Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

I REALLY don’t want dentures!

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I’m hoping you can help me.  I’m losing my teeth. Partly because I didn’t care for them well and partly because I just didn’t have the money to go to the dentist regularly.  Now I’m going to lose all my teeth. I can’t afford dental implants, but I really, really, really don’t want dentures. I’m going to feel like a 90 year old and I’m only 42.  Is there any way to get affordable dental implants?

Carrie M. – Maine

Carrie,

I don’t want to make you feel worse, but at your age, I think dentures are an extremely bad idea. Once your teeth are removed, your body begins to reabsorb the minerals from your jawbone throughout your body. By the time you are 50, it is quite likely that your denture will no longer fit because there won’t be enough jawbone to support them. Hopefully your dentist warned you about this.

I understand you don’t have the money for implants, but there are affordable dentists that will work with you. They could to low or no interest payment plans, or even phased treatments.

This is serious, so speak with your dentist or another one about your options.

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

Can invisalign be used on young children?

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My daughter has some teeth coming in crooked. Can we use invisalign?

Ellie L. – Miami

Ellie,

Invisalign is a fantastic procedure, but it won’t work for your daughter. One of Invisalign’s limitations is that the teeth have to be fully erupted to work properly.

If you wait until her teeth years, you could use invisalign. Before that, you’d have to try other types  of procedures.

However, even if it were possible, I wouldn’t recommend invisalign for children. The reason is patient compliance.  Unlike braces, which are stuck to your teeth, it is up to the patient whether or not to wear their invisalign aligners. Children are very likely to not only take out the aligners and mess with them, but to lose them as well.

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

Why can I taste metal?

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I used a paper clip to pick some food out of my braces. When I did that I got a horrible metallic taste in my mouth?

Ben H. – Ohio

Ben,

Your saliva works as an electrolyte to the two different metals you placed in your mouth. One being the braces and the other the paper clip. When you did that, it caused a reaction. That’s how a battery is formed.  Depending on what metals you use, the voltage can get pretty high and can shock or burn you.

Hopefully, your orthodontist told you not to put metal in your mouth, but if not, you know now.

The same thing can happen with silver fillings.

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

Professional Teeth Whitening vs. Crest Whitestrips

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Will Crest Whitestrips really whiten your teeth? If so, what is the difference between that and the teeth whitening you get with a dentist?

Sarah A. – Vermont

Sarah,

I can kind of answer your first and second question simlutaneously. Yes, the will whiten, but it will take much, much longer than if you did professional teeth whitening with a local dentist.

The reason for this is the strength of the bleaching gel. There are restrictions as to how strong over-the-counter bleaching gel can be.  The reason for this is safety. Unfortunately, this means that it could take months longer to get your teeth whitened, which will mean a lot of whitestrip kits.

There is the additional issue that the strips are not very long. This means that depending on your smile, it may only cover four to six of your teeth. You’ll have many more teeth visible than that which won’t be whitened. Professional teeth whitening trays will go across your arch.

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

 

Bleaching trays for a retainer

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My retainer has completely worn out. My dentist wants $530 to make a new one. I just don’t have that kind of money. I was wondering if my bleaching trays would work instead?

Anne K. – Missouri

Anne,

After braces, it’s important to wear a retainer to help your teeth stay in their correct position. However, I can very cautiously say that you can wear your trays as a retainer, if it is designed to fit your teeth properly. However, I want to give you a warning to be aware of.  If at any time your trays start to fit differently, that means your teeth are shifting out of position and you’ll actually need to get a new orthodontic.

Regarding the price you were quoted, I think you could get a very good retainer for significantly lower, without sacrificing quality. Call around to other orthodontists. They’re not hard or expensive to make.

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

Can any dentist do teeth whitening?

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I have a great general dentist. He’s good at what he does and very dependable. However, I want my teeth whitened. I asked him to recommend a good cosmetic dentist, but he said he could do the job himself. I wondered if that was true or I needed someone who was a specialist?

Denae H. – Florida

Denae,

There is a common misconception that cosmetic dentistry is a recognized specialty. In fact, any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. There are some cosmetic procedures, such as porcelain veneers, that would require some additional training. In those cases you’d want someone with some expertise and artistry.

Teeth whitening is different. Any dentist can do it. It’s fairly straight forward. I’d go ahead and let your general dentist do it.

Enjoy your new smile.

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

Space Between Teeth

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I had my braces taken off about three days ago. For some reason, there is a gap opening up between my front two teeth. Do you know what is going on?

Lisa- Maine

Lisa,

I’m sure your dentist gave you a retainer to wear. It sounds to me like you may have neglected that part. Your teeth can begin to shift in just a couple of days.

You’ll need to get to your orthodontist as quickly as possible. He made need to make some adjustments to your retainer in order to get your teeth back in to position. If he can’t do that, he’ll have to make you a new one.

Once it is fixed, make sure you wear it religiously. I know you’re ready to be free from braces, but you’ll want the fix to last.

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

Should I have taken my son in for an emergency appointment?

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My son got kicked in the mouth at the park.  It knocked a baby tooth loose, but because it was a baby tooth and he seemed fine, I didn’t take him in to the dentist. I’m second guessing myself now. He’s not complaining or anything; I’m just a worrier.

Maria T. – Maryland

Maria,

He’s probably fine. His baby tooth would have fallen out eventually, so unless he was in pain or you saw some obvious damage, it is probably not a dental emergency. I would schedule a follow up appointment for him just to check that no damage was done to his underlying permanent tooth.

If it were an adult tooth, that would completely change the situation. You’d want to get him treated within thirty minutes to have the best chance at saving his tooth.

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

Can’t afford veneers, will snap on smile do?

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I called around everywhere for an affordable dentist to do my smile makeover. I couldn’t find anything I can afford. Would snap on smile work instead?

Deanna M. – Austin, TX

Deanna,

It’s probably a good thing you didn’t find a cheap enough dentist. Those usually end up poorly done.

Snap-on smile will give you a decent smile, but it isn’t permanent and will not be as beautiful as porcelain veneers. It attaches to the front of your teeth.

If you’re fine with that, then it is an OK alternative. You could use that while you save up for a more permanent solution.

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

I ruined my aligners

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I have been using Invsialign for about two months. I’ve been very pleased with them. I guess that could also be the source of my problem. I completely forgot I had the aligners in when a friend came over. I made some coffee for the two of us and drank a complete cup before I realized what I’d done. Now the aligners are warped. What do I do?

Anita R. -Arvada,  Colorado

Anita,

I guess too comfortable isn’t a bad problem to have. There isn’t much you can do about the aligners that have been warped. You’ll have to have your dentist make a new pair.

You mentioned you forgot you had them in. I’m hoping you keep your Invisalign aligners in most of the time. You can take them out for meals obviously, but other than that you will want to leave them in for the treatment to be effective.

They’ve got a high patient satisfaction rate, so I understand how you can forget about them.

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