Patient Questions

Jay Sher is an Expert Contributor on FindaTopDoc. Here are some of their recent answers to patient questions.

Dentist
Jay Sher, DDS, FAGD, FACD

This is the perfect question for your orthodontist. Your doctor only wants you to have a successful result from your braces so they will establish the appropriate timing for your interim checkups.

It is probably from decay or some periodontal, gum tissue problem. Do not hesitate to have your dentist check this out ASAP for the appropriate treatment. Delaying treatment will only allow the problem to worsen!

You can brush and floss more efficiently but smoking will stain even small amounts of plaque that accumulates on the surface of your teeth. Here is the best advice.........Stop smoking, you will live longer with nicer looking teeth!

If the bonding restoration includes the edges of the front teeth, I usually tell my patients that 3 -5 years until they may need to be refurbished or redone. Many times they will last longer but even the best materials will wear with time especially with the stresses from biting into foods multiple times a day.

I get rid of nerve pain by taking an x-ray, making the correct diagnosis, and then treat the underlying problem. See your dentist right away!

Simple. Call your dentist and let him or her perform a thorough examination, make the needed diagnosis and repair the tooth so no further damage will be done. Here is some very good advice for you. Use ice to cool down your beverages and don't chew it! If you don't heed this advice, you will break more teeth!

Wisdom teeth can start erupting at High School age and continue through the college years. So yes, this is perfectly consistent with the expected eruption pattern. I would strongly recommend that he be seen by his dentist because it may or may not be erupting normally and that should be determined now that he has some symptoms.

Good news, the answer is YES. You should be able to eat comfortably right away.

You need to see a local dentist! Ask some people where ever you are visiting to help get you some names of competent dentists in that area. There is probably little you can do without a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan. Get the emergency visit scheduled and follow up with your regular dentist when you return home.

The treatment will last until the teeth are in there proper position. That is accomplished with a series of clear plastic trays called aligners that are worn usually for two weeks at a time. Therefore, depending on how many aligners you need each being worn for two weeks, that will determine the time for the treatment to be completed. A small gap between your teeth may only take 4 -5 aligners to correct but this is only a guess. Your dentist will be able to give you a good approximate time table before you start.

Here is the most simple way to relieve your toothache especially when you are not sure where it's coming from. You first need a definitive diagnosis and then the appropriate treatment. That will best be accomplished by visiting your local dentist ASAP!

Good news! You can eat right away or at least wait until you get out of the office!

This is very unusual. Call your orthodontist today and have the brackets rebonded. Something went terribly wrong and you need to have it redone as soon as possible.

New dentures always need to be followed up with 2-3 visits to adjust them as they settle in. I cannot vouch for the fit, but I always explain to my patients that follow-up visits are necessary to make sure the appliances are comfortable.

Usually the relief is immediate after the medication is place in the socket. It will need to be changed for several days and then the healing can progress on its own. Good luck!

It would be very difficult to whiten your teeth while you have braces on them. If your teeth look stained, I would strongly recommend you have your teeth professionally cleaned at your dentist's office first. That will probably provide a much cleaner look. Then wait until your orthodontic treatment has been completed, have your teeth cleaned again and then evaluate them to see if whitening is still needed.

Call and make an appointment with your dentist right away. It might be something very easy to solve like a bite adjustment but it must be properly diagnosed and corrected immediately.

It is possible, but probably unlikely. Usually, any issue with a tooth would be localized to that immediate area unless there was a significant infection or problem. The fact that you have been diagnosed with a cavity and only need a filling seems to indicate that just routine treatment is indicated. Obviously, get the filling done and follow up with the painful headaches with your primary care physician should they continue.

There is a possibility that you may need an antibiotic if there is an active infection brewing. The use of antibiotics has decreased significantly over the years because we are more concerned with patients becoming allergic to antibiotic therapy. Therefore, if the extraction is routine and no infection is present, there probably is no need for an antibiotic. Let your dentist discuss this with you when you have the extraction.

Root canal therapy is usually performed after the administration of local anesthesia. A topical anesthetic gel can be swabbed on the spot to receive the injection to make it a more comfortable procedure with often just a minor "pinch" felt. Once full, profound anesthesia is obtained, sit back, relax and bring some music on your phone with headphones and you should experience no pain!