Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding is one problem that will determine how long your dentition will last in your life time.  In many instances,  our patients are not aware of their grinding problems.  Some patients do not even believe the diagnosis that they do grind their teeth. In any event, teeth grinding problems do not manifest until much later in life when wear facets, fractures, bone loss, and pain become more apparent.  Many root canals and crowns are overly prescribed to solve a patient's tooth pain.  Sometime, the solution lies undetected in the foundation of the bite stability.

The link below is an interesting article about night guards design which incorporates technology to alert patients of their teeth grinding activity.

Smart mouthguard to tackle dental wear and tear.

Facial Swelling Induced by Teeth

When the nerve inside the tooth dies, it becomes a liquid and will drain out at the end of the root.  In some cases the patient may not feel any pain or discomfort.  However, the  low grade infection will stay localized to the bone surrounding the tooth and will gradually grow over time.  When enough exudates from the infection manage to dissolve an area of the jaw bone, a tract is created for the liquid to drain into the soft tissues beyond the bone.  That is when the face can swell up. Periodic radiographic evaluation for decay as well as the integrity of the bone and gum surrounding each tooth is crucial in preventing this type of problem. Indeed, a diagnosis for the need of a root canal maybe presented by a dentist even when the patient does not have any pain associated with a particular tooth.

This Xray was from a patient who came in yesterday with facial swelling. Apparently the nerve inside the bicuspid next to the implants had died at some point, and the infection had spread beyond her jaw bone.

Floss or Waterpik ?

It is my opinion that nothing beats traditional brushing and flossing. Mechanical removal of plaque and food debris in the space between the root and the gum flap is key to controlling inflamation caused by bacteria in that space.  The Waterpik cannot project a strong enough jet to get into that space to clean it out.

By leaning the floss against the root of the teeth and rubbing that root with the floss we can remove plaque much more effectively in the gum pocket.

What Causes a Tooth to Suddenly Become Sensitive to Hot and Cold?

This is a question that just came to me today. Here are just two examples of possible causes:

1.  Obvious large/extensive decay which exposes the hot and cold food/beverages to the nerve inside the tooth.

2.  Bite trauma.  Excess pressure on a tooth when biting can cause the tooth to become sensitive to hot and cold.  Grinding/clenching your teeth in your sleep can traumatize the bedding of nerves surrounding the root of your tooth.  Following the episode of bite trauma, the tooth usually needs some time to recover, and the sensitivity can go away.  However, repeated uncontrolled bite trauma to a tooth can cause the nerve inside the tooth to die, leading to the need for a root canal treatment.

If you experience consistent hot and cold sensitivity with your teeth, then be sure to bring it to your dentist's attention before the problem becomes more involved.

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Alex Nguyen, DDS is a Saratoga Dentist who practices General Dentistry, Cosmetic, and Implant Dentistry. For over 20 years the practice has been serving the residents of Santa Clara County and San Francisco Bay Area.

My tooth hurts. Does it mean that I have a cavity?

Today I will tell you that the answer to this blog heading is:  NO ! Sometimes when a tooth comes into contact with the opposing teeth in a way that directs excess force to the neck of the tooth,  this can cause micro-fracture of the enamel there.  When the outside layer of the tooth (enamel) is stripped, the inside layer (dentin) is exposed.  The tooth can become sensitive to substances that are cold, sweet, sour, etc...

There is no cavity in the photographs below, but the symptoms make the patient think that a cavity is there.

Take a look at the indentation (the notch) at the neck of this tooth:

Now...

Observe how the same tooth is the only one that contacts the lower teeth when the patient moves her jaw from side to side.

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Alex Nguyen, DDS is a Saratoga Dentist who practices General Dentistry, Cosmetic, and Implant Dentistry. For over 20 years the practice has been serving the residents of Santa Clara County and San Francisco Bay Area.