Dr Jaclyn Toh

How long a filling lasts depends very much on its size. Composite is a plastic which is prone to wear in the mouth. If a filling is extensive (covers a large surface area that is in contact during biting) then it will tend to wear out more quickly than a small one. Wear or failure (breakage etc) of the filling is more likely if you grind your teeth. On average, a small composite should last at least 5 years. Larger composites can tend to break down quickly, leading to loss of the filling, or more insidious changes to your bite over time which can be difficult to recover.

The purpose of a pre-operative xray of the wisdom tooth is to allow the dentist to assess: The presence and extent of any decay. The amount of bone surrounding the tooth. The bone density. The wisdom tooth position and degree of impaction. The number of roots present. The root form and curvature. The proximity of the tooth or roots to any vital structures (such as the maxillary sinus, the inferior alveolar canal). The presence of cystic change or other intrabony lesions related to the wisdom tooth.

Most "home remedies" do not adequately address the source of the pain from a cracked tooth since the tooth is already permanently structurally compromised. The pain usually comes from the pulp (nerve) within the tooth that is progressively irritated when the crack is wedged apart and from chronic bacterial ingress. Some home remedies that patients have tried include: Painkillers. These can relieve some of the pain and inflammation coming from the pulp while you are waiting for definitive treatment. Oil of cloves, which contains eugenol (a compound with nerve sedative properties).

The effects of extracting a single tooth on the face and soft tissues (the overlying muscle, fat pads and skin) are often overestimated. In a young person, the scaffolding of the face is still able to support itself and it is extremely unlikely that anyone would be able to notice a difference in the face after the immediate post-extraction swelling has gone away. With age, there are changes to the structures that make up our facial features as well as structural changes in the skin.

Invisalign can close extraction gaps but in my experience, this requires either additional treatment with fixed braces to ensure the teeth on either side of the gap end up in correct alignment or additional tools (such as power arms) during space closure. What tends to happen when aligners are used to close spaces, is that the crowns of the teeth tend to tip towards the gap instead of moving towards each other in an upright alignment (bodily movement). Even with fixed braces, this can be difficult to achieve. This tipping is accentuated further when patients do not wear their aligners enough.

Hello, it depends on the case. Your dentist needs to assess your dental situation AND discuss what you hope to achieve with the look and function of your teeth to make a suitable choice. Each choice has its pros and cons, which should be discussed with you as part of the consultation process. Taking a cookie cutter approach in dentistry is not a useful approach because it assumes that all patients are identical in terms of clinical situation, budget and desires. Ultimately, this is a question that only your dentist can answer, therefore, you should consult your dentist on this.

Molar bands are normally removed towards the end of orthodontic treatment and replaced with molar tubes. Molar tubes are only bonded to the tooth on the buccal side of the tooth so do not leave residual gaps. Your dentist can then proceed to close all remaining residual spaces as part of the finishing stages of treatment. Again, it is important to ask these questions of your treating dentist because they would be most familiar with the requirements of your case.

MTA (Mineral Trioxide Aggregate) requires moisture to set because that is part of the chemistry of its setting reaction. MTA is derived originally from Portland cement. https://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573456/However, this does not mean that the root canal should be soaking wetbefore MTA is placed. MTA is used in situations where there is inevitably moisture (blood or tissue fluid) within a part of the tooth or root canal. For example:1. Sealing perforations2. Sealing open root apices3.

The main difficulty with removing lower molar teeth (including wisdom teeth) is the difficulty in ensuring profound anaesthesia. The lower jawbone is dense and nerve blocks may be successful only about 50-60% of the time (if insufficient waiting time and only a single block is utilized). Patients with heavy musculature and a history of bruxism are more likely to encounter anaesthetic failure because of underlying chronic inflammation in the tissues surrounding their teeth. This is the main reason why patients and dentists have difficulties with extractions or procedures on lower molars.

Hyperactive masseter muscles can be a sign of night-time bruxism (grinding of the teeth). There are 2 strategies that are generally used to shrink the muscles and reduce muscle activity: Placement of neurotoxin into the masseters Botox can be injected into the masseters to weaken the muscles. However, this requires repeated treatment since you will continue to use these muscles in chewing. Large muscles, like the masseter, will tend to require more units of neurotoxin.

A "weak" chin is a sign of a skeletal class 2 pattern. This may be because the upper jaw is protruding, so the normal chin appears deficient. The lower jaw may be underdeveloped and the chin is receded as a result. There are standardized methods of assessing the source of the weak chin. Radiographic cephalometric markers are used to assess the skeleton and the soft tissues, so that an objective conclusion can be made, since this will affect the choice of appropriate treatment. A protruding mouth is something not that commonly described.

There is no reason to replace root canal treated-teeth with implants unless there is pain, infection, swelling or a fracture of the tooth. Even when there are issues with root canal treatment, redoing the root canal treatment may still be an option if the tooth is still restorable. A natural tooth preserves bone and gum tissue volume in a way that cannot be replicated by implants yet. Complications and the costs associated with maintaining a root canal treated-tooth are still easier to manage and cost less compared to implants.

There are several stages to a filling procedure: Local anaesthesiaProfound local anaesthesia is the key to painless treatment. If you are not fully numb, it limits your dentist's ability to properly carry out the treatment. If you are nervous or anxious about dental treatment, sedation can help by raising your pain threshold. This makes any local anaesthesia more likely to be effective. Lower back teeth (molars) can be especially difficult to numb because of the dense jawbone surrounding these teeth.

Having a dental implant does not mean you cannot get braces. However, an implant behaves very differently from natural teeth. Natural tooth roots are surrounded by the periodontal ligament in the bone. Implants lack this tendinous support and are instead directly in contact with the bone. When an orthodontic force is applied to a natural tooth, inflammation develops in the surrounding bone. This triggers a cascade of biochemical signals that result in bone remodeling as the tooth is moved with braces.

It is very unusual for teeth to fail to move orthodontically. The best would be to go back to your dentist or orthodontist for a review. Possible reasons for non-moving teeth Maintaining punctual attendance is key to ensuring treatment proceeds smoothly. It is very unusual for teeth to fail to move orthodontically. Over time, elastic modules and chains lose elasticity. Your teeth may slow down or stop moving, or the wire may escape from the bracket causing unwanted tooth movement. This can prolong treatment unnecessarily.