Dentistry

When do I Need a Root Canal? What is a root canal?  Simply put, a root canal is a filling for your tooth nerve. Once your tooth nerve is damaged, you must either perform a root canal treatment or extract the tooth. A filling is not going to get the job done any longer because fillings do not address the tooth nerve. When do I need a root canal?  You need a root canal whenever your tooth nerve is damaged. This can happen due to cavities, trauma, fracture or a large dental restoration. Unfortunately, tooth nerve damage is irreversible. Once your tooth nerve is damaged, your tooth will start hurting. You now need to perform a root canal treatment, which is removing the tooth nerve. Cavities  New or old cavities progress deeper into your tooth. Cavities start on the outer surface of teeth and work their way inside. Once the cavity bugs have reached the tooth nerve, the tooth is now infected. This can no longer be fixed with a filling and you will require a root ...

How Long Does it Take To Complete A Dental Implant?  Completing a dental implant can take anywhere from 1 day to 2 years! To answer this question, you first need to understand the parts that construct a dental implant . Most dental implants have three separate parts: (1) Implant Fixture This is the screw which is placed into your jawbone. The implant fixture is the part most commonly referred to as the “implant” itself even though it’s only one of three parts. Once you receive the fixture, you have no actual tooth to show for since the fixture is placed underneath your gums. (2) Implant Abutment The implant abutment is the intermediate part which connects the fixture to your crown. (3) Implant Crown The implant crown is the final piece of the implant which you will receive. This is the actual tooth that you’ve been waiting for. So while you probably only care about the actual implant crown, you must receive the fixture and abutment first. Now that you understand ...

Are Dental Implants Painful? Dental implants are not painful because they don't involve tooth nerves. Luckily for those that need them, dental implants are not painful at all. Let me expand on that: The pain associated with dental work is generated through nerve endings located inside your teeth. Simply put, your teeth are what’s responsible for dental pain. Dental implants deal with your jawbone and not your teeth. Since your jawbone does not have the same sensitive nerve endings as teeth do, implant placement is not painful. To better understand this, let’s examine what causes toothache. Dental pain is generated when a tooth is infected as a result of a cavity or fracture. The nerve ending inside your tooth detects this infection and sends a signal to your brain. This signal is what triggers toothache. When it comes to dental implants, we are not dealing with teeth nerves but jawbone. Since your jawbone is not equipped with similar nerve endings as teeth, there is mini...

Are Porcelain Veneers Right For Me? Porcelain Veneer being placed on front tooth by dentist. Porcelain Veneers are thin dental coverings which are placed on top of front teeth to make your teeth look more beautiful.Porcelain Veneers are very useful in dentistry since they let dentists do so much with your smile. Since Porcelain Veneers are very thin, typically the size of a thick contact lens, they do minimal damage to your teeth. They are made from durable porcelain, which is very resilient and can stand your bite forces. Porcelain Veneers match your teeth shape and are nearly impossible to distinguish from natural teeth. Plus, they don’t stain or change color over time, so they look as good as new even ten years down the line. Your Porcelain Veneers are custom designed with the goal of restoring your ideal smile based upon your idea of the perfect smile. They are the most common cosmetic treatment offered by cosmetic dentists, aside from teeth whitening and Invisalign© . To ...

Should I Consider Sedation Dentistry? Sedation dentistry can help you overcome your fear of going to the dentist. If you are reading this article then it’s probably safe to say that going to the dentist is not your favorite activity. If this is the case, then you may want to consider being put to sleep as an option. Sedation “sleep” dentistry, is a fancy word for using a combination of drugs and gases to achieve different levels of “sleepiness”. The lowest level of sedation is achieved with sedative pills or Nitrous Oxide gas which puts you at ease and takes the edge off. The next level of sedation uses oral conscious sedation or IV sedation and makes you very drowsy, although y ou still breath on your own at this level of sedation. The highest level of sedation uses general anesthesia which requires an anesthesiologist and completely knocks you out. Before you read the rest of the article, please come up with a number between 1 to 10 describing how scared of the dentist you ar...

Should You Connect Dental Implants to Natural Teeth? Dental Implant Connected to Natural Tooth Via a Dental Bridge No, you should NEVER connect a dental implant to natural teeth. There may be rare exceptions where this may be acceptable, but it really should be a last resort option. I have personally placed around 5000 implants and I have never splinted a natural tooth to a dental implant. Often times this is a shortcut technique, which like most shortcuts in dentistry, ends up failing. Take the above illustration as an example which shows a dental implant connected to natural tooth with a dental bridge. This is not an ideal treatment option and is not recommended. A better solution would be to place an extra dental implant in the gap region to avoid splinting the dental implant to your natural tooth. Typically, this alternative treatment takes longer to complete and costs substantially more money, as it requires additional dental implants and bone graft , but the result...

Are Dental Implants Safe? When questioning the safety of dental implants, there are a few different concerns which come to mind. Are dental implants compatible with my body? Are there any risks? Am I a good candidate? Am I too old for implants? How successful are dental implants really? To help you better understand the safety of dental implants and  put you at ease, here are all the answers you need to know about dental implant treatment: Are Dental Implants Compatible With My Body? Dental implants are made from material which is extremely safe and compatible with our bodies. Most dental implants are made from a titanium alloy. Titanium is super compatible with our bodies, does not cause rejection or allergic reactions, plus titanium is very sturdy and lightweight. These characteristics make titanium an excellent choice for dental implants. In fact, hip and knee replacement implants are also made from a similar titanium alloy and in many cases by the same manufacturers. Th...