Archives for February 2021

An Issue with Clear Choice

Posted on February 27, 2021 by writeradmin.

I need a second opinion about replacing my teeth. I saw an advertisement for teeth in a day and was pretty excited about it. I have a dental bridge and one partial denture that I want to replace with implants. However, when I went to Clear Choice (where the advertisement came from), they wanted me to extract all my bottom teeth and get all-on-4 dental implants. I really don’t want to extract healthy teeth. Is that really the best option for me? They kept saying it will save me time when the rest of them need work.

Brandon

Dear Brandon,

My first question is about their comment, “…when the rest of them need work.” You said the teeth are healthy, so are they just assuming the teeth will need work at some point without any evidence of that? I do not like it when dentists upsell. That seems to be what is happening here. They are trying to sell you more than you need.

This is not uncommon with Clear Choice Implant Centers. They tend to be a one procedure outfit. They almost always suggest extracting all the teeth, even teeth that can be saved, and they almost always suggest the all-on-4 procedure as well. This type of conveyor belt care is not very helpful to patients.

Let me be clear that each Clear Choice Center is different and some of them have rather decent dentists. The problem is with the corporate model. It’s marketing and sales over patient care.

Another serious issue with their clinic is the lack of follow-up care. Once they’re done with your procedure, you are pretty much on your own. There are too many things which could go wrong with this whole situation for that to be a safe option for patients.

My suggestion is you go to a private practice dentist. They can give you just the dental implants you need without anything else. They’ll also give you the follow-up care that is helpful. My suggestion is you find someone who is a fellow with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. These are the top implant dentists in the world.

This blog is brought to you by Sugar Land Dentist Dr. Siny Thomas.

She Does Not Need this Full-Mouth Reconstruction

Posted on February 25, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have a dental crown and a porcelain veneer. Both are showing their age, along with my natural teeth. I went to see my dentist and he suggested I crown all my teeth so that everything can look uniform and white. I do want a nice want smile, but I am having some doubts about crowning every tooth. Is there a better way to go about this?

Melissa

Dear Melissa,

I am very glad you wrote. You do not want to let your dentist do this. There are several ways you can go about getting this done without such a drastic overtreatment. Crowning every tooth is a procedure known as a full-mouth reconstruction. Very few dentists know how to do this well. When mistakes are made it can throw off your bite enough to cause TMJ Disorder and a lifetime of pain.

If You Want a Complete Smile Makeover

A complete smile makeover can change everything and anything about your smile. From the shape to the size and color of your teeth; everything is fair game. If that’s what you are going for, then I would suggest porcelain veneers, with the exception of that one tooth that already has a dental crown on it.

You’ll want to make certain you go to a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training in cosmetic dentistry. Though it is not a recognized specialty, it is not something that should be endeavored by those who have not invested in the post-doctoral training necessary to do this well. There are countless cosmetic dentistry horror stories. You don’t want to end up as one of them.

Just Repairs

Let’s say instead of a complete smile makeover, you just want to repair the two teeth and whiten the rest. That’s simple too. First, you would simply whiten your teeth. This is much safer, less aggressive, and significantly less money than what your dentist suggested.

Once you are finished with the teeth whitening, then you simply replace the tooth with the dental crown with another dental crown and the tooth with the porcelain veneer with another veneer.

Again, as with the complete smile makeover, you will want an artistic cosmetic dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Sugar Land Dentist Dr. Siny Thomas.

Is a Tooth Infection Really Dangerous?

Posted on February 23, 2021 by writeradmin.

I need some advice. My back molar (in front of the wisdom tooth) broke in half. I’ve been in a lot of pain ever since. Now my cheek is swelling. and my eye is starting to hurt. My wife insists this is dangerous and I need to go to a dentist, but I just got back to work after a long time furloughed. I don’t want to have to take off work and spend money unnecessarily. Is this really dangerous or is she overreacting? I am sure I can get my doctor to write me a prescription.

Dan S.

Dear Dan,

Yes, this is serious. You do need to see a dentist. Tooth infections are not like other bacteria we deal with under normal circumstances, where you can just take an antibiotic and get better. Instead, a dentist has to physically remove the infected pulp. This is typically done either by a root canal treatment or extracting the tooth. All an antibiotic will do is temporarily forestall the infection while you get to a dentist.

This is one of the reasons tooth infections are considered dental emergencies. This infection will continue to spread. If you think about how close your jaw is to your heart, lungs, or brain you can understand why people still die from tooth infections. Yours has already spread almost to your eye.

You need to see a dentist as soon as possible. If money is an issue, talk to your dentist and just be honest. The lockdowns hurt everyone financially and most dentists are compassionate. I am positive you will be able to find a dentist willing to work with you on payments.

Ideally, you will want a root canal treatment, which will save your tooth. If that isn’t possible, and it does sound like your tooth is pretty far gone, you will need to have it extracted. Because of the location of your tooth it will be important to replace it. For now, you can get an inexpensive dental flipper. Ideally, you will want to save up for a dental implant, which is the closest thing to having a natural tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Sugar Land Dentist Dr. Siny Thomas.

Broken Tooth

Posted on February 16, 2021 by writeradmin.

A few years ago, before I had a fully functioning adult brain, I broke a back tooth. I was too poor and too interested in having fun to do anything about it. Eventually, I decided I should at least check on it and found that half of it was missing. It didn’t hurt (and I was still poor) so I decided to leave well enough alone. Fast forward a year and the rest of the visible part broke off. There was still the underneath part (I think it’s called the root). Again, no pain so no worries. Recently, though, it has started hurting fiercly. When I look at it, I can see a hole. Is this something I should worry about or will it resolve itself.?

Casey

Dear Casey,

You have an infected tooth. Under normal circumstances, a dentist should try to save a tooth with a root canal treatment. Unfortunately, because of the state of this tooth, that will not be possible. Your only solution at this point is to have the remainder of the tooth extracted.

You won’t want to leave an empty place there, however. Even adult teeth are in motion and the adjacent teeth will begin to shift and tip into the empty space. This can throw off your bite, which can lead to a lifetime of pain and TMJ Disorder. In order to prevent the teeth from shifting, you will need to fill that spot in.

The best tooth replacement is a dental implant. You can see an example of one in the picture above. It surgically places a tooth root. Then, when the bone has integrated with the implant, a dental crown is placed. This is completely secure and the closest thing to having a healthy natural tooth in that space again.

Whatever you do, please don’t put off treatment. Your jaw is very close to your brain, heart, and lungs. If a tooth infection is not dealt with in a timely matter, and it continues to spread, it could infect one of those major organs.This is one of the reasons tooth infections are considered dental emergencies.

This blog is brought to you by Sugar Land Dentist Dr. Siny Thomas.