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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.

My Dentures Won’t Stay In

Posted on February 7, 2020 by writeradmin.

I need some help. I’ve had dentures for over 30 years but I’m having trouble keeping them in. One of the things that my dentist said is the bone ridge is almost completely gone. He said I eventually won’t be able to wear them anymore. Is there anything I can do? How will I eat?

Danni

Dear Danni,

I know what is happening as well as the solution. Hopefully, your dentist warned you before you had your dentures placed about the dangers of facial collapse. When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that. In an effort to be as efficient as possible, it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in a manner it perceives more useful. After ten or so years, you begin to lose enough jawbone to notice a problem. By the time you get to thirty years, as you have, you’re in full-blown facial collapse.

The solution is bone grafting. This is a surgical procedure which builds back up the bone in your jawbone. Not all dentists know how to do it, so you may need to do some investigating. Once that is done you have two choices.

Choice Number One: Get New Dentures

Once the bone is better, you can have your dentist make you a new set of dentures. The only issue with that is you will start the same cycle again. Your body will begin the whole cycle of bone resorption again.

Choice Number Two: Get Implant-Supported Dentures

One real solution is to have dental implants placed in order to mimic your tooth roots. This signals to your body that you still have teeth. As a result, it will preserve the jaw bone there as still being necessary.

Generally, you will use four to six implants per arch. After a period of healing, which also allows time for the bone to integrate to the implants, then your dentures can be anchored to them.

Other Benefits of Implant-Supported Dentures

Aside from protecting you from facial collapse, which is a HUGE plus, you will notice right some other great benefits from implant overdentures:

Your dentures will no longer move around.
Your chewing capacity will increase.
You will no longer have to worry about sores from your dentures sliding

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

Can I Put Off a Tooth Extraction?

Posted on November 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

I had a root canal treatment done and then a crown. This was a while ago. The tooth started hurting again. I went to see my dentist and he said I have an abscess. He prescribed me some antibiotics and referred me to an endodontist. When he x-rayed it, he said the tooth was cracked and will need to be extracted. Here’s my question. The tooth has been treated with antibiotics and no longer hurts. Can I just put off this extraction until (and if) something else happens?

Eric

Dear Eric,

I’m relieved you wrote to ask before following through with this plan. This would end up being a disaster. Often, just having an abscessed tooth is considered a dental emergency. But, let’s ignore this for a moment and just go under the assumption this won’t blow up quickly.

Right now your tooth is still infected. The antibiotics didn’t “cure” it. Instead, it is just holding it at bay until you have the infection physically removed. What will happen is you’ll feel fine for a while. Then, a few days after your antibiotics are used, the infection will return. If you try to extract the tooth then, you’ll find the infection will keep the Novocain from working to its full potency. That will be a miserable experience for you.

Your best solution and the one which will be the least risky for you is to have it extracted now. If anxiety is an issue for you, there are dental sedation options which will give you an anxiety-free experience.

Replacing an Extracted Tooth

You’ll need to replace your tooth as soon as is reasonably possible. The best tooth replacement option is to get a dental implant. It mimics the natural tooth by providing a prosthetic tooth root and then a crown. It is the closest thing to having your healthy natural tooth back.

I will be upfront that it is the most expensive of your options, but it is worth saving up for. Don’t leave the space open until you can afford to replace it. If you do that, the adjacent teeth will begin to shift or tip into the open spot. Then your teeth will need orthodontics and there won’t be enough space left to adequately replace the tooth.

There are inexpensive replacements you can put there on a temporary basis. Timeliness in both these situations will save you money and hassle in the long run.

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

Finding a Dentist Who Understand Allergies

Posted on November 7, 2019 by writeradmin.

I was having a lot of problems with my health and after years of tests with no answers, I finally gave up on doctors and went to have special allergy testing done. It turns out I’m allergic to many metals and even some dental materials. The list includes I know I have allergies to dental cement, formaldehyde, cobalt, nickel, chromium, titanium, and many chemicals. How will I find a dentist who specializes in patients with these type of allergies?

Karyn

Dear Karyn,

You have been through a great deal. I know how frustrating it can be when you can’t get to the bottom of why you don’t feel well. You’ve really hung in there with great perseverance. While you won’t find a dentist who understands those specific types of allergies, I do have a solution for you.

What you need is a dentist who is willing to be creative and work around your dental allergies and metal sensitivities. You can often find this if you look for what is known as a biological dentist or holistic dentist. They work with your body and will be more willing to adapt the procedures you need to your body’s limitations.

Sanitary Amalgam Removal

Given your multiple allergies, one thing you may want to consider is removing any amalgam (silver) fillings. However, you’ll want the holistic dentist to do this. There is a special procedure, known as a sanitary amalgam removal, which will protect you from inhaling any of the mercury during the removal process. Then, your dentist can replace those with mercury-free composite fillings.

Titanium Allergies

Titanium is a rare allergy. The one area that could affect you in dental care is if you ever have to replace a tooth. Dental implants are the best tooth-replacement option. Most dentists use the traditional titanium dental implants. However, given you are allergic to them, you will instead need to find a dentist who will use the zirconia implants. These are strong enough, but they have been in use for less time so not all dentists are using them yet. Look for a metal-free dentist in that case. Hopefully, you’ll never have to replace a tooth, but if it happens I wanted you aware of your options.

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

Can’t Get New Denture to Stay In!

Posted on October 19, 2019 by writeradmin.

My dentist did an impression followed by a wax bite and two wax try-ins. I noticed with the second wax try-in that it wasn’t staying in and let my dentist know. He said that was only for the teeth and not to worry about it. When I finally received the new dentures, there was zero suction. When I spoke with my dentist about this hs said I likely needed time for my gums to adjust. I gave that time but nothing improved. Next, he said maybe my bite was off and he had me come in again. This time he ground down on the denture teeth. While they felt great when they stayed in, the hardly ever stayed in. Now he’s talking about doing a reline. I’m not sure if this is any better. Should I give up with this dentist?

Missy

Dear Missy,

If everything seems fine with your dentures except they are not staying in, the fit issue should be repaired with a reline. However, your dentist is guilty of skipping some steps in the process of what you told me. Though, it’s possible you didn’t tell me everything. If he did skip some steps, he’s guilty of succumbing to the pressure of keeping prices down to stay competitive. The best impressions are two-step impressions. Some dentists will even do a three-step impression.

He should take a preliminary impression with alginate. This allows for a preliminary model of the jaw. From that model, a custom tray could be made specific to the patient. Some dentists use a moldable stock tray. For the next phase, a heavier impression material is used for a process called border molding. Suction is accomplished by the border of the upper denture. For it to work, you want the border to press into the tissue a little, hence the reason for the heavy-body impression material. The final step is a wash. This is a light-body material that will fill up the interior of the impression that registers all the tiny details of the soft tissue.

If this is shortened to one step, as it seemed your dentist did, the result can be an adequate denture, but the dentist will save chair time and cost.

Consider Dental Implants

If you are fairly young, you may consider looking into dental implants. When your teeth are removed, your body begins resorbing the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. This is in an effort to stay as efficient as possible with its resources.

Unfortunately, after about ten or so years, you’ll no longer have enough jawbone left to keep your dentures in place at all. This is known as facial collapse. Having some dental implants placed will not only prevent this, it will also secure your denture and improve your chewing capacity.

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

Can I Get a Soft Denture?

Posted on September 28, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’m 40 years old and stuck with dentures. I hate how they feel on the upper part. Is there any way to get a soft denture?

Alicia

Dear Alicia,

When you hear the term soft denture, it actually is referring to a soft liner. This is usually available for patients with a bumps on their bony ridges. There is a pliable soft denture as a whole if that is what you are thinking. The soft liners will make your dentures more comfortable. You should be aware that they are harder to clean and don’t last as long, so will require replacing. If you’re okay with that, you will find they help with the discomfort.

You said you’re 40 years old. That is awfully young to be in full dentures. I know there are things in life which are quite beyond our control. However, I want to be certain your dentist sufficiently warned you about the dangers of having dentures at such a young age.

When your teeth were removed, your body recognizes that. As a result, it perceives you don’t need your jawbone to retain your teeth roots. IN an effort to be efficient with its resources, it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body.

This has the unfortunate effect of shrinking your jawbone. Eventually, it will shrink so much, you won’t have enough jawbone left to support your dentures. This is known as facial collapse.

How to Prevent Facial Collapse with Dentures

I’m going to suggest you look into getting implant overdentures. These use four to six dental implants, which are placed into your jawbone. Then, after a period of healing, your dentures will be anchored to them.

Because the dental implants serve as prosthetic tooth roots, your brain realizes you still have need of your jawbone. Because of that, it leaves the minerals intact, thereby preserving your jawbone.

You’ll also find another lovely benefit. Even the best fitting dentures, reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. Having implants placed will increase your chewing capacity giving you a more pleasant life experience.

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

Dentist or Oral Surgeon for Extractions?

Posted on September 13, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have a terrible fear of the dentist and pretty much only go when I need a tooth pulled. I’m 50 years old and missing a large number of teeth at this point and feel like I need to get dentures. Do I go to a dentist or an oral surgeon for that?

Ben

Dear Ben,

I’m sorry for the struggles you’ve encountered. Many times, when someone is dealing with dental anxiety it is a result of trauma in the past with a dentist, often in childhood. This causes many patients to only go in for treatment when they have a dental emergency, such as you’ve done.

I would go to the dentist who is going to do the dentures for the extractions. If you go to two practitioners, one for the extractions and one for the dentures, there will need to be perfect communication. Denture preparation is something most dentists know how to do.

Because of your dental anxiety, I’m going to suggest you use a dentist who has sleep dentistry available. This will allow you to get your dental work done without any anxiety. In fact, if you want, you can nap through the entire procedure.

A Danger with Dentures

Before you settle on dentures, I want you aware of what you’re getting into. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce chewing capacity by 50%. The dentures for your top arch are held in by suction and the bottom ones just sit on the ridge of your jawbone. This is where the biggest problem arises.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes you no longer have any teeth roots. In an effort to be efficient, it resorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body. This causes your jawbone to slowly shrink. Eventually, you won’t have enough jawbone left to support your denture. This is known as facial collapse. Because of your young age, this is especially important for you.

The Solution to Facial Collapse

The best way to prevent facial collapse is to have dental implants placed in your jaw. These will mimic the roots of your teeth and let your body know you still need the bone to retain teeth. With about four to six implants you can anchor dentures to them. These are known as implant overdentures and will completely eliminate the problems caused by dentures.

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.

Emergency Dentist for Implant Pain?

Posted on April 30, 2019 by writeradmin.

Yesterday the area around my dental implant felt tender. I wasn’t too worried because it is surgery and does take time to heal. This morning, however, I woke up to that side of my face swollen. As it is the weekend, should I call an emergency dentist or do I need to wait until Monday and see my actual dental implant dentist?

Marina

Dear Marina,

Woman grabbing her jaw in pain, in need of an emergency dentist

It sounds like you have an infection brewing and a strong one at that. Any time there is pain, it is considered a dental emergency. So, yes, you need to be seen as soon as possible and not wait until Monday.

Infection is the leading cause of dental implant failure so you don’t want to put off getting this seen. Because it is regarding your dental implant, you need to call your office first. Most dentists have protocols in place for emergency situations such as yours.

If for some reason yours does not, you can do an internet search for an “emergency” dentist in your area. At the very least, they can call you in some broad spectrum antibiotics to hold this infection at bay. Though, I’d see if there was a dentist who sees emergency patients who also has experience in implant dentistry.

If the Dental Implant Fails

If you end up with the unfortunate result of your dental implant failing, that’s not necessarily the end of hope. Instead, you can try again. The only difference being you would need to have bone grafting done. This will build back up the bone lost during the procedural failure. Then, when that is healed you can try again.

Sometimes a dentist can do everything right and the procedure still fails. Everyone’s body responds differently to surgery. However, when done by an experienced implant dentist, the success rate is 98-99%. Those are good odds.

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