Archive for the ‘Tooth Infection’ Category

Why do I keep getting broken and abscessed teeth?

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

I take good care of my teeth and go to the dentist for cleaning and etc. Why do I keep getting abscessed teeth and why do they keep breaking?? I’m 23 and female.
- Brooke from Wisconsin

Brooke,
I don’t know that I’ll be able to tell you why you keep getting infected teeth without knowing more about your situation. But I’ll give you a couple of ideas.

The best way to prevent new dental decay is by watching your frequency of eating. A lot of people don’t realize that. Every time you eat something, the bacteria on your teeth work on it to create acids that promote tooth decay. Every time you eat, you get an “acid attack.” Now your saliva has built-in defenses against these attacks. It has buffering compounds to neutralize the acids, antibodies to fight the bacteria, and minerals to help remineralize early decay lesions on your teeth. So if you have a minimum number of attacks per day, say three or four, your body can usually keep up with that and repair your teeth as fast as they are attacked. But if you snack throughout the day, you overwhelm your body’s defenses and the tooth decay progresses. For more information, read our page about preventing tooth decay.

Another factor is the quality of the existing dental work. How well you take care of dental work is an important factor in how long it lasts. But it sounds like you keep up a regular schedule of cleanings and checkups and you take care of them at home, so that may not be a factor here. If the dental work is a little sloppy, then sometimes there are gaps between the filling and the tooth where decay can get in and get under existing fillings. Once decay gets in under an existing fillng, it can quickly progress to an infected tooth that needs a root canal treatment. Or, if you have large fillings, it can leave your teeth susceptible to cracking.

Those are a couple of ideas – possibilities.

This blog sponsored by Boca Raton TMJ dentist Dr. David Kagan.

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Is my first premolar worth saving?

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

for a few yrs now i have a reoccuring bump on my gumline over tooth # 5 bicupsid right top side (sinus was affected some) but now better. main question: after tooth extracted i can’t decide to do bridge as it is alot more expensive and implant is even more… i am deciding towards tooth extraction (smile shows some) but i am more concerned if that’s okay medically speaking. over doing a bridge which is alot more expensive, i trust my dentist but feel like it is so costly and can i do okay with just a tooth extracted – i understand teeth shift and if i bite into a corn chip it could hurt? i am 58 female all my teeth – was told by orthodontist teeth can shift, i am puzzled what to do before i see my dentist. pls help.
- Edie from California

Edie,
The recurring bump on your gums above this tooth tends to indicate that the tooth may be infected and require root canal treatment.

Even though it may be expensive for you, I would strongly recommend doing the root canal and saving this tooth. For a couple of reasons.

You’re talking about tooth #5, which is your first premolar, which is right behind your canine tooth. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you may not be able to see much of this tooth, but it shows very prominently from the side. At some point you may have some innocent child ask you why your tooth is missing, and you may get self-conscious of this. And what I see happen all the time when people become even a little embarrassed about the appearance of their teeth is that they’re hesitant to smile.

And yes, if this tooth is extracted and nothing is put in its place, the teeth around it will drift. Often they tilt, and one missing back tooth can throw your whole bite out of alignment. One possible complication of that would be TMJ disorder. Not only do the teeth next to the empty space drift into it, but the lower tooth will tend to drift upward into the space. And besides affecting your bite, these teeth that drift and tilt tend to have more complications with gum disease .

This blog sponsored by Dr. David Kagan. Is Dr. Kagan the best dentist in Boca Raton?

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Long-term sensitivity in a tooth with a crown

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

I had two crowns put in (I believe #19 and 31) approximately 1.5 years ago. One was a replacement porcelain crown. The other was for one of my molars (#19) that was extrememly sensitive to bite pressure.

After the new crowns were installed, I began to notice sensitivity to cold and bite pressure. I asked my dentist and he said that this was normal after this type of procedure. I asked if I may need a root canal and he said that the X-rays did not show anything and that he didn’t think it was warranted. After a short while, the pain associated with the bite pressure went away. I never felt any discomfort with hot foods. After 1.5 years, I still feel pain when eating cold things and recently started to experience pain with bite pressure. I have contacted my dentist on two separate occasions over the 1.5 years and each time, he stated that this will either eventually go away or will be permanent. Can you provide me with your thoughts on what might be causing this pain and recommend my next course of action to get rid of this pain? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Gene from California

Gene,
I can’t really tell what is wrong with your tooth without an x-ray and testing it, but it sounds as if it may need root canal treatment.

Pain to cold indicates that the pulp of the tooth is irritated. When the pain to cold lingers, it indicates that the irritation will not get better on its own, and the tooth needs root canal treatment.

Pain to biting could mean that the bite is off, or that the tooth has a traumatic injury, or that the tissue around the end of the tooth is infected from the beginnings of a tooth abscess. When the pain to biting just appeared seemingly out of nowhere with a tooth that has had long-term cold sensitivity, my first suspicion is that there has been a long-standing slight infection in that tooth, and that infection has spread to the end of the root. An infected tooth will not get better on its own – it will need a root canal treatment.

Have your dentist look this tooth over very carefully and test it. If  he is unsure, ask for a referral to a specialist.

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Can tooth infections poison my body?

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

What are some of the symtoms of a tooth infection if undetected for a long period of time. I have off and on fever (102.4F) and achiness all over – mostly in my legs. The reason I think it’s because of my teeth is because I have several teeth that are wide open due to fillings falling out and have been abcessed a couple of times. Can I develop poisoning in my system from my teeth.
- Steve from California

Steve,
Your fever and general malaise could well be because of your teeth. Yes, teeth infections do poison your system, and the symptoms would be exactly what you are experiencing. You need to see a dentist.

The thing I worry about is that when you go to the dentist, you’ll probably just have these teeth extracted. But that will compound your problems down the road, because you won’t be able to chew well, and will then gradually have all your teeth extracted, experience facial collapse, and end up with shrunken jaws that can’t even hold a set of dentures. All big holes in teeth start out as small holes that need simple fillings.

Click here to read more about Dr. Kagan’s conservative dentistry philosophy. We also provide sedation dentistry for fearful patients.

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