Jeffrey D. from Benton, AR

Jeffrey,

I don’t think this is from your root canal. When you have a tooth slipping like that it is generally from advanced gum disease. Once it is progressed so far as to have your teeth coming loose, you may not be able to save the tooth. However, you do need to get some gum disease treatment right away or this will be happening to your other teeth as well.

If you’ve been to  the dentist in the last couple of years and he or she hasn’t said anything to you about needing treatment, I would go to a different dentist to get a second opinion. You may even want to go to a periodontist at this point. It’s a shame it has gotten this far, because there are so many great gum disease treatments available. This was preventable.

This blog is brought to you by Chandler Dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Cathy from Ontario

Cathy,

Generally, you need tooth extractions to make room for your teeth. When there is crowding, it is often because there wasn’t enough room for the teeth during their eruption.

It is common, when you have crooked teeth, to begin by extracting some teeth. Then you wear braces for a couple of years to straighten the teeth, which closes the space that is opened by the extractions.

You may also be interested in Invisalign. These allow you to get your teeth straightened without anyone knowing your wearing braces.

This blog is brought to you by Chandler Dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Ben- Florida

Ben,

An apicoectomy is done after a root canal treatment fails. During this procedure your dentist is cleaning out the canals and infection in your tooth. Sometimes there are difficult curves inside the tooth, unexpected mini-canals branching off from the main canal, or calcifications that can’t be penetrated. There are other factors that could lead to root canal failure as well. When any of these happen, you are likely to either retain the infection or develop a new one.

To prevent this your dentist may recommend the apicoectomy if he or she thinks the tooth can still be saved, in order to prevent a tooth extraction. In this procedure, the root tip is removed along with the infected tissue. Then a filling is placed to seal the end of the root and prevent re-infection.

This blog is sponsored by Chandler Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Jessie- Maryland

Jessie,

The problem is your dentist doesn’t know how to bond them on properly. Once porcelain veneers are bonded on correctly, they have to be ground down to get them off. They should not be coming off no matter how hard you try, let alone come off so easily. You need to go to someone with more cosmetic dentistry expertise. In this case, even more than usual, because re-bonding actually takes more technical knowledge. Few dentists have both the knowledge and equipment to do this procedure.

The veneer needs to be cleaned off with acetone, which dissolves the existing resin. The natural tooth needs to be cleaned down to the natural tooth structure with a micro-etcher. The porcelain has to be etched, also with a micro-etcher. It would be useful to also etch it with hydrofluoric acid. A final step before bonding would be to prime the porcelain with a silane coupling agent such as Scotchprime by 3M. When all that is done, it can be bonded on with the conventional porcelain bonding techniques. If that is done properly, nothing you do will take off your veneers.

As you can see, for this you are really going to need an expert cosmetic dentist. I would go to the mynewsmile.com website and see if they recommend one in your state. Anyone recommended on that site would be able to do this procedure.

This blog is sponsored by Chandler Cosmetic dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Danny K.-Fort Smith, AR

Danny,

Supersmile is fantastic for any type of cosmetic work, including porcelain crowns. You often hear about it for porcelain veneers, because they are a little more vulnerable. Supersmile is specially formulated to keep cosmetic work at its maximum brightness.

Enjoy!

This blog is sponsored by Chandler Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Jennifer- Canton, Ohio

Jennifer,

When a tooth is prepared for a porcelain crown, it is ground down a significant amount, in order to make room for the crown. On the page I’ve linked, there is a picture illustrating the amount of shaving that is necessary.

For  porcelain veneers, however, the amount of shaving is considerably less. In fact, you really can’t tell a difference in appearance between the shaved and unshaved tooth. If you’re dentist removed the crown, there wouldn’t be much tooth there on which to place the veneer.

I don’t recommend shaving the crown to place the veneer. You’d be much better served just having a highly qualified cosmetic dentist replace your crown with one that matches your new veneers. If you get a dentist that cares about the artistry of his work, and has the experience, it won’t be too difficult for him or her to do.  The key is finding a qualified dentist. One way to do that is to look on the mynewsmile.com website.

This site is written by a cosmetic dentist. He lists recommended cosmetic dentists by state. It is not easy to get listed on the site. Dr. Gombert is a recommended dentist for Chandler, Arizona. He had to verify his training qualifications and submit samples of his work.

This blog is brought to you by Chandler Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Cyndy M.- Michigan

Cyndy,

You are experiencing a common disadvantage with bridgework. When one of the teeth the bridge rests on is damaged, then usually the whole unit has to be re-done. I agree with your dentist that dental implants are the best solution. I wonder if he or she told you about an affordable dental implant option called mini implants?

Mini implants are considerably less expensive than their full sized counterparts, coming in at about half the cost. A surgeon would place four mini-implants in your upper jaw, and a denture would be constructed to rest on it. These aren’t as secure as full sized implants, which function just like your own natural teeth, but you will still avoid many of the problems that dentures typically have. Your dentures will not move around, nor will you have to worry about them slipping out at embarrassing times. You also will not have to fear facial collapse.

I hope this helps. This blog is brought to you by Chandler Emergency Dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Tiffany R. – Arizona

Tiffany,

When you get complete removable dentures, and have them for about 20 years, you will develop facial collapse. Here is why. Once all your teeth are removed, your body redistributes all the minerals in your jawbone. After about 20 years or so, you will have very little of your jawbone left. This results in your face looking kind of scrunched up. Aside from aging your appearance, there can be the more serious problem of becoming a dental cripple. It can get to the point where your dentures won’t fit any longer, because there is nothing to help support them.

A good solution is to get dental implants. With these, a titanium screw is surgically placed into your jawbone, serving as your tooth root. A dental crown is placed on top of the root form. The screw is what makes the biggest difference. Because it serves as your tooth root, it signals to your body that a tooth is still there, as a result, no minerals are reabsorbed into your body.

The downside is that dental implants are more expensive than dentures. If you find implants out of your budget, some dentists do mini implants which are more affordable, and can still help with facial collapse. They are not as stable as full implants, but can be used to stabilize a removable denture.

This blog is brought to you by Chandler cosmetic dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Lexi-Washington

Lexi,

It sounds to me like you have a very conscientious dentist.  Good cosmetic dentists are very careful which labs they use. Great labs will keep records of the color formulas they used. This way they’ll be able to match the color perfectly. As to your second question there will be no danger to your other porcelain veneers by replacing one. However, if you don’t replace it there could be some problems. The exposed dentin is what has caused your tooth sensitivity. That is because exposed dentin has tubules that go straight to your pulp. Open tubules put you at risk of bacteria getting into your pulp. You could risk an infection that might call for a root canal. The safest option is to allow your dentist to replace your porcelain veneer. That would be my recommendation.

This blog is brought to you by Chandler, Arizona cosmetic dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.

Carrie K.- Michigan

Carrie,

You have two great options for straightening your teeth in time for your wedding. The first is invisalign. It uses invisible aligners to straighten your teeth. Generally, depending on how crooked and crowded your teeth are it will take between 6-9 months. Even if for some reason your case took longer, your teeth would be significantly improved by the wedding. You could easily take out the aligners for the wedding itself, then pop them back in later.

Another option that is even faster is to get porcelain veneers. They will fix your smile in a matter of weeks. It won’t actually straighten your  teeth, but will make them appear straight. They can even change the shape and color of your smile.

No matter which option you choose, it will be important to choose a qualified cosmetic dentist who can tell you which treatment plan is best for your case. A dentist can get certified to place veneers, but have no artistic ability. There have been countless patients who have come to see me after a disastrous experience with someone who called themselves a cosmetic dentist, but did not really have the experience and training necessary to create a beautiful smile.

This blog is brought to you by Chandler cosmetic dentist Dr. Troy Gombert.