Archives for May 2018

Emergency Dentist Hates My Dental Work

Posted on May 31, 2018 by writeradmin.

I had two crowns done. One for a back tooth and one for a front tooth. I’ve had loads of trouble with them. I’ve gone back to my dentist twice to have the back one adjusted. It’s never felt quite right, but he insists it is and I’ll get used to it. Last night at dinner a piece chipped off of it. I went to an emergency dentist to try and get it fixed. He said I have some of the worst dental work he’s seen. He also said if I don’t replace my front crown it will turn my gum gray. Does that sound right? He also said the back crown has to be replaced. Is he right or is he just trying to get more money out of me?

Alana

Dear Alana,

Woman holding jaw in pain, in need of emergency dentist

I’ll need you to bear in mind that I haven’t examined you, nor do I know either of your dentists, but I think I may know what is going on. I don’t think the emergency dentist is trying to just get more money out of you. In fact, I think he’s trying to save you some heartache.

Let’s talk about the broken crown first. You’ve been having trouble with that crown. I know you’re dentist said you’d “get used to it”, but that is unskilled dentist speak for “I’m tired of trying to fix this”. There are generally two reasons for pain with a crown.

The first is when there’s still a lingering infection. The emergency dentist you went to should have done x-rays. If so, he’d have told you if there was an infection present. That would have required a root canal treatment and then replacement of your dental crown.

The second reason is when the crown is seated too high. That causes pain when you bite down because your opposing teeth are hitting the crown before anything else. My suspicion is that’s also why your crown broke. There wasn’t a way to share the biting force, so it all went to your crown, chipping off a piece.

It’s very likely the crown is broken in a way that it can’t be repaired but must be replaced. I wouldn’t trust your regular dentist to do this. If you liked the emergency dentist, you can use him to replace your dental crown. If you’re not crazy about either dentist, you can look for a new one.

The Graying of Your Gums

When the emergency dentist referred to the crown turning your gums gray. I’m assuming he means that you have a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown. I’m surprised your dentist placed one of those on your front teeth. That used to be common, but now dentists who understand the importance of natural, beautiful looking teeth will only place all-porcelain crowns on front teeth.

Look at the picture I posted directly above. These images are of the exact same woman. The left side has porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. The right side is an image of those crowns replaced with all-porcelain crowns. Which smile would you want?

Look closely at the left image. In addition to the crowns being too opaque in order to cover the metal base, do you see that gray line at the gumline? That’s likely what your emergency dentist was referring to. That gray line will eventually turn up at your gumline if you have metal-based crowns. There is no way to make that look natural. You’ll want to replace that with a metal-free crown.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Drake and Wallace.

I Need My Cater to Cowards Dentist

Posted on May 21, 2018 by writeradmin.

Before I left home for college, I had a fantastic dentist. He had a way of putting people at ease even when they were terrified. He was gentle and fun. He would joke that he “caters to cowards”. Well, now I’m away from home and had to go to a different dentist. It was one of the single worst experiences of my life. He was rough and when I told him he was being rough and he told me to stop being a baby. Really?!
At the moment I have a slight toothache. Can it wait until I go home? The semester is almost over. I miss my cater to cowards dentist. At least he wasn’t rude.

Daphne

Dear Daphne,

A dentist shouldn’t make you want to hide!

Wow! That was inexcusable on the part of your “new” dentist. You never deride a patient. You weren’t at fault at all. I’ve had patients that needed a good wack on the head from their rudeness, but even then we were always polite. As to whether or not you can wait it’s hard to tell. Some decay takes its time and some move at the speed of light. Well… maybe not that fast. But, you’ll want to get it filled before it becomes a full-blown infection.

If you can get home in the next few days it is possible you can make it. I’d suggest having your doctor call in an antibiotic though. It will stave off the infection until you can get to see your old dentist.
That being said, if it will take you longer to get home, you’ll need to see someone else pretty soon. Plus, you don’t want to always have to go to your old home for dental care. You’ll need a good dentist to see to your needs on a regular basis and in case of the odd dental emergency that may pop up.

Finding Your New Cater to Cowards Dentist

I want to assure you there are compassionate dentists in every area. Here’s what I’d suggest you do to find your next “cater to cowards” dentist. Dentists who like treating anxious patients, usually want them to know they’re available. Because of that they often have a page on their website related to it.

If you did an internet search for one of the following terms you’d likely find a list of them:

Sedation Dentist
Cater to Cowards Dentist
Gentle Dentist

Don’t just go to any old dentist that advertises as compassionate and gentle. Check their reviews to make sure their treatment of patients backs up their claims. Better to be safe than sorry.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Dentist Humiliated Me Over Desire for Dentures

Posted on May 15, 2018 by writeradmin.

I’ve always have had problems with my teeth, but two pregnancies with hyperemesis gravidarum put me in the hospital. They pretty much destroyed my teeth. It’s been non-stop trying to keep them and it’s consuming my life. I have two toddlers to take care of now. I don’t have time to deal with this. I went to a dentist and asked him to pull all of my teeth and give me dentures. His response shocked me and I left in tears. He said he’d never heard a request so moronic in his entire career and if I’d taken care of my teeth I wouldn’t be in this position. He also said I’d ruin my life with dentures. Is he right? Will it ruin my life?

Erica

Dear Erica,

You’ve been through so much. I’m appalled at how your dentist treated you. It was insensitive and irresponsible. He should know better. You’re a mom of two toddlers who faced hyperemesis gravidarum twice. Not only does that play havoc on your teeth, but you’re likely exhausted just from your everyday life. If there was ever a time to show compassion, now was it.

I know you’re tired of dealing with your teeth. Dentures, however, will make your life even harder. I wish your dentist would have explained that instead of just calling your suggestion moronic. The two biggest reasons you don’t want dentures are quality of life and facial collapse.

Quality of Life with Dentures

The first thing you need to know is that no matter how well fit your dentist makes your dentures they will still reduce your chewing capacity to around 50% of what it normally is. In addition to that, food gets under the denture, which is uncomfortable. It changes your relationship with food. Some people learn to live with it without too much bother. For others, it’s a constant source of distress.

Facial Collapse

However, the most important reason to avoid dentures is the loss of your jawbone. When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that you no longer have roots to your teeth there. Without the roots, your body reabsorbs the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body where it perceives it is more needed.

After about ten years or so, there isn’t enough jawbone left to even hold your dentures in any longer. I’m sure you’ve seen older people with faces that looked squished. That’s because of facial collapse. It’s also why their dentures fall out.

A Better Plan

First, I would find a new dentist. This one isn’t even nice. Why spend your hard earned money on someone who behaves like a jerk? Ideally, you’ll want to save as many teeth as possible. Have a decent and kind dentist list everything your teeth need from most urgent to least. Then, you can work out a treatment plan which you can live with. Let he or she know that you’re an exhausted mom with toddlers so the timetable is reasonable and gives you breaks between treatments.

Let’s say the worst case scenario happens and your teeth can’t be saved. In that case, I’d suggest implant overdentures. It combines dental implants and dentures in a way that not only saves your jawbone, it also significantly improves your quality of life.

Hopefully, you can find a dentist you can have a great working relationship with. Be sure to check their reviews before scheduling a new patient appointment. No point in wasting your time.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Drake and Wallace.