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April 2012

Apr 25

Pain after a white filling

By Fillings

About 7 months ago I had a silver filling replaced with a white filling. There was some sensitivity to the tooth afterward, but dentist said that is normal and it will get better in time. Now months later I can barely chew any food, including bread. Do you think I have an infection? Did the dentist do something wrong?

Cara C. from Minnesota.

Cara,

Without examining you I couldn’t tell you if you have an infection, though I suspect you do. When the pain is sensitivity from a dental filling it gets better. It might take a while to get better, but it will progressively improve. What you describing is the pain worsening and that is often the sign of an infection.  While it is possible your dentist did something wrong, it is equally possible that you had an underlying infection under the filling and the additional work to the tooth added stress and it began showing the signs of its infection.  I would go back to your dentist and tell him what is going on. An x-ray should be able to show something after this many months with an infection.

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

Apr 11

Teeth don’t line up after dental implant bridge

By Dental Implant Bridge, Dental Implant Mistakes, Dental Implants

My teeth are mis-aligned. The left top and bottom teeth don’t match when I bite down. It seems that the left top teeth are way too far left from where they should meet the bottom teeth, if that makes sense. My teeth weren’t always like this though. I noticed the problem after I received a dental implant bridge to replace some missing teeth. I am thinking that this is a big problem. Your thoughts?  Thanks much. – Bridgette P. from Kansas

Bridgette – Your teeth should be aligned. It’s possible that the dental implants were incorrectly restored or incorrectly placed. This problem and various types of implant failure can occur if there is miscommunication between your restorative dentist and the surgeon who places the implants. The restorative dentist needs sufficient knowledge of implant surgery to give the surgeon precise instructions on where the implants should be placed. He or she should make a guide that will snap into your mouth to indicate the exact placement and angle of the implants.

Dental implant treatment is not a recognized specialty, so a dentist can claim to be an implant dentist without having received the extra training required to properly place implants.

Dr. Anthony is a prosthodontist who has received specialized training in tooth replacement and restoration. He performs the entire implant process—both the surgery and the tooth restoration. This prevents miscommunication that leads to implant mistakes.

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

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