Archives for December 2023

Can I Put Off A Root Canal Treatment

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I don’t have a lot of money at the moment and it is even worse with the holidays at the moment. I know it is important to treat it and I will. I’m just hoping that I can put it off until maybe March, when my tax refund comes in.

Bernard

Dear Bernard,

Man grabbing his cheek in pain

It will be really hard to diangose this without seeing you. However, I can give you some basic principles that may help you navigate this. The first thing to remember is that if it is hurting you need to see a dentist right away. That’s important even if it stopped hurting but is hurting again. This is a sign of an active infection which is considered a dental emergency. You won’t need to go in today, but will want to get in fairly soon. An Active infection grows and can become life threating. Another sign of an active infection is if there is a pimple on your gums.

If it is not hurting, you may be able to wait. I could not tell you how long because each infection is different. I know of a patient who had an arrested infection for about eight years. She didn’t even realize it. Once we did the root canal treatment, she felt better. She had no idea that the unexplained achiness and general malaise she had been feeling was due to an infected tooth.

There is an additional risk to waiting that you should be aware of. In some cases, there is external resorption where the infection slowly eats away at the root of the tooth. This makes the tooth unsaveable. The only option you’ll have then is a tooth extraction and replacement.

If you are in a situation with an active infection, I suggest that you call around to some local dentists and see if they’d be willing to work with you on payments. This way you can get the treatment you need, but pay it out slowly until your refund come in.

This blog is brought to you Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Solution for a HUGE Tooth Gap

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I have a large tooth gap. I think my dentist said it was about 8-10 millimeters between my front two teeth. I didn’t want braces, so he suggested snap-on smile. I paid for the x-rays and the dentist sent everything in to the company. I received a call this week telling me I’m not really a good candidate for that procedure. He said we could look into Lumineers. These cost a whole lot more than the snap-on smile. If it is my only option, I will bite the bullet. Before I did, though, I wanted to get another opinion on how to handle this.

Mike

Dear Mike,

Image of Invisalign Aligners

I am glad you wrote. Please, please don’t move forward with the Lumineers plan. First, the gap between your two front teeth is substantial. This is large enough to fit another tooth in. It would take one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country to do this correctly. Your dentist said he would “look into” Lumineers. This tells me that he is not trained in cosmetic dentistry. Lumineers is just one brand of porcelain veneers. While the Lumineers brand is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place, most expert cosmetic dentists find the Lumineers brand inferior. Plus, being easy to put on the teeth has nothing to do with the skill required to make them beautiful and natural looking.

You don’t have to have braces to get the gap closed. I would look into getting Invisalign. These use clear aligners to straighten your teeth instead of the metal wires and brackets that are used with traditional braces. Even at a conversational distance, noone would know that you are straightening your teeth.

Invisalign has another hidden benefit. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. Your dentist can provide you with whitening gel that you can wear in the aligners at a time that is convenient to you. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.