dental bridge Archives - Kentucky Dental Group

Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection

Posted on August 2, 2020 by writeradmin.

I saw a dentist two weeks ago for a tooth that was infected. He has me on two antibiotics. I was getting better and then three days ago, it started to get worse again. Now I am swollen up to my eye. Am I on the wrong antibiotic?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

I am hoping there was a miscommunication between you and your dentist. Antibiotics alone will not treat a tooth infection. Their purpose is two-fold. First, they are used to get an infection under more control until the actual treatment is done. Second, they can hold off the infection for a short time while you wait for your appointment. Is it possible your dentist said you needed to schedule a follow-up appointment and you forgot about that part? If not, your dentist has a fundamental lack of understanding about tooth infections. So fundamental, it makes me question how he graduated.

Treating a Tooth Infection

The way to treat a tooth infection is for the dentist to physically remove the infected tissue. There are two ways of accomplishing this. The first is with a root canal treatment. This is the ideal solution because it saves your tooth, especially the root which is extremely important.

The second option is to extract the tooth. I only recommend this when the tooth cannot be saved. Once a tooth is extracted, it needs to be replaced. Otherwise, the other teeth will shift and tip into its place, which can throw off your bite leading to a lifetime of jaw pain from TMJ Disorder.

You should be aware that infected teeth are considered a dental emergency. This is because the infection will spread until proper treatment is completed. I am especially concerned by the fact that you are swollen up to your eye. You do not want a tooth infection to reach your brain, heart, or lungs. If it does it will become life-threatening rather quickly. Believe it or not, people still die from tooth infections.

If Your Tooth Can’t Be Saved

Hopefully, a simple root canal treatment is all you need. If it is too late to save your tooth, you have two good options for a tooth replacement. The ideal replacement is to get a dental implant. If that is not possible or if one of your adjacent teeth happens to need a dental crown, then getting a dental bridge is another good option for you.

Please don’t put off getting this dealt with. Call the dentist who you originally saw and tell him you need a root canal treatment right away.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Am I Allergic to the Metal in this Crown?

Posted on October 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’ve been having a crown placed over the last 5-6 weeks. Since it’s been placed, I’ve had some problems with what I feel are allergy symptoms including dry mouth, tingling and numbness on the side of my mouth which has the crown, as well as a burning tongue on that same side. I wondered if I was allergic to the metal in the crown but he said, even if I was you can’t place all-porcelain crowns on back teeth. I spoke with my dentist and he said there aren’t enough allergy symptoms to indicate I’m allergic to anything. My next step was to go to my doctor and have blood work done. He doesn’t see anything bacterial or viral which could be the source of my symptoms. I just need some advice. What do I do?

Melissa

Dear Melissa,

There is a growting availability of metal free dental care.

I’m curious about your dentist’s statement that you haven’t had enough allergy symptoms. Was he waiting for you to go into anaphylactic shock before he took you seriously? There are varying degrees of allergies, just because you don’t have the most severe form doesn’t mean you’re not allergic to something.

You have enough symptoms where it would be worth investigating. If your medical insurance will cover you seeing an allergist, that’s the first thing I’d do. This could help you figure out if it could be a metal allergy or maybe an allergy to the bonding agent, etc.

Metal-Free Dental Care

While your dentist is technically correct that all-porcelain crowns aren’t strong enough to handle the biting forces of your back teeth, there are other metal-free dental materials that are strong enough. Many dentists are now offering metal-free options, using zirconia now. Zirconia is so strong, it is has been dubbed ceramic steel. This is definitely strong enough to be placed on your back teeth.

They also make them in dental implants as well as a dental bridge. If it does turn out you have a metal sensitivity, then you could look for a dentist who already works in these materials. Whatever you do, don’t let your dentist make you feel like you’re being difficult. This is your health you’re talking about.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Why Is My Holistic Dentist Suggesting a Root Canal Treatment?

Posted on August 30, 2019 by writeradmin.

I specifically choose a holistic dentist because I wanted to do things naturally. Yet, when I got a toothache, he is suggesting a root canal treatment. Can’t I just treat the infection with oils?

Brianna

Dear Brianna,

woman holding a loose aloe vera plant with dirt

A holistic dentist factors in the health of your whole body.

It’s great that you try to do things in a natural and healthy way for your body. Believe it or not, that’s what your holistic dentist is trying to do as well. Dental infections are a little different from other types of infections. Oils won’t work. Antibiotics won’t even work. The infection has to be physically removed by a dentist, hence the root canal treatment.

This is because the infection causes the pulp of the tooth to die. When that happens, there is no blood flow left which doesn’t allow any medication to reach the infection. That is why the dentist has to remove the infection with a root canal treatment. This completely removes the infection while enabling you to save your tooth.

Alternative to a Root Canal Treatment

The only real alternative to a root canal treatment, once a tooth is infected, is to extract the tooth. This will require you to also get the tooth replaced. Even if the tooth isn’t visible when you smile, you’ll need to replace it. If you don’t, the other teeth will drift and tip into the empty space. This causes bite problems which can lead to more serious issues, such as TMJ Disorder.

If you decide to go this route, you’ll want a good tooth replacement option. The top two options are a dental implant or a dental bridge. Both of these are invasive. The implant requires surgery. The bridge requires you to grind down the two adjacent teeth in order for them to have dental crowns.

Never Put Off Treatment for a Tooth Infection

I don’t want you to put off treatment. I know it’s tempting when you are facing a treatment you aren’t keen on. But, tooth infections are dental emergencies. The infection will continue to spread. Some spread rapidly and become life-threatening.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Oral Surgeon or Dentist for Extraction

Posted on June 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

I had a filling fall out. I ignored it because I’m not the best at keeping up with my needed dental care. I have some dental anxiety that tends to help me justify putting things off. Well, the tooth became painful again and I went to see a dentist who did a root canal treatment. I didn’t follow up with the crown and the dentist never contacted me. At the time I considered that good luck. Now I’m not so sure. The tooth was reinfected. I went to see another dentist who said the tooth is too far gone and needs to be extracted. He told me it’s a complicated extraction so I could go to an oral surgeon who’d use anesthesia or him with a local. Would it be unsafe to use a regular dentist? Anesthesia is pretty pricey but I don’t want to do anything unsafe.

Carl

Dear Carl,

Sedation dentistry is sometimes called sleep dentistry…for a reason.

It’s not unsafe to do an extraction with a general dentist unless the dentist is in over his head. That may be what your dentist is hinting at by even suggesting you go elsewhere. The first thing I’d do is ask him his comfort level with this procedure. If he’s comfortable then you should be fine. If he’s not you have two other choices.

Go to an Oral Surgeon

An oral surgeon will be experienced in any number of complicated extractions and you can do it under anesthesia. However, as you mentioned earlier, this is a more expensive proposition for you. I have a middle ground, which I think will also help with the dental anxiety you face as well.

Go to a Dentist who Offers Sedation Options

There are dental sedation options with a general dentist which cost less than what you’d have to pay with anesthesia. You will still be completely relaxed. In fact, it is sometimes dubbed sleep dentistry because most patients are so relaxed they sleep through the entire appointment.

You’ll find this allows you to get a lot more work done in each sitting as well. This means you can get caught up on all your neglected dental work as well.

Once your tooth is removed, it will be time for you to look at tooth replacement options. I’m going to suggest you get a dental implant as it is the best replacement option. However, if the adjacent teeth need extensive work, such as porcelain crowns, it will be more cost effective for you to get a dental bridge instead. This will crown the adjacent teeth while filling in the missing tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Dental Implant Versus Dental Bridge

Posted on May 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I need to replace a tooth. My dentist has given me two choices. I can either get a dental implant or a dental bridge. I’m having a hard time deciding. He said the dental implant is better but it does mean surgery. Can you help me understand the benefit to surgery?

Malcolm

Dear Malcolm,

It’s always important to understand the pros and cons of every option. I don’t know how much your dentist explained to you so I’m going to go over the procedures.

With a dental bridge, The two adjacent teeth will be crowned and a false tooth suspended between the two of them. They are bonded on. The downsides are twofold. One, you have to grind down the structure of healthy teeth. Two, if one part of the bridge fails, the whole thing has to be replaced. The upside is no surgery.

With a dental implant, a prosthetic tooth root is surgically placed into your jawbone. You are given some time to heal and for the bone to integrate with the implant. Then, a dental crown is placed on top. Its upsides are numerous but can be summarized by the fact that it is like having a healthy natural tooth in your mouth again. Its downside is you need some minor surgery.

Cosmetic Considerations with Tooth Replacement Options

The color of tooth replacement options can be made any color you want. However, whatever color you end up with is permanent. If you’ve ever considered whitening your teeth, the time to do that is before you have the replacement tooth made.

If you decide to have teeth whitening done later, your natural teeth will whiten, but the cosmetic work will not. In order to get them to match, the crown or bridge will have to be re-made to the new color.

Doing everything ahead of time saves you a significant amount of money.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.