Dr. Tamika Anoia, DDS

You still want to floss add least at night and brush 2 mins 2 times a day. If you use a rinse do this after flossing. Do not eat or drink add least 30 mins after brushing so the toothpaste has a chance to strengthen the teeth. This is the proper oral hygine technique with or without a root canal. If you were not able to crown the tooth right away it is very important to stay away from hard foods like raw carrots, nuts, hard candies, ect until the tooth is crowned. The tooth may be sore after a root canal, try to avoid pushing the tooth with your tongue or eating on the affected side. It may take 2 to 6 weeks to not be sore depending on the extent of the infection you had before the root canal was completed. Some patients feel just fine after. Hope this helped.

It is important to get checked for gingivitis which is when the tissue becomes inflammed due to bacterial build up between our teeth. Look up a video of proper flossing technique. Floss two times a day followed by a rinse like Listerine than brush 2 mins. Do not eat or drink for 30 mins after brushing so the toothpaste has a chance to decrease the bacteria. You may notice bleeding while flossing and brushing. This is part of the normal healing process in the mouth. Every week you should notice less bleeding. It can take 4 to 6 weeks to get ride of gingivitis. Make sure your trays are also cleaned well with soap and water or cleaning crystals which your provider may have given to you to decrease bacteria load. If you dont see improvements after 2 weeks make an appointment with your provider.

It is important not to rinse for the first 24 hours. There are some other post op instructions like no using straws to drink, no forcefull spiting after brushing, no spiting to relieve saliva build up, no carbinated beverages within the first 24 hours of having your tooth extracted. This insures the clot forms stiff enough to not be lost out of the extraction site. Patients have much less post op pain if the clot remains in place. A lost clot can cause dry socket/bone exposure, which is very painful. Try your best to follow the post op intructions given by your provider.

Yes it is possible. Usually if you clench your teeth or bite on a hard food you will feel pain on release/when u open. Sometimes foods like chocolate, sour patch kids, gummies can also cause discomfort. If this is happening you should schedule an appointment with your provider.

Cavities don't necessarily heal but decay that is in enamel, first layer of your tooth is made of inorganic/non living material like a rock and can be remineralized with products that contain fluoride or calcium toothpastes like MI Paste a provider can prescribe that doesn't contain fluoride. The issue is that these areas will always be more susceptible to decay than areas that were never demineralized/exposed to decay. Regular check ups are highly advised to make sure these areas have not reactivated into decaying your tooth or teeth. Some dentist may recommend x rays every 6 months for up to 3 years to make sure growth does not occur.

Backing soda is on the opposite spectrum of acidic products. It is basic. It could in improper amounts lead to enamel loss. Id only recommend it in a toothpaste that already has it in there and is properly formulated to not harm enamel.

You can try over the counter whitening products followed by whitening toothpaste to keep the teeth from going back to that color longer. If you experience any sensitivity stop. Use a fluoride toothpaste that also contains potassium nitate as active ingredients for add least 2 weeks than try whitening again. If still sensitive you may have thin or no enamel in areas and should consult with your provider. Most dentists also provide whitening products that are prescription strength and are more effective than over the counter brands.

Depends on the color of the tooth. Some teeth are very dark brown even black from past root canals, in that case full zirconia or porcelain fused to high noble metal is best. If your tooth is a natural color all porcelain crowns are the most esthetic options in the anterior/front of the mouth. Function also comes into play, if a patient is a heavy grinder or clencher a porcelain fused to high noble where the lingual/back of crown is metal so you don't wear off the enamel of the teeth touching that crown may be prescribed. Also patients who grind or clench should also be prescribed an occlusal guard after crown placement no matter the choice of crown to protect the teeth from their habits.

Crowns are better than veneers when patients have a habit of grinding or clenching or exhibit wear of their teeth. Veneers are very thin and if a patient like prior gets them an occlusal guard is highly recommended to avoid chipping or breaking of veneers. However if patients don't exhibit wear veneers can be a very aesthetic and a less invasive procedure than crowns. Veneers may need to be replaced in 7 to 10 years, half the life of crowns. This also highly depends on a patients oral hygiene habits. These recommendations should only be for patients who do not have gum disease or are high caries risk. If these kinds of patients get these products it may only last a year, maybe 2 or 3 before there are issues and replacement is needed.

Typically it depends on how many teeth you show when you smile. The average patient veneers the front teeth and includes the teeth posterior to the canines. 8 teeth.

On average, yes, with the right provider and lab. Teeth can be several different colors its important the proper type of crown is chosen to match. Its rare to not be able to match but it can happen.

No matter the type of crown, unless the patient is a grinder or clencher and breaks the crown, the crown doesn't fail when the tooth is reduced properly to give the crown optimum strength. However, the cement can debond over time due to the acidic, basic, or plaque environment of the mouth which can dissolve the cement. Patients with great oral hygiene and no gum disease, crowns can last 20 years, when they do come off in a healthy mouth the provider can simply cement it back on for another 20 years as long as the patient is happy with the color and look. Teeth get darker as we age so patients may choose to change their crowns as their teeth change color. If the patient does not have good oral hygiene decay of the tooth can cause loss of the crown as well, in that case sometimes the tooth is so far gone the patient needs a root canal or extraction.

Absolutely. If a patient tends to get cavities once or everyother year its very important no matter the fixed work in the patients mouth that the bacterial load is decreased in the mouth. Some examples that can help decrease a patients caries risk or gum disease (which also causes decay) is flossing, rinsing, brushing 2x a day and not eating or drinking 30 mins after so the products have a chance to strengthen the teeth and kill germs. Decrease sugar intake, better to eat sugar 30 mins a day than snack on it all day long this includes carbs. Power tooth brushes and water flossers also great adjucts. Some patients I even recommend prescription toothpaste. Veneers typically last 7 to 10 years before needing replacement. They are very thin and due to chewing forces over the years this can wear them and margins can become open causing leakage and sometimes decay. If a patient is a clencher or grinder failure of veneers can happen even faster without the use of an occlusal guard.

This is not recommended. A dentist uses sterile instruments and popping an abcess may cause more bacteria to be introduced to the area. See your provider as soon as you can. If the abcess pops on its own try warm salt water rinsing and see your provider right away.

Depends on the size and location of the abcess. Some teeth need extraction or a root canal when this happens. Some teeth need periodontal surgery. Some teeth need a deep cleaning due to food being stuck in the area.
Highly recommend seeing your provider asap.

You may have periodontal disease/bone loss, which causes teeth to drift. You may be a grinder or clencher and this can also cause shifting. Seeing your dentist is recommended.

Very rare especially if the tooth has be reduced to the recommended size to provide optimum strength of the zirconia. If anterior/front teeth crown edge chipping occurs an occlusal guard may be recommended by your provider.

Immediate dentures (placed right after extractions) given to patients same day teeth come out, but these tend to be more costly than conventional dentures (dentures made after healing) or interim/transitional dentures (denture worn while healing only or 2nd set if conventionals need to go out to lab for repair) . Immediate dentures need several soft relines for up to 6 months performed by the dentist as the patient heals and tissue shrinks. After 3 to 6 months the dentist may say you can get a permanent reline because the tissue and bone has completely healed. Sometimes immediates or transitional/interm dentures are not as esthetic as conventional because the lab has to guess where your tissue is going to end up after the teeth are extracted. An interim or transitional denture is worn while you are waiting to heal and is also placed immediately after surgey, however it is typically made from cheaper products because it is only ment to last while healing. The teeth typically wear faster than conventional dentures but the teeth last just fine while healing with an interim/transitional denture. With transitional dentures the lab has to guess where your tissue will end up and may not be a perfect result. If you choose an interim and conventional denture you will have 2 sets so if something happens to your conventional denture you can send it out for repair and still have a set you can wear while you wait for them to come back. Insurance usually will not cover an interim/transitional denture but they are highly recommended.

Crowns typically last longer because they are stronger and not as thin as veneers. However veneers preserve more of your tooth structure and are not as invasive as crowns. Veneers last typically 7 to 10 years depending on the patients hygiene and habits (clenching,grinding, biting finger nails ect). Crowns can last 20 or more depending again on oral hygiene and habits.