05-24-2007 - Dear Dan, Occasionally there can be a file separation when a tooth is being treated for a root canal. If you are not having any discomfort with the involved tooth at this time, you may never have any future problems. If you have already talked with your dentist and he/she has explained to you about your particular circumstance, you should be comfortable. (The way I understand MRI technology, there can be some "scattering" of the image if there is metal present in the "target area". However, my personal opinion is that a very small file tip would not interfere nearly as much as someone's silver/mercury fillings or gold crowns. I hope that this helps. Dr.B:)   « less

05-24-2007 - Dear Geraldine, Teeth that have had root canals can become dry and brittle and therefore be more susceptible to fracture. It may be that you have a cracked root. I would recommend to you that you make an appointment with your dentist and have an x-ray taken of the involved tooth. (I prefer digital x-rays because patients are exposed to 90% less radiation, they are more accurate, and both the dentist and the patient can see the enlarged x-ray more easily on a computer monitor or TV screen. Hopefully, you will be able to keep your front tooth. Your dentist may recommend a crown... if the root is not fractured. If the root is fractured you may lose the tooth. However, you may be a good candidate for an implant to replace the lost one. If I can be of further assistance to you just let me know. You may visit our website at www.cosmeticdentistknoxville.com or mymasterpiecesmile.com Dr. B :)   « less

05-28-2007 - Dear A.J., In Knoxville and the surrounding communities we have a number of excellent dentists who could help you. Have you just moved back to the Knoxville area? If you are still in the St. Augustine area I would recommend that you call a few offices and do your own research... and I will try to give you a couple "tips". Don't ask... "how much do you charge for...". No dentist can really give a patient a good answer until he or she has examined the patient. If you and I were in the asphalt paving business and someone called our office and asked us "how much to pave my driveway?"... there would be alot of factors that we would have know. How long is the driveway? How wide? Do we have to do grading? How thick should the gravel base be? How thick should the asphalt be? In your case I am sorry that you have decided to have all of your teeth removed. In your profession speaking confidently and clearly have certainly helped you pay the bills. Dentures are not all that they are cracked up to be. There are "denture centers" who advertise that they remove teeth and deliver dentures in the same day. There are a lot of factors that need to be concidered in your case. Do you have medical conditions? What medications are you now taking? Do you gag easily? Can you wear an upper denture? Do you have enough bone to support a lower denture? Do you smoke? Smoking drys the mouth and decreased saliva makes dentures more difficult to stay in place, increases mouth soreness, and increases the amount of denture adhesive that patients will need to use to "hold" their "teeth" in. My advise is to find a dentist who will take the time to properly evaluate your personal dental condition and to care enough about you as an individual to come up with a treatment plan that will best suit you. Can any of your teeth be saved? To have a "partial denture" made that is anchored to some of your natural teeth may be an alternative. Are you a good candidate for dental implants or an implant supported denture? The "denture clinics" serve a valuable place in the dental profession and I am glad that they are in business... they help alot of people. However, most of these businesses geared for high volume and mass production. If you want dentures, you will get dentures... and at a price that suits many people that are on a fixed income. At this time our profession actually needs "denture clinics". I hope someday that the "mouth" will be included as part of the human body and that medical insurance will pay it's part to replace or repair a part of our body that has become diseased or "worn out" just as they do for hip replacements, knee replacements, cataracts,etc., but that's a matter that won't be resolved for a while. Imagine insurance companies spending thousands of dollars to hospitalize a person and run a battery of tests to help determine why the patient is having digestive problems... and all he or she needed was to better be able to chew their food properly. Okay, I'm getting a little "long winded" about all of this so I will try to wrap it up. I personally would not select a dentist to do my dental treatment unless all of their adult hygiene/cleaning appointments were at least one hour. This gives you an idea of their commitment to throughness. So ask "how long are you hygiene appointments"... if they are less than one hour then say thank you and call the next dentist. Question #2 ... "Does the dentist use an inra-oral camera on every patient?" (Patients should see what the dentist is talking about) If no... go to another call. #3 "Does the dentist routinely make dentures?" (some dentists don't) #4 "Does the dentist routinely place implants or does he refer implant surgery to a specialist?" #5 "How long has the dentist been in practice?" (Experience is important) #6 "Can I come by the office and meet the staff and doctor and personally pick up any forms and medical/dental histories that you may need?" (This allows you to see how comfortable and clean the office is to you, driving time, parking, etc. Lastly, the receptionist should be friendly and should ask you some questions to make your visit to their office the best that you have ever had. The telephone conversation to the "right" may take 15 minutes or longer... but isn't your ability to chew food, speak properly, be comfortable, confident, and to have an attractive smile worth it to you? I hope that this helps you. Dr.B:)   « less

05-28-2007 - Dear Gay, Sounds like you may be a "tooth grinder"... don't be insulted...85% of all people either grind or clinch their teeth. In dentistry we call this "bruxism". The biting forces that we exert on our teeth are tremendous. Normally there is food in between our teeth when we are eating and our teeth don't actually make contact.(We usually are not conscious of this because we are hungry.) However, bruxism is the most destructive factor to people's teeth... if periodontal disease and decay are absent. You may have worn your teeth down so much that your bite may be "overclosed"... this can complicate your dental condition even more. Ask your dentist if a "nightguard" would be helpful to you. Crowns are made for patients who have worn or broken teeth. Today crowns can be made that look exactly like natural teeth. Maybe all you need is a crown on the tooth that has been filled. "If we keep doing what we've been doing... then we'll keep getting what we've been getting." You may visit our website at www.cosmenticdentistknoxville.com or www.mymasterpiecesmile.com. I hope that this helps you. Dr.B:)   « less

05-28-2007 - Dear Allen, Get your periodontal disease treated first. Do you know what your "pocket measurements" are? Pocket depths that are 4's and 5's are usually treatable "nonsurgically". Have you seen a "periodontist"(gum specialist)? Did your dentist suggest that your gum disease be treated in his/her office, or were they just interested in "crowning your upper 6 front teeth? The fee for "crowns" has many variables...check out this website for answers that I have given to other people's questions concerning fees. I really don't know what an average fee for anterior crowns in this area might be. However, a guess would be $1000-$1500 per crown. Did your dentist's quoted fee include needed "build-ups", Pin placements, Post and core build-ups, laser treatment, gum surgery, repairing or restoring other teeth? Ask for a written treatment plan. Sometimes patients are so overwhelmed with the recommended treatment and the cost of treatment that they may be confused or not understand completely where they should begin. Remember... :the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." Trust is a major issue for all of us in dealing with any business or relationship. If you were going to spend $13,000 on something else would you research other options or get a second opinion? If so, get a second opinion. I advise my patients to get a second opinion if they have questions or concerns that have not been addressed. I will be happy to see you for a complimentry consultation. Visit our website at www.cosmeticdentistknoxville.com or www.mymasterpiecesmile.com. I hope that this helps you. Dr.B:)   « less

05-30-2007 - Dear Louise, Wow! You would not believe how often that I am asked this question. The answer is... ask your medical doctor or radiologist. I have a good friend who lives in Nashville and he came to see me as a patient to have all of his porcelain to metal crowns and bridgework removed and have it replaced with temporary plastic crowns and bridgework. This was necessary in his particular case so that he could begin his radiation treatments and chemotherapy. ( The metal from his crowns and bridgework would have interfered with the radiation treatments.) This was just this past October. He told me that he was told that the dental work that he had in his mouth would cause a "scattering" effect on the MRI.(He was being treated for a carcinoma of the back of the tongue...and he is doing well now. We have since replaced all of his old dental work. His doctors told him that in his case he had other options for follow-up diagnosis. I believe he said that in his case a "PET scan" or a "CAT scan" could be used if the MRI was not diagnostic. In your case I would not be concerned unless your doctor has told you that he/she is concerned. I have never heard of an MRI being dangerous for patients who have 6 capped teeth. The make-up I really don't know about. I would ask one of your doctors nurses or medical assistants. You will be in my prayers Louise. I hope all your tests show that you are healthy. I hope that this has been of some help to you. Dr.B:)   « less

05-30-2007 - Dear Dan, Please don't have your remaining 20 teeth removed! Why do you think that removing all of your remaining teeth will help you chew your food better, talk better, or look better? Dentures are plastic. No matter how you "slice it" they are still plastic. Would you rather have your natural leg or a plastic one? False teeth may be the only alternative for some folks, but you will be better served if you can save as many natural teeth as you can. There are a lot of factors, of course, to influence a person's decision to choose dentures... but be sure that you have information about all of the positives and negatives about "false teeth". Dentures can be placed on the same day that a person has their natural teeth removed, so a patient who chose this option would not have to be seen without any teeth. Concider what other options that you may have. Get a second or third opinion. Many people with dentures say that they can eat and speek with ease... maybe they can... but in my 31 years of dental practice denture patients confide to me that they wished that they had saved as many natural teeth as they could before having them all removed. Think about it before you "jump off the deep end". How long do you want to stay young? Check out different treatment options. Implants... implant supported dentures... removable partials? Find a good, caring, experienced dentist will spend the time helping you make the right decision. I hope this helps you. Good luck. Dr.B:)   « less

07-10-2007 - Dear Myra, Anytime anyone has new veneers,crowns, or bridgework there may be an ajustment period. It may take a week or two for the new dental work to feel completely comfortable. Speech concerns usually resolve themselves within a couple weeks as well. I have seen crowns and bridgework and veneers that were too thick and bulky. If this is the case then I would talk to your dentist and ask he/she what they can to to either remake or adjust the current work so that it is more to your liking. There may be nothing that can be done because of your bite and the way your teeth fit together. If you live in the area, and would like a second opinion, I will be happy to see you... it may give you some peace of mind. I hope that this helps. Dr.B:)   « less

07-15-2007 - DM, Sorry to be so long in getting back to you. I always recommend to patients with sound teeth to do what may be neccessary to save them. Your dentist may have just been warning you that the tooth that had the cavity may need a root canal at some later date. If you are not having pain with the involved tooth now then maybe you won't ever have any problems... but if you begin noticing discomfort then have it checked out by your dentist. Save your teeth! Removing teeth does cause the adjacent teeth to tip and move. Removing teeth just complicates patient's ability to chew food efficiently. You mentioned that you are 50... I have patients who are in their 80's who still have all there teeth. I have patients who are in their 40's and don't have any of their natural teeth remaining. Guess who is happier, who chew and enjoy eating food more effortlessly, and who is going to live a longer life?( barring any other health related problems) The people who keep their natural teeth. If you trust your dentist then heed his/her treatment recommendation. If you feel that you need a second opinion... see another dentist. If you are local and would like for me to give you my opinion call my office and I will advise you as if you were my younger brother. Go to our website for a virtual tour of our office at cosmeticdentistknoxville.com. I hope this helps. Dr.B:)   « less

07-15-2007 - Elizabeth, There are a number of things that could be done to help improve your daughter's smile, and to restore some of her self-esteem. If you live locally, I will be happy to see her for a complimentry consultation. You can go to our website and take a virtual tour of our office and then call our office for a time that will work for you and your daughter. I would really need to see her condition before I would make a specific recommendation. Our website is cosmeticdentistknoxville.com... our office number is 494-0634. I hope this gives you and your daughter some encouragement. Dr.B:)   « less