Latest Articles, Questions, and Answers en-us My breath smells bad. I brush every morning and night. I mouthwash and floss every morning and night as well. Occasionally I use a water pick. I have braces, but my breath stunk before I got braces. I have no cavities please help?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:04 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/breath-problem.html Took my twelve year old daughter to the ortho in 2011 and was told my daughter would need jaw surgery in a few years and to meet w a surgeon. He explained that although she was a pretty girl there was only so much he could do to fix her profile without surgery. We told him our primary concern was dental health and not cosmetic. She has a slight underbite which affects her profile minimally. We declined discussing surgery as we thought it was premature since her teeth had not been straightened. We felt that after a few years of braces we would see where she was and if she decided for cosmetic reasons that she wanted cosmetic surgery we would talk them. I said I wanted my daughter to chew and swallow food and be able to look in the mirror and smile so let's stick w dental health. We finished phase 1 for which delta was billed and we paid the balance. He put braces in for phase II and got a bill for 10k for preparation for surgery. We never wanted surgery, we wanted simple teeth straightening and functionality. Dentist says he had to do a lot of star work to avoid surgery. We have been to two other orthos neither one of which mentioned surgery other than one saying it looked like her old ortho had spent the last two years prepping her jaw for surgery and that from reviewing her records he saw no good reason to believe it was then or is now needed. Both orthos recommended fixing the over corrections performed as part of the orthos plan and concurred that her treatment going forward should continue as simply as it should have been started. Can an ortho have it both ways? Say you need surgery and when you decline and ask for simple treatment continue to prep for surgery as part of a prophylactic protocol? Is there such a thing as prophylactic orthodontics ? In other words can you avoid surgery through orthodontics? Don't the teeth continue to move after that so isn't surgery the only outcome after all that teeth and bite manipulation?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:04 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/orthodontics-and-surgery.html Hi, My daughter is five years old and her last visit to the dentist was about 3-4 months ago. They took a panorex and stated that her teeth were a little cramped (her baby teeth are perfect, which I know isn\'t good) and that she may need to have some of her baby teeth pulled to make room for her adult teeth. All of the sudden today, her gums right next to her two front teeth started to bleed at school. They have since bled a few times tonight as well. Could this be her adult teeth trying to push through? She has only lost one bottom tooth so far, and her two two teeth aren\'t even loose yet. Or could it be some kind of gum disease? Any advice on this would be great, I\'ve tried to research, but have come up with nothing. Is this normal for a five year old?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:04 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/5-yr-old-bleeding-gums-is-this-normal.html My husband got a full upper denture 3 weeks ago. He had 8 teeth pulled. He could not eat without pain until 3 days ago. However, he still cannot bite anything. His upper denture overhangs his lower front teeth in front enough that you can stick a pencil into the gap. He says his natural teeth do not meet with the denture teeth that instead the teeth hit the pink part of his plate inside. Does this get better or was it just an ill made denture? Getting tired of nothing but soup and mashed potatoes

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/when-is-a-denture-the-problem.html I have had a root canal and a crown put on one of my back bottom molars years ago. Now my dentist is saying i\'ll have to go to a specialist to see if they can save it as it has gone bad. He said I could also just go to the oral surgeon and just have them remove it and he\'ll put an implant in. Here\'s the dilemma: obviously that\'s going to be quite costly. I already have a LOT of overcrowding on my bottom row of teeth. When I went to the orthodontist last year she said she\'d have to remove two teeth on the bottom to do invisalign. I know molars are important, but is there a chance I can just remove the one molar, and then the one \"regular\" tooth on the other side and get the invisalign since I wanted that anyway?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/removing-molar--invisalign--overcrowding.html Hi, I have white lumps / hard notts behind front bottom teeth, can you please tell me what is happenings.

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/white-lumps-hard-notts-behind-front-bottom-teeth.html hello my daughter has an overbite she is 13 years old and she needs to wait till may 18,13 and she says her jaw is hurting really bad do you think she needs to get braces for it .

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/overbite-jaw-hurting.html My face on one side swells, along with my upper eye lid and and upper lip on 5 different occasions. I have been to my alergist and i'm not having any problems on that end. Also I 've had problems shallowing while everything else is going on. My boss feels that it could be a dental problem, even thought the symptons go away after i take Allegra. I havent been to a dentist in years because of a mean one I had as a kid. It's been about 10 years since i've seen one. I have also had my thyroid checked and levels were normal.

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/face-swelling.html Help! I went to the dentist with an abscessed tooth 2 weeks ago. I have been on antibiotics now for 14 days. I have surgery scheduled to extract the tooth causing the problem; create a bridge; crown 4 teeth; and fill 2 cavities; however, this procedure will not be done for another 3 weeks! I have developed a large knot underneath my right jaw. It started out the size of a walnut but has grown to the size of a plum! Despite the rounds of antibiotics and living on anti-inflammatory medications,the knot is not going away. It is extremely sore to the touch and restricts the ability to open my mouth very wide at all (maybe only a quarter of an inch wide). I called my dentist about it last week and was told that I most likely would not see much relief until I have this procedure done. Not much was said to address the knot. I was not asked to come in and be seen. Is this normal? I am greatly concerned that the knot is growing. I would think the antibiotics would take care of it. What is causing this hard knot? Is there a specific over the counter medication that is better for easing the discomfort caused by the knot? My dentist prescribed hydrocodone, but it makes me sick. So we tried Ultram; it does not help at all. Am I just doomed to wait this out? I really like my dentist a lot. I don't really wish to start over with another one. Also, he performs sedation dentistry which is a MUST for me, as I have major anxiety/panic attacks about going to the dentist. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/large-hard-knot-under-jaw.html I have braces, and im new to them and i woke up this morning and saw that i have some kind of black outline or some kind of black stuff all around my brackets… and i cant take it off..i tried to see if it would come off by using tooth picks. and i noticed the black stuff would get on the tooth pick. But it still wont come off… What is it?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/black-stuff.html My dentist told me my 8 year old daughter has a growth chart he has never seen before and he has been in practice for 40 years. I took her in because her right lateral incisor fell out 6 months ago and is growing in very slowly. You have only been able to see the tip of the permanent tooth growing in for about 3 months. Xrays showed that her permanent teeth that needs to grow in are extremely pegged and the growth structure is "weird". He also said that there are no permanent teeth shown behind some of her remaining baby teeth. He also shows a cysts of some sort in her gums. I am very concerned. Is this a serious problem? Can it be fixed? My dentist did provide me with a copy of the xrays I would be more than happy to share. Please answer.

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/my-8-year-has-peg-teeth-and-no-permanents-growing.html I have an underbite and i want to know what is the whole process of getting the surgery and what do i have to go through like the expenses and ex-rays ? and if i have to wear braces before the surgery?"

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/what-is-the-process-of-the-under-bite-.html Last night my bottom retainer (small metal one that was placed behind my bottom five front teeth) came out. Today as I'm flossing between those teeth, I'm pulling out hard white substance-- i don't think it is part of my tooth-- could this be plaque?? Also do i need to have the retainer put back in??

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/just-lost-bottom-retainer-i%5Cve-had-in-for-20-years.html Hi ive had braces for like 5 months now, was wondering if i could get my tongue pierced. Would it bother my braces

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/can-i-get-my-tongue-pierced-if-i-have-braces.html Every morning my front top teeth seem loose, and I can push them with my tongue. Are they weak due to me smoking? I did have 3 teeth removed on the left top and 2 on the upper right.I have a partial, but I've never worn it. Is that why my teeth are moving?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/loose-teeth-in-the-morning.html Ok well I knocked my front teeth along time ago and they took bone out of my jaw to build up the front of my mouth so I could get implants which I never did so a year ago I had the rest of my top test removed and got a denture plate well the screws were bonded to the bone and now my dentures have rubbed the gum off of the screws and it has become very painful I look to have them removed how much money am I looking at if my insurance covers 80% of it?????

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/screws-bonded-to-bone.html I had a root canal done on tooth #29 about ten years ago after an injury to the tooth. All seemed well until I noticed a swelling under this tooth a few weeks ago that hurt when pressed. I called the dentist and was told I had an abscess. She prescribed me 150mg Clindamycin every six hours over ten days for the infection and referred me to an endodontist. The endodontist retreated the root canal a couple weeks later. A few hours after the retreated root canal became horribly painful and I noticed some swelling. The swelling continued to intensify and spread to my cheek. I called my endodontist and he prescribed me amoxicillin (500mg every 6 hours). The next day I went to the endodontist and they made an incision to allow the abscess to drain. I was also given a prescription for metronidazole (500mg every 6 hours) to take in addition to the amoxicillin. Thankfully the swelling in my cheek subsisted, however I still have a fair amount of swelling and tenderness in my gum under the retreated root canal and my jaw hurts a little. My questions are as follows...how long should it take for the swelling and tenderness in my gum under my tooth to go away? Is there any chance of this infection spreading to my cheek again as I am now finished with my antibiotics? Should the tooth be treated again or extracted? When they open the area again to permanently seal the root canal or do any other work is there a possibility of the infection spreading?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/tooth-abscess-and-root-canal-re-treatment.html At the age of 61 I went to the dentist for a simple procedure. I needed fillings on two LOWER teeth (#20 and #28) due to receding gums. Dr. John Jordan described his procedure as follows: I did a bilateral mental nerve block. I started on the left using a topical anesthetic, followed by a 1.5-2 minutes injection of 1.8 ml Septocaine (which is the fastest penetration and quickest onset of current dental anesthetics). This slow injection maximizes patient comfort. After the injection, I massaged the anesthetic into the mental foramen area for an additional 1.5-2 minutes. This technique of delivering anesthetic when combined with Septocaine is both rapid and profound. I had the other side to anesthetize (following the same procedure) giving the previous side another at least four minutes to anesthetize where we started our decay removal giving at least 8 full minutes for the anesthesia to take effect. Dr Jordan made 2 statements that really stand out in my mind. 1) 1.5-2 minutes for each injection. In all my years of going to dentists, I have NEVER had, nor have I ever heard of, an injection (for one tooth) taking 1 to 2 minutes. 2) Massaging the both areas for 1.5-2 minutes each. Again, I have NEVER had, nor have I ever heard of, any dentist massage an area for more than 10 seconds ... 15 seconds max. After the injections of Septocaine (on both sides) my heart started pounding very rapidly and hard. I was terrified. I thought I was having a heart attack. I had never heard of Septocaine so I some reading on it regarding precautions and dosages, etc. First question: Taking into consideration my age, did this dentist overdo the dosage of Septocaine he administered? Second question: How long, in minutes and seconds, should an injection for 1 tooth take? Third question: How long, in minutes and seconds, should the dentist massage the area for 1 tooth? Thank you so much for your time. I will be looking forward to your response. Sincerely, Deborah

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/proper-dental-procedures.html I got my \'metal\' spacers a few years ago.Since Saturday it has been really painful.Another baby tooth is growing under it.I cant really even chew or swallow well.I dont know what I should do?

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/metal-spacers-aching.html I need to know if my #11 tooth that had a root canal 3 years ago now I\'m being told I will need crown lengthening for a crown a permanent one .. Can you tell me if crown lengthening is going to guarantee a better result than just a regular permanent crown??

]]> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:03 -0600 http://www.bracesinfo.com/question/crown-lengthening.html