|
|
||
|
||
Crown and Bridge Problems and Answers My temporary (transitional) crown has come off. What do I do? My Removable Partial Denture is so tight I can hardly remove it. What can I do? I've swallowed my crown! What do I do? Implants My implant is loose. What do I do? My caps just came off of my implant. What do I do? My denture no longer stays in and I have implants? Is this an emergency? My implants hurt! What do I need to do? Oral Surgery Problems and Answers I just had an extraction and the area is still bleeding. What should I do? I found an unusual swelling in my mouth. Is it something to be concerned about and what should I do? I've bitten my tongue or lip and it is bleeding. What is the best thing to do? I've been told I have a cavity. Is that the same thing as a filling? What is a cavity anyway? My tooth or my child's tooth fell out or was knocked out. What can I do? I have a toothache. Is there anything specific I can do before I come to your office? FAQ 1: If your temporary crown has come off we suggest that you do the following: First, gently clean out the remainder of the cement that may be in the crown. You can use a toothpick or some other small tool. Secondly, using a small gauze pad try to clean the tooth as much as possible. You can then use either a product such as DentTempTM (available at most drug stores) to recement the crown. Just follow the package instructions. Be sure to clean as much of the cement off of the temporary crown as possible. If DentTemptm is not available, believe it or not, you can try either Vaseline or Fixodent ( a commercial denture adhesive) until you get to our office. FAQ 2: A throbbing type of pain is usually indicative of a nerve problem. The best medication to take for this discomfort, as long as there are no medical contraindications for its use in your case ( you may need to consult your physician to check to see if there is any reason not to use this medication), is Ibuprofen (Motrintm, Adviltm). These types of medications are anti-inflammatory and can be helpful. You can also try other types of analgesics as well. Most often a prescription for an antibiotic is indicated but this will require a call to the office. There is also a possibility that the nerve in this tooth has died. If that is true it will be necessary to have Root Canal Therapy (Endodontics) done in order to avoid potential infection and increased discomfort. FAQ3: The best thing to do for a sharp or chipped edge of a tooth is to find a candle, heat it up until you can mold a small piece of the wax. Place the piece of wax on the broken tooth to protect your tongue and cheek and then call the office. FAQ4: If you are bleeding for any reason from an extraction site, you need to call us as soon as possible. DO NOT TAKE ANY ASPIRIN. Aspirin is an anti-coagulant and can exacerbate the problem. If, for some reason, you are not able to call us then go to your kitchen and find a tea bag. Wet it, fold it and place it on the extraction site. Tea has tannic acid which is a mild coagulant and should help with the bleeding. Placing pressure on the site is also advisable and can be accomplished by rolling up several pieces of gauze into a tight ball, placing it on the extraction site and biting down on the gauze. If the bleeding persists please call us immediately. The type of bleeding we are talking about refers to post extraction issues. Gums can bleed if periodontally they are not healthy. Although certainly requiring treatment, this should not be cause for alarm. FAQ5: There are many reasons for swellings to occur in the mouth. Some are cause for concern, others are not. If you have a large swelling in the middle of your palate or on both sides of the inside of your lower jaw, these may be tori and are normal parts of your jaw's anatomy. You may just have noticed them for the first time. Other swellings may be indicative of infection or some other process and require a visit to the office. Just give us a call and we will see you right away. FAQ6: If you are wearing a removable partial denture that has some type of precision attachment you can try placing a small amount of Vaseline in the attachment. FAQ7: A cavity is basically a hole in a tooth caused by decay. A filling is the substance you place within the cavity after it has been cleaned to replace the lost tooth structure. It is important that small cavities are taken care of before they become big cavities. FAQ8: The answer to this question has a couple of parts. First, if you have swallowed anything, it may get caught somewhere within the Gastrointestinal or Respiratory Tract. If so, this may cause a medical problem. You should consult your physician and get advise. Secondly, after speaking with your physician it really depends upon whether the crown is a permanent one or just a transitional (temporary). If permanent, you might want to find it. I'll leave that to your imagination. If it is a transitional, well, maybe just have another one made....it's a lot more simple and not quite as messy. FAQ9: It's important to retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part of the tooth that you see in the mouth) and rinse off the root of the tooth if its dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any of the attached tissue fragments. If possible put the tooth back in its socket. If that is impossible, the put the tooth in a container with MILK or Water and then get to the dentist as soon as possible. Re-implantation sometimes is effective but it is necessary to follow the above rules in order for it to have any chance at all. This applies to adult teeth as well as children's teeth. FAQ10: Clean the area gently with a cloth and then apply a cold compress to reduce the possibility of swelling. If the swelling gets excessive or the bleeding doesn't stop, go to a hospital emergency room immediately. FAQ11: Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean it out. Make sure food or foreign objects have not become lodged around the tooth by using dental floss. Don't ever put aspirin or any painkiller on the gums or around the aching tooth. It can cause a burn on the gum tissue and do more harm than good. You can try some of the over the counter toothache remedies but do so with caution. Give us a call as soon as possible. If you are a new or patient of record and the pain is significant and lingers, please use our emergency number. FAQ12: Normally when a new crown (or even a temporary crown) is placed a local anesthetic is used. This can alter your ability sometimes to be sure that your bite is accurate. When you are numb your bite can be slightly different. If that is true, your tooth can become more sensitive than normal to pressure or even temperature changes. It is important that you call us right away and come in as soon as possible to have the bite adjusted. It is a relatively simple solution and can be done in a matter of minutes. However, if left untreated, that poor tooth will become increasingly more uncomfortable with time. FAQ13: First, don't worry. Most of the time when an implant restoration appears loose it's just either the crown or the abutment (thye piece that is screwed into the implant that may be loose. It's important not to wait to get this fixed. If the restoration is loose if you postpone the visit, this may result in fracture of the screws that attach the restoration to the implant. Call you dentist as soon as possible. FAQ14: Once again, don't worry. Typically restorations cemented on implants are only cemented with temporary cement so that if the screw holding the abutment to the implant loosens, your dentist will be able to remove the crown without destroying it. So, put the crown somewhere safe, call your dentist and get the crown recemented. Also make sure that your dentist checks to make sure the abutment is screwed down tight. Sometimes they loosen and need tightening. FAQ15: If your implant denture is loose its very important for you to see your dentist. It may just be a result of a loose attachment (the device that attaches your denture to the implants) or possibly some other issue relating to the implant(s) themselves. Do not wait! The longer the denture is loose the greater the chance for damage to the denture or even worse, the implants themselves. FAQ16: This is an important issue to take care of immediately. Implants should not hurt. Now, that being said, it is no cause for panic. The pain you are feeling may be coming from a variety of causes that may not relate to the possible failure of an implant. However, this is no time to wait. You should call your dentist immediately. |
Are
you looking to improve your smile but are confused with all of the
information on the Internet or that given by your friends? Are you
looking for some help in making this extremely important decision?
Sometimes
dental emergencies do occur, usually at the most inopportune times. Our first
suggestion is to call our Emergency Service at 1
877 357-7216. Speak to a live
operator and leave your name, telephone number and the nature of your emergency.
We will call you back as soon as possible.