Archives for February 2020

Her Dentist seems negligent

Posted on February 28, 2020 by writeradmin.

I wanted to get some advice. I had a check up not too long ago and everything was great. However, recently I’ve been having pain in my lower back teeth. It is hard to describe. It feels a bit like someone is pulling on the teeth and then letting go. I have never had a cavity before so I don’t know what that feels like. Could it be from that? I’m not grinding my teeth when it happens, so I don’t think it is from that. Have you heard of this before?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

a woman holder her jaw from TMJ pain — Teeth grinding can lead to serious problems

My first concern is that your dentist doesn’t seem to have addressed your teeth grinding. This is quite serious. You can actually end up grinding your teeth down to nubs. In addition, it can lead to TMJ problems by throwing off your bite.

This is such a simple thing to fix I don’t understand why your dentist hasn’t dealt with it. Wearing a simple nightguard can save you tens of thousands of dollars. Once your teeth get ground down to nubs, you are looking at a $30,000 full-mouth reconstruction.

There are some dentists who will only look at things like cavities and ignore other issues. such as TMJ Disorder, gum disease, and occlusion. All off those are important.

I’m going to recommend you get a second opinion from a dentist who may be more thorough than your current one. As for the pain you are experiencing, bear in mind I haven’t examined you or seen any x-rays. I’m just going by your description.

It doesn’t sound like a cavity to me. Based on what you’ve said, two possibilities come to mind. The first is gum disease. That’s a big deal because by the time you start feeling pain, there is usually significant bone loss, which could lead to you losing your teeth. I want you to get that evaluated as soon as possible.

A second possibility is from the tooth grinding. You are likely doing it at night when you aren’t aware it is happening, but the pain you’ve described can happen even when you aren’t grinding your teeth. I mentioned earlier the nightguard. That would be another very important issue to deal with.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Deluane.

Dental Implants after Dentures

Posted on February 22, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’ve had dentures for about 12 years and can finally afford dental implants. Have I waited too long or is it still possible?

Beatrice

Dear Beatrice,

The answer to your question is yes. However, there is a “but”. When your teeth were first removed, your body, in an effort to use its resources as efficiently as possible, resorbs the minerals in your jawbone. It does this because, without teeth, it doesn’t think you need the bone any longer.

This has the unfortunate effect of shrinking your jawbone. In dental terms, it is called facial collapse. The amount of time you’ve worn dentures is enough to allow facial collapse to set in.

Dental implants require you have enough bone structure to retain the root form. There are two ways around this:

The first thing you could do is have the bone grafting done in order to build the bone back up. This is an outpatient procedure .

A second option is with All-on-Four Dental Implants. This is for patients who have only lost some bone and are looking for a way around bone grafting.

illustration of the position for all-on-4 dental implants — All-on-4 Dental implants

Using shorter implants and angling them, can help your dental implants to stay on. This has helped quite a few patients get dental implants that wouldn’t otherwise. However, not as many dentists know how to do the procedure.

Your best bet is to meet with a skilled implant dentist. Look at Dr. Delaune’s qualifications to see what type of dentist you will need to do this well for you, regardless of which procedure you choose.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

Dealing with Teeth Whitening

Posted on February 13, 2020 by writeradmin.

I developed these opaque white spots on my teeth when I was much younger. My dentist insists my teeth are completely healthy. I mentioned to him that the appearance really bothers me, but he is more of the philosophy if it isn’t broke don’t mess with it. When I brought it up a few more times he said if it bothers me that much I could get some whitening strips. I’m looking for something a little faster and professional. There is a dentist in my area who does Zoom Whitening. Is it okay to go to a different dentist just for some cosmetic work or is that considered bad form?

Meagan

Dear Meagan,

A woman getting a porcelain veneer placed on her teeth

So, there are a few different types of dentists. Yours sounds like he holds to the engineering mindset These are dentists who got into the field because they like to fix things. They haven’t invested any time in learning the cosmetic side of their field. This is very obvious from the advice he gave you.

While you are correct that Zoom Whitening is the most effective and quick way to get your teeth whitened, it will not work for your particular issue.

Any type of teeth whitening, professional or not, will whiten your teeth uniformly. This means there will still be color differences in your teeth with white spots.

The Solution to White Spots

Depending on the area affected, you have a couple of choices. If it is a tiny area of white spots, you could have dental bonding done to get your teeth uniform in color.

If it is a large area, you would be better served getting porcelain veneers placed. These will cover the entire tooth and are the top of the line in smile makeover options.

Who Should Do Your Cosmetic Work?

It is fairly common for patients to go to an expert cosmetic dentist and then return to their dentist for the bread and butter type of dental work.

The two particular procedures I mentioned above will require an expert cosmetic dentist. Look at Dr. Delaune’s bio to get an idea of what to look for in the best cosmetic dentists. They will have the skills to give you a stunning smile you will be thrilled to share.

How Can Zoom Whitening Help?

If you would like a whiter smile, you can still use Zoom Whitening to do that and then have the dentist treat the white spots.. It’s important to do any teeth whitening before the other work is done. Both dental bonding and porcelain veneers can be matched to any tooth color. However, once they’re made, their color is permanent. Get your teeth the color you want before having your veneers placed.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

Pain with teeth whitening

Posted on February 9, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had dental bonding done about seven years ago. Since then I’ve been whitening my teeth, the dental bonding isn’t whitening, but that isn’t why I am writing. Recently, I’ve started having pain for about 30 seconds right where the bonding connects to the chipped teeth. Do you think the teeth whitening is damaging the bond?

Fanny

Dear Fanny,

Photo of teeth whitening trays in a blue case. — Teeth whitening trays

You didn’t mention whether or not you are under the supervision of a dentist during your teeth whitening or if you are doing an over-the-counter teeth whitening. There are a couple of ways in which the method you chose won’t matter.

First, neither form of teeth whitening will weaken the bond. Second, neither method will whiten your dental bonding. Even professional teeth whitening will only whiten natural tooth structure. The only way to whiten your dental bonding would be to re-do it.

Here’s where their differences in the methods lie. The strength of over the counter teeth whitening is only a fraction of what you get through a dentist. You have to do countless kits to get the same value in teeth whitening. The second difference is the care you get.

A dentist would be monitoring any complications which would come up during the process, including pain and gum issues.

The pain you are experiencing is likely because of a sensitive spot on that tooth where the bonding agent has worn down. With the age of your bonding, that doesn’t surprise me.

Here’s what I recommend. See your dentist and let him or her know what is going on. There is a way they can cover the sensitive part while your teeth whitening is going on. That should cover the pain.

Then, you can continue the whitening until you get to the level of brightness you want. From there, you can get your dental bonding replaced to match the newer color.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.