Annmarie Worthington

Is A Dental Infection Really Serious?

April 26, 2024 by writeradmin

I had a molar that broke in half last week. It’s on the upper right side. A week later, my cheek and upper sinus area started hurting. I wasn’t sure if it was a sinus infection or a tooth infection. Now the pain is up by my temples. My sister thinks it is a tooth infection from the broken molar and that it is serious. She insists I go to a dentist, but I am incredibly busy. Is this as serious as my sister is making out or can this just wait until my next dental appointment?

Breen

Dear Breen,

I am very glad you wrote. This is a tooth infection and it is spreading. I know it is hard to believe, but people still die from tooth infections. This is making its way to your brain and you do not want that. I know you are busy, but this is something that you will need to make time for. Because of how much it has spread already, I would consider it a dental emergency. Ideally, you want to save the tooth by getting a root canal treatment and then have a dental crown placed on top of it.

If the tooth cannot be saved, then you will need to have it extracted and replaced. You do not want to leave the tooth place empty. If you do, the other teeth will drift or tip into the open space. This could lead to painful TMJ Disorder, so it is important you replace the tooth. There are a great number of tooth replacement options from the top of the line with dental implants all the way down to something like a dental flipper.

A dental implant is the most like having a healthy, natural tooth in your mouth again, but they are a bit pricey. The dental flipper is the cheapest but they are meant to be temporary while you save up for a better option. There are a couple of options in between those two ends of the spectrum as well.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

Why Won’t My Denture Stay In?

April 15, 2024 by writeradmin

I had a denture done quite a few years ago with no problem. It was time to redo it. My dentist gave me one but it just would not stay in. My dentist suggested I give it a few weeks for my gums to adjust to the new denture but that was no help. He had me come in and then said that he thought the problem was likely with my bite. To fix that, he ground down some of the teeth, including the molars, which are now pretty much just nubs. This hasn’t helped either and he is again telling me to give my gums time to adjust. I don’t know what to do.

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

Your dentist’s instruction of saying to let the gums adjust is a stall tactic and will do nothing. There are a couple of possibilities here for what is going on with your dentures. You didn’t say if it was an upper denture or lower denture giving you the problem. If it is the upper denture then giving you a reline may help.

However, let me explain what could be going wrong with that. To get a really accurate impression, your dentist would need to do a two-step impression. First, a heavy impression material is used in order to register where the borders of the denture will be, in a process called border molding. The border is the part of the denture responsible for the suction, which is how an upper denture is kept in place.

This will be followed by a light body material that fills up the interior part of the impression. That will give a good model for all the soft tissue. Sometimes a dentist will cut corners using a single step impression with a medium-body material. This is not as accurate and could be what is happening to you. If you decide to try a reline, be sure to ask for the two-step impression.

If the problem is actually your lower dentures, then a reline or even redoing the denture won’t be helpful. Your lower dentures just rest on the ridge of your jawbone. If you’ve had your dentures for a while, as it sounds like you have, then you are likely struggling with the beginnings of facial collapse. When your teeth were removed, your body began to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. The longer you are in dentures, the more your jawbone shrinks. Somewhere between 10-20 years, depending on how fast your resorption is, you will no longer have enough jawbone to retain your denture.

The solution to this is to first have bone grafting done in order to build up the missing bone. After that, you have two choices. First, you can get dentures again, but be aware that the whole process of facial collapse will begin again. If you want to prevent that, then you will need to have dental implants placed and then have your denture anchored to the implants. Because the dental implants function as tooth roots, it signals to your body that your jawbone is still needed and it will leave it intact.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

I Have Doubts About What Her Dentist Is Telling Her?

March 28, 2024 by writeradmin

I need some advice. I had a tooth that is hurting on and off for a couple of weeks. I finally got up the courage to go see a dentist. He took an x-ray and told me that there was a cavity under a tooth I already had a dental filling for. He told me he thought there would not be enough healthy tooth left to save the tooth and will probably end up extracting it. He wants me to start thinking about whether I would want a dental implant or a dental bridge. Does this sound accurate to you or would I do better to get a second opinion. I will admit that I am terrified of pretty much any dental procedure so the idea of what he’s suggesting has me shaking. I’d appreciate any advice that you can give me.

Tatiana

Dear Tatiana,

First, let me say that I am glad you were courageous enough to see the dentist despite your fear. Many people with dental anxiety wait until there is a dental emergency and end up in an even worse situation. Before you do anything, I think you would be wise to seek a second opinion. There are some reasons I have some doubt about what your dentist is saying.

First, you mentioned this tooth had just started hurting. If your tooth were as far gone as your dentist mentioned, then your tooth would have started hurting months ago. Second, if there was so much decay that the tooth could not be saved, not only would he not have needed to take an x-ray to diagnose that, but your filling would have fallen out. There should be a gaping hole in the tooth. Get that second opinion before you do anything else.

Dealing with Your Dental Anxiety

You are not alone in being terrified of the dentist. About half of all Americans have some form of dental anxiety. The good news is that there is a solution. Whenever you have a distressing dental appointment, you will find that going to a sedation dentist will change your life. Even something as simple as nitrous oxide will relax you. If you have a severe anxiety, I would look for someone who offers oral conscious sedation. However, that is so strong that you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment, as well as stay with you for a few hours at home until you are lucid and steady on your feet.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

Was I Taken In By A “Cosmetic” Dentist?

March 22, 2024 by writeradmin

I have four crowns on my front teeth that I had done years ago. They were looking pretty dingy so I went to my dentist, who is also a cosmetic dentist, and asked him what to do. He said that KöR Teeth Whitening was stronger than most and would do a good job. Well, they did a good job, but not on my dental crowns. The teeth next to them look great, but the crowns look worse than ever. Now he’s suggesting we replace them. Did he make them worse on purpose so that I’d have to get new crowns?

Brandon

Dear Brandon,

I am sorry this happened to you. I could not tell you if your dentist did this on purpose, it’s possible he is just incompetent when it comes to cosmetic dentistry. Either way, this is not going to be the best dentist for you to have the crowns replaced with.

Teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure. It will have no impact on your dental crowns. Because of that, the teeth get whiter and the crowns stay the same, which has the net effect of making them look even worse. You will definitely need to replace these crowns if you want them to look good. So, if this dentist isn’t the one to do it, who is?

You mentioned your dentist is a cosmetic dentist. Did you know that there is not a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry? That means any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. Here is the big problem with that. Cosmetic dentistry is barely touched on in dental school. In order for a dentist to develop both the skill and artistry necessary to create beautiful results, they need to invest in post-doctoral training.

Teeth whitening is one of the most basic procedures in the cosmetic world and your dentist does not have a grasp of even that. I would not let him near your dental crowns. Instead, look for someone who has invested in that post-doctoral training. Look at their bios to get an idea. For example, here is Dr. Murphree’s bio. This will give you an example of the type of dentist you want to do your porcelain crowns for you.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

Dental Bonding Is Already Stained

February 29, 2024 by writeradmin

I had dental bonding done about three weeks ago. It is already picking up stains. I have been drinking coffee, but my dentist never said anything about avoiding coffee. Is that the problem or is there something else going on?

James

Dear James,

While dental bonding does not last long, it should last much longer than three weeks. You’ll need to have someone with expertise in cosmetic dentistry examine this, but I can tell you what my suspicion is regarding what is going wrong with this.

There are a variety of fillers used in the composite used in dental bonding. These all have different properties and sizes.

Hybrid composites are stronger, but the size of their particles means they cannot be polished to a high shine. It is the polish that helps with it being stain resistant.

Microfills have extremely small particles that can be polished to a high luster that will even mimic tooth enamel. The downside to these is that they are not very strong.

There are newer nanofill composites that are saying they are a combination of both strength and polishability. Though, the jury is still out on that.

My guess is that you had your bonding done by your basic bread and butter family dentist. They will stock a general purpose composite bonding. What you need is an expert cosmetic dentist who keeps a wider variety of composites. What a skilled dentist would do in this case is to place a stronger resin on the interior, but then add the microfill on the surface in order to get that high polish. In addition to that, dentists will use a variety of shades and translucencies in order to mimic the appearance of natural teeth.

I suspect your dentist was not able to or did not know how to do those additional steps. You may want to show your dentist this post and give him or her an opportunity to repair this. If they don’t think they can do it or they are unwilling, then he should give you a refund so that you will be able to get it done by someone who can.

One other thing. Dental bonding does not whiten after it is applied. If you want whiter teeth, the time to have teeth whitening done is before the bonding is done.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

Can I Prevent “Old Mouth”?

February 23, 2024 by writeradmin

I am just in my late twenties and have had horrible problems with my teeth. I feel like every time I am at the dentist something else goes wrong. Then, I was diagnosed with a calcium deficiency. My dentist said I am fighting a losing battle with the lack of calcium and wants me just to extract the rest of my teeth and get dentures. I remember my grandmother in dentures and her mouth was all scrunched up. She looked ancient. My mother called it old mouth. I don’t want to look that same way, especially as I am still what I consider young. Is there anything that can prevent this?

Peggy

Dear Peggy,

What your mother called “old mouth” is what dentists call facial collapse. This happens to people who are in completely removable dentures because your body recognizes that you do not have any teeth roots in your jaw. To preserve as many resources for the rest of your body as possible, it resorbs the minerals from your jawbone to use elsewhere. This shrinks the bone itself and gives that scrunched up appearance. There is a way to prevent it. However, I have my doubts about what your dentist is saying.

If you developed a calcium deficiency in adulthood, then it would not have any impact on your teeth. Your teeth are fully formed and are not impacted by a calcium deficiency. There would have needed to be a problem during their development. When you are an adult, the impact will give you nerve problems, cramps, and even osteoporosis, but it will not damage your teeth.

You may be wondering why a dentist would tell you to extract your teeth unnecessarily. The truth is dentists will vary in their willingness to work hard in order to save teeth. Some will work tirelessly to save them. Others prefer just to extract problem teeth. You mentioned you’ve had challenges with your teeth. It’s possible this dentist just doesn’t want to deal with them. I recommend getting a second opinion by a dentist who prefers to retain as much natural tooth structure as possible.

If for some reason, it turns out you do end up losing your teeth, you do not have to be stuck with facial collapse. In order to prevent that, you will need to have dental implants placed and then have dentures anchored to them. The dental implants stand in as prosthetic teeth roots and signal to your body that you still need your jawbone intact.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

Porcelain Veneers While Pregnant

January 31, 2024 by writeradmin

Can you help me? I didn’t know that I was pregnant and had gotten porcelain veneers. A few days later I learned about the pregnancy. I read that you shouldn’t do any cosmetic work when pregnant and now I’m worried that it hurt the baby. Is there anything I can do or is it too late?

Andrea

Dr. Andrea,

First, take a deep breath. Your baby was not harmed from you getting the porcelain veneers. Have you taken that deep breath yet? Okay, Congratulations! What an exciting time for you. I can tell you are going to be a good mother because you are already stressing. It’s sort of the default emotion for new moms.

Here is why you don’t have to stress over this. Dental work is discouraged in the first trimester because that is the time when the baby is most at risk from foreign substances. The good news is the only medication used with porcelain veneers is a local anesthetic. The most common of these is Lidocaine. The particular anesthetic is approved for use in pregnancy. In fact, it is even used during delivery.

Dental Care When Pregnant

Be sure to schedule your regular dental checkup for your second trimester. This is because you will be past the more tenuous first phase of your pregnancy and the third trimester is when women are feeling less comfortable sitting in a dental chair for any period of time.

Do your best to avoid unnecessary dental procedures. The exception to this is if you develop a tooth infection. It would be important to deal with that because bacteria in your body affects the baby as well. Your dentist will not give you anything that will put your baby in harm’s way and you can speak with your OB ahead of time to find out what dental medications are approved.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.

Is She Allergic to Her Dentures?

January 15, 2024 by writeradmin

Can you help me? I recently received some nice dentures. They fit very well so I’m hesitant to get rid of them, but I’m worried that I am allergic to them. Several hours after putting them in, my glands started swelling. The next day, the glands were severely swollen and I developed swelling around my eyes. I took some benadryl which seemed to temporarily alleviate some of the symptoms. But, the next day my throat started to swell. I took them out and left them out for a week. I went back to my dentist who adjusted the fit. They still fit great. I put them back in and the symptoms started all over again. Help! I don’t want to be without teeth. Am I allergic to dentures?

Karen

Dear Karen,

It does sound like you are allergic to dentures. This is nothing to be messed around with and I recommend not wearing them any further until this is figured out. Allergies can quickly become life threatening, even causing your throat to close up.

The first step will be to see an allergist to find out what material you are allergic to. One big possibility is something to do with the acrylic base. Some people can be allergic to the leftover monomer in it. Acrylic is first processed in its liquid form for dentures. The lab will use a chemical reaction that will harden the liquid turning from a monomer to a polymer. I don’t know what you remember from chemistry, but there is always some leftover monomer in this chemical reaction, which causes some people to have an allergic reaction.

There are a couple of solutions for this. The first is obviously just to re-make the denture using a different resin for the base. It does require the denture will have to be remade. Though that may worry you because you like the feel of this one so much, I feel confident if they could get your denture to fit so well this time, they can do it again.

A second option is to try to convert the leftover monomer. There is some research by the National Library of Medicine that says if you immerse the denture in very hot water for several hours, it will complete the conversion from monomer to polymer.

Start with an allergy test.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.

My Dentures Will Not Stay In

December 27, 2023 by writeradmin

I have been in dentures for about 20 years. Lately, they will not stay in my mouth. I’ve even tried using those denture adhesives, yet nothing is working. I went to see a dentist and he told me that my lower ridge is almost completely gone and that is why my dentures won’t stay in. Do you have any recommendations for me as to whether there is any way to fix it. The dentist I went to see just said that it was a result of wearing dentures for so long. What else was I supposed to do?

Jenny

Dear Jenny,

I certainly understand your frustration. Whatever dentist you went to see certainly did not expend any effort to be helpful. While he is correct that it is a consequence of having worn completely removable dentures for an extended period of time, that does not mean there is not a solution for you. The good news for you is that there is.

First, let me explain what happened. When your teeth were removed, your body recognized you no longer had a tooth roots in your mouth. As a result it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in an effort to be efficient with your body’s resources. Unfortunately, as you have experienced it has the negative side-effect of shrinking your jawbone. I’ve posted an image of this above. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.

The first thing you will need to do is have a procedure known as bone grafting done. This will build up the bone that is now missing from your jawbone. Once that is healed, you have two choices. You can simply get new dentures. Though you should be aware that the process of losing your jawbone will start all over again.

A second option is to have dental implants placed in order to serve as prosthetic tooth roots. This will signal to your body that you still have teeth and as result need to keep your bone structure.

You can do this with as few as two dental implants. Though, obviously, the more implants you have the more bone struture will be preserved.

I hope this helps you.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.

Antibiotics and a Tooth Infection

December 16, 2023 by writeradmin

I have had a tooth infection for two weeks. He’s given me antibiotics with a cocktail of Keflex and Flagyl. Initially, the swelling was over my whole cheek and up to my eye. It has improved. In fact, it has almost gone, but now that the antibiotics are done I am hurting again and the swelling has started back. Should I ask for a refill or do I need a different type of antibiotic?

Curtis

Dear Curtis,

Either you misunderstood something your dentist said or your dentist has a profound and dangerous understanding of how tooth infections work. Antibiotics are NOT a cure for a tooth infection. The most you will get from them is a temporary protection from a spreading infection while you wait for the actual treatment.

In order to get rid of a tooth infection, you have to remove the infected pulp. There are two options. First, you can have a root canal treatment done. Second, you can have a tooth extraction. A root canal treatment is the ideal solution because it will save your tooth. When a dentist prescribes an antibiotic, he should also schedule the follow up treatment and carefully explain to the patient the importance of following through.

Because we are used to using antibiotics for medical issues, patients sometimes think that is enough. Because you just had the antibiotics and not the treatment, your infection returned. I would consider your situation a dental emergency. Call your dentist back and ask the office what the plan was for the follow up treatment. Explain what is going on because at the very least he or she needs to open up the tooth to relieve the pressure and allow a place for drainage.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.