Lexington Dentist Archives | Williams Family Dentistry

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.

Affording Dentistry without Insurance

Posted on June 17, 2019 by writeradmin.

I was laid off from my job last year and used up a lot of my savings before I got a new job. In my new job, I’m considered an independent contractor so there’s no insurance provided, either medical or dental so I’m on my own. I’ve had a rough go lately and am sure I have some cavities. Plus, I think the stress has caused me to start clenching or grinding my teeth because my jaw hurts every morning. Is there a way to get affordable care without insurance?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

You’ve been through quite a rough patch but it seems like things are starting to look back up for you. I know it’s hard when you don’t have dental insurance, but I want to steer you against just price shopping. There is an important difference between affordable dentistry and cheap dentistry.

When a dentist is unusually cheaper than other dentists there is usually a reason and one you won’t be thrilled with. One common reason for cheap prices is when a dentist is not good at their job and cannot retain clients, therefore they keep their prices super low in order to draw in new patients.

Another way they get their prices so low is by purchasing sub-par materials to make up their profit margin. Often, the procedure fails but not for months after it was completed. Unfortunately, the patient will have no idea it was because of the material the dentist used, so they end up spending more money.

Ways to Get Affordable Dentistry

You can do an internet search using the term “affordable dentist“. This won’t necessarily mean they are cheap, but they do their best to help patients get the care they need. Some will do payment plans through Care Credit. Others have discounts if you use cash.

You can purchase insurance plans without a company. They vary in price but are rarely more than $50 a month. Be aware that many have a waiting period for certain procedures, so if you are going to go that route make sure you do it sooner rather than later.

Teeth Clenching & Grinding

You are likely right about the teeth clenching and grinding. This needs to be dealt with. Fortunately, there is an easy solution. Your dentist can make you a custom-fitted mouth guard. This will protect your teeth from these actions, even while you are sleeping.

This is a serious issue. Not only can this habit lead to TMJ Disorder, but you can also crack your teeth (requiring a dental crown) or loosen them, putting them at risk of coming out.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington 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.

When Do You Transition from a Pediatric Dentist

Posted on February 15, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have a 15-year-old who still goes to a pediatric dentist. He seems content there but I read online that when they hit their teen years you are supposed to transition them to an adult dentist. Do we have to do that right now if he’s happy there? Also, if we do, does the pediatric dentist recommend a general dentist for you or do you just start trying dentists?

Katherine

Dear Katherine,

Many general dentists will see entire families

While it varies from practice to practice, most pediatric dentists will let a child stay through 18 years of age. If they’ve been there most of their lifetime, they’ll even let them go a little further while they find a general practitioner they love.

While there is no hard and fast age, you should be able to tell when your son is ready to switch. At some point he may indicate that it feels childish there. Others are quite content staying until they’re 18. It really depends on both the practice and the patient.

They grow up so quickly, there really isn’t any reason to rush him. That’s especially true if he’s happy there. These type of positive experiences will help him with a lifetime of good oral hygiene with regular dental visits.

General Dentists Who Treat Children

You mentioned needing the pediatric dentist to recommend a general dentist to you. Does this mean you don’t have a dentist for yourself? If that’s so you may want to ask for that recommendation now and get started at the practice yourself.

It’s usually helpful to get a general dentist who also treats children in case your son expresses a desire to switch. These dentists are usually more patient than most and will be a good “first experience” for your son in an adult practice.

is it possible the reason you don’t see a dentist regularly is because you have some dental anxiety? If so, don’t feel bad. There are a lot of adults who avoid the dentist. However, it will be easier for your son if you’re established at the practice too. It also gives the dentist an idea of the dental genetics of your family so he can be proactive in treatments.

Dealing with Dental Anxiety

Not may people can just will anxiety away. I often suggest that anxious patients see a sedation dentist to get comfortable with dental work. Most sedation dentists offer two different levels of sedation, depending on your level of anxiety.

The right level for you will allow you to have a pain-free/anxiety-free dental appointment. Because you’re so relaxed, you can get more work done each sitting, allowing you to get caught up on any necessary work quickly.

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

Are there Metal-Free Dentists?

Posted on February 1, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’m at my wits end with my dentist. I need a dental crown but he keeps insisting I need the metal based one. I have allergies to most metals. He keeps saying that even people with metal allergies do fine with these. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy it. They’ve probably just gotten used to feeling terrible. I used to live that way too. But, I finally went to a dentist who would remove all my metal fillings and exchange them. Now I feel worlds better. I don’t want to go back to metal in my mouth. Unfortunately, the dentist I went to for a filling change has since relocated to another state because of family needs. I don’t want to have to go on a dentist search every time metal comes up. Is there such a thing as a metal-free dentist or am I on a fantasy search?

Sandra

Dear Sandra,

An image of a crown being placed on a tooth

What you’re likely dealing with is a dentist stuck in a rut. He’s always done things this way and doesn’t see the need to change. Unfortunately, that’s not best practice when it comes to any form of medical care.

Science and technology are always changing and (hopefully) advancing. It’s a doctor’s duty to keep up in his field in order to give his or her patients the ideal care for their body.

Yes, this means a TON of continuing education, but didn’t we go into this field to help people? If your dentist isn’t willing to do that, it is time to switch dentists.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause…I mean Metal-Free Dentists

You should do an internet search for two particular terms:

Metal-free Dentist
Holistic Dentist

Either one of these will work around your metal allergies. While many dentists are willing to place an all-porcelain crown on your front teeth, they realize those aren’t strong enough for the biting forces on your back teeth, so they insist on metal based crowns there.

With current advancements, we can now place zirconia crowns on back teeth. These are metal-free and strong enough to withstand those biting forces.

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

Getting a Lot of Work Done at Once with a Dentist

Posted on January 23, 2019 by writeradmin.

My mouth is in bad shape. I need to get a lot of work done. I need about 4 root canal treatments, two crowns, and a filling. However, I’d also like to improve the appearance of my teeth by whitening them. How much of this can be done in one appointment?

Ben

Dear Ben,

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

Each dentist has a different threshold for how much they’ll do in one appointment. However, you will find that sedation dentists are more likely to agree to longer appointments. That is because it is easier for the patient to have extensive work done while under sedation.

If you use a strong sedation, such as oral conscious sedation, it allows you to sleep through the appointment. You’ll be completely relaxed while the dentist goes about the business of doing your procedures.

The one thing you will want to split up is the teeth whitening. So, this is the tricky bit. It’s a matter of convenience over cost. While natural teeth whiten, dental work does not. That boils down to whatever color your dental crowns are when they’re made is permanent.

That means you can whiten your teeth before getting your crowns so they can be made to match the new color. Or, you can get the work done, then whiten your teeth. However, that means you’ll have to replace the crowns if you want them to match. Of course, that’s only necessary with crowns which are visible when you smile.

My suggestion, in that case, is to have your root canals and any fillings done. Then, whiten your teeth. After the tooth bleaching is completed, your dental crowns can be made to match the new color.

Your Best Bet is In-Office Whitening

Because you are in a hurry to get all this work done, I’m going to recommend you use an in-office teeth whitening, such as Zoom Whitening.

With Zoom Whitening, your teeth will get as white as possible in just one appointment. You will want to wait about a week afterward to allow the color to settle a bit, but that is still faster than take home whitening which can take several weeks to get to the level of brightness you want.

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

Implant or Emergency Dentist?

Posted on November 17, 2018 by writeradmin.

I’m at about the one-year mark for my dental implant. I started having some aching in my jaw and nothing felt quite normal. However, when I went in to see my implant dentist he said everything looked good. Now, it’s a few days later (and the weekend) and when I bit down on it there was a sharp pain and puss came out of it. I’m worried something is seriously wrong. My dentist isn’t open on weekends, can this wait until Monday or do I need to call an emergency dentist?

LeeAnne

Dear LeeAnne,

Infection is the leading cause of dental implant failure

I know your implant dentist doesn’t list any weekend hours, but I’d call him anyway. This is an emergency for your dental implant. It sounds like you’ve had an infection brewing for quite some time. It needs to be dealt with right away. He should have some emergency protocols for after-hours necessities.

If you can’t reach him, then it’s time to call an emergency dentist. They may not be able to do much except to prescribe an antibiotic to hold off the infection until you can see your implant dentist.

Once you get seen by your regular dentist, he may need to stabilize it with a splint. Hopefully, this can save the implant and you won’t lose it.

After Dental Implant Failure

If for some reason the dental implant can’t be saved, it’s not hopeless. First, you’ll need to make sure the infection is completely cleared before starting again. When you’re healed and ready, you’ll have to have bone grafting done in order to build back any bone lost during the loss of the implant.

After the grafting is healed you can start again with your dental implant procedure.

Should You Switch Dentists?

One of the things you need to consider is if you really have a qualified cosmetic dentist. You’ll need a dentist with post-doctoral training in the procedure, who has also performed a lot of cases. You’ll also want to ask how many of them are successful. He should say around 98% success rate.

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

Worried Pediatric Dentist Experimented on my Daughter

Posted on November 7, 2018 by writeradmin.

I’ve got a conundrum. My daughter’s old pediatric dentist was an absolute joy. My daughter loved her. Her appointments were fun and a breeze. Unfortunately, my husband’s company transferred him and we moved. My daughter had her first appointment with her new dentist. It didn’t go as well. They were a tad grumpy at times. But, the worst part (for my daughter at least) was the fluoride treatment. Our old dentist used the paint on fluoride that my daughter loved. This dentist used this foamy stuff in a tray that made my daughter gag. She does not want to do that again. I told them about the other fluoride hoping we could get it for next time. I was horrified when they told me they only used established treatments and the paint on fluoride was experimental. Does this mean the old dentist we loved so much was just experimenting on my daughter?

Emily

Dear Emily,

Little girl smiling in a pediatric dental chair

Your daughter can be happy again with her pediatric dentist

Absolutely not. You have nothing to worry about with the fluoride treatments your daughter received from her previous pediatric dentist. They’re not only not experimental. They’re now the standard treatment. The American Academy of Dentistry gave its positive recommendation of it back in 2006 and even that was only after extensive testing.

There have even been newer studies done which followed patients who’ve used the treatment regularly to check that fluorosis wasn’t a problem in their later years. The findings were fantastic and there was no concern of fluorosis in their permanent teeth.

Your daughter received the top-of-the-line treatment with your old dentist and you have nothing to fear. Truthfully, it was dishonest and a disservice to you, causing fear that was totally unnecessary. If he chooses to use the old foam treatment, that’s fine, but it’s only because of preference. There is no medical reason to stick with the “old way of doing things”.

The Importance of a Great Pediatric Dentist

In your place, I’d look for a different dentist in your new area. One who keeps up with the developments. Most importantly, one who makes your daughter’s appointments enjoyable like the last one did. The truth is too many patients avoid the dentist because of bad experiences in their childhood.

The more positive experiences your daughter has, the less likely she is to avoid the dentist as she grows older. We see so many preventable dental emergencies because people fear the dentist and let decay go too far until suddenly it’s blown up into a serious infection.

Finding the right dentist will give your daughter a lifetime of positive oral health.

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

Dentist Wants to Sedate My Son

Posted on October 31, 2018 by writeradmin.

I don’t think of my son as bad, but he is wiggly. I think that’s pretty normal in a six-year-old boy. However, the dentist noticed a cavity and he wants to fill it before it gets too big. Something about it being a molar. Then he wants to seal the tooth. He says he’ll need to be sedated. Is that really necessary? Is it safe in children?

Avery

Dear Avery,

I know the idea of our children being sedated can be frightening. However, dental sedation is perfectly safe. While every procedure has risks, dental sedation is conscious sedation. He’ll be able to communicate the whole time, though most children just fall asleep.

There are two levels of sedation usually used on children. The first level is nitrous oxide. It’s simple a gas mixture that relaxes him. This is actually my recommendation for your son if he’s cooperative but wiggly. He’ll probably fall asleep, but when the procedure is over, they just change the gas mixture and he wakes up and is back to his normal wiggly self, able to function as he normally would.

The second level is oral conscious sedation. This is designed for people (adults and children) who have either severe dental anxiety or have a more invasive procedure. It is safe, but I tend to do the lesser level of sedation if it’s adequate.

Benefits of Dental Sedation

Your son will be completely relaxed throughout the procedure
No negative experiences at the dentist which cause him to fear the dentist
The dentist can get more work done at each appointment

Questions to ask a Sedation Dentist

Will you have someone in the room with him at all times (besides yourself)?
Will his vital signs be monitored the whole procedure if using oral conscious sedation?
Do you have emergency protocols in place?

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