June 2019 - Ryan Perry, DDS

Hi,

My teeth are in generally good condition, and I have some old bonding on a front tooth to cover a chip. I’ve been using an at-home bleaching kit for the past few weeks, and I’ve been liking the results so far. However, the last time I used it, I felt a sharp pain on my front tooth for several seconds. Is this pain from the bonding, or from the bleaching kit? Or is it both?

Thank you,

Minerva, from Hazard, Nebraska.

Hi Minerva,

Thank you for your message. While you’ve had good results so far with the whitening kit, it’s important to use them at the direction of a dentist. Dentists can send you home with custom bleaching trays, which are stronger than over-the-counter kits. Under their supervision, they can monitor you for any pain or sensitivities. Let your dentist know about the pain you’re feeling, and they can coat it with something to eliminate the source of the sensitivity at your next appointment. However, you should stop bleaching for the time being until you can get the pain under control.

This type of pain you’re feeling is common, caused by placing bleaching gel on a sensitive part of the tooth. Since the tooth has been repaired after an injury, that could be why. Some of the bonding agent may have come off prior to the whitening.

Bleaching gel is not known to weaken bonding on teeth. If it did, your entire piece of bonding over the tooth would have fallen off too, and you’d be feeling a different type of pain.

This blog is brought to you Baton Rouge tooth whitening provider, Dr. Ryan P. Perry. Dr. Perry offers in-office and at-home tooth whitening through the Core system.

Hi,

I was prescribed antibiotics by my dentist for a possible tooth infection. My gums were red and painful, and even my face was swollen a bit. I’ve taken them a few times a day for the past two weeks. The swelling went down for awhile, but now it’s back and worse than before. My cheek is swollen and yellow-ish, and there’s a weird taste in my mouth. Do I need to go to an emergency dentist? I’m not sure what they will do besides give me more antibiotics. What else can I do?

Thank you,

Jake, from Big Arm, Montana

Hi Jake,

I’m sorry to hear about your situation. Antibiotics aren’t the only treatment for tooth infections – they are a part of it. Once the infection is under control, then your dentist start your treatment plan. One treatment would be to extract the tooth, but a more common treatment is a root canal, which would open and drain the source of the infection. Once your infection is cleaned out, you should feel relief. Your infection sounds serious, so it’s unclear why your dentist has not done anything about it. If your pain worsens, go see an emergency dentist.

It sounds like your dentist does not fully understand tooth infections. Infections come when the organic material inside your tooth dies. Antibiotics are one treatment, but dead tissue receives no circulation, so a root canal or extraction is necessary. The antibiotics alone cannot clear out the infection. If you just take antibiotics without any treatment plan, you risk creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria in your mouth. This can cause complications, so you want to follow-up with your dentist, or a second opinion from an emergency dentist.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge emergency dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.

Can a Bleaching Kit Cause Pain?

Why Aren’t Antibiotics Working?

Archives for June 2019