Category
Dental Q&A
Short, clear answers to questions that come up in the clinic
Notched Teeth Near the Gumline: When Is Resin Treatment Needed?
Whether a notch near the gumline should be watched or filled with resin depends on its depth, whether it causes sensitivity, the condition of the gum, and the risk of pulp exposure. Here is how that decision is made.
4 min read
How Should I Be Careful About Chewing While Wearing a Temporary Crown After Root Canal Treatment?
If chewing hurts while wearing a temporary crown after finishing root canal treatment and before the final crown, the remaining tooth walls may be weakened. This explains what a temporary crown protects and where its limits lie, and what to check if the pain continues.
5 min read
Can Adults Get Oral Candidiasis Too?
Oral candidiasis is not just a condition seen in newborns or people with weakened immunity; it is a common oral infection that can affect adults too. Along with the symptoms, this outlines factors worth checking, such as antibiotic or steroid use, dry mouth, and diabetes.
3 min read
What Should I Do If My Resin Filling or Inlay Feels Like It Has Come Off?
If a resin filling or inlay seems to have come off, you should not handle it yourself: a dentist needs to check the extent of the damage and whether new decay has formed underneath. This explains why localized damage can be fixed with a partial repair, while extensive damage or secondary caries requires complete replacement.
5 min read
What's the Difference Between Dental Sedation and General Anesthesia?
What's commonly called sedation dentistry, or conscious sedation, keeps you awake and breathing on your own, while general anesthesia removes both consciousness and breathing, requiring artificial ventilation. This explains the difference between the two and the pre-procedure evaluation involved.
5 min read
When Should a Child's Supernumerary Tooth Be Extracted?
Having a supernumerary tooth doesn't mean a child needs it extracted right away. Whether to choose early extraction or watchful observation depends on whether the tooth is already blocking permanent tooth eruption and how great the risk is that extraction would damage the root of the neighboring permanent tooth.
5 min read
Missing Permanent Tooth: Why Wait Until Growth Ends Before Getting an Implant?
Explains why implants for a congenitally missing permanent tooth are postponed during adolescence until jaw growth is complete, along with ways to manage the space in the meantime.
4 min read
Sharp Pain Only When Biting From One Direction: Could It Be a Cracked Tooth?
A brief, sharp pain that appears only when biting from one particular direction can point to a cracked tooth, but the symptom alone isn't enough to confirm it. This explains the range of tests, including bite testing and transillumination, and how treatment differs depending on the crack's location and depth.
5 min read
If a Sealant Seems to Have Come Off, Should You Get It Checked?
Finding a white fragment that has come off a molar doesn't tell you whether it was sealant or tartar, or how much preventive protection remains. This explains what a sealant does in the grooves of a molar and why a defect means it's worth getting checked again.
3 min read
Why Does Fully Curing Resin with Light Matter?
Resin only hardens when it absorbs light, so its thickness and how well light reaches it determine its final strength. This explains why the cause of a front-tooth resin filling coming loose shouldn't be assumed to be insufficient curing without an in-person dental check.
4 min read
Why Do You Need a Temporary Filling While Waiting for an Inlay or Crown?
Explains why the temporary restoration placed during the lab fabrication period for an inlay or crown protects the prepared tooth's dentin and nerve and holds its position, and why a poor seal or a dislodged temporary should be checked again.
4 min read
Do I Really Need a Night Guard for Bruxism, and How Long Should I Wear It?
A night guard for bruxism protects the teeth and jaw joint from grinding forces, but it does not cure the grinding habit itself. This explains when wearing one is truly necessary and how to decide how long to use it.
3 min read
How Is the Amount of Tooth Reduction for Laminates Decided?
Laminates are designed to remove teeth minimally, staying within the enamel, so that bonding holds well. This explains the standard reduction amounts and why the actual amount varies with incisal edge design and the condition of the tooth.
2 min read
If a Tooth That Had a Root Canal Hurts Again, Can It Be Retreated?
If pain returns in a tooth that has already had root canal treatment, retreatment may be an option depending on the cause. This explains the criteria that distinguish reinfection from root fracture.
4 min read
Can a Single X-ray Tell If a Tooth Root Is Fractured?
After a dental injury, a single X-ray often can't confirm whether a tooth root is fractured. This explains why an oblique fracture line can be invisible depending on the shooting angle, and why treatment differs based on tooth mobility and the fracture's location.
3 min read
If a Pus-Filled Bump Forms on the Gum, Is It Always Due to Periodontitis?
A pus-filled bump on the gum can occur with periodontitis, but it can also form when a tooth's nerve dies from decay or trauma. Because appearance alone cannot distinguish the two, dentists rely on several tests together.
4 min read
Should a Notched Tooth Neck Be Filled with Resin or Glass Ionomer?
For a notch at the neck of a tooth, the material used, composite resin or a glass ionomer type, is decided by the defect's location, the condition of the gum, and whether saliva can be blocked. This looks at the criteria for choosing between the two materials.
4 min read
Food Keeps Getting Stuck Between My Teeth and It's Sensitive: Is It a Cavity?
Food that keeps getting stuck between the teeth and sensitivity at that spot may come from gum inflammation caused by an open contact or a plunger cusp, or from interproximal caries that is hard to see. This explains the conditions that distinguish the cause and how to check for it.
4 min read
Why Does Root Canal Treatment Sometimes Take One or Two Visits, and Sometimes Many?
Explains why root canal treatment sometimes finishes in a single visit and other times requires several, based on the condition of the pulp and the anatomical complexity of the root canals. Also covers why the restorative visits that follow, such as fitting a crown, are a separate stage from the root canal treatment itself.
5 min read
Should I Get an Exam If a Permanent Tooth Doesn't Erupt for a Long Time After a Baby Tooth Falls Out?
This article summarizes what is commonly checked when a permanent tooth erupts later than expected in the spot left by a lost baby tooth. Whether watchful waiting or treatment is needed depends on factors such as insufficient space, obstacles like supernumerary teeth or cysts, and whether the tooth is impacted.
5 min read