All posts by writeradmin

Dental Emergency

Should I have brought my son in?

Yesterday my son got kicked in the mouth at school. It knocked out one of his teeth.  The school didn’t tell me about it until later, which really angered me.  I would have wanted to come up and check on him.  By the time I found out about it, he was fine, so I decided just to let it alone.  Now I’m sitting at home wondering if I should have brought my son in to the dentist to have him checked out?  Did I do the wrong thing?

Yvette L.- Seattle

Yvette,

I am assuming were talking about a baby tooth and not an adult tooth, right?  If it is a baby tooth and there doesn’t seem to be any trauma, then you’re probably fine.  It wouldn’t hurt to get him looked at, but it is certainly not a dental emergency. Little children’s teeth don’t really have roots, so there isn’t generally trauma when one gets banged out prematurely.

If it was an adult tooth, then he would have needed to be seen right away to have any chance of saving the tooth.  Those roots go deep. You would have wanted to keep it moist by putting it in a glass of milk or if that isn’t available, you could put it in your mouth by your cheek. 

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Do CEREC crowns have to be a certain color?

I got a CEREC crown a few weeks ago. I was very excited about the idea of getting it all done in one appointment. However, I was quite disappointed in the color. It doesn’t match my teeth very well at all with my natural teeth. My dentist says that is what they have to look like. That doesn’t seem right to me. In fact, it seems like a technological step back. Is he correct?

Illyia K- Santa Clarita, CA

Illyia,

Your intuition is correct. CEREC technology can make any color you want. No one would put up with crowns that don’t match, no matter how fast it could be made. The technology would be uselessEither your dentist is lying or incompetent.  It’s possible he doesn’t know much about color matching and he just did the best he could.

My suggestion is that you ask him for a refund and go to another dentist to have your crown done.  Even with advanced technology you have to have a dentist that is skilled in cosmetic dentistry. A CEREC crown will look gorgeous if it is done correctly. The porcelain matches the natural translucency of your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Sedation Dentistry

Can I get all my teeth pulled?

I absolutely hate going to the dentist. Like HATE it. Every time I go in, he causes me more pain than I was in when I got there. Do you think the dentist will just take out all my teeth and give me dentures? I think it will solve a lot of problems.

Elizabeth M. – Tennessee

Elizabeth,

You may find a dentist willing to do that, but I don’t think it will solve your dental problems. Instead you will find every day difficult, instead of just dental visits.   Even the best dentures drop your chewing efficiency to about twenty percent.

Plus, they are uncomfortable and will eventually start to slip and slide because your jawbone decreases the longer you wear them.  Your other option would be to spend thousands and thousands of dollars getting dental implants. That will solve many of the above mentioned problems, but they’re still not the same as having your own teeth. Plus, it will require surgery and months of healing.

There is a simple solution to your problem. Have you considered sedation dentistry?  That will enable you to get your teeth worked on in a pain free way. It will also allow your dentist to do more work in one sitting. It will let you catch up on any dental work you’ve neglected out of fear.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Problems with a CEREC crown?

I have two crowns in my mouth. One is twelves years old and doing well. The second one, a CEREC crown, I’ve only had for a couple of weeks and it is already giving me trouble. Are CEREC crowns not as stable? Plus, there is some substance that I think is cement around the base of the crown.

Grayson I. – Kansas City

Grayson,

Were both these crowns done by the same dentist?  The reason I ask is that your basic dental crown and CEREC crowns are equally hearty. The thing that generally determines their success is the skill of the dentist combined with the care of the patient.

Because you still have some of the bonding material on your tooth area and crowns I’m thinking the problem is your dentist and not your crown. He needs to remove the cement. It is going to irritate your gums.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Sedation Dentistry

Can a hospital do my extractions?

If I need full dentures, can a hospital do my extractions? I can’t deal with dentists very well.

Justine M. -Oklahoma City, OK

Justine,

While it is possible to go to the hospital to have your extractions done, it will be extremely expensive.  There are ways to have your teeth removed without pain. It is called sedation dentistry. Because I suspect you are looking for some deep sedation, I will recommend two of the strongest levels of sedation:

1. Oral sedation: With this, you’ll take a pill before your appointment.

2. IV Sedation: This requires an anesthetist.

Both methods require you to have someone to drive you to and from your appointment. Every dentist is different as to what types of sedation they offer, so you’ll need to call around.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Can I put off a root canal?

If I am not in pain, can I put off a root canal. If so, how long?

Deidre I. – Louisiana

Deidre,

If your infection isn’t active, then you can put it off indefinitely. However, if there is pain, even a little bit, that means you have an active infection. Sometimes the pain stops and then starts again. Whenever there is pain, I suggest you get seen right away.

If you don’t have a dentist, you can always go to an emergency dentist, at least just for this treatement. Then, you can take your time looking for a new dentist.

Another sign of infection is if you have a pimple on your gums or some drainage in your mouth.

If you put off the root canal too long, you run the risk of your tooth becoming unsaveable, due to root reabsorption.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Crown won’t stay in

My permanent crown has fallen off three times.  My dentist can’t figure out what is going wrong. Do you have an idea?

Drew B. – MN

Drew,

I have some idea. I think your dentist doesn’t know how to bond them on properly.  If you use the proper bonding technique, then the crowns do not fall off. It is as simple as that.  You telling me that it has fallen out three times, really makes me think your dentist hasn’t a clue what he or she is doing. I’m not exaggerating. I know dentists who’ve been in business for over thirty years whom have never had a crown fall out.  In fact, I don’t know a dentist who has had a crown fall out.

I think you need a second opinion.  Go to a different dentist. Ask them if anything is wrong with your crown. If not, they can just bond it on for you, no problem. If there is something wrong with the crown as well, then I would see if they could make you a CEREC crown. This will save you an additional appointment, especially if you had to drive a distance for the second opinion. CEREC machines can mill your crown the same day as your appointment. There is no need for a temporary crown.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Am I too old to have my wisdom teeth removed?

I have a wisdom tooth that is really bothering me, but I am 33 years old and am a little concerned that I might be too old to have it removed. Is there much risk of complication at my age? Also, should I just have all of them removed or just wait until they bother me?

Rory Ann- Michigan

Rory Ann,

I don’t really get too concerned about complication until someone is 40. You’re young enough still where I think you can safely do this procedure.

If your wisdom tooth is bothering you, then there really isn’t much choice but to remove it anyway. Leaving a wisdom tooth infection is extremely dangerous. It can spread to your jawbone, even your brain. You want to get it removed as soon as possible.

I like the idea of you getting all of them out at the same time.  It’s no harder on your recovery and it is safer than waiting until they bother you.  That might not happen until you are over the age of 40, when complication, including your jaw breaking are more likely.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Emergency Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Sedation Dentistry

How much dental work in one sitting?

I haven’t been to the dentist in ages. I finally went in last week and found out that I needed quite a bit of work done. That is not a huge surprise, but it is disappointing. I don’t want to live at the dentist’s office. I wondered how much dental work can be done in one sitting?

Brian L.

Brian,

You haven’t mentioned what type of procedures you need. Is it just fillings? Or maybe you need some crowns and root canals?

How much can be done in one sitting depends on two things: 1. What type of procedures you need, and 2. Your tolerance in the chair.

Some people can handle a few hours, but it gets hard holding your mouth open.  I will tell you, that you could handle a lot more time in the chair if you used sedation dentistry. My suggestion would be either oral sedation dentistry or IV sedation. That will enable you  to get the most work done, with the least amount of discomfort to you.

If you go with sedation, you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Crown fell off

My temporary crown fell out.  Can I get it to stay back in using denture paste?

Luke H. – Georgia

Luke,

It is your dentist who should assume responsibility for the crown to be re-cemented. However, if for some reason  you can’t reach him or he does not take responsibility, you have two options:

First, you could go to a pharmacy and get some temporary dental cement.  Tell them what happened to your crown and they should be able to supply you with some.

Second, if the first option isn’t possible you can use super glue.  Don’t use too much because it can be hard to get off.

What I don’t want you to do is leave the crown off. Even if it is only off for a few days it will throw off your bite and then your permanent crwon will not fit.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.