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Dr. Anthony LaVacca

Sep 13

Can a child get dental implants?

By Dental Implants

My son is 11 years old and he has no lateral incisors. Is he old enough for dental implants? I don’t want him go into his teen years with the teeth missing. Those years are hard enough without him being teased. Terri R. – Allentown, PA

Terri – When your son is in his late teens and his jawbone has fully developed, you can find a good implant dentist to give him a thorough examination and determine if he is a candidate for dental implants.

Until then, an orthodontist can provide him with an appliance to keep the spaces open for future implants. Acrylic teeth can be embedded in the appliance in place of the missing incisors. This will help your son not to be self-conscious and to avoid embarrassment or being teased.

This blog post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Sep 12

Trauma to tooth

By Dental Emergency

Last night my teeth collided with my husband’s head. It is still sore this morning. It is also a little loose. How long will it feel like this?  Will it turn gray? Will it always be loose?

Katarina L from Phoenix, AZ

Katarina,

I think it is important you see your dentist as soon as possible to have your tooth evaluated. You’ve got blunt force trauma. Your symptoms make me wonder if the nerve of the tooth is damaged or if you have a fractured tooth root.  If the nerve is damage, your dentist should recommend a root canal and a dental crown in order to save your tooth.

To answer some of your other questions, yes, it will turn gray eventually if there is nerve damage. However, you should have any problem taken care of well before that can happen. Your tooth will tighten back up unless you have a severe fracture.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Aug 31

Why do my dental implants keep failing?

By Dental Implants

Over the past five years I have tried to get implants for three missing teeth, but they have all failed. The surgeon has taken extreme care and rebuilt my jawbone in those places, but my body seems to keep rejecting them. My implant dentist is clueless. I want to replace these teeth. What do you suggest? – Margo

Margo – In rare instances, because of body chemistry, there are patients for whom dental implants don’t work. The situation is similar to a patient’s body that rejects a tissue transplant.

It is surprising that, if you have an implant dentist, he or she is clueless. If you want reassurance, get a second opinion from a credentialed implant dentist. Take a look at our Meet Dr. LaVacca web page to get an idea of the kind of credentials you should look for in a dentist from whom you will receive a second opinion.

If your body is rejecting the implants, the implant dentist will be able to recommend alternate treatments. Although implants are the most effective and natural-looking tooth replacement, there are alternatives that will also look natural.

This blog post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist and American Board-certified prosthodontist Dr. Anthony LaVacca

Aug 31

Too many implant failures

By Dental Implants

I’ve had so any implant failures on my two lower front teeth that my surgeon is stumped. He said he’s never seen this many failures before.   Do you know why? Is there ANY chance I can get implants?

Candice from Georgia

Candice,

In many cases, dental implants fail because of some mistake on the part of the surgeon/dentist. However, that is not always the case. Dental implants can fail due to no error whatsoever. For some patients, there is a rare condition with their body chemistry that causes their body to reject the implants, sort of the way some patients can reject a heart or kidney transplant. It just isn’t compatible with their body. If you’ve had many implant failures with a skilled implant dentist/surgeon, you may be one of those rare cases.

That being said, I wouldn’t despair yet. When you said your dentist was “stumped”, it made me wonder about just how skilled he or she truly is. He shouldn’t be stumped. My suggestion is that you get a second opinion. However, I want you to be careful about to whom you go for the second opinion.

Go to the website of either the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, or the American Board of Oral Implantology. Check their membership rolls for a surgeon with fellowship or diplomate status. These surgeons will have impeccable credentials.  You can be an exemplary implant dentist without that status, but this will be a sort of guarantee for you that you’ll be getting the best possible information.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

 

Aug 15

Why do the crowns make my implants hurt?

By Dental Implant Mistakes, Dental Implants, Porcelain Crown

I received four dental implants, but the crowns seem to make them hurt. Whenever the crowns are placed on the implants I feel pain. Is something wrong with the crowns or is it the implants. I talked to the surgeon about it, but I got nowhere with him. The thought of what could have gone wrong is starting to make me nervous. What can I do? Thanks for your help – Danielle from Minnesota

Danielle – Without an examination, it is not possible to say precisely what is causing your problem, but we can tell you what is potentially causing your pain.

The dental implants may be affecting a nerve, they may be too small, they may be incorrectly placed, there might be an infection around them, or there may be too much stress on them—in which case, the crowns can increase the stress and cause pain.

The normal pain after implants are placed usually lasts only one or two weeks. If crowns are being placed on your implants, then you have passed the recommended healing period of three to four months, and the crowns are not likely to be the cause of the pain.

Your surgeon has no input on what may be causing the problem, so we recommend that you get a second opinion from a different implant dentist. Check his or her credentials to ensure that he or she is skilled in implant placement.

This blog post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Aug 11

Bad root canal

By Root Canal Treatment

I had a root canal. I don’t think it was done right cause I am in tons of pain.  It makes me sick in my stomach to the point I think I’m going to vomit. What do you think is happening? I don’t want this anymore and am thinking of just getting rid of the tooth.

Rebecca from Colorado

Rebecca,

It is quite common for a root canal treatment to have a painful flare up, even if nothing was done wrong. Occasionally, infected material get’s pushed through the apex into the bone, which causes the ligament in that area to get inflamed and painful. Though the pain can be difficult to tolerate, it isn’t serious and your body should be able to fight the infection on its own.

Rather than pull your tooth after all the effort of saving it with a root canal, I would ask your dentist to reduce your bite. This will almost completely eliminate your pain. Generally, after a root canal treatment, a tooth is protected with a dental crown. If you have the bite reduced now, it won’t change anything that needs to be done to the tooth later.

You may also be interest in reading about Tooth Decay, Prevention, and Treatment.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Aug 07

Should I get a metal foundation crown if I’m allergic to metal?

By Dental Crowns

Hi,

My dentist wants to give me a porcelain fused to metal crown for my recent root canal. The problem is I’m allergic to metal. What about Zirconia? Would that be a better option?

Denise L. – Colorado Springs

Denise,

If your rash comes from things like cheap jewelry, than you are more than likely allergic to the nickel.  Any good dentist will include a question about metal allergies in your health questionnaire. Hopefully your dentist asked you about that. If not, I would consider a different dentist for your oral health needs.

If your allergy is to nickel, than you don’t have to worry about any precious metals in your mouth. There are three categories of metals used in dental crowns.

  • Base metals (non-precious metals)-Base metals are still and inexpensive. They are very likely to have nickel in them.
  • Noble metals (semi-precious metals)-These are softer and more workable. They have  have at least 40% of a combination of gold, platinum, and palladium. The rest will be silver and very tiny amounts of indium, gallium, copper, tin, zinc, and others.
  • High-noble metals (precious metals)-High noble metals are even softer and more workable. These are more accurate than the other two. They’re made of at least 60% noble metals, usually more, with most of that being in gold and platinum.

You shouldn’t have any problems with a nickel allergy with either noble or high noble metals in your dental crowns. If your dentist is familiar AND experienced with using Zirconia then that will be fine. However, if he isn’t, than I wouldn’t push him. It is a fairly new technique and he’d need training with it.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Jul 30

Gum disease and dental insurance

By Gum Disease

I’ve been told I have gum disease, but I haven’t been able to afford to go back to do anything about it. I don’t have any dental insurance and I just can’t afford to keep going. My two lower teeth are coming loose. I am afraid I am going to lose them. Help! I don’t know what to do.

Anonymous

I have to tell you that this is pretty serious. Once teeth are loose there usually isn’t anything you can do to save them. If you have two teeth loose already the others aren’t that far behind.

The only way to get a handle on this is not depend on dental insurance and take things into your own hands. Go in for cleanings and be very faithful with your home oral hygiene. It doesn’t have to be that expensive. I have a friend in another state who doesn’t have dental insurance and is on a very tight budget. She goes to a dental school to get her teeth cleaned. They only charge her about $25.00 per visit. I’d look into that. You really don’t want to put this off any longer. Gum disease if very serious. You could end up losing quite a few teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Jul 27

Will medical insurance provide coverage for dental implant surgery?

By Dental Implants

One of my teeth broke. It was supporting a bridge, so I want to replace the three teeth that were part of the bridge with dental implants. I am thinking that part of the cost should be an eligible expense for my medical coverage because the pieces of the tooth have to be surgically removed. I also have dental insurance with a $1500 annual maximum. Will part of the procedure be covered by medical insurance? Mylijeron from Philadelphia

 

Mylijeron – We don’t know what medical insurance plan you have, nor do we know the details of it, but it is unlikely that it will provide benefits for the surgical removal of the teeth in preparation for dental implants. Most medical insurances exclude dental treatment from coverage.

Dental insurance plans even have limitations on benefits for dental implants, because there are usually other options for treatment, and dental implants are the most expensive option. The insurance provides coverage for the least expensive treatment that will correct the problem.

This blog post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

Jul 10

Can my partial denture be replaced with implants?

By Dental Implants, Partial Dentures

As a result of gum disease, I had two bottom front teeth removed. I am wearing a partial denture to replace the teeth. Even though I had gum disease, is it possible to get two dental implants so I can get rid of the partial denture? The partial is not comfortable. Besides that I am only 37 yrs old and the thought of wearing a denture is depressing. I regret having the teeth pulled. – Katie P

Katie – Severe gum disease cause teeth to become infected, and the result may be that the teeth must be extracted. Extraction can prevent the infection from spreading to other teeth. Pulling the infected teeth was the best preventive measure for your adjacent teeth.

Bone grafting can build up your jawbone in the previously infected area so it will support dental implants. If you are not a candidate for bone grafting, a dental bridge might be an option for replacing your teeth. A dental bridge involves the missing teeth and the teeth on either side of them. The adjacent teeth have crowns placed on them and the replacement crown is suspended between them.

Consult with a credentialed implant dentist to discuss your options.

This blog post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca, who is an American Board-certified prosthodontist.

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