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Damaged Tooth

Jun 04

Lost filling and tooth cracked – best at home remedy for pain?

By Damaged Tooth, Toothache

The filling in one of my upper molars was probably 15 yrs old. I started to feel some sensitivity in the tooth about 4 months ago. 2 weeks ago the filling fell out and over the weekend the tooth cracked. I am terrified of the dentist. I don’t care a whole lot about the tooth because it’s in the back of my mouth. I just want to know what I can do about the pain at home so I can avoid the dentist. Ibuprofen is not working. – Tony

Tony – If over-the-counter medication is not alleviating your pain, you need to see a dentist. You can find a dentist who is gentle and who enjoys treating nervous patients.

If there is a problem with the tooth, your pain may increase. If the tooth is infected, other teeth may be affected and eventually cause you more pain.

Schedule an appointment with the dentist first to explain your anxiety. A dentist who treats fearful patients has techniques to help you relax. If necessary, sedation dentistry can be used to calm your fears.  It is important that you see a dentist promptly.

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

Nov 19

Daughter’s elbow loosened son’s tooth. Is a pediatric dentist necessary?

By Damaged Tooth, Pediatric Dentist

My 7 yr old son and 3 yr old daughter were wrestling yesterday evening. They play around a lot which is fine with me, but sometimes they get a little rough. The 5 yr old can actually handle it. While they were wrestling, my son tried to pin her down. He is careful not to hurt her, but this time she hurt him instead. She took defense with her elbow which went right into my son’s mouth.  Her elbow hit one of his teeth pretty hard. The tooth bled for about 20 minutes and today before he went to school he said it hurts a little. I checked it and it’s a little loose. I wasn’t really worried about it because it’s not a permanent tooth, but my husband thinks we need to have it looked at by our pediatric dentist. Is this really necessary? I don’t want to call the office because I know they will tell me to bring my son in whether it’s needed or not. Thanks. Cherise

Cherise – When a tooth is loosened it is normal for it to bleed a little from the gums. A slightly loose tooth usually tightens up on its own.

If the tooth feels very loose, or if your son is in persistent pain, you should call your pediatric dentist. Your dentist will likely want to check the tooth anyway to see if it needs to be repositioned, or if it’s very loose, your dentist may want to remove the tooth altogether.

If a primary tooth is loose and needs to be extracted, a spacer may be needed to hold the place for the permanent tooth so that the adjacent teeth won’t shift into the space.

Contacting your pediatric dentist just to check out the tooth is a good precaution.

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

Sep 24

Do I need to see a dentist?

By Damaged Tooth

I rollerblade on Monday nights and last month I collided with another blader. The impact was on my face and although I was wearing a mouthguard it still jammed my mouth pretty good. I guess I’m lucky that I didn’t lose a tooth. Anyway I was just looking in the mirror and notice what looks like a hairline crack in my tooth. It doesn’t hurt consistently-only every now and then. Do I need to see a dentist? – Matthew

Matthew – We are sorry to hear about your accident. If you see a hairline crack in your tooth and are experiencing pain from time to time, you should get it checked by a dentist.

Treatment for a cracked tooth varies depending on the size and length of the crack. A simple crack may need to be concealed with dental bonding. If the pulp of the tooth is affected, a root canal treatment may be needed. If the root of the tooth is damaged, it may need to be removed.

An untreated crack may progressively get worse. Make an appointment with your dentist right away.

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

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