Tag Archives: gilbert dentist

Dental Emergency

Am I a Baby or is Toothache an Emergency?

I feel like such a baby. My tooth really hurts. Like excruciating hurts. My dentist just said to schedule an appointment, but I can’t take this. Am I a baby or is this more of a see me now kind of thing?

Beth C. – New Hampshire

Beth,

If you’re in that much pain, your dentist needs to see you. If he’s unwilling to see you, which is what it sounds like, you need another dentist.

There is a solution.  My suggestions would be to see an emergency dentist. They’ll see you the same day, in most cases. They can get you out of pain , while you schedule a follow up appointment with your dentist or with a different dentist (which would be my suggestion).

Just don’t put it off out of frustration. You want to  make sure this is dealt with because it is likely a tooth infection.

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

Sedation Dentistry

Scared of Sedation Because of News Stories

I finally talked myself into going to the dentist by using sedation (It will be my first time in sixteen years) and now I keep seeing all these news stories about patients being sexually assaulted.  Now I’m afraid to go.

Cyndy M. – New Jersey

Cyndy,

I understand you’re frightened. These type of stories are very scary.  Though it may not mean much to you now, I will tell you that these type cases are very rare. Most dentists ( and their staff) went into the field in orderto help people. They have no interest in doing harm.

Sedation is a great way to get your dental care done, pain free, especially  if you have dental anxiety. Generally, dentists have someone else in the room with them during sedation for their own protection. That way they can’t be accused of anything.

However, one thing you can do to put your mind at ease is to bring a friend.  Talk to the dentist about your concern. They’ll likely be able to accomdate your friend to be there with you.

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

Affordable Dentistry

Can’t afford to clean my teeth

I’m a young adult, fresh out of college. I need to get my teeth cleaned, but when I called to get a price it was outrageous. Then, I called to get insurance, but it was too much money and every month. I asked my mom to pay for it, but she said I should plan and save up.  How in the world am I supposed to get my teeth cleaned?

Marcus G. – Little Rock, AR

Marcus,

Life is hard for adults, isn’t it? Some dentists are more expensive than others, so I hope you didn’t just hear one really expensive price and give up.  There are more affordable ways to get dental care as well.

Even though you can’t afford the insurance, some dentists have their own in-office plans. These tend to be much more affordable and the fee is annual instead of monthly.

You’ll also get discounts on cleanings and other services in most of them.

Also, don’t hate me, but I agree with your mother.  If you put aside a little every month, you’ll have the money for a cleaning in no time. You don’t want to get in the habit of being dependent on other people to provide for your basic need.

It’s a horrible cycle that few people get out of.

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

Dental Emergency

Tooth Cracked

I bit into something and my tooth cracked. I’ve never even heard of such a thing.  What do I do?

Bronwyn P. – Georgia

Bronwyn,

This happens more frequently than you think.  You need to be seen fairly quickly to take care of this and hopefully save your tooth.

If you don’t already have a dentist you need to see an emergency dentist. They’re willing to take non-established patients, often even the same day.

There is an underlying problem that has caused your tooth to crack that will need to be addressed. Your body is interconnected. What affects your teeth will eventually affect your whole body. Be sure not to neglect this.

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

Affordable Dentistry

Why do some dentists have their own insurance plans?

I was pricing dental insurance and noticed some dentists have their own plans.  I have trouble affording my dental care and the dentist I want to go to isn’t on any of the plans.  I noticed some dentists have their own plans. Why are they not just part of the regular dental plans?

Abbey S. – Maryland

Abbey,

One of the problems with dental insurance plans is they often try to dictate what work the dentist can do.  They want to only cover the lowest cost treatment. While low cost is great, Sometimes a patient wants the best treatment.

Dentists want to give their patients the best dental care possible. Sometimes, to do that and keep the dentistry affordable they start their own care plan.

You pay a minimal fee, but get discounts on all your care. It enables the dentist to do quality work, while giving patients the discounts they typically get with insurance.

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

Dental Emergency

How can I treat full mouth pain?

I woke up with horrible pain radiating around my entire mouth. It’s pulsating up into my head too.  I have a huge audition today. One that can change my life. I can’t afford this pain, especially in my mouth and jaw.  I need some kind of remedy. Will an emergency dentist help?

LeeAnne S. – Florida

LeeAnne,

A lot of it depends on what kind of dental health you’ve had up until now.  If you’ve had poor dental health, then an emergency dentist might find something that is causing the problem.

If, however, you’ve had great dental health up until this point, then it is likely the stress of your audition is the cause of the pain.  In your anxiety, it’s possible that you’ve been clenching your jaw all night. This would cause the type of pain you’re experiencing.

If that is the case, you can take some anti-inflammatories to help you get through your audition.

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

Sedation Dentistry

Why can’t I get numb?

I’ve been to the dentist twice to get a procedure done, but he hasn’t been able to get me numb.  We end up abandoning the procedure.  What’s the deal?

Danny B. – New Jersey

Danny,

It’s possible that you have some form of dental anxiety, even without realizing it.  That can cause your body to burn up the anesthetic before it has a chance to really take effect.

Sometimes using something as simple as nitrous oxide will relax you enough for the numbing medicine to take effect.  If that doesn’t work, you’ll need a stronger type of dental sedation.

I would go to a sedation dentist and let them know what is going on. You will likely have your first completely pain free dental appointment, which should really help with that anxiety.

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

Affordable Dentistry

I can’t afford my teeth

I saved up for what seems like forever to get my teeth cleaned, and now the dentist is telling me that I need a lot of work done.  It’s going to cost thousands.  Would it be better just to get rid of my teeth?

Amanda W. – Louisana

Amanda,

I know you’re frustrated. I know you’re in a panic about the cost, but getting rid of your teeth when it is unneccesary is a bad idea.  You didn’t mention what was wrong with your teeth, but I’m guessing you’re not in pain or you wouldn’t have been saving up just for a cleaning.

Before you do anything, I want you to get a second opinion. I find it hard to believe you need that much work if your teeth haven’t been bothering you.

Next, I want you to understand that, if you do need some work, there are affordable dental care options. Talk to some dentists about your situation. Many of them will be willing to work with you.

Getting rid of your teeth will cause more problems AND be more expensive.  You’ll need to replace your teeth (if you don’t want to live off of mashed potatoes) and that can be very expensive.

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

Dental Emergency

Is a gum pimple a problem?

`My husband was messing with his mouth, saying it hurts. I looked at it and he has a pimple on his gums.  We popped it and got out all the goop, but it keeps coming back.  Is this something dental?

Helen M. – Washington

Helen,

Yes, this is something dental.  It sounds to me like he has a dental abscess. This can get serious and your husband needs to see an emergency dentist or get an emergency appointment with his existing detnist if he has one.

An abscess means his tooth is infected. That infection will spread.  It can become a serious issue quickly.  Your mouth is close to your brain and that is one of the LAST places you’d want an infection to spread to.

This isn’t something that can be fixed with just antibiotics.  The dentist will have to get in there and physically remove the infected tissue.

Don’t let him put off being seen.

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

CEREC crowns

Intereting Yahoo question on CEREC crowns.

I recently came across a question about CEREC crowns on yahoo that I thought was interesting.

I recently had a Cerec crown put in. I was told how great this was and that they go in take a picture that make a 3d image of the tooth and they send it to the mill that makes it. My understanding was that it was supposed to make this perfect fitting crown.
Well I ended up in the dental chair for about 3 hours. She said she had to pic a generic image from the database because my tooth was so damaged or in bad shape. This seemed odd to me and didn’t make since due to what I was told before. The crown did not fit when it was created. I noticed a lot of red area on the sides on the screen and she was doing a lot of hand manipulation to the 3d model. The crown didn’t filt. She had to hand grind the sides and a lot off the top. It seemed like it really sat up very high. As if it was made way to high. She had to do a lot of grinding to it so it felt natural. It seems like it’s a alittle lower then the surrounding teeth and doesn’t seem to have that natural tooth look. Almost looks a little too smooth. It is also a little wider on the outside at the base then the rest of my teeth. I would have assumed it would been pretty even. Also it seems a little sensitive. I don’t know if that’s normal for a period of time or not. Its been almost a week. It just don’t feel strong. I wonder if it is not seated in properly.
Now when I went to the Cerec site. It seemed as if it was supposed to be a nearl perfect fit. Would pnly take a fraction of the time. And only minor modification if any. I also sen the image of how it looks when they take the image. My tooth looked identical to this, so Im a little concerned why she is saying it was because the tooth was in bad shape as to why they couldn’t fit it right or get a proper model of it. It looks from the site that they could make a copy of the top tooth to know how it would fit. My understanding was this was what they did. But they only took a image of the prepared tooth which again looked like the images in their flash presentation. Did she do something wrong and is trying to cover it up? What about the sensitivity and such?

Here are my thoughts….

This patient definitely needs to see another dentist to have it checked.  A lot can go wrong with a dental crown and I’m afraid this one has some serious problems.  If indeed the crown needs to be replaced, then he dentist the caused the problem in the first place, should pay for the replacement and any other repairs that need to be attended to.

There is something that puzzles me.  This patient said that their dentist had to take a generic image from the database because their tooth was in “such bad shape”.

The CEREC crown system is made to deal with teeth that are in bad shape. Teeth that are in good shape don’t need crowns. The software asks the dentist to input which tooth is being crowned. It in turn gives the dentist a starting point for designing the crown, showing him or her what the tooth is supposed to.  The dentist is also given the images of the surrounding teeth and  opposing teeth. This gives the dentist all the information needed to fit the crown perfectly. Clearly, this dentist didn’t know what they were doing.

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