November 2019 - Ryan Perry, DDS

Hi,

My teeth have been loose for ages. One even fell out at the root! I have been gluing my teeth back in place with super glue. However, it smells terrible and has started burning the inside of my mouth. I cannot keep living like this. I want to have a normal life again, and a normal smile.

Hugo from Kansas City, KS

Hi there Hugo,

Teeth only begin to fall out at the root in severely advanced cases of periodontal disease (gum disease). With such a case of periodontitis, the only solution is seeing a dentist. At this point, your dentist would probably recommend bone grafts and dental implants as a solution. Getting dental implants would ease the amount of bone loss to the jaw, and give you your smile back.

Super glue will hold a tooth in place inside the mouth, but only for a short time. After that, the tooth will start to wiggle again. It will not stay, as super glue is not a permanent solution.

For a truly beautiful smile, see a cosmetic dentist. A skilled cosmetic dentist can provide you with dental implants or aesthetic dentures, whichever is best for your situation. However, be sure to factor in the cost of materials and surgery when deciding to get implants. Most cosmetic dentists can provide dental payment plans for patients in need of care but lacking funds. However, a general dentist can also provide a practical, less costly solution.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge affordable dental implant provider, Dr. Ryan Perry.

Hi there,

I have had porcelain crowns for ages, and one of them has always had a horizontal line towards the bottom. It’s a tiny flaw, and not easily noticeable. However, after biting something hard, I can see the line much more clearly. I can also feel the line with my tongue, too. I am scared I will lose the tooth altogether. Does this fracture warrant a trip to the emergency dentist? Or can should I wait until I can see my cosmetic dentist again?

Willem, from Ballard, Utah

Hi Willem,

While you should see a cosmetic dentist as soon as possible to replace the crown, you do not have to see an emergency dentist. This may be a cosmetic emergency, but emergency dentists are better for accidents, severe pain, or infections.

What you describe as a flaw in your crown is actually a common occurrence. The horizontal line is called a craze line, and naturally occurs in both teeth and porcelain. Your crown was fine with this line, but now that you can feel it, that means some sort of shift has occurred. You will have to get the crown replaced before any other shifts happen.

Since you have had these crowns for ‘ages’, as you said, your cosmetic dentist may recommend that you replace all of them along with the cracked one. This is a good way to ensure that the replacement for the cracked crown matches the rest of your dental work. However, if there is nothing structurally wrong with your other crowns, it is not necessary to replace them. A master ceramist at a quality dental lab can match the color of your new crown to your current ones; an inexperienced cosmetic dentist will insist on replacing all the crowns, as they lack the necessary skill in painting and color matching porcelain.

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

Can I Use Super Glue to Fix My Smile?

Emergency – My Porcelain Crown Cracked!

Archives for November 2019