|
|
 |
January 11th, 2011
Question: I’m a 48yr. old female who has had 8 tmj surgeries, I wear an upper denture, my bottom teeth are falling out — I’m afraid of dentistry — can you help me restore my smile. I have not smiled in years can you help.
Answer: Your dental situation is very complicated. With the history of having so much TMJ surgery, it will be difficult to manage – patients with this much surgical history often have very limited ability to open their mouth wide enough for impressions, and they also have a difficult time trying to find a comfortable biting position. Treatment requires a lot of conversation and some judgment calls about what would be best for you.
I would recommend that you come in for a complete dental exam, and we can discuss your situation. Seeing you and getting familiar with your situation, we can make some recommendations and try to help you. It may be that we can do your work completely here in our office, or we may feel that we need some specialty help – we just need a lot of information from you to develop a strategy that is right for you. You will have several options for treatment.
Give us a call and we will try to help you.
Chuck Campbell, DDS
Dale Brant, DDS
(713) 795-5905
Tags: ask your dentist, dental exams, dental treatment, TMJ, TMJ Surgery
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
January 5th, 2011
Question: I am interested in the Snap-On-Smile. However, I live in Louisiana and it has been hard to even find a Cosmetic Dentist who uses Snap-on-Smile. I simply cannot afford Lumineers or anything like that and do not have dental insurance. I have a concern over a protruding tooth. How much is a consultation and is the Snap-on-smile a good alternative to Lumineers?
Answer: In our experience, the Snap-On-Smile is very useful as a temporary esthetic bridge, but it in no way is a good fix for most dental problems. It is marketed as a final restoration, and it is really a pretty good “Band-Aid”.
We would recommend that you have a complete dental exam to figure out what the problem is in the area where you are crowded up front, and then your dentist can give you several alternatives for treatment.
Lumineers is a brand name for one type of laminate veneers, and these can be a terrific fix for some situations. Again, your doc needs to figure out what is for you. Lumineers are what is called a “no-prep” laminate veneer – sounds great, easy to market a treatment that does not cut down the teeth, but these have some limitations also… in the right circumstance, these work great – in crowded, protrusive cases, they are usually not the best choice…
Make an appointment for exam, hear all your alternatives, and then be sure you don’t wait too long if there is a problem brewing… dental insurance helps some, but you will have to budget and pay for most of your dental care.
Tags: ask your dentist, dental exams, dental treatment, Snap On Smile
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
January 5th, 2011
Palliative Recommendations
Any commercial sugarless gum and lozenge can provide symptomatic relief from Xerostomia. The specific products listed also may contain xylitol, lactoperoxidase and/or glucose oxidase.
- Avoid the use of alcoholic beverages and mouth rinses. Mouth rinses
containing alcohol desiccate the oral mucosa and worsen symptoms
- Use a humidifier at night
- Use salivary flow stimulants such as:
- Biotene Dry Mouth Gum – (LaClede, Rancho Dominguez, CA)
- XyliFresh (Leaf, Espoo, Finland)
- Sugarless hard candies
- Salix Lozenges (Scandinavian Naturals, Perkasie, PA)
Saliva Substitutes / Oral Lubricants
These over-the-counter agents are formulated as solutions, sprays, or gels. Most salivary substitutes provide relief for only a limited time. They are most effective when used immediately before bedtime or speaking. There is little data to indicate superiority of any of the products.
- Moi-Stir (Kingswood Labs, Indianapolis)
- MouthKote (Parnell Pharmaceuticals, Larkspur, CA)
- ORALbalance (LaClede)
- Salivart (Xenex Labs, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada)
- Xero-Lube (Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Canton, MA)
Cholinergic Drugs
Cholinergic drugs may alter cardiac conduction, and their use should be avoided in patients who have significant heart disease. These parasympathomimetic stimulating agents are contraindicated for patients who have uncontrolled asthma, narrow-angle glaucoma, and acute iritis. Visual impairment has been noted, particularly in an environment with reduced lighting., 30 mg three times per day.
- Cevimeline (Evoxac, Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Montvale, NJ)
- Pilocarpine (Salagen, MGI Pharma, Minneapolis) 5-10 mg, 3-4 times a day
Tags: ask your dentist, dental exams, dental x-rays, houston dentist, Xerostomia
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
January 5th, 2011
Question: I know that dental cases vary, however, i would like to know what the ballpark cost for a full mouth Gingivectomy would be.
Answer: Yes you are correct that costs vary depending on the severity of the gingival overgrowth. Before we put the cart in front of the horse, we need to determine what is causing your gingival overgrowth or gingival disease. It very well may be caused by medications that you are taking or have taken in the past. There also may be familial trait that you inherited from a parent. A lot of times it may be due to periodontal disease.
No matter the cause it should be treated properly. The first step in this process is to do a thorough dental exam to determine the cause of your condition and then we will be able to give you the exact cost of our recommended treatment.
Please let us know if we can be of help to you.
Dale J. Brant, DDS
Charles Campbell, DDS
888.790.0309
713.795.5905
Tags: dental exams, gum disease prevention, periodontal disease treatment
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
November 15th, 2010
Question: Can you please tell me if from having a porcelain in-lay and the gap between teeth it is covering, is it possible to file down the inlay in between the teeth near the gum as it feels too high in that area leaving very little gap and irritating the gum. I wanted to know if it could be filed other than using an electric drill which would not work due to where it is. Wondered if root canal file would work as it would small enough to enter the gap to file the in-lay from the top.
Answer: If it is truly a porcelain inlay (sometimes cosmetic dentistry patients get confused with composite resin filling materials that are not inlays at all), then the first thing to check is excess cement in between the teeth that is causing irritation. If there is no excess, then it is unlikely that the restoration could be trimmed – not able to get a smooth and refined surface with what you have in mind.
You need to have your DDS check things to see what the problem is. Sometimes soft tissue trauma or excess materials will work themselves out and be gone in a day or two – the DDS needs to figure it out and talk to you.
Chuck Campbell, DDS
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
November 15th, 2010
I am writing a dental CE course for P&Gs to share with other dental professionals worldwide. Can I please have permission to use your photo of fluorosis and site you properly in my research.
If so, could you email me permission.
Most Appreciatively,
Jill
Jill – feel free to use the resources of our website for your research. Thanks for the note.
Chuck Campbell, DDS
Dale Brant, DDS
Tags: Fluorosis Pictures, Fluorosis Symptoms, Fluorosis Treatment
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
November 10th, 2010
Question: I am missing a single tooth in the front. I have had a Maryland bridge before, but it was broken during a surgical procedure involving a scope. I currently have a flipper but would like another dental bridge. I have no interest in ruining two perfectly good teeth so the Maryland bridge is my favored option. I am looking for a price estimate.
Answer: Thanks for the note – usually we would charge about half of a fixed bridge price – perhaps $2000 + cost of x-ray updates. This is also depending on any other factors that you may not have thought of… for instance, a heavy bite would dictate that we recommend a protective nightguard, tooth decay areas on adjacent teeth would dictate dental fillings to be done to remove this decay. Periodontal disease issues would also have to be resolved prior to making any new restoration. Also, if you indeed have a Maryland Bridge done, it can be metal-based, or there are more current ceramic materials that can be used.
With the success of dental implants, we are doing this type of treatment much more often than a Maryland Bridge. It is easier to keep clean, feels more natural with a single dental crown on the implant. When current dental x-rays are taken, we can discuss your options, which you are pretty current with. It sounds like the only thing you have not asked about is a single tooth implant to replace the tooth in a stronger manner.
Give us a call for consultation.
Chuck Campbell, DDS
Dale Brant, DDS
713-795-5905
Tags: dental implants, dental x-rays, Maryland Bridge, Singel Tooth Implant, tooth decay
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
November 9th, 2010
Question:I have alot of cosmetic dentistry work that needs to be done in Houston. I started about a month ago, and the first procedure was 8 hours, extremely painful, and that was just for two temporary crowns. That alone was very expensive. I will have to do this over a long period of time. My question is this:
I have a very important work event next week which will basically have me speaking to a group of several hundred. My teeth are so bad I am embarrassed to get up in front of all those people for that reason only. It is severely damaging to my confidence level. Is there something I can do to at least the visible teeth to allow me to make it through that week of events? I don’t have time to do any expensive work prior. Please advise.
Thank you for your enquiry. I am sorry to hear that you are having a difficult time with your dental care. First of all, you have limited options in trying to conceal your smile without sitting in the dental chair. If you were able to come in there are several options available to you and it will not take 8 hours to correct your problem. We have been able to restore a patient’s smile with great looking temporaries in as little as 2 hours. Another option is a snap on smile. Both of theses procedures should be able to solve your dental issue.
My suggestion is to come in to see us and we would be able to tell you exactly what is needed in order to help you through your crisis. I can assure you that we can help you out and you will not spend all day in our office.
Would you like to make an appointment?
Thanks,
Dale J. Brant, DDS
Charles Campbell, DDS
713.790.0309
888.790.0309
Tags: ask your dentist, dental implants, preventative dentistry, Snap On Smile
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
October 18th, 2010
Question: My two front tooth are loose. What are the procedures to have this fixed and the cost?
Answer: Thanks for your enquiry. We would be more than happy to help you out. The first thing that we need to determine is what is causing your loose front teeth. Is it from occlusion (your bite) or periodontal disease (gum infection)? It is hard to determine the cause unless we see you first and do an evaluation of your mouth. At this time we can determine the cause of the problem and recommend the appropriate dental treatment in Houston. As far as the cost for treatment it is almost impossible to say. It may be a minor solution or something that is quite involved.
The first place to start is with a comprehensive evaluation. We would be more than happy to help you.
Thanks,
Dale J. Brant, DDS
Charles Campbell, DDS
713.795.5905
888.790.0309
Tags: dental treatment, loose teeth, periodontal disease treatment
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | 1 Comment »
October 18th, 2010
Question: My husband needs extensive dental implant work done and we dont have dental insurance only a discount dental policy type of thing.we were wondering the costs at your facilty of everything he would need done?
Answer: Thanks for the inquiry – In order to understand what your husband’s dental needs are and the options for treatment, we would need to do a complete dental exam to include dental x-rays and photos. With this in hand, we can review the whole situation, and you can understand cost of treatment.
Please call Maria or Debbie at the below number and set up a time for a dental exam. They should be able to answer most questions you might have over the phone.
Chuck Campbell, DDS
Dale Brant, DDS
(713) 795-5905
Houston, Texas
Tags: Cosmetic Dental Work, dental checkups, dental implants, dental x-rays, houston dentist
Posted in Houston Dentist Answers FAQ"S | No Comments »
|
