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Monthly Archives

May 2010

May 13

Should I see another dentist to fix my son’s teeth?

By Dental Bonding, Pediatric Dentist

My 10-year-old son fell off his bike yesterday and broke his upper front tooth and cracked another one horizontally. Thankfully, we managed to get him in to see the dentist. However, the dentist said he was unable to fix his teeth until next month. He also said that we should wait a few weeks to allow the root to desensitize. Is this waiting period standard procedure, or should I find another dentist?

-Jennifer from Texas

Jennifer,

You shouldn’t have to wait to fix your son’s teeth.

If you happened to find the piece of tooth that was broken off, it can still be reattached. Find a good cosmetic dentist to do this procedure though. You’ll want someone who knows how to match the other front tooth, and this requires someone who has excellent aesthetic dental skills.

If you don’t have the broken piece of tooth to reattach, then direct dental bonding can be used to repair the tooth. In time, the pulp will become smaller as your son ages, so depending on the extent of damage to both teeth, he may need a single crown or more.

Learn more about pediatric dentistry and about kid’s basic dental care.

May 03

Can I use peroxide to whiten my teeth?

By Teeth Whitening

Is it possible to use 3% hydrogen peroxide that you can buy over the counter to whiten teeth?

Wendy from Edmund, OK

Wendy,

It is possible to rinse with peroxide, but it won’t make that much of a difference. You can still use an at-home treatment, but you should use one that is supervised by a dentist. Trays and a whitening agent will give you nice results just as long as you allow the solution to penetrate your teeth for a minimum of fifteen minutes. And for quicker results, the trays and whitening agent can safely be worn for a couple hours per day or overnight.  Keep in mind that tooth stains are typically deep, so you want to be sure to whiten the dentin, which is beneath the tooth enamel.

Another alternative is to wear the Crest Whitestrips thirty minutes per day for two weeks. They have roughly a 6% peroxide concentration. This method will provide mild whitening, and it outperforms rinsing with 3% peroxide. This should give you a good perspective of how long it would take to whiten your teeth when just rinsing with peroxide.

Learn about options to whiten discolored teeth, such as Zoom whitening and cosmetic dentistry procedures.

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