Ask the Patch Pro: Local Dentists Answer Your Questions
Our panel of experts are waiting in the comments to answer questions about healthy teeth and dental hygiene in the latest installment of Ask the Patch Pro.
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It's time for another edition of Ask the Patch Pro, where each week we tackle a different topic and open up the comments section for questions. Our team of experts stop in to help you out and answer your questions.
This week, since Trick-or-Treaters just finished filled their bags full of sugary treats, we're talking all about healthy teeth. Patch wants to help you get your questions answered, but we needed some help.
We've compiled a team of experts to help us out. Meet the experts:
- Dr. John Boain: Boain Dental Care
- Dr. Rebecca Siscel, D.D.S.: Rebecca Siscel, DDS Family & General Dentistry
- Dr. Matthew Cline: Family, Cosmetic, Laser and Implant Dentistry
- Dr. Duc Tang: Family Dental Care at WingHaven
- Dr. Daniel Autry, DMD
If you have a question for the dentists, ask below in our comment section and one of our experts will answer!
If you consider yourself a local expert and would like to be added to the list, let us know! jordan.lanham@patch.com
Teresa
8:38 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
I had a root canal on a tooth about 11 years ago. About a month ago that tooth started causing some discomfort, especially when I drink/eat something hot such as hot chocolate, soup, etc. Is it possible that something has gone awry with the root canal after all of these years?
John Boain, DDS
10:14 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Root canals have about an 85% success rate over 10 years, so yes it can fail, but with the symptoms you are having I would be looking at neighboring teeth since there should not be any temperature sensitivity with a tooth that has had a root canal. Have you had an exam?
rebecca siscel d.d.s.
1:59 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
The symptoms could also be coming from a surrounding tooth.
Duc Tang, DDS
6:08 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
As Drs. Boain and Siscel has stated, other teeth in the surrounding area may need attention. But in reference to your question, yes root canals can fail over time. There may be additional anatomy that needs to be treated, there would be cracks along the roots, or leakage could have occurred resulting in a reinfection of the root canal space.
Kalen Ponche
8:55 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
What happens if you get a cavity when you are pregnant? Can it be filled or do you have to wait until you deliver?
John Boain, DDS
10:18 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Yes. Certain anesthetics should be avoided but it can be done.
Julie Brown Patton
9:00 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
How do toothpastes designed for sensitive teeth work differently than "typical" toothpastes?
John Boain, DDS
10:24 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
They have the ingredient, potassium nitrate, which has been shown to decrease sensitivity. It works especially well when there is recession. I have seen mixed results but worth trying as a conservative approach to decreasing sensitivity
Heidi L.
10:30 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
My thirteen year old daughter will need implants because three of her primary teeth (#'s 6, 11 and 26) do not have Adult teeth - at all. We have been told she will have to wait until she is sixteen or older - and now some other teeth are coming down into the wrong spaces and will need to be moved with braces later. What is the average age to put in tooth implants?
Duc Tang, DDS
6:13 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Excellent question Heidi. Average age is hard to determine because everyone's growth is different. Generally implants should be placed when the child's facial bony structures growth have settled down. There are many ways to determine this. But, after 16 is reasonable, although we have seen people wait until they are 18. I don't know your daughter's specific situation, but there may be other options besides implants. For example if the alignment and spacing is reasonable, orthodontics can be used to close up the spaces, and the premolar be restored to look like a canine. Hope this helps.
Jordan Lanham
10:37 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
FYI: We have another expert added to the list, welcome to the conversation Dr. Daniel Autry!
John Boain, DDS
10:53 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012
That is a great question! There are a lot of suggestions in the literature as to determining the correct time to place an implant in an adolescent, from bone scans to simply a chronological age. What you have been told is not necessarily wrong. My suggestion is to get into the right hands, someone that has experience and training in implant dentistry. The orthodontics is an unfortunate sequelae to missing teeth.
Seeunmo
3:51 am on Friday, November 2, 2012
Is it proper procedure to use the filling material to fill a crown around the gum line if it does not fit properly?
Duc Tang, DDS
6:33 am on Friday, November 2, 2012
Seeunmo. Every crown is different, so it's hard to comment on specific procedures without an evaluation. Generally, a crown that does not fit, is remade. But there are situations where a conservative crown does not go all the way down to the gum line. And there could be a small lesion at the gum line, which could then be filled with a filling material. An exam would be helpful.
mark
6:46 am on Friday, November 16, 2012
Thanks for giving the experts list to http://www.freedentistfinder.com