Say no to crack.

Age, large fillings, and chewing on hard things can be hard on teeth.

This tooth has begun to crack.

The crack is the thin black line running from the metal 

filling down toward the gum tissue.

We removed the old metal filling and the cracked tooth structure.

We then placed a new white filling in both places.

The tooth is now in much less danger of splitting and the 

patient loves the look of the white replacing the gray.

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Not much tooth left so it should be easy to pull. Right?

This happens all the time.

People, who neglect their teeth, will wait until they have a tooth that is

broken off at the gums to come to my office to get it extracted.

Thye laugh a little nervous laugh and say...

"well, not much left so it should be pretty easy yo pull out, huh?"

The answer to that is, NO.

Imagine getting a fence post out of the ground.

Not the easiest thing in the world, right?

Now, take a chain saw and cut the fence post off at the ground.

How easy is that going to be now?!

If you want a tooth out, please, please, please, do not wait until

it is so broken down that there is nothing to grab on to.

It is NOT easier.

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What kind of bleaching is right for me?

Teeth whitening is a very hot topic these days.

It seems as though everybody and their dog is offering to have your

teeth whitened for life, by tomorrow.

So what is real and what is hype?

As a disclaimer let me just say that tooth whitening can be accomplished successfully with ANY of these methods and that the following is based on fact with my opinion thrown in for flavor.

There are basically 3 ways to whiten your teeth.

#1 With the whiteners you buy in the stores.

This includes strips, trays, paint on stuff, etc.

Couple of things to consider here. The strength of the bleach has to be over the counter strength which is going to be less then bleach you can get form your dentist. Its like buying Tylenol from the store vs getting Lortab from the dentist. Next is the way the bleach is delivered. Below is a picture of a bleaching strip. Since this strip is sold to everyone, it then by nature, fits no one. Administering bleach to the masses can be a very inexact science that could lead to burned gums or uneven bleaching of the teeth.

#2 Is custom trays made by your dentist and you do the bleaching at home.

This way of bleaching has a lot of up side.

First the strength of bleach is prescription strength which will allow you to bleach faster. Second while bleaching faster it is still slow enough to stop when you begin feeling too much sensitivity. Lastly the trays are made specifically for you. They will fit no one else and thus deliver the bleach right to where it is needed.

#3 In office light whitening.

This option is nice because it is the fastest. But there are some draw backs. The machines to do the bleaching are expensive so the cost must be passed on the the patient. Next, you can't stop bleaching when you begin to feel sensitive. You will lay back being one shade and be several shades lighter when you sit up. If you happen to have lightened up too much and your teeth are very sensitive to even breath you are kind of out of luck.

So again, there are probably many of you reading this that have gotten your teeth whitened by any of the ways just mentioned and it has worked well for you. And that is great. I personally have chosen to offer only the 2nd option in my office as I feel it is the best bang for the buck and offers the least chance of complications for my patients.

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Cosmetic Bonding for Ms. E

We will call her Ms. E to protect her identity.

But we will say "Boomer Sooner!!"

Ms. E had a problem.

One of her adult teeth never came in.

So, she was stuck with the baby tooth.

Below is a picture of the baby tooth.

Ms. E always hated this tooth and would always turn to her

other side when anyone took a picture.

She hated it but assumed that extraction, bridgework,and
perhaps surgery for implants were her only options.

But she, like so many other people, just didn't know what was possible.

We did this procedure in about 40 minutes.

No shots.

No drilling into the tooth.

And one very happy patient.

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When will my child's adult teeth come in?

This is a follow up on yesterday's post about tooth eruption.

Yesterday we talked about when the baby teeth will come in.

Today we will talk about when the adult teeth will come in.

As I told you yesterday, these are averages.

So if one of your kids is slower then this chart then

that's  okay and if one of your kids is faster then that's okay too.

That's what makes an average.

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When will my baby's teeth come in?

We get this question a lot from newer parents.

They want to make sure that their child is within a realm

of normalcy when it comes to their teeth.

So here is a chart that was put out by the 

American Dental Association.

You can find out exactly when the average age 

is for you child's teeth to come in.

Now notice that I said you can find the average.

The average means that half the kids are faster then

this chart and half the kids are slower then this chart.

So this chart may help give you an idea but your child could 

be very different from the norm. 

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Its just a little spot.

We will call this young man Mr. K

Mr. K thought he saw a small discoloration on one of his teeth.

Here is what he saw.

Doesn't look too bad...... right?

This is Mr K's tooth after we dug out all of the cavity.

In some instances a little color is just a little cavity.

But in others a little color can lead to a big cavity.

That's just it. There is no way for you to tell. 

That is why at the soonest sign of any color change

in any of your teeth you need to get in to see your dentist.

Now lest you think all is lost for poor old Mr. K, do not fear.

Below is a picture of the finished product.

We got him all fixed up and he will be back to full speed in no time.

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