Your dental reports...anyone else detest it as much as I?

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I do love hard crunchy food sometimes. But I find that soft foods are a lot harder to clean from your teeth and sometimes have to use floss.

So outside of using your teeth as tools (removing/loosening bottle caps and cutting tape) teeth probably see a lot of action.

If you are playing sports or get into any accident where a tooth is knocked out and you are able to retrieve the tooth, can it be re-attached? (like a finger or a toe...etc)? Can loose teeth caused by accident be saved?

Do lemons really cause enamel damage to teeth?

Are there any problems using the over-the-counter whiteners for teeth? Wouldn't it be faster just to get your teeth cleaned at the dentist?
 
Teeth that are completely knocked out of the mouth can be saved if the root isnt fractured or damaged, the socket isnt completely damaged, not too dirty, and replaced quickly. It will definately require a root canal, and there is still a good possiblity it will fail somewhere down the line. Has to be splinted in place for a few weeks with bonding and a wire ( almost looks like braces). Knocked out tooth shouldnt be scrubbed clean. Ideal thing to do is either place it in your mouth ( dont swallow it :) ) but the most common thing is to put it in milk. Dont try to clean it with anything else as it could damage the surface that is needed to reattach.

A loose tooth first has to be repositioned to its original position, then splinted in place similar to the above . Still likely to need root canal. And more likely to succeed than a completely avulsed tooth.

Any trauma, even if the teeth are not displaced could cause them to die, turn black, abscess, or become mobile. And usually, more than one tooth is involved. One may be loose, but the one next to it, that is solid, turns black in time.

Lemons as well as any acid will erode the enamel. Perfect example is a bulimic person. Not that you will have the opportunity, but check behind their upper incisors, and u will see it is thin, and yellow. The yellow is the 2nd layer of tooth ( just underneath the enamel) This is visible because the enamel has been worn away . Also people with acid reflux can cause the same, both due to the stomach acids.

over the counter whiteners are fine. Usually not as strong as the stuff in a dental office, but also usually 1/10 the price. May take longer to see a result, and most likely, but not always, will not have the same results. But still a good option.

Getting teeth cleaned makes them feel good, but unless you have a lot of external surface staining ( like smoking, coffee, tea) dont expect the teeth to look much whiter after a cleaning. The will feel nice and smooth, but the yellowness and staining you see is a result of internal staining, or stains that have really absorbed into the tooth. Only bleaching will lighten these up ( and not always, and not the same amount for each person) just as Bleaching will NOT remove the superfical smoking stains . So, ideal treatment to whiten teeth would be to get a cleaning first, then bleach immediately or soon after .

The one hour bleaching , usually 3X more expensive then the tray bleaching, wont necessarily make it any whiter. Just is a lot faster . so, u are paying for the in office chair time. If you have the time, patience and know u will follow the directions , save your money and just do the tray bleaching. Cold sensitivity is normal for all kinds of bleaching, usually goes away in time. Fluoride rinses could be used to minimize this side affect.

Finally, everything said is a generalization. DIfferent people, teeth, situations have differnt results. So I hope no one gets all wacky on me saying that they had a different experience, because I would be shocked if they didnt :)

Oh and about the soft vs hard food thing. Hard foods like pretzels, nuts , pop corn kernels are more likely to cause physical fractures in the teeth, where as softer foods are more likely to ' stick ' to your teeth, therefore, causing more cavities as the starchy sugars are adhering to your teeth. Dried fruit is just as bad as candy because of its high sugar content and ability to stick to your teeth. Not saying it shouldnt be eaten, just brush after you do .
 
Am I the only one who actually looks forward to going to the dentist?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting my teeth worked on. I think it's because afterward my teeth feel so great, and I know they're being well cared for. As a kid, my mom told us the importance of going to the dentist, and how she looked forward to it. So, we liked going too...well, that, and the Doc called me "Princess". I liked that.

I've had my share of mess-ups, including 2 crowns that were improperly made, but that's okay-nobody is perfect. I wear my bite-guard religiously every night, so I can keep my pearly whites happy.

I think it's great when I have the opportunity to speak with different girls who work on my teeth before the dentist comes in. They're all very sweet, and all work the same on me. I think a lot of the abilities they have come from the overall guidance of the dentist.

Unfortunately, my current insurance only allows me to come in every 6 months, but my lucky husband gets to go every 3.

If I won the lottery, I'd pay to go to the dentist for a cleaning every week!

To you, Larry, thank you for being in what I think is a very difficult job, considering so many don't want to come visit.
 
Going to the dentist is not my favorite thing, but I've always taken care of my teeth. I've been lucky to have excellent care, first from a friend, and now that he's retired, from a young woman who bought his practice.

Neither one has ever hurt me. In fact, the new gal has put in a massaging chair, so I get a great back rub while I'm getting my work done.

My only problem is that my sinuses start draining the minute they start working on my teeth, which is miserable.
 
I have some patients that love coming to the dentist, not because of the work itself, but its a time for them to sit back and relax. No kids screaming, no fighting for the remote control, no husbands or wives complaining, and no phones ringing ( although that has changed with the cell phones). Many times we talk about our vacations, places we like to go, things we like to do, sports.....
 

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