Dr. Wayne J. Yee

Sometimes the bite might be slightly off because you may bite differently than when you are numb. This can lead to biting harder on the bridge and sooner than you should, resulting in injury and bruising to the ligaments that hold the tooth to the bone. Return to your dentist immediately. You might just need a minor adjustment. Otherwise, if you wait too long, you might injure the nerve pulp beyond recovery.

Respectfully Yours,

Dr. Wayne

It depends on what’s causing the swollen gums. But the most common cause is periodontal disease or gingivitis. A good dental cleaning often referred to as a prophy (short for prophylaxis) often will decrease or eliminate signs of gingivitis.

Respectfully yours,

Dr. Wayne Yee

The only way to know for sure is with a special 3 dimensional imaging technique referred to as a cone beam. The cone beam in dentistry is similar to an MRI in a hospital but a lot smaller and specifically designed to use in evaluating the bone within the jaws and surrounding hard and soft tissue structures.

In the majority of implant case’s especially those without an extraction site it is now considered the standard of care to use a cone beam on implant case. Drilling an implant in to place without a cone beam review can be extremely risky leading to severe complications; some with permanent results.

With a cone beam, a series of images are taken that is referred to as a volume; similar to a book. With the proper software the dentist can actually do a virtual simulation of the implant placement to determine exactly where the implant will fit to include relationships to other teeth, proper surroundings bone thickness, locations to avoid injuries to major nerves, or the floor of the sinus.

The virtual surgery on the cone-beam imaging can then used to make a specific jig insuring that the implant drill is guided to exactly where the implant should be in the actual patient.

In summary boneless is a relative word and the only way to diagnose if you have enough bone for implants in any particular location is by doing a virtual simulation of a specific implant within a conebeam volume.

Ironically bacteria often uses acid as a waste by product to reduce competition for sugars with fungi and yeast similar to how wine makers will sometimes get vinegar from bacteria contamination rather than alcohol from yeast. The acid created by bacteria actually is the cause of cavities by dissolving the calcium minerals out of the teeth. Lemon is citric acid and it dissolves teeth at a much faster rate upon direct contact. This affect leads to transparency in the teeth and apparent darkening as the enamel (white outer protective layer) is dissolved and the Dentin (bone of the tooth) is exposed. On the other hand if taken during meals, lemon does provide the necessary co-enzyme of Vitamin C needed in moderation to prevent periodontal dental diseases such as scurvy. If taken during meals the citric acid is diluted enough to avoid injury to the enamel.

In summary lemon May kill some bacteria but not the ones that cause dental caries and rather than help in continuous exposure during non-meal periods it may actually injure the teeth by increasing loss of calcium.

That totally depends upon the subjective perceptions and expectations of the patient, the skills of the restorative dentist, the materials used, and the skills of the lab.

For example in materials:
Often more metal substructure means greater strength with less transparency leading to a lot of direct reflection of opaque coverage used to hide the metal, but without metal support all-porcelain can mean greater weakness.

The best way is to seek the right fit between you and the practitioner is by establishing a good connection and excellent communication. Ask lots of questions because if the doctor can explain everything he/she probably knows what’s is needed and how to do it. Try seeking patients reviews and seeking before and after photos. In summary cosmetic (aesthetic) dentistry is extremely subjective. The best way to obtain the most natural results is to shop around and see what fits based upon the clinicians abilities, your expectations, and the materials used.

Almost always although I’ve been told my hand carved temporaries had better anatomy!

First there are two very different questions here as the subject title of “zirconia implants Vs ceramic” is a misunderstanding in that zirconia is in face considered a ceramic by its molecular structure despite having transitional metallic origins. But that’s a whole topic of its own. The real question here is if it’s better than titanium? And the answer is probably Yes for single tooth anteriors that are especially visible in the smile line when enough bone exists to support a minimum of a 4mms wide implant, or if rare metal allergies exist to titanium or it’s alloys. And definitely No, for smaller implants or multiple teeth due to it’s greater fracture potential from in ability to flex like titanium. The true answer will come out over time as zirconia is not as well researched nor road tested as long as titanium; although some antibacterial benefits do appear to exist.

Respectfully Yours,
Dr Wayne J Yee

About 6-8 years but you should have the bonding polished every 6 months to get the longest life and to avoiding leaking/peeling margins that may appear stained.

Respectfully Yours,
Dr Wayne J Yee

If not probably supervised by a formally trained and licensed professional it is possible to push teeth too fast and cause periodontal issues leading to loose teeth. Brackets can leave marks on teeth if not removed properly. Even plastic aligners can cause occlusion problems that will prevent the teeth from touching with an even bite. There are many reasons why orthodontics study for years before practicing. Proper treatment planning is the key to success.

Respectfully Yours,
Dr Wayne

Use ACT fluoride mouthwash daily and swish for 1 min. Do not rinse or eat for 20 mins afterwards. Get the no alcohol version. Alcohol based mouthwashs have been linked to oral cancer.

Immediately if a white filling. But for silver amalgam wait one hour for soft foods and 24 hours for hard foods.

Avoid spicy foods. In severe cases, see a dentist to diagnose and possibly medicate for aphous ulcer vs HSV.

6-8 years but much less so if on the incisal edge where the tooth is subjected to greater forces. Older adaptic fillings from the 1970s made by Johnson & Johnson lasted decades but would stain and erode eventually after 20 to 30 years

Braces are more accurate and move teeth faster

Constantly wearing dentures places pressure that leads to shrinking of the bony ridge. And that leads to loose dentures. The average denture will lead to some bone shrinkage in 5-7 years. In some cases this may require reline or replacement of the dentures. If you wear them at night you may cut that life time by half (2.5 to 3.5 years)

One hour with traditional local anesthetic and 5 mins if using lasers because most lasers are relatively painless and do not require needles.