Patrick Prendergast, DDS

By a complete and thorough diagnosis, then treatment targeted toward the cause of the problem. Gum disease is a chronic disease, so it's better to never get there. But if you're gums are already in trouble, please realize that you and your doctor/hygienist will work to "control" the gum disease. This can be very successfully done. Be ready and willing to change and improve your home care routine.

Usually it's being too aggressive with the flosser. Always try to bend the floss into a "C" shape around the contours of the tooth. Just moving it up and down can cut right through the gingival triangle. This hurts, swells, and takes a few days to heal.

Absolutely! It's one of the best ways to clean your result at home. Be sure your dentist/hygienist are removing your denture and cleaning your implants once a year. This will have some cost as the tiny screws that retain your denture fatigue and must be changed every two years.

It is important to have the tooth assessed by a dentist to insure it is able to be saved and restored. If the bone has been destroyed, the tooth may not be worth the investment in a root canal as it's long term stability will still be poor. In general, if the only issue with the tooth is that the nerves have died resulting in an abscess, a root canal is a predictable procedure with a great long term prognosis. Please use a root canal specialist or Endodontist for this procedure. The fee is no higher than a general dentist, but the quality is consistently better.

Not usually. You would need a root canal if a radiograph image shows evidence that the nerve system in your tooth has died or is in distress. A crown is used to strengthen the tooth and prevent more fractures. Those two procedures are not always done together.