Dr. Brent Ellis Parrott, D.D.S.

After a week or two, consumption of alcohol will most likely not cause any complication. The concerns are more with the sutures and or membrane protecting the bone graft which are on the surface above the graft, than the graft itself. I would suggest you ask the surgeon caring for you what their guidelines are.

In the simplest of terms, a section of gum tissue, usually from the roof of your mouth, is removed and placed in another area where the tissue is deficient. There are many ways to do this and many ways to prepare the area where the graft will be placed. The donor site, in the roof of your mouth will heal and fill back in where the tissue was removed.

The outside of our teeth are made of the hardests substance in the body, enamel, which is also brittle to a point. Craze lines, which often appear like small scratches or lines, typically do not indicate any problem with the teeth. If they continue to become more prominent and become stained it can mean the teeth have become compromised.Typically I recommend trying to clean the stain first by having the teeth cleaned professionally, then try whitening to diminish or eliminate the stain.

I can guarantee your "filling" is not infected. The tooth the filling is in may be, but fillings are metal, glass, or plastic (or a combination of those) and don't get infected. If the filling has broken or leaked and bacteria have gotten under or around it, they could invade the tooth and cause carries (dental decay). If your filling was placed a while ago and the tooth is just now starting to hurt you, there is a good chance it, or some other part of the tooth has a problem. If the filling was recently placed and the tooth is hurting you, there is a chance it was very deep (near the nerve of the tooth) and the tooth might be able to adjust to it, or it could have been improperly placed resulting in discomfort on the tooth. As a dentist, we check the tooth to see if it is sensitive to hot or cold or biting or releasing or tapping. If it is, we then want to know how long the sensitivity lasts, the sooner it resolves the better. These tests will give you an idea of the severity of the problem but will not help you fix it.
Hopefully this gives you information to help you when you visit your dentist next to have it checked out.

All retainers are designed to retain or hold teeth where they are. Fixed retainers do the best job since they can’t be removed. That said, there are two basic types of fixed retainers; one that is bonded to all the teeth included, and another that is bonded only to the teeth on either end.

In this picture, the two on the left and the one in the middle are bonded to all 6 (or 4) teeth assuring that none of the teeth move. The two on the right are bonded only to the end teeth which will allow a little movement of the teeth that are not bonded. Side note: it is a little easier to floss the type bonded only on the end since the floss can be threaded once and moved along the back of the teeth from tooth to tooth.

The most effective way we know of strengthening dental enamel is still topical fluoride. There are other minerals found in dentifrices that are reported to help strengthen or reinforce enamel. Some of these can be placed in a custom tray to increase the tooth's exposure to them. These trays can be made in most any dental office. The most important thing is to try to avoid those actions and foods that destroy or weaken your enamel.

Malodor is most likely caused by caries (decay causing bacteria) or gum infection (gingivitis). If you can narrow the location of the bad smell to one specific area or tooth it should enable the dentist to locate it and offer you multiple solutions.

There are many procedures called "bonding." The procedure most commonly referred to is a tooth colored filling placed on a front tooth to change its shape. I'll presume you refer to such a procedure. In this era almost all fillings are bonded into place and the bonding can easily last for a lifetime. It is the edges (both the interface with the tooth and the tips) of the filling that tend to be the weak area, these sometimes pick up stain or chip off. Frequently if staining occurs it can be "buffed" or polished out, extending the service of the "bonding." If it chips that can also be repaired much of the time.I would expect a "bonding" to serve a patient for many years, especially if they have regular dental visits. The repair on my chipped front tooth was done initially when I was 16, had to be redone when I was 35 (I whitened my teeth and it no longer matched, but was still in good shape) and is still in place over 15 years later.

There are multiple types of infections that could be called a "gum infection." If the infections is caused by periodontal disease (gum disease), it is the calcified bacterial secretions building up under the gums that is causing the irritation and infection it needs to be removed, usually by a hygienist. If the infection is caused by an infected (dead or dying) tooth, the infection area needs to be treated either with an antibiotic or root canal therapy. Seeing a dentist to diagnose the cause and properly treat it would be the best solution.

There are a few things that cannot be done with Invisalign that can be done with traditional wire braces. It is more a matter of the expertise of the doctor guiding the treatment. With Invisalign the compliance of the patient also comes into play where as it is easier to clean your teeth as well.

At 24 dry mouth is unusual. Unless you are taking some sort of medication that has the effect of causing dry mouth, the cause is most likely some form of mouth breathing or sleep apnea. You might want to look at a local pharmacy for XyliMelts and give them a try. Patients have had varying degrees of success with them. While it does leave sleep apnea undiagnosed if it exists, it may help you with your symptoms.

If you got your dentures right after having teeth extracted, also known as an immediate denture, you should wear them all the time (except when taking them out to clean) until you get back to your dentist.If these are just new dentures (replacing previous or with not recent changes in your mouth) you should NOT wear them to sleep. The tissues need time to relax and also need some stimulation to be strong and healthy. It is a good idea to brush your gums with a soft toothbrush when you clean your denture with a denture toothbrush. Chewing on a rolled up washcloth without your denture in your mouth will also help stimulate and strengthen the tissues.As far as cleaning your dentures and/or soaking them overnight:
If your dentures start looking dingy soaking them in a solution of 1 part water 1 part white vinegar will work as well or better than any of the store bought cleaners. If your dentures look fine you only need to soak them in water. This will avoid them drying out and attracting stains from the foods you put in your mouth.

For short term relieve Ibuprofen works well. If you weigh over 150 lbs, 600 mg (three normal 200 mg pills) is the recommended maximum effective dose every 5 to 6 hours to a maximum of 3000 mg per day. If you find that isn't cutting it, you can add 1 Excedrin OR 1 Tylenol to the Ibuprofen. This will only work short term for mild to moderate pain. If this doesn't work (and even if it does) you should definitely get some help. Healthy teeth do not cause pain.

Depending upon the condition of your existing dentures and the technique used by the dentist it can take as little as three days to as long as a couple of months to have new dentures made. In most cases you will never need to be without your existing dentures for more than a few hours during the process.

While it is unusual for a crown to fall off a tooth, the tooth is still susceptible to decay around the crown which can seep under the crown, rot the tooth, and cause the crown to become loose. Occasionally a crown will become loose and fall off without new decay being the cause, this is usually due to cement bonding failure and can be due to contamination during the cementation process, minimal tooth structure to bond the crown to, or a number of other causes. Hopefully you will be able to go to your dentist and he/she will be able to recement the crown you have.

Simply put, dentures are made by making impressions of your mouth. Both top and bottom arches then using those to fabricate something to replace the missing teeth and gums.

It's a great idea to use mouthwash while you have a temporary crown to get your gums as healthy as possible prior to the delivery of your final crown. You should be careful when flossing to pull the floss out the side and not lift up as it may dislodge the crown.

Unfortunately that is a very individual and complex question. There are times when even with root canal therapy the tooth is or would be so severely compromised it would serve you better to have it extracted. Hopefully you have a dentist you can trust that will explain all the advantages and disadvantages of both options. If the question is "does root canal therapy work" to avoid extracting a tooth. All research shows a very high long term rate of success when done by a competent provider. If you have the tooth removed you need to consider if you are going to leave the space or what you will do to replace the tooth. If replacing the tooth involves cutting two teeth not needing work, you are using a three tooth solution to solve a one tooth problem. Find a dentist you can trust and ask them to explain what they recommend and why.

The doctor removing your teeth should give you complete instructions. Here's short version of brushing post surgery guidelines: 1. Start as soon as you can. 2. Go real slow and easy around the extraction sites. 3. Keep the rest of your mouth (don't for get your tongue) clean. 4. No forceful spitting.
Hope that helps.

Scaling of teeth is normally NOT painful. I suppose it could be if not done properly. Normally scaling of teeth refers to having teeth cleaned more thoroughly and aggressively than one would normally handle without anesthesia. It is really not much more than that. Once anesthesia is achieved one should be comfortable throughout the procedure and the area should be only slightly sore once the anesthesia wears off.