I believe Boho said he is in Brooklyn, so these might be of interest:
https://www.freedentalcare.us/ci/ny-brooklyn
https://www.freedentalcare.us/ci/ny-brooklyn
Toothache treatment
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Boho
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Teeth are doing great today. Morning and night I floss, brush with cheap toothpaste, use antibacterial mouthwash, then brush again with my stannous fluoride toothpaste and just spit and pour water over my tongue. After lunch it's stannous fluoride toothpaste only. I added a fourth brushing in the middle of the night last night, but it was gentle because I just wanted more fluoride, not to abrade my teeth again. Plus I do a bunch of other stuff.
I looked up how long fillings last and it looks like I've been lucky. It makes me wonder whether stronger cements were used in the 70s and 80s. If a filling falls out, if not sooner, I'll be seeing a dentist and I'd want my teeth in good shape so I don't have to worry about getting extra fillings in borderline cases. I don't want any pre-cavities.
I'm thinking of trying to get a teledentist (internet checkups, not sure if webcam is required) to give me a prescription for high fluoride toothpaste. I read that adults, other than certain groups who tend to have worse oral hygiene, don't need fluoride treatment, but after more research I decided it's a good idea for me. During use of the first tube I'd do more research to help me decide how long I want to use it, and I have to figure out how refills will work. I don't want to pay for a new teledentist session for each tube unless maybe it's once a year.
I looked up how long fillings last and it looks like I've been lucky. It makes me wonder whether stronger cements were used in the 70s and 80s. If a filling falls out, if not sooner, I'll be seeing a dentist and I'd want my teeth in good shape so I don't have to worry about getting extra fillings in borderline cases. I don't want any pre-cavities.
I'm thinking of trying to get a teledentist (internet checkups, not sure if webcam is required) to give me a prescription for high fluoride toothpaste. I read that adults, other than certain groups who tend to have worse oral hygiene, don't need fluoride treatment, but after more research I decided it's a good idea for me. During use of the first tube I'd do more research to help me decide how long I want to use it, and I have to figure out how refills will work. I don't want to pay for a new teledentist session for each tube unless maybe it's once a year.
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Boho
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It's been about three months since the pain and all is good. In Sept. when I had the toothache, there were a couple of days when flossing the tooth, which was very tight and took good hand strength to pull the floss pick out, caused the tooth to pull up slightly which I could feel when I bit. I thought there was food stuck in my tooth before I realized it was just loose enough to pull up. I've been strictly water flossing the tight spot on that side of that tooth since then, until today when I forgot. The tooth stayed put! Still, I'll mainly water floss it in the future.
The original problem with the tooth was over a year ago and there's now no pain and it's not dead as far as I can tell.
Special thanks The Brady Bunch episode where Peter has to wear braces after an accident "until the roots get stronger." It taught me that roots can get stronger.
The original problem with the tooth was over a year ago and there's now no pain and it's not dead as far as I can tell.
Special thanks The Brady Bunch episode where Peter has to wear braces after an accident "until the roots get stronger." It taught me that roots can get stronger.
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Amethyst
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Glad to hear the good news about your teeth.
Not sure about roots getting "stronger," but my Invisalign treatment taught me that our teeth and jawbones are actually very malleable.
It was amazing how the succession of subtle changes in the trays, turned a crooked tooth a full 90 degrees in the jaw, and moved the other teeth (which weren't crooked, just crowded) so they all line up perfectly and are easy to floss between. The teeth roots actually traveled through the jawbone.
And because of this malleability, unless I wear my retainers faithfully, the might decide to travel right back
Not sure about roots getting "stronger," but my Invisalign treatment taught me that our teeth and jawbones are actually very malleable.
It was amazing how the succession of subtle changes in the trays, turned a crooked tooth a full 90 degrees in the jaw, and moved the other teeth (which weren't crooked, just crowded) so they all line up perfectly and are easy to floss between. The teeth roots actually traveled through the jawbone.
And because of this malleability, unless I wear my retainers faithfully, the might decide to travel right back
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Boho
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I even read that if your tooth falls out, you should put it back in and see a dentist to make sure it's set right. It can reattach by itself.
I may give myself a pulp vitality test. I think I just have to hold ice against my tooth and see if there's sensation/pain, but I have to figure out how to do it to individual teeth. Mainly my wisdom tooth.
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Boho
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Not sure "blow-up" describes it but some tiny pieces of wisdom tooth broke off today, then after several rinses a 3/16" section broke off. Not really any pain or sensitivity but maybe slight swelling that's not noticeable from the outside. If I make an exaggerated smile and bite, I can tell my cheek is too close to my teeth.
It looked decayed under the surface in the photos so it's not really that surprising even to me.
Guess I'll look for a dentist.
RIP my old orthodontist, who told me about 40 year ago that I'll probably need my wisdom teeth removed.
...edit yet again... I read "Enamel has an average thickness of 2.58 mm". I got out my calipers. My chip is about 3/40ths of an inch thick including the plastic bag, which is only 1.905 mm, so maybe there's still enamel protecting the innards!
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iloveyoga
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I don't know you, but I think about you from time to time and hope you get to a dentist soon.
I just had a front tooth removed due to a massive infection. There was no pain or discomfort, just some mild swelling along the gum. The tooth had two previous root canals and developed a crack which split it in half, and also had bone loss due to the infection. Now I am facing a bone graft plus an implant.
Teeth seem to be very troublesome. Nature/God must have been designed them on a Monday morning or a late Friday afternoon.
Teeth seem to be very troublesome. Nature/God must have been designed them on a Monday morning or a late Friday afternoon.
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I read that after a root canal the tooth becomes more brittle. It's only a partial saving of the tooth.
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Boho
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The slight swelling was just from a slight cut on the inside of my cheek from a chip or a pointy part of my remaining wisdom tooth, and it healed. No pain or sensitivity to anything.
There's a study that shows the pressure required to pull a tooth is just slightly less than the pressure required to break it. "If the broken tip still remains encased in bone, a tissue flap and bone removal will be required to retrieve it" but sometimes the tip is just left in even though it could rot and cause infection. I choose to keep my broken tooth alive, clean, and as healthy as it can be rather than risk having a dead, infection prone root tip in my jaw.
Also, cracks, as with pre-cavities, can be repaired with fluoride.
Side thoughts/theories:
With enamel being as thick as it is, sanding down tight teeth to aid flossing may be a reasonable alternative to braces, and may be the only alternative if there's no room for spacing teeth with braces. Flossing after eating something acidic, maybe with a whitening toothpaste for extra abrasion, may eventually accomplish this. But my tight teeth aren't as tight as they were last year so I can string floss them more easily now. Zero sign of infection now.
I think I saw a couple of studies where a tooth fragment was held in someone's mouth with an appliance to subject it to saliva for an experiment. In one case, dentin was exposed to acidic soda then brushed at various times in different volunteers to see if you should wait for the tooth to recover before brushing. I guess that's how they determined you should wait an hour before brushing after eating or drinking something acidic. Since it wasn't the volunteer's own tooth, that sounds like a safe trial for a volunteer. After Covid I'd consider participating in a safe study of some kind, like that one. I once tried applying for a trial on "Thermal Imaging as a Diagnostic Tool of Nasal Airflow" which sounded safe, but it was canceled. "Diagnostic" may be a good search term for finding safe clinical trials. And I think you usually get a free checkup if you participate.
There's a study that shows the pressure required to pull a tooth is just slightly less than the pressure required to break it. "If the broken tip still remains encased in bone, a tissue flap and bone removal will be required to retrieve it" but sometimes the tip is just left in even though it could rot and cause infection. I choose to keep my broken tooth alive, clean, and as healthy as it can be rather than risk having a dead, infection prone root tip in my jaw.
Also, cracks, as with pre-cavities, can be repaired with fluoride.
Side thoughts/theories:
With enamel being as thick as it is, sanding down tight teeth to aid flossing may be a reasonable alternative to braces, and may be the only alternative if there's no room for spacing teeth with braces. Flossing after eating something acidic, maybe with a whitening toothpaste for extra abrasion, may eventually accomplish this. But my tight teeth aren't as tight as they were last year so I can string floss them more easily now. Zero sign of infection now.
I think I saw a couple of studies where a tooth fragment was held in someone's mouth with an appliance to subject it to saliva for an experiment. In one case, dentin was exposed to acidic soda then brushed at various times in different volunteers to see if you should wait for the tooth to recover before brushing. I guess that's how they determined you should wait an hour before brushing after eating or drinking something acidic. Since it wasn't the volunteer's own tooth, that sounds like a safe trial for a volunteer. After Covid I'd consider participating in a safe study of some kind, like that one. I once tried applying for a trial on "Thermal Imaging as a Diagnostic Tool of Nasal Airflow" which sounded safe, but it was canceled. "Diagnostic" may be a good search term for finding safe clinical trials. And I think you usually get a free checkup if you participate.
Not sure "blow-up" describes it but some tiny pieces of wisdom tooth broke off today, then after several rinses a 3/16" section broke off. Not really any pain or sensitivity but maybe slight swelling that's not noticeable from the outside. If I make an exaggerated smile and bite, I can tell my cheek is too close to my teeth.
It looked decayed under the surface in the photos so it's not really that surprising even to me.
Guess I'll look for a dentist.
RIP my old orthodontist, who told me about 40 year ago that I'll probably need my wisdom teeth removed.
...edit yet again... I read "Enamel has an average thickness of 2.58 mm". I got out my calipers. My chip is about 3/40ths of an inch thick including the plastic bag, which is only 1.905 mm, so maybe there's still enamel protecting the innards!
referring to your picture of the broken fragment, is the brownish section soft at all, or is it rock hard?
by "Blow Up" I meant get really infected, painful, swollen, ER/life threatening stuff.
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Boho
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Rock hard but I don't know about what's inside my mouth. I took another look in there. Between the chip that I saved and several smaller chips, there's too much missing and want my second molar checked too. I think I'm going to the dentist. One who's most likely to just fill it even with the gum covering what needs to be filled. This will be a fun search...
https://vimeo.com/491354893
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I think I'll try https://dental.nyu.edu/patientcare.html
My fear is a school kid plunging a pick into my nerve and refusing to just fill it.
I'll accept lidocaine for a filling for the first time ever, but I'm thinking...
Supervisor: remember what I taught you two minutes ago...careful with the...
Me: AHHHHHH!
Student: oh yeah
My fear is a school kid plunging a pick into my nerve and refusing to just fill it.
I'll accept lidocaine for a filling for the first time ever, but I'm thinking...
Supervisor: remember what I taught you two minutes ago...careful with the...
Me: AHHHHHH!
Student: oh yeah
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If you can get into the dental school, do so. Especially if you have more time than money. I recommend against going to any corporate entity. If you have the time, go to a dental school. I've lived it. I know.
