Dentist Archives - Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Is a Painful Tooth Dangerous?

October 16, 2019 by writeradmin

I need some advice. I broke a tooth a while back but really didn’t have the money to do anything about it. A few weeks ago it started hurting like mad. I just took some pain meds but then it started to spread, because the area going down from it is swollen all the way to my neck and now there’s a red streak all the way up to my eye. A friend said this is a tooth infection and dangerous. So, I found some leftover antibiotics and started taking them, but it’s not really doing anything. Is this really serious or will it eventually just get better?

Cindy

Dear Cindy,

blonde woman holding the side of her jaw in need of an emergency dentist

You must be in tremendous pain. We’ll help you get this sorted out. Your friends are correct. This is serious. In fact, people still die from dental infections and they are considered dental emergencies.That’s because they mistakenly think antibiotics will be enough. They’re not. Tooth infections are different from other biological infections.

With dental infections, the tissue in the tooth dies, which eliminates blood flow. Without that, the medicine won’t reach the infected part of the tooth. This is why your infection is spreading even though you’ve been taking antibiotics. Eventually, it will spread to your brain or heart. By then, it is often too late to save the patient.

This is a Dental Emergency

You will need to see a dentist for this to be treated properly. Your dentist will need to do what is called a root canal treatment. This is where the dentist gets in there and physically removes the infected pulp of the tooth. Often, they will place a dental crown on top of the tooth after that to protect it.

There is only one other way to get rid of an infection in a tooth. You can have the tooth extracted. However, when you do this, the tooth needs to be replaced. Once your tooth is out, it opens up a space that will cause your other teeth to shift or tip-in. This can lead to massive problems with your bite, including TMJ Disorder.

It will be more affordable to get the root canal treatment. If you’re worried about cost, there are affordable dentists out there who will be willing to work with you. This is especially true in cases of dental emergencies, such as yours.

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

Yellowing Crowns

July 15, 2019 by writeradmin

I’ve had my dental crowns for about 7 months. They’ve really begun to turn yellow, which surprises me. My dentist told me they’d be stain resistant. I do drink coffee every morning, but I brush my teeth twice a day so that shouldn’t be too bad. Do you know what’s going on?

Alice

Dear Alice,

porcelain crown being placed on prepared tooth

This shouldn’t be happening to your crowns, if indeed that’s what your dentist gave you. There have been tales of dentists saying they gave porcelain crowns or porcelain veneers but actually gave them a composite resin.

There are some other issues which could be causing this as well. Seven months means you’ve had enough time for another checkup and cleaning. This is making me think your hygienist could have done something to them unknowingly.

Sometimes a hygienist doesn’t realize that certain tools and materials she uses can damage the glaze on porcelain. If your hygienist used something like a power prophy jet in your cleaning or even an acidulated fluoride it can remove or etch the surface of your porcelain crowns, causing them to pick up stains.

Repairing Stained Porcelain Crowns

You cannot use teeth whitening to repair the stains. Unfortunately, you’ll have to have these replaced. I’m going to suggest you give your dentist a chance to make this right. If he’s unwilling, you’ll have to get tough.

You can get a second opinion from another dentist about what happened to these crowns. I’m going to suggest you don’t tell the second dentist who did the work. Just tell him you want his unbiased opinion. There is always a chance they are friends and he’d feel disloyal saying his friend made a mistake.

Sometimes, when a dentist isn’t willing to listen to a patient, but will not want to look bad in front of a peer. That’s unfortunate but it does happen.

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

Dentist Says Dental Implants are a Necessity

December 9, 2018 by writeradmin

I’d planned on getting dentures once my teeth are extracted. However, my dentist says he only does partial and no longer does complete dentures. Instead he’ll only offer me dental implants. Of course, they’re way, way more expensive. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I noticed on your site you offer both. Is my dentist just making a money grab?

Megan

Dear Megan,

dentures and dental implant side by side — A good dentist explains the pros and cons of your options.

It sounds like your dentist will only offer what he considers the ideal treatment. Dr. Noah’s treatment philosophy is not everyone can afford the ideal. Instead, he’ll tell them all the pros and cons of their decision and then leave it up to them.

It’s a shame your dentist just told you the ideal without explaining why. I’ll try to explain the difference here.

The Danger with Dentures: Facial Collapse

When your teeth are removed, it doesn’t just take the crowns of your teeth, but the roots underneath the gums as well. Your body recognizes this and (being the efficient living machine it is) decides to take the minerals in your jawbone which were used to help support your tooth roots and use them elsewhere in your body where it perceives they will be more useful.

The sad result of this is your jawbone begins to shrink. This is known as facial collapse. It means after 10 or more years, you will appear many years older than you really are. Even worse, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to support your dentures.

Dental Implants Prevents Facial Collapse

If you look at the image at the top of the page, I have a side by side of dentures on the left and a single dental implant on the right. Notice especially the dental implant. There is a root form that is implanted into your jawbone. Then, after a healing period, a porcelain crown will be placed on top.

It’s the prosthetic root which signals to your body, “Hey! There are still teeth here. We need our jawbone.” This protects your jawbone from being resorbed.

Implant Overdentures Can Save You Money

While dental implants are more costly, implant overdentures can work using just four to six dental implants and then attaching the dentures to them. This has several benefits.

It much less expensive.
It will preserve your jawbone.
Your dentures will be secure, unlike regular dentures.

Again, I’m sorry your dentist didn’t explain this to you. I hope it helps in your decision making process.

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