Quite often, patients initially say "no" to root canal therapy because they know of someone who has had a bad experience. Although some people have heard that root canal therapy is painful, the most common horror stories are about endodontically treated teeth (those that have had root canal therapy) cracking, breaking, or shattering and the subsequent loss of the tooth.…
No dental filling, crown, denture, or whitening procedure lasts forever. Recently, unfounded claims have been made by some dentists that if specific criteria are followed and if people do exactly as they are told that dental restorations last "a lifetime." To some extent, this is true...for the lifetime of the restoration or the prosthesis. Any promise otherwise is unfounded, unethical,…
Lasers have been reported to work wonders in all aspects of modern medicine, including dentistry. While lasers offer a different twist to doing routine dental procedures and give the aura of "state-of-the-art technology," they do not replace the traditional dental handpiece ("drill") currently. Lasers can be used to perform soft tissue surgeries very well, and they can remove decay from…
There are many factors that affect the color of teeth and cosmetic dentistry. When we select the shade of a crown, for example, the "color" is determined by hue, chroma, and value. However, what we cannot control is a physical property of light passing through a prism. This is called metamerism. The shades of teeth are usually grouped under different…
It is very common for new tooth-colored fillings, and temporary crowns, to be “high” after the numbness wears off. Usually, this is accompanied by “sensitivity” to cold foods or drink that disappears as soon as the tooth warms up to body temperature again. The same problem can also occur when new crowns are placed, depending on when the dentist records…
You May Need A Crown To Fix Existing Dental Work Large fillings have been used as an economical therapy to restore cavities for over a century, many times to treat cavities or to replace cusps that have broken off. Often, pins have been placed to hold these fillings in place. However, this type of restoration is a “short-term” fix, realistically,…
Differences In Crowns All crowns are not created equal. There are many different types and qualities of crowns that depend on the individual needs of each patient, the laboratory that is used to make the crowns, the choice of metal used, whether or not porcelain or acrylic is used, etc. Sometimes, even plastic crowns are made that are “temporary” in…
CareCredit Payment