Baton Rouge Dentist

Archives for June 2016

Teeth Whitening with Cavities

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I’m getting some conflicting information and am hoping for some advice. I went in for a checkup and learned I have a cavity. My dentist mentioned that if I wanted to get my teeth whitened I’d want to do it before the fillings so they can match. I had considered getting that done before, but never actually moved on it. Now I’m hurrying to do research and I read that you’re not supposed to get your teeth whitened when you have cavities. So, which is it?

Brooke M. – Florida

Brooke,

It’s one of the catch-22 situations. Yes, you’ll want to get your teeth whitened beforehand. If you don’t then you’re stuck with two choices: 1. Get the fillings done, guessing at the color you’ll have. 2. Get the fillings done, whiten, then re-do the fillings to match.

Neither of those options sounds great. Who’d want to guess, and who’d want to do the same procedure twice?

The reason some dentists say you can’t get teeth whitening done with cavities is because of the sensitivity that can come with the whitening procedure. When you have cavities, the tooth structure is closer to the nerves, which can cause more pain.

That being said. If your dentist must have thought you were a good candidate or he wouldn’t have mentioned the procedure to you. I suspect your cavities are small and would not cause excessive sensitivity. If you’re concerned, I’d ask to do some fluoride treatments, which will help.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.

I can’t afford to get my wisdom teeth out?

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I have a rotting wisdom tooth. It was hurting, but the pain has moved from the tooth to my cheek and eye. I just can’t afford to have it removed. Can I remove it myself and then go to the ER for some antibiotics or will the ER just remove it? You don’t have to pay them the same day.

David D. – Pennsylvania

David,

I am being completely serious when I tell you this. You cannot afford NOT to have this wisdom teeth removed. You have a serious infection and it is spreading. It’s already at your eye, guess where it will go next?  Your teeth are too close to your brain to not get this dealt with. It could get life threatening.

Unlike with other infections, antibiotics alone do not solve a tooth infection. The infected tooth has to be removed.

If you go to a dentist and explain your situation, almost all of them will work with you to make this affordable for you. Most of them have payment plans, some with zero interest.

Please don’t put off getting this treated.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.

How Can I Fix My Affordable Dental Implants Nightmare?

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I have wanted dental implants for a long time, but I knew they were out of my price range. I started researching affordable dental implants and found out about the all-on-4 procedure. It wasn’t implants all-around, but it was better than I had, so I picked a dentist and went in for a consultation. I thought it would be a simple thing. They assured me they’d done it countless times before and I didn’t realize there were risks involved. One of the “affordable” dental implants failed, and the whole thing is shot. Now I’m told I need bone grafting and a whole bunch of other stuff so I can try again, and it’s all at my expense- as if I caused it to somehow fail. I really can’t afford to go through it again, let alone have the other procedures done. I’m halfway through the affordable dental implants process and it looks like I’m just stuck in limbo. I can’t move forward with treatment and I’m stuck with a half-finished (unusable) job. How can I fix this?

-Phil

Dear Phil,

Many people turn to the All-on-4 procedure in an effort to find affordable dental implants, but it does come with some risks. Implants, in general, have a very high success rate, but a lot of this is dependent on the skill of the dentist. The chances of a failure also increase if you smoke of have certain medical conditions, but sometimes, they fail for seemingly no reason at all. When your entire denture is dependent on having the set and one fails, you get stuck, just like you are now.

There are other affordable dental implant procedures, such as mini implants, and there are ways to make the process fit into your budget better with financing or payment plans through the office, and the latter choices could still help you now. The problem is, the implant was likely placed at an angle, and so the integrity of the bone was compromised, and a new one cannot be placed until that area is repaired and heals.

It’s a shame that office isn’t doing more to help you out, but this isn’t a procedure that you can change up partway through. Your best bet is to go through the additional procedures, so you can make use of the work you’ve already done that’s holding strong. However, before you have any more work done, especially if you’re paying for it out-of-pocket, you should have a consultation with another dentist, just to confirm how the other ones are holding up, and to see if someone can help you get financing for the rest.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.