Archives for May 2020

What Can You Do If You Don’t Trust a Dentist’s Air Test on Your Tooth?

by

One of my upper left molars has a large filling. Within the past 3 months, it’s been increasingly sensitive to heat, cold, and air. I was trying to delay seeing my dentist, but the pain is getting intense. I went to the dentist last week, and she used a dental tool to blow air on my teeth in different areas. She applied what felt like a gel on the tooth. She said that if my pain continued, she would need to remove the tooth nerve.

I’m concerned that the issue might be related to my braces. There is also a hole in the filling in that tooth. Is this nerve removal like root canal treatment? If so, I’m trying to avoid another root canal. I had a root canal 6 years ago, and the dentist who did it dug around in my tooth so harshly that it hurt for weeks. I don’t think I can take another one without being knocked out. Is an air test enough to give me an accurate diagnosis? I don’t understand. Thanks. Olivia from TX

 

Olivia,

Thanks for contacting our office with your question.

What an Air Test on Your Tooth Reveals

Photo of woman sitting back in a dental chair with her eyes closed; for information on Baton Rouge sedation dentistry during tooth extraction.

Sedation dentistry helps you relax during procedures

The test your dentist performed by blowing air on your tooth is a legitimate way of diagnosing tooth pain.

  • Blow air on a tooth and it hurts – An unprotected sensitive spot is causing the pain. Your dentist can coat the tooth with a bonding agent that desensitizes the tooth nerve.
  • Pain that immediately goes away – The tooth pulp or nerve is irritated and may heal
  • Lingering pain – If pain lingers longer than a few seconds, the irritation of the nerve or tooth pulp is permanent. Your dentist will need to perform root canal treatment.

Your dentist can also test your tooth with electrical impulses, cold, or heat depending on your description of the pain or discomfort.

Are Braces or a Filling Causing the Problem?

Braces – Dr. Brooksher would need to examine your teeth and braces to determine if braces are causing some of the sensitivity.

A filling – If a filling is old, damaged, or leaking, decay can get beneath it and irritate your tooth nerve or pulp.

Ask Your Dentist for an Explanation

Call your dentist’s office and ask to speak with her. If she isn’t willing to answer your questions about the cause of your tooth pain and why she suggests root canal treatment, you can get a second opinion.. Even if you need sedation for dental procedures, if you don’t trust your dentist, you can still have doubts and anxiety.

Ensure your questions are answered before you agree to any treatment. But don’t delay the process. A lingering tooth infection will get worse and become more complicated to treat.

Steven Brooksher, DDS a cosmetic dentist in Baton Rouge, LA, sponsors this post.

Diabetes and Dental Implants – How to Choose Your Dentist

by

My mom has type 1 diabetes and is recovering from severe gum disease. The teeth that she hasn’t lost are weak and rotten. I’m afraid for her health. I’ve suggested that she gets dentures and two mini implants. She is concerned about her diabetes because she’s already had a foot infection that was hard to control. Is type 1 diabetes a reason not to get dental implants, or are there certain precautions we can take? Thanks. Ada from Montgomery, AL

Ada,

Although type 1 diabetes is a risk factor, it’s not a reason to avoid dental implants. Precautions start with the dentist’s protocol to assess risk factors for each patient with careful diagnostic work. Your mom’s diabetes must be well-controlled to prevent the condition from interfering with the implant healing process.

Selecting an Implant Dentist for Patients with Diabetes

We recommend scheduling at least two appointments with a dentist who is a fellow of the Academy of Implant Dentistry or the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Also, look for a dentist with advanced training in cosmetic dentistry to get natural-looking dentures for your mom. What can you expect from a dentist with these credentials?

  • Medical and dental histories review – After thoroughly reviewing the histories, an implant dentist will be aware of all risk factors, including type 1 diabetes. The factors help determine if dental implants are an option.
  • 3D CT scan – Oral anatomy is clearly defined on the scan to show how and where your dentist will place the implants.
  • Digital placement – Digital navigation helps your dentist during implant surgery. Although the surgery is minor, a dentist must position the implants in the optimal location to promote healthy healing.
  • Restoration – A dentist with a fellowship in implantology will perform the surgery and restore your mother’s missing teeth with dentures. If one doctor completes both procedures, it eliminates miscommunication that sometimes occurs between a dentist and an oral surgeon. And it will save your mom extra fees that she would pay to an oral surgeon.
Diagram of a snap-on denture. The denture is hovering above the jawbone that has two dental implants in it.

Affordable dental implants will secure your dentures

As few as two implants can stabilize dentures. Mini implants or snap-on dentures will give your mom’s dentures some stability and help limit jawbone loss. Standard implants increase stability. And the stability will increase with the number of implants she receives. You can help her achieve a successful outcome by researching top implant dentists in the area.

Steven Brooksher, DDS is a cosmetic and implant dentist in Baton Rouge, LA. Read about his credentials and visit his smile gallery.

Unsure If You Need Root Canal Treatment? – 4 Clues from the X-ray

by

In April 2019, I received a filling in a tooth, and now my new dentist is recommending root canal treatment. I relocated, and in January of this year, I went to a new dentist for my yearly cleaning and exam. I also received x-rays, and the dentist said that the x-ray seems to show some decay beneath the April 2019 filling. She recommended root canal treatment, which I declined at the time. Now that I have time to think about the tooth, which isn’t bothering me, I want to get an online second opinion. If there is decay, I don’t want it to get worse and end up needing an extraction and dental implant. – Thanks, Segura from San Antonio

Segura,

X-ray of an invisor tooth with a filling and a dark spot beneath it

Although there is a dark area near the fillng, the tooth doesn’t need root canal treatment, an extraction, or a dental implant

Thanks for sending us a copy of your x-ray. Maybe dental schools need to give more training in x-ray diagnostics. Although Dr. Brooksher would need to examine your tooth, your x-ray doesn’t show inflammation or any reason that a dentist would disturb it with root canal treatment. But what about the dark area beneath the filling?

Facts About a Dark Area Beneath a Filling

  1. Dark areas – Not all dark areas on a tooth x-ray are a result of tooth decay. Decay, a gap in the filling, or a radiolucent material beneath the filling will appear dark on the x-ray.
  2. Location of darkness – The dark area on your x-ray is on the surface of your tooth. In this case, your dentist can use an explorer and poke the area. If it’s soft, there is decay.
  3. Effect on tooth pulp – Tooth pulp includes the living tissue and nerves inside the tooth. Root canal treatment removes infected pulp. When the dark area on your x-ray isn’t near the pulp, you don’t need root canal treatment. On an x-ray, it might seem that the dark area is between the filling and tooth pulp. You can resolve the illusion while looking at the x-ray: Cover the white filling with your finger and look at the remaining tooth structure. You can see the dark area and the distance from the pulp.
  4. Comparison with adjacent tooth – The lamina dura is a thin white line around the tooth root. An infection will break the line around the root tip or pull it away from the tooth. Look at the x-ray on this page. The tooth with the filling, and the canine tooth next to it, has a lamina dura that intact. Both teeth are healthy. You won’t need root canal treatment. And you surely don’t need an extraction and dental implant.

If you still have reservations about the health of your tooth, consider scheduling an appointment for a second opinion. You can take your x-ray with you for a dentist to examine it in person.

 

Steven Brooksher, DDS practices in Baton Rouge, LA. Dr. Brooksher is one of ten dentists in Louisiana accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.