Cynthetiq

Thanks for answering all these questions... I've read through a good number of them and I don't seem to see anything that would come close to mine...

I had a root canal a long while ago but it was not able to go in from the top so they drilled in through the jaw. The tooth with the dead root now is slowly turning brown. My dentist suggests doing whitening treatments before doing something invasive like laminate etc.

Thanks again!

as far as the student doctors... my wife went to the NYU dental school and she didn't have a good experience. I'm sure that it varies, but just letting people know that a bad experience can be had anywhere.

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Weston

You're gonna think I'm joking.

I have a gigantic cavity in one of my back teeth. Seriously, more tooth than cavity. I don't know what it'd cost to get pulled, and was honestly wondering if it was worth trying the whole, string on a doorknob thing, on a fairly firm tooth with more hole than tooth.

popo

Good for your dentist, he's trying to start with conservative treatments first. With a root canaled tooth, the recommended method of bleaching is from the INSIDE of the tooth, rather than the outside like most people get. It usually has good results. But if tht doesn't work, there's always the more expensive laminates/crowns.

True, you can have a bad experience in a dental school. Just like you can have a bad experience with a graduated dentist.

If you have a bit more money to spend and nned more extensive work, you can go to a graduate clinic in a dental school where recent graduates (dentists) treat you instead of dental students. It's still cheaper than a regular dentist and these are usually dentists who did well in dental school since it's competitive to get into graduate school.

Weston:

Trust me, whatever cavity you have, I've seen worse.
If it's a non-surgical extraction it'll cost ~$100-150. More if they need to drill & cut & put sutures. You can try the string but it's not gonna do much. Adult teeth have long roots and unless it's half out already it's not going to work.

Seems to be a theme, but dental schools are cheaper. Sometimes even free if you go to a hospital oral surgery clinic.

Turd

im in las vegas and ive not been to the dentist for years. so i called one up that a friend recomended. 100 for xrays and 75 for exam.

is that a lot?

and while im posting, how much should a root canal cost? how bout a crown? a filling? i think ill need any or all of these.

last question. my gums have receded a bunch on both sides of my bottom, center teeth. it seems that the oral surgery i had years ago has moved my teeth around and that along with other factors has lowered my gums considerably.

question is, how do i get them back up? or, is it even possible to get them back up?

thanks so much for answering all the questions that have been asked. very helpful.

popo

It's tough to answer the price questions because it ranges depending on factors like where you live and wat type of practice you're going to. When your dentist gets something fabricated for you (like a crown), they pay a dental lab to make it. The lab price varies by a huge amount depending on the materials used and the lab technician's skills. If you get a dentist who charges $500 for a crown, you can be sure that he's going to a lab that gives him a good price. Bottom line. If your dentist charges $1500 for a crown, chances are he's getting work done at an expensive lab. Obviously that's not necessarily true.

That being said, here are some general ranges:

Your prices for the xras and cleaning does sound a little high because lots of offices have new patient specials that give those services for a reduced rate. The prices you list are reasonable if there is no such special.

Root canal front tooth: $500-$800
Root canal back tooth: $700-$1300
Crown: $600-$1500 depending on type & quality of materials used
Silver Filling: $80-$200 depending on size
White Filling: $120-$300 depending on size and type.

Keep in mind that you generally also need what's caled "post & core" on a tooth that had a root canal and will be getting a crown. This should be in the $250 range.

One thing people have to keep in mind is that dentistry is something that is a service. A crown from one dentist is NOT the same thing as a crown from another dentist. It ain't like comparing VCR prices at amazon.com vs. buy.com. If a dentist is charging very little, BELIEVE me, he is making it up somewhere else whether it be in materials used, amount of time he's willing to spend on the work until he's happy with the results, or other ways. Cheaper is not always worse quality but there is a huge difference between even a well-done filling vs. a poorly done one.

As far as your gums receding, yes it is correctable with periodontal surgery. The general way of doing it is to take a graft from the roof of your mouth and put it where you need it. Don't be frightened by what people tell you about it. Some people experience pain with it, some don't. My wife barely needed any advil. Whatever discomfort there is, it's less than losing your teeth and using dentures.

Jesus Pimp

Popo, why do I go through toothbrushes so quickly? I don't brush that hard. I've been brushing the same way all my life.

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popo

I don't know how quickly you're going through them but changing it every 3-4 months is a good (and inexpensive) idea.

yatzr

I'm surprised nobody's asked this yet (at least i didn't see it), but what toothpaste do you use? Also, is there a best order for brushing, flossing, and mouthwashing or does it matter? Thanks!

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popo

The simple questions always get overlooked. Then again, no one's asked about the real serious stuff either. (you can die from some simple dental infections...)

Anyways, you'll be surprised to know that in 4 years of dental school we spent probably a total of 3 minutes on toothpaste. It just doesn't matter as long as it has the fluoride. Your technique is much more important.

That being said, I use Listerine toothpaste. It's expensive (~$4.50 a tube) but I like the taste. The best order would be floss, brush, rinse so you dredge out the gunk, brush it away, then rinse for a clean start.

svt

I think its awesome you are answering all these questions popo.
Here's mine =)

I've got braces right now and I know you're a dentist and not an ortho, but I bet you know. Anyways, my teeth look great but my ortho says I need to have them on for more time and its been 4 yrs! It would be shorter but I cant make it to the ortho because he's 160 miles away from my house(because I'm away for college) and I'm always breaking brackets or "tpas" what ever those are. So... I took off my upper braces,except for the bands around my back teeth where the wire connects to. My question is, will my teeth go back to the way they were? I hate these damn things and I'd like to take them off asap. Again, thanks.

popo

I actually don't know much about orthodontics. It'd be really tough for me to tell you whether you're teeth will go back to where they were without knowing many more details such as what the teeth were like to begin with, what exactly was done, length of time, length of time for stabilization, etc.

Usually an ortho will suggest a procedure called a fiberotomy if you've had teeth rotated during treatment. This helps to keep them from rotating back. The real defining factor though, in most cases, is basically how often you wear the retainers.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

BTW, ortho's are dentists too.

bing bing

Popo: Thanks for the thread

i have a question. I currently have a permanent plate on my lower row of teeth and two of my teeth have a metal “jacket” type thing (the hold the plate in place). I was curious as to what this metal is likely made of and if there are any issues of toxicity?

One other thing, like white rice, is brown rice a major contributor to tooth decay or is it ok? Thanks!

popo

To give you more details about the "plate", I need to get a better understanding of what it is exactly... If this is a denture type of thing, it's made of an alloy of chromium, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, and a few others. If you have no nickel allergy (and you'd know if by now) then there is nothing harmful there.

The decay is just a reflection of the carb content and stickiness. I'm not sure if there is a significantly lower amount of carbs in brown rice but if you do know, that'll give you your answer. Regardless, if you brush your teeth after you eat them then even candy & jellies are fine to eat.

svt

Thanks popo!

bing bing

Thanks brother. i was a bit worried that they may have contained lead/aluminum/copper.

gowingnut007

wow, you are the nicest dentist that i have ever met :-)

Vyk

Thanks popo for giving your advice like this. Very kind of you

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Phaenx

My toothbrush smells bad. Should I replace it?

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Stimmed

wow, popo seems like the nicest dentest ever. My dentist is an evil witchy woman, ughhh

matches

is it better to use electronic toothbrushes? (and which old fashioned ones do you recommend?)

also, i floss everyday.. i get in between the gum and the tooth on both sides (thats what youre supposed to do right?) is this gonna make my teeth loose eventually or something?

RemyLebeau97

Just one question, what exactly is bonding??? My dentist said I may need some bonding done to my teeth because a few of em grew smaller than they were suppose too. My guess is that bonding means he's gonna fill in the cracks with some kinda atrificial filling, is that correct ??? Thanks

spacemanspiffmm

Hey doc, I just joined TFP (for the titty forum, i admit) as a diversion while waiting for my wisdom teeth extraction to heal. The dentist took them out on Friday morning, and it's now Sunday morning and my cheeks are swollen worse than they were on Friday. I'm still taking the extra-strength Vicodin I was given every 4 hours for the pain.

I'm an intern at a Manhattan newspaper and really need to go into work tomorrow. Do you think it's a good idea? Is there anything I can do to control the swelling/pain today so that I can get to work tomorrow?

Also, a second random question has to do with dental-issue narcotics and I'll understand if you won't want to answer them.

A friend of mine who works at a popular coffee-shop chain pilfers boxes of nitrous oxide cartridges. One evening I tried it with him (he stole one of those steel things you fill with cream and froth it up with the nitrous to make whipped cream) by inhaling the nitrous out of the nozzle of the thingy. It was a lot of fun - pretty identical to the feeling you get in the dentist's chair. I don't feel a physical or psychological need to do it again, but I think I'd indulge if there was an easy opportunity to in the future. Is nitrous addictive? Are there any negative effects of abuse?

Thanks for your help! I think it's really incredible that you're taking the time to help everyone out in this way.

crfpilot

Thanks for the thread popo, you already answered my questions about whitening.

popo

Here's the secret test I always do: I stick it up my butt and if it smells better than before it went inside, it's time to replace it.

popo

But does she have big titties?

popo

Electric toothbrushes aren't better on their own, they don't do anything that you cannot do with a regular toothbrush, IMO. Lots of people just don't brush long enough with a regular toothbrush and tend to brush longer with an electric so in those cases it's better. Some people like the feeling and then brush more often with electrics making it a good choice for them. Of the electrics, the Sonicare is best IMO but it's expensive (~$100).

About your flossing, keep it up. It will let you KEEP your teeth, not lose them.

popo

Bonding is just another word for placing a white (composite) filling. Generally, it refers only to the front teeth. With bonding, he's not filling cracks... he's adding to your teeth, making them longer/wider/thicker/whiter or any combination of these. Depending on what he has planned, it may DRASTICALLY change how they look so you should have all the say in what he will do. Extensive bonding can be considered a poor man's porcelain veneers. They will not last as long as veneers and will stain over time.

popo

Hey Spaceman, welcome to TFP. It's a pretty cool place as I'm figuring out.

Sorry my answer is late but you shouldn't worry about the swelling & pain. It's absolutely normal for the worst swelling to be present 2 days after the surgery. Don't worry about taking the Vicodin if you need to but obviously don't drive while on it. I hope you got to work and that the swelling & pain is on it's way down now.

I honestly don't know the conditions under which you're taking the nitrous but I'll tell you the important points for us in gving it to patients.

1) DO NOT ever give 100% nitrous. We always mix it up with at least 50% oxygen. If you're taking a small squirt I doubt it's a problem but know that oxygen is VERY important if inhaling it.

2) DO NOT give on a full stomach since it causes nausea in lots of folks.

3) DO NOT give to alkies so if you drink alot and take nitrous, say sayanara to your liver.

Don't take it if you have pernicious anemia (you'd know if you have this). In general, YES it is addictive and long term it causes liver & kidney, neurological and bone marrow damage. Worth it? I dunno...

Good luck with the internship. NY Times editor in your future??

spacemanspiffmm

heh, here's hoping. It's a very exciting field and has a lot of potential for doing good, but it's also exhausting and pays little. Not an easy decision.

Thanks a lot for your thoughtful response to both questions. It's now late tuesday night - the operation happened friday - and I'm still swollen and in pain. I think it's my own dumbass fault, as I've been eating normal food and talking a lot (the vicodin makes it easy to forget) and since I've been at work I haven't been icing my face.

As for the nitrous, I was unaware of any negative side effects at all. Bone marrow damage? eeechhh. I think I'll save the giggly gas for (very) special occasions, in that case. It's good old college-style alcohol for me.

Anyway, hope everyone's week has been going well. Who would have thought that a thread on dental health could be so much fun?

JohnnyRock

I recently had root canal done--not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. My question is how long can I go with the temporary filling [instead of a crown and post, I guess] in? It is kinda outta my price range right now to upgrade.

Thanks!!!!

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popo

This is a tough spot, JR. It really should be done ASAP. The things that can go wrong are:

1) the tooth breaks because alot of it is removed during a root canal, leaving it weak. A broken tooth at this point could leave you needing gum surgery or an extraction. Not what you need after spending $$ on a root canal.

2) The inside of the tooth gets infected again. The seal with the temporary filling isn't 100% and right now the inside of the tooth is sterile. If it gets infected again, you'd need a cleanup of the root canal (basically a re-doing it). A problem is that you will not know if it's reinfected since you no longer have a nerve in the tooth that could feel it happening.

Now that you made a good decision to keep your tooth I really wouldn't wait too long, the potential for it to cost more due to waiting is too great. I read a study last year that showed that if a temporary filling was left in place for over 3 months, the root canal should be redone. I'm not sure if I'd go that far but it's food for thought.

Ask your dentist if you can pay in installments. They might agree to it since you'll likely need a few appointments for the post & core & crown.

Good luck.

JohnnyRock

Thanks!!!!!!!!

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Garic

Popo, if you're still answering questions, I have one. Yesterday, I twisted my tooth (bottom row, one of the center four, furthest to my left, not sure what to call it) on the lip of a bottle. Hurt like hell, but the pain subsided. Later on, the pain came back. It came in waves for a bit, it would stop and start again if pressure was applied to it, just to give you an idea. I checked it out in the mirror and there was a little black line running down the center of the tooth.

I made an appointment with my dentist to see what the problem is and what would be done, but I was wondering what your take on the problem is and what the treatment would probably be?

popo

Damn, Garic. That doesn't sound good. It sounds as if you have a cracked tooth but the fact that you get waves of pain from it makes me think that the crack went into the pulp (nerve space) of the tooth. If it did, and the crack continues down below the bone, the tooth is gone. As in it's gotta come out.

If the pulp is involved but the crack stops there, you'd need a root canal but you'd get to keep the tooth. That's really the best case scenario from what I suspect is going on.

Losing a tooth sucks but there are ways to replace it. Run from any dentist proposing a standard bridge in that area if nothing is wrong with the teeth nextdoor. Something called a "Maryland Bridge", though, is a decent idea. Another reat alternative is to get an implant to replace the tooth. It actually is the best way to go IMO but your finances will let you know which way to go. The reason the implant is better is because you would not have to touch the adjacent teeth and drilling teeth that have nothing wrong with them is not the best thing to do. It will likely lead to pmore drilling down the road.

Let me know what your doc says.

obelix

ok, so at night, i grind my teeth together while i sleep. i am slowly gridning my teeth down to nothing. i would like to know about solutions involving mouthguards or clips that you can put on your teeth to act as something else to grind on. any opinions on various methods that will work better/worse than others?

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Pennington

Popo, you are seriously the coolest dentist I know. Well, next to Dr. Esperanto anyway. Are you married? My sister's has said many times that she wants to marry a dentist.

popo

YOU NEED TO GET A HARD NIGHTGUARD! If you already see that you're grinding your teeth significantly (and I assume that you're not 60 years old), then do something NOW. Trust me, I've seen people at 45 who have tiny stubbs for teeth and need to spend $40k or else live the rest of their lives in dentures.

A nightguard could cost up to $400 or so but it's worth it. One that is bought at the pharmacy or Walmart is worthless. Get the best one your dentist has to offer. He/She will probably have a range that they can offer but the cheaper ones just won't last as long so I'm not sure if you're saving any money going that route.

Don't play around with this. Go ask someone with dentures how they like it and you'll run to pay the $400.



Penington: Thanks, man. I'm just trying to help some people out. I realize that 99% of people feel like they have no clue if they're being told the truth at the dentist so hopefully I can clear some stuff up here. A few bad guys have ruined too many peoples' trust.

And yes, happily married. Doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy pics of your sister though.

Jonsgirl

I went to the dentist in January to have some cavities filled. I had had this hole in the emnamel for years and it bothered me off and on, so I had them take a look at it. Turns out, they said, that it was a very small, deep cavity. So, I had them fill it. Now, it's worse than it was before. I can't chew anything hard or even remotely hot or cold. What could be causing this six months later? Is there anything that someone could do to repair it?

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popo

The fact that it hurts now 6 months later and is very sensitive to pressure and heat makes it likly that the infection has gone into the pulp (nerve space). You say that it was a very deep & old cavity to begin with so this makes it even more likely. An X-Ray and a couple small tests and your dentist will be able to tell you if the pulp is infected. If it is, you'll need a root canal. If it's not a front tooth, then you'll also need what's called a "post & core" along with a crown. See my post from 6/16 for general prices. With front teeth, you can sometimes get away with just the root canal.

coilz

Hey Popo, this is kinda off topic actually. But I was thinking of applying for Dental School in the states. Any recommendations? Not a Genius here so Harvard and etc is out of the question.