums and my tooth hurts. I looked it up online and it sounds like I have a tooth infection. I don’t have dental insurance and don’t make much money. I do have some antibiotics I’d never taken for a sinus infection that went away on its own. Can I just take those for the tooth infection?

Carl

Dear Carl,

A man holding the side of his jaw like he needs an emergency dentist

Antibiotics won’t solve a tooth infection

There is a common misunderstanding about antibiotics and dentistry, which is probably why we still have people dying from tooth infections. I’m glad you wrote so you won’t risk the same fate. Think of antibiotics as an aide to instead of a cure for tooth infections.

The reason they can’t knock it out on their own is due to the structure of the tooth. Once the infection gets to the pulp of your tooth, it dies. That means no more blood flow. Without blood flow, there’s no way for the antibiotic to have any effect on the infected pulp. While antibiotics will slow down the infection on the areas it can reach, the infection will return and spread.

The only way to truly take care of it is for a dentist to get in there and physically dig out the infection. This is called a root canal treatment.

Finding an Affordable Dentist

You’re in a bit of a pickle and I understand that. Fortunately, most dentists are compassionate and got into this field with the idea of helping people. There are affordable dentists. Be careful though. There is a difference between affordable dentistry and cheap dentistry.

Cheap dentistry is when a dentist has significantly lower prices than almost all the other dentists around him or her. They are doing that to draw people in. You need to ask yourself why they are so much cheaper than everyone else. Is it because they have trouble retaining patients because of poor dental or people skills? Bear in mind, there’s also a real possibility they’re making up their profits by purchasing cheap materials which will fail on you.

Instead of a cheap dentist, you want one who works to keep their prices reasonable without cutting corners. They can be affordable in other ways, such as making low or no-interest payment plans available so you can get the treatment you need and then pay it out. They can also phase your treatment in some cases.

Do an online search for an affordable dentist, but be certain to check out their reviews to make sure you’re not getting into a disastrous dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Glenpool dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.