Tag Archives: urgent dental care

Emergency Dentist

Are They Misdiagnosing a Dental Emergency?

I broke a front tooth while on vacation about three years ago. I saw an emergency dentist who did a root canal treatment on the tooth. He did the filling part and said my dentist could do the crown when I returned home from vacation. When I did get home, my dentist removed the filling just to check out the work and said that everything looked fine. He replaced the filling and then provided me with the dental crown. Everything was fine for two years. Now, I’m living in a new state and the tooth starts hurting again out of nowhere. It became sensitive to hot and cold. I went to see my new dentist. He said that he didn’t see anything wrong and nothing showed up on the x-ray either, but did send me to a root canal specialist. That dentist didn’t see a problem with the crowned tooth but thought the problem was coming from the tooth next to the one that is crowned. There was nothing wrong with this tooth up until now so I’m not sure why it would be the problem. Are they overlooking a dental emergency with the tooth that is already crowned?

Amelia

Dear Amelia,

Man holding his jaw in pain

If the root canal treatment was done on your front tooth, then there will be no pain from that area. You had two dentists verify the root canal was done. When it is a back tooth, there can be some hidden canals that can be overlooked, but you are dealing with a front tooth so there would be nothing odd or challenging about that case.

Because of the extent of damage your tooth received, I would be shocked if the adjacent teeth did not also incur some trauma at the same time. It is fairly common for a tooth that underwent trauma to not show any signs of a problem until a few years down the line. When the pulp of a tooth is inflamed, it will not show up on an x-ray. That will only become a visible problem after the tooth develops an infection that starts to leech out into the bone.

If the tooth is no longer hurting, then it is not a dental emergency and you can leave it alone. Then, make sure you do an x-ray at least once a year. If anything changes, such as it develops pain again or something shows up on the x-ray, then you will know it is time to get treatment for the adjacent tooth. It will be a simple matter of having another root canal treatment and crown done.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.
Click here to learn about one-visit dental crowns.

Emergency Dentist

Discolored Porcelain Veneer

My daughter is in college and still has several weeks before she gets out for the summer. A couple of years ago she had eight porcelain veneers placed on her upper teeth. Last summer she chipped one in a biking accident. Our dentist decided the solution was to shorten the tooth to even out the chip. That also meant shortening the tooth next to it so they’d match. This was not ideal and changed the character of her smile. A few months later, the tooth began to turn dark. We brought her in over the Christmas break but the dentist insists we’re being too picky and he doesn’t see anything wrong with it. When I pushed back against that a little, he told me that he is the cosmetic specialist and knows color better than I do. I mean, sure, he’s the dentist, but I did learn how to match colors in kindergarten and this tooth looks different. There is  now a weird blue/green tint to the tooth and we’re worried the veneer is going to fall off before she can get home. Of course, I think we’ll need a new dentist to do any thing about it, which is frustrating because I feel certain he’s the one who damaged it and should repair it. Do you have any recommendations for us? Should we get her to a dentist near her school or can it wait until she is home in a few weeks?

Sandy

Dear Sandy,

Leaky porcelain veneers
The bluish color on these temporary porcelain veneers are an example of leaky veneers in their early stages.

The blue/green color to me indicates that the veneer is leaking. Does it look a bit like the ones above? That happens when the bond between the tooth and the porcelain veneers is failing.  While it will fail at some point, it is better to let it fall off than to force it.

If the porcelain veneers falls out while she is at school, I would look for an AACD accredited dentist that can get her in for an emergency appointment and bond her veneer back on safely.  While there is no such thing as a specialty in cosmetic dentistry. AACD accredited dentists have proven expertise and artistry. With you away, this is one way for you to feel confident she is in qualified hands.

I also agree that another dentist is in order for your family. The way he rudely discounted your concerns is unprofessional.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

 

Emergency Dentist

Do You Remove Wisdom Teeth Before or After They are Bothering You?

I am one of those lucky people with four impacted wisdom teeth. Only one of them is bothering me at the moment and I’m going to get it extracted. My dentist asked if I wanted to extract all of them or just the one and something about my age being an issue. I’m 27.  However, he did mention that one of them has a root that goes past a nerve, which means there is a slight chance of nerve damage.

My dentist gave me three options. I could leave the other wisdom teeth until they started bothering me. I could remove all of them. I could remove all of them, but for the one near the nerve I could remove the tooth part, leaving the root and hope it doesn’t get infected. Then, if it does get infected I will have to go back to get the rest.

Is there a best way to handle this?

Samantha

Dear Samantha,

Image of impacted wisdom teeth
Types of impacted wisdom teeth.

 

I’m glad that you wrote. Your age is a factor in how you handle this. While you are relatively young, as you are currently, it is much easier to remove wisdom teeth. Once you hit thirty, your chances of complications double. They double again every few years after that as well.  This is because the bone becomes less pliable and cementum builds up at the roots.

If your wisdom teeth were not impacted, I would say leave them be. However, when it comes to impacted wisdom teeth, it is not a matter of if they give you a problem, but when. Because of that I recommend doing it now before they become a problem. The last thing you want is a dental emergency while dealing with this, especially when you get a few years older.

I like your dentist’s idea of leaving the root, but don’t have him leave the whole root. Tell him just to leave the very tip. If it is a small piece, your body will often not have an issue with it, therefore you will have less of a chance of developing an infection.

I hope this helps with your decision. Click here to learn about sedation options for your procedure.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foremen and Thimmesch.

Emergency Dentist

My Crowns Hurt

I had some dental bonding done years ago on my two front teeth because of an accident. Now, about ten years later the bonding is looking pretty rough so I decided to bite the bullet and get the work redone. My dentist thought doing crowns would be better and did four of them so that my teeth would match. The four teeth do match each other, but not quite the other teeth. That’s not why I’m writing, though. The dental crowns feel really weird and heavy. They hit my other teeth in a way that makes it hurt when I chew. Is it possible that I have a cavity or infection under one of them? Is it a dental emergency?

Emma

Dear Emma,

Porcelain crown being placed on a tooth

A simple x-ray will tell you if there is an infection under one of those crowns, However, you said it hurts when you bite down but did not mention it hurting any other time. This make me think that the problem is the fit of the crowns and not what is underneath them.

I’d like you to get a second opinion on the fit of these crowns. I would not consider it a dental emergency, but I would try to get in as soon as possible simply because you are uncomfortable.

The fact that your dentist gave you four dental crowns to replace dental bonding on just two teeth makes me wonder about his ethics. This was a massive overtreatment.

On top of that, he told you that you needed four dental crowns in order to make them match. That is not true. A skilled cosmetic dentist can even match a single crown to the rest of teeth. Even then, he couldn’t match the four crowns to the remainder of your teeth.

I don’t know if you went back to have your dentist look at these, but the pain could be solved by a simple adjustment. If he doesn’t solve the problem or tries to tell you everything is fine, then I would definitely get that second opinion.

Don’t tell them who provided your dental crowns, just that they hurt when you bite down. Dentists know each other and you don’t want them worried about critisizing a friend’s work. If he or she asks, just explain you want an unbiased opinon. They should respect that.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Emergency Dentist

Deep Cleaning has Left Me in Terrible Pain

I’m 53 years old and never had a problem with my teeth until I had a deep cleaning done because I was told I have deep gap pockets. The procedure itself was nightmarish and I never want to go through that again. However, ever since the cleaning my teeth are sensitive and hurt all the time. I think I made a mistake in having this done. Is there anything I can do?

Pamela

Dear Pamela,

A woman grabbing her jaw in pain, in need of emergency dental care

It sounds like you have advanced periodontal disease. If it does not get taken care of soon, you could lose your teeth. The disease will eat away at the bone that supports your teeth. Most deep cleanings are done with an anesthetic so that the patient does not experience the pain you described during the procedure. I would recommend you see another dentist to have this completed. Call a periodontist. These are gum specialists. Tell them about your situation and they can probably get you an urgent care appointment.

The post-operative pain tells me you have an active infection. One way to deal with this is by having a course of antibiotics during the duration of your treatment. This will help keep the infection at least in check while the periodontist gets everything cleaned out. Let them know about the pain you experienced in your last deep cleaning so they can be sure to give you the right amount of anesthetic so this doesn’t happen to you again.

I know you are probably leery of any treatment right now after your last experience, but I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. I wasn’t kidding when I said you could lose your teeth. Please see that periodontist as soon as possible.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.