Claire, Author at Sterling Heights Dentist, Dr. Farhat of Dental 1 Care

Tips For Healing After a Root Canal

November 13, 2019 by Claire Leave a Comment

After a root canal procedure is complete, your dentist will likely send you home with guidelines to follow for pain management and how to care for your tooth post-surgery until a follow-up appointment has been scheduled. Following the instructions given by your dentist is very important, especially in the case of temporary fillings or crown placements.

The medication used to numb your mouth during the procedure will eventually wear off. As this happens, you may feel tenderness in that specific area, which might last for a couple of days. Since during the procedure your mouth had to stay open for an extended period of time, some mild soreness will most likely follow.

Over-the-counter medication usually takes care of these symptoms. However, there is a possibility that your dentist might prescribe something stronger, like a strong narcotic medication as well. If this the case, you have to carefully follow the instructions as narcotics can make you drowsy. You should take necessary precautions when taking these, like not taking them while driving a car or using heavy machinery.

Problematic Symptoms

You should contact your dentist immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

. Visible swelling inside or outside your mouth

. An allergic reaction to the prescribed medication (rash, hives or itching)

. Severe pain or pressure on the teeth lasting more than a few days

. Your bite feels uneven

. Symptoms you experienced before treatment return

. The crown or filling comes out if there was any.

After the procedure has been completed you must wait until the numbness passes before eating so that you do not bite your tongue or cheek accidentally. You must also avoid chewing or biting with the treated tooth until it has fully recovered to avoid damaging it. To clean it properly and avoid infection, you must brush and floss daily.

Once the root canal and follow up inspections are complete you will need to return to your dentist for a final crown to fully restore the tooth. It is necessary to schedule this appointment as soon as the dentist finishes working on your tooth. A properly treated tooth and restored tooth can last just as long as the other teeth. That is why choosing the best dentist is very crucial. If you live anywhere near Sterling, MI, you should consider visiting Dental One Care. Our team of medical experts includes dentists who are highly qualified and experienced to make sure the whole process of the root canal goes as smoothly as possible and that the client is satisfied because there is nothing more valuable to us than client satisfaction.

Measures to Take When Your Crown Falls Out

November 7, 2019 by Claire Leave a Comment

Temporary dental crowns aren’t designed to last long since they are only needed for a week or two. Since temporary crowns aren’t made from very strong materials, it is possible for them to fall out prematurely. If your temporary crown ever pops out, our team at Dental One Care in Sterling Heights recommends the following.

Remove The Temporary Crown Completely

You risk swallowing the crown or aspirating it into your lungs if it is partially dislodged and you keep it in your mouth while you eat or speak. The first step that Dr. Christopher Green, an emergency dentist in Parker, CO, recommends is that you take out the temporary crown from your mouth. Removing it also prevents the germs that are on that crown from spreading to any damaged tissues at the site of the dislodged temporary crown.

Rinse Your Mouth

It is possible that the detached temporary crown may have left shards in your mouth. For this reason, the experts at Dental One Care recommend that you rinse your mouth so that you remove those shards if they are present.

Examine Your Tooth

If you can, look at the tooth from which the temporary crown has popped. See if you can locate any areas of the tooth that are damaged. If you can’t inspect it visually, you can gently run your tongue over the surface of the tooth. If there are jagged edges, make a mental note of the location of those sharp or jagged edges. This information will be vital in the next step that your Sterling Heights dentists recommend that you take.

Contact Your Sterling Heights Dentist

After examining your tooth, contact us immediately and explain your dental emergency to your Sterling Heights dentist. If you noticed jagged edges when you examined your tooth, let the dentist know. Dr. Fardi Farhat will get you in ASAP so he can fix the temporary crown before further damage occurs.

Clean the Dental Crown

After talking to an emergency dentist, proceed to the step of cleaning the popped temporary crown. Use a clean toothbrush to gently scrub the crown. While at it, you should also ensure that you clean the place in your mouth from where the temporary crown popped out of.

While You Wait to See Dr. Farhat

Depending on the specific instructions that you were given when you called Dental One Care, you may need to reattach the temporary crown. This step is necessary because the preparations done on your tooth to get it ready for the permanent crown need to be protected from being compromised. Additionally, the tooth is weaker because of the enamel that was removed, so having the temporary crown in place shields that tooth from damage. To put it back, buy over-the-counter dental cream and first place the crown on the tooth to confirm that you have got the position of the crown right. You can then follow the usage instructions provided on the package of the dental cream to reattach the crown.

Gently bite down on the crown to be sure that you placed it back correctly. If it feels strange or uncomfortable, then you may have positioned it incorrectly.

Why Do Temporary Crowns Fall Out?

Sterling Heights dentists explain that temporary crowns can fall out for a variety of reasons that are connected to either the underlying tooth or the temporary crown itself. The retention of the temporary crown largely depends on the integrity of the tooth structure surrounding the crown. Dr. Fardi Farhat specifically singles out heavy teeth grinding, trauma and tooth decay as the most common reasons why temporary and permanent crowns will pop out.

If none of those factors are found responsible for the falling out of your temporary crown, then the adhesive used to attach that crown could have failed and left the temporary crown loose.

When you call Sterling Heights Dentist, Dr. Farhat, he will assess the popped out temporary crown and determine if it can be repaired and reattached or a replacement one needs to be made. Follow all the temporary crown care instructions that our experts give you and you will have no problem until it is time to get the permanent crown.

Osteoporosis and Oral Health

November 5, 2019 by Claire Leave a Comment

Osteoporosis refers to a medical condition characterized by the brittleness of bones due to loss of bone density. The older one gets, the higher their risk of suffering from this condition. Research shows that dental x-rays are effective in identifying people with low bone density, which is one of the signs of osteoporosis. Since the majority of people visit their dentist more often than they see their doctor, your dentist in Sterling Heights, MI may be in the best position to spot the possibility that you could be suffering from osteoporosis. For those who already know that they have this condition, there are many implications for your oral health.

Notify Your Sterling Heights Dentist

If you are taking any medication for osteoporosis, inform our team at Dental One Care. This is vital because some of those drugs that you are taking could affect your dental health.

For example, the medicines that are given to strengthen bones (drugs called antiresorptive agents) have been linked to a rare complication called osteonecrosis of the jaw. This condition causes serious damage to the jaw and the jaw plays an important role in keeping your teeth firm.

Some antiresorptive agents are given to cancer patients to combat the tendency of high amounts of calcium to float in their blood. The more of these medications that you take, the higher your risk of developing dental problems.

How Antiresorptive Agents Affect Dental Treatment

The vast majority of patients who have been diagnosed with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) are cancer patients that have received repeat doses of antiresorptive agents. Only 10 percent of people develop ONJ while taking low doses of antiresorptive agents as a treatment for osteoporosis, so you can see how important it is for you to inform your Sterling Heights dentist if you have cancer, osteoporosis or any other condition for which you are taking antiresorptive agents.

If your doctor recommends antiresorptive agents as part of your treatment, let your dentist know. Have this discussion with an expert at Dental One Care in Sterling Heights as soon as you can after starting the treatment so that an appropriate plan can be made to maintain your dental health during your treatment.

Keep Visiting Your Dentist

Under normal circumstances, it isn’t necessary to put off undergoing dental treatment while on antiresorptive agents. The odds of getting ONJ are very low. However, leaving a dental condition untreated poses a bigger risk of serious complications. Dental One Care experts recommend that anyone undergoing cancer treatment using antiresorptive agents should postpone undergoing any invasive dental procedure, such as dental implant surgery.

If there is a chance, talk to your dentist in Sterling Heights before you begin taking antiresorptive agents as a treatment for cancer. Your dentist will examine you and treat any dental disease that you have before you commence cancer therapy.

In the same vein, it is advisable that you tell your doctor or oncologist if you recently underwent any dental treatment. They will assess the situation and design an appropriate treatment plan that will give you the best outcomes.

Symptoms of ONJ

There are many signs and symptoms of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). These include the following;

Infection, swelling or pain in the jaw or gum.
Recently treated or injured gums that aren’t healing as expected.
Loose teeth.
A feeling of heaviness or numbness of the jaw.
Exposed bone tissue.

When you observe any of those signs or any others, contact us at Dental One Care immediately. One of our experts will examine you and make an appropriate diagnosis or refer you to another specialist to start osteoporosis treatment.

As you can see, osteoporosis is a condition that can have serious implications for your dental health. It is therefore important for you to do everything possible to prevent this condition from developing. Our friend, Dr. Green, a dentist in Parker, CO, states that preventive measures include having a balanced diet (rich in vitamin D and calcium), exercising regularly, quitting smoking and consuming alcohol in moderation.

For more information on how your dental health can be safeguarded if you have osteoporosis, contact Dental One Care in Sterling Heights. We shall partner with you on your journey to maintain peak dental health.