My dentist recommended I get a lot of dental work – both cosmetic and general work. I need some cavities filled, one tooth filed down, and several root canals done. I’d also like to get my teeth whitened at this time. Can I get all of this done at once? Or will it take multiple visits?
Tammy, from Mesa, Arizona.
Hi Tammy,
To get the most work done at once, you’ll need a sedation dentist. The dentist will put you under oral conscious sedation. Without the sedation, it varies from dentist to dentist how much they will do at one time.
The procedures you need done are not complicated. However, it depends on where in your mouth you need the root canals done. It will take double the time if the root canals are needed in the back of your mouth, versus the front. Your best bet may be to see an endodontist for the root canals, as they are the most experienced and can work fastest.
If you have an experienced root canal dentist or endodontist that can work quickly, your appointment can be completed in about four hours. However, this also depends on your endurance. Without sedation, it may be best to break up the appointments.
This blog post is brought to you by Gilbert dentist, Dr. Roper, of Vista Dorada Dental.
My dentist told me I needed a root canal on my tooth, but I don’t have any pain. How long can I put off getting a root canal?
Haruka, from West Virginia
Hi Haruka,
If your tooth is not hurting, or has not hurt in awhile, it may be ok to delay it. It may be what’s called an arrested infection or a latent infection — you may have one but not know it. However, you can still be affected by the infection even if it doesn’t cause pain. Putting off a root canal raises the risk of external resorption —slowly, the infection will eventually kill the root, and the tooth won’t be salvageable. However, an infection caused by active decay will continue until the tooth is destroyed, and action must be taken immediately.
Even without pain, if you have a red pimple-like spot on your gum near the root tip, or the infection is draining in your mouth, these are signs of an active infection. You should make an appointment with your general dentist to get this taken care of. If your pain comes back or you feel severe pain, you should see an emergency dentist.
This blog post is brought to you by Gilbert emergency dentist, Dr. Matthew Roper, of Vistadorada Dental.
I’m in a bind. I’m a college student who grew up in a group home. Once I turned 18 I’ve been pretty much on my own. I went on a date where we went dancing. They had a platform which we were dancing on along with a bunch of other people. Apparently too many people because it collapsed. Outside of a few bruises and realizing my date cared more about his well-being than mine, I thought I was okay. But, this morning my front teeth feel loose. I don’t have a ton of money but I don’t want to lose my teeth. Would an emergency dentist charge the venue? I don’t know if I have enough to cover this. I don’t even know what “this” is.
Corra L.
Dear Corra,
First, I want to express that I’m sorry you’ve had to grow up in a group home. Hopefully, you have a good group of friends that help you feel you have some back up in this world. It is important that you see an emergency dentist. In the meantime, be sure not to wiggle them. I know it’s tempting, but you risk snapping your ligaments, which will derail your efforts to save the teeth.
I’m going to start by telling what to expect when you see an emergency dentist. They’ll check the tooth along with x-raying it to make sure no damage is done to the pulp. IF the pulp is damaged, you’ll need a root canal treatment and dental crown. Because you’re talking about your front teeth, be sure they only give you all-porcelain crowns (as opposed to the metal-based crowns). They look more natural and you won’t have to worry about a gray line developing at the top of your gumline.
If the pulp is fine, they’ll just need to splint your loose teeth to some stable teeth. It may just be a matter of giving the ligaments time to heal.
Affording an Emergency Dentist
Unfortunately, the dentists will not be able to bill the venue. Dentists can only bill those receiving the service or their guardians. However, save every receipt for every scrap of money this costs you. I’m sure they’ll be a lawsuit of some kind given that people were hurt and you’ll probably get the money back.
Even though the dentist can’t bill someone else, it doesn’t mean you’re trapped and can’t get the help you need. Most dentists went into the field because they wanted to help people. In fact, there are affordable dentists who will be willing to work with you. I believe, you especially, given your unique circumstances, will find dentists compassionate.
Some have in-house payment plans. Others use Care Credit. Either way, you should be able to get the care you need and then pay it out.
I need serious help. At this moment, I’m living off of extremely strong painkillers. My dentist had to send me home with them because he doesn’t know what to do. He tried on five different appointments to get me numb. But, after at least seven shots and some kind of paste on my gums he still couldn’t get me numb enough to do my root canal. What gives? I’m miserable and my dentist feels horrible. He’s even refunded my money.
Scott T.
Dear Scott,
What a difficult experience. I’m sure you’re in tons of pain, so I will make this quick. I know exactly what is going on here, because a colleague of mine (and a dentist himself) had the same problem whenever he went in for treatment.
Believe it or not, this dentist suffered from dental anxiety. Between you and me, I think it was frightening for him not to be in charge of the procedure.
What many dentists don’t realize is that dental anxiety and Novocain (along with other numbing medications) are not a good mix. The anxiety ups your metabolism which in turn burns off the numbing agent. The higher the anxiety, the faster it burns it out.
There’s a simple solution. You need dental sedation. You’ll simply take a pill before your appointment which will completely relax you. Be aware that it relaxes you so much, you’ll need someone to drive you to and from your appointment along with someone to stay with you until you’re steady on your feet again.
Whenever a patient with dental fear uses sedation, it enables the numbing medication to do its job. You’ll experience a stress-free, pain-free root canal treatment.
I had a toothache. I went to see an emergency dentist because I don’t have a dentist of my own and this seemed urgent. I described what was going on. He told me he can’t see anything wrong but my description means I’ve cracked my tooth. He suggested a crown. I decided to get right on it to be done with the whole disaster. Unfortunately, not only am I still hurting, but the tooth next to it has started turning gray. I’ve read that means it’s either dead or dying. Did my emergency dentist cause a new emergency?
Bebe M. – Virginia
Bebe,
I feel it’s unlikely the dentist injured or killed the tooth. There are three possibilities that come to mind right away. I’ll start with the least likely one. Let’s say you injured the cracked tooth and then a few days later, without realizing it, you injured the tooth right next to it. Yeah, like I said, not likely. But, it’s possible so I mention it.
Another more likely scenario is that both teeth were injured at the same time but the uncrowned tooth took a little longer than the other to show symptoms. This does happen.
As this tooth is dead or dying it will need a root canal treatment. You’ll want to deal with this quickly, though I know you’re tired of the situation. If you don’t it’s going to harbor bacteria and then you’ll have a serious dental emergency on your hands.
I am going to suggest that you go to a different dentist to have this treatment done because of the third possibility—misdiagnosis. It could have been the graying tooth that was the problem all along. Maybe it was referring pain and that’s why the dentist thought the crowned tooth is the problem or maybe he just messed up. Either way get the x-rays the first dentist did and bring them to the dentist you hire to do the root canal treatment. He or she can look at them and let you know if something was missed. If it turns out it was, you can get a refund on your first treatment.
My son and I were playing with his wooden swords. Not only was I soundly defeated, but I believe my front tooth was the biggest loser. I can now wiggle my front tooth. I’m terrified it’s going to fall out. What do I do?
Janelle O. – Massachusetts
Janelle,
Motherhood can be rough sometimes. You’re a cook, a chauffeur, a teacher, a counselor, a nurse, and…..a swordfighter. Or, in your case….victim.
The first thing I want you to do is stop moving the tooth. If you continue wiggling it, you will increase the likelihood of losing it. It sounds like the ligaments are stretched. What you don’t want is for them to snap.
I would consider this an emergency dental situation. If you don’t have a regular dentist that can get you in on short notice, do a Google search for “emergency dentist” and go to a decent one in your area.
They’ll need to stabilize your tooth. He may bond it to an adjacent tooth or splint it. There are several methods. If it’s just a minor sprain to the ligament, it should heal on its own. But, there could be other issues as well when we’re dealing with tooth trauma.
He’ll also need to check that there’s no damage to the pulp of the tooth. If there is, don’t panic. A root canal will take care of that issue.
Bottom line–get seen as quickly as possible. You may also want to invest in some sword fighting lessons as well.
Several months ago I had a filling placed. It was fine at the time, but then a few weeks later the tooth became sensitive to cold. Do I need to replace the filling?
Anthony S.-Bache, OK
Anthony,
When a tooth feels fine immediately after a new filling is placed, but then becomes sensitive later, that usually means that there are bacteria from the original decay that had penetrated into the pulp of the tooth. Generally, you wait it out and hope your normal body defenses kick in and deal with it.
The key as to whether you need to do anything will depend on if the sensitivity is getting better or not. If the sensitivity is improving, then you probably don’t need to do anything. If, however, the sensitivity is getting worse, then it is possible you will need to get a root canal treatment. If so, you’ll also need a dental crown.
This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Brandon Schmidt.
I had a white filling placed almost five months ago. A month ago I went back in to have it smoothed out because my floss kept getting caught on it. Since then I’ve been getting this horrible pain whenever I take a bite. I went back in to have it x-rayed. My dentist didn’t see anything and thinks it is just post-operative pain. The problem is I can’t eat anything. What do I do? The pain is getting worse.
Anthony S.- New Mexico
Anthony,
I would go see an endodontist. If this were just post-operative soreness, your pain would be getting better–not worse. When pain progresses instead of lessening, that is generally a sign there is an infection somewhere and a root canal treatment is in order. Take the x-rays your dentist already took. An endodontist might be able to see an infection that your dentist didn’t see.
You may also be interested in learning about CEREC Crowns.
This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.
Stay Ahead of the Curve with the Latest Dental Trends and Techniques
