Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Help! I Messed Up My Crown

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I was on vacation when my crown broke off. I didn’t want to cut my vacation short so I superglued my crown. I don’t think I glued it correctly. Will my dentist be able to fix it?

Shelby T. – Georgia

Shelby,

I’m sure that worried you to be away from familiar surroundings when your crown came off. SuperGlue may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but as you know now, it is easy to glue something, but not always easy to get it in the exact correct position.

First, don’t panic. Your dentist will be able to get the superglue off. That doesn’t mean your crown can be saved, but hopefully the dentist will be able to get it off in one piece.

If this ever happens again, you don’t have to glue it. There are emergency dentists in every city, who will see you even if you’re not an established patient.

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

How Long Does Emergency Bonding Last?

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I had quite the fight with a flight of stairs and my teeth lost. Two of them were badly chipped. I went to see an emergency dentist and he put some kind of emergency bonding on them and told me to follow up with my regular dentist. The bonding he did seems to be holding up, even though it is a few days later.  How soon will I need to see my dentist before it wears out?

Caryn – MIchigan

Caryn,

I’m assuming  the emergency dentist used a composite bonding on your chipped teeth. It’s used in emergencies, but not soley. It’s a common treatment for chipped teeth and will last several years. He didn’t want you to follow up because it needed replacing right away.

Instead, it is to double check the tooth itself. When a tooth is traumatized, it doesn’t always give  symptoms right away. If the blood flow was cut off to the tooth it wouldn’t show up on x-rays. If this is the case, the tooth could be dead or dying, and it will eventually need a root canal. Unfortunately, the first sign this has happened is often pain or an abscess, though sometimes the person notices discoloration as well. Anytime you see an emergency dentist, he’ll refer you back to your regular office for a follow-up.

I hope this helps you. Do make sure you follow up.  It could save you a great deal of time and money, as well as unnecessary treatment.

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

Can I Self Medicate with Marijuana Before Going to the Dentist?

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I take marijuana for anxiety. And I can assure you a dentist causes me anxiety. I have a serious toothache and likely need to see a dentist. Will they treat me while having marijuana in my system if I have a prescription for it?

Mark L. – Arizona

Mark,

Honestly, it will depend on the dentist. I suspect from your question that you don’t have a dentist of your own. That’s OK. My suggestion would be to call around and ask some emergency dentists. There are two very important aspects to this though.

  1. You need to be seen. You likely have a tooth infection. Infections spread, so you’ll want to get the infection removed.
  2. You need to tell the dentist that you’ve got marijuana in your system. It could save your life. Here’s why.

Many dentists use a local anesthetic that contains epinephrine, which isn’t a great mix with marijuana. It can cause an abnormal hearthbeat or peripheral vasodilation. Either of those combined with your anxiety can cause serious harm to you. As long as the dentist knows what you have in your system, he can avoid any contraindications.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Noah.

Why is There a Pimple on My Gum?

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I’ve had a toothache for some time and kept meaning to get to the dentist, but we’re new in town and I haven’t found a regular dentist yet. Now there seems to be a pimple on my gum. Do you know what that is?

Marie B. – New York

Marie,

It would appear that you have developed an abscess on your gum from an infected tooth.  I hate being the bearer of bad news because I know that moves can be stressful and now you’re needing to add dealing with this on top of everything else.

I realize you do not have a dentist at the moment, but you need to get this treated right away. There are emergency dentists that will see non-established patients in times like this. They’ll get you out of pain, diagnose the problem, and schedule a follow-up.

If you don’t like the dentist, you can schedule with a different dentist. Just make sure you at least get seen by someone quickly. It will only get worse and this will spread.

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

What do you do if your crown falls out?

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I got my first dental crown. It was a little uncomfortable and I will admit I was picking at it a bit because of the discomfort. But, I was not expecting it to fall out.  I’m a little embarrassed now and wondered if I can put it back in myself?

Adrianna – Kentucky

Adrianna,

You have nothing to be embarassed about. Even if you did pick at it, it shouldn’t have fallen off. That is the fault of the dentist. What you’ll have to do is call them and tell them your crown fell out. Most dentists schedule some time in their days for unexpected dental emergencies. They shouldn’t charge you for this, because it shouldn’t have fallen out to begin with.

Don’t try to fix this yourself. If you don’t put it in just right, it could cause a problem in your teeth’s alignment. It could also be painful.

Speaking of painful, I would also be sure to tell your dentist the crown was uncomfortable. Describe the pain to him.  When he bonds it back in, he is likely to be able to solve that problem as well.

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

Should my sister have gone to an emergency dentist?

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My sister was in a car accident where she lost her tooth. She thought it was fine to just save the tooth and see a dentist later. I thought she should have gone to an emergency dentist. Which of us is right?

Jeanette K. – (the right sister)

Jeanette,

Unfortunately, you were right. I only say unfortunately because your sister not listening to you mean she lost any chance of saving her tooth.  You usually have to get to a dentist within thirty minutes to have any chance of saving your tooth. She’ll have needed to keep it moist, either in her cheek or possibly in a glass of milk.

Her dentist would have gotten her in right away. If she didn’t have a dentist an emergency dentist would have seen her.  If you call on your way, they’ll even be ready for you when you get there to give you the best chance of saving your tooth.

At this point for your sister, she’ll have to get a replacement tooth.

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

Do store bought fillings work?

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I was thinking of filling my tooth myself.  I have a small cavity and I noticed there is some dental filling material at my phaarmacy.  Does that work as well as the stuff you get in the office?

Jonas T. – Alexandria, VA

Jonas,

I understand it sounds like a great idea to do things yourself, but some things shouldn’t be DIY.  This is one of them.  The store bought filling you were talking about is only meant to be used for a few days to tide you over until you can get to a dentist.  I highly suggest you see a dentist right away.  If you don’t have one, you can see an emergency dentist. They will see non-established patients fairly quickly.

Just filling the tooth isn’t enough.  You will need to have all the cavity removed. I don’t think you want to go digging that out yourself.  Even if you did, it’s likely you wouldn’t get all of it.  Then you just will continue with the degradation of your tooth.

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

Loose filling and leaving the country

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I have a loose filling and I’m leaving the country in the morning. I’m going to a third world country to do some volunteer building work.  Should I call my dentist as an emergency?

Les – Alabama

Les,

It’s great that you’re volunteering your time to help others. I’m sure your dentist has an emergency number and policy. There’s no harm in calling him or her to see what he thinks. If he’s unwilling to see you, there is something you can do as a contingency plan.

If you’ve got a 24 hour pharmacy or drug store, like Walgreens, there is some store bought dental filling material you can buy. It’s only meant to be temporary, so it can NOT take the place of your filling. In fact, you shouldn’t use it for more than a couple of days and only if your filling falls out. I’d go by the store tonight and grab some to take with you.

So you know, there is a possibility there will be  a medical mission somewhere around where you’re going to serve.  I’d ask if they have dental services when you get there.

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.

I swallowed my crown

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Is it an emergency if I’ve swallowed my dental crown?

Steve O. – Little Rock, AR

Steve,

Let me put your mind at ease, you’re perfectly safe. Swallowing your dental crown, isn’t either a medical or dental emergency. You will need a new crown, and you’ll want to see if your dentist can fit you in the next day. Don’t wait too long to call, because your teeth do begin to shift when there is a space. It could change your whole bite.

As far as the medical side, well you know the saying…”This too shall pass.” You shouldn’t have any trouble getting rid of the crown.

You will want to investigate why the crown fell off, because the bonding process is pretty strong. If your crown is falling off, something is wrong.

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