Front Tooth Fracture Options
Dear Dr. : A little over a year ago I fell and hit my front tooth, breaking it in a rather odd manner according to my dentist. The tooth was still attached but fractured from the front up toward the gum line in the back. My dentist bonded it for a temporary fix and said that even though the fracture was bad, it just barely missed the root and nerves. He then advised me to have a crown lengthening procedure and after that place a porcelain crown so it would look the best and be strong. Do you believe that this is the best way to repair the tooth? I am concerned that excessive grinding down of...
read moreMetal in Removable Partial Dentures
Dear Dr. : You are a special person to help like this. I have a major concern. I am having partial dentures done for the bottom. I always had a plastic partial denture and have had it for thirty years with no shifting of teeth at all. After thirty years of being careful I accidentally threw it in the garbage can so now I am working with a dentist and she said she will make a metal device that connects four missing teeth on one side and three on the other. She said that it would be stronger, but I am concerned about what metals are used and if iron will seep into my system. What metals do...
read moreSports Mouthguards Revisited
Dear Mike: Absolutely!! Do not allow yourself to become a victim of preventable sports injury. Listen to your dentist and wear a mouthguard. I do realize that they are not mandatory as a part of attire or equipment for all sports but their worth is non-arguable.As a dentist I have seen many injuries that could have been prevented if only a mouthguard was worn. They not only limit damage to teeth but help protect the cheeks, lips, gums, tongues and even assist in stopping concussions. Any type of blow that an athlete may take in the head or neck area can be cushioned by a mouthguard. Taking...
read moreCheek Chewing
ASK THE DENTISTTHURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2009. Dear Dr. Mady: I have a bad habit of chewing on the inside of my cheeks inside my mouth. I have been doing this for about 5 years and the other day I looked in my mouth and it looks like a thick white line on each side where I have been chewing. What can it be and is it cancerous or dangerous?-Joan in Harrow Dear Joan: What you are describing is known as Linea Alba. It is a fibrous, white-colored protrusive benign (non-cancerous) thickening of oral mucosa along the chewing line of your mouth. It can not only be caused by chewing of the cheeks but...
read moreAvulsed (knocked out) Tooth
ASK THE DENTISTTHURSDAY OCTOBER 15, 2009. Dear Dr Mady: My 12 year old son had a fellow hockey player that got hit by a puck in their game the other night. The puck went right under his clear face shield and knocked his upper front tooth clean out of his mouth. His parents rushed him to their dentist and said they were going to try and have his tooth put back in. It did not look like a whole tooth. Is it possible for a tooth that has been knocked out to be put back in place and stay there and if so how should the situation be handled?-Elise in Kitchener Dear Elise: What you are describing is...
read morePost Surgical Abscess
ASK THE DENTIST THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009. Dear Dr. Mady: My 18 year old daughter recently had a couple of wisdom teeth removed and the surgery was fairly uneventful without any complications. Anytime she has any kind of surgery she seems to get infection. About two days later she started to swell quickly and her face became red and hot. She smokes but told me she did not smoke after the teeth were extracted. I took her back to our dentist and he advised us to go to the emergency room at the local hospital immediately for I.V. antibiotics and an evaluation because he said if the...
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