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Frequently Asked Questions
The
following answers to frequently asked questions
may be helpful in keeping your teeth healthy and
attractive for many years to come.
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Which
type of toothbrush should I use? The brand of the
toothbrush is not as critical as the type
of bristle and the size of the head. A
soft toothbrush with a small head is
recommended because medium and hard
brushes tend to cause irritation and
contribute to recession of the gums, and
a small head allows you to get around
each tooth more completely and is less
likely to injure your gums. It's
unnecessary to "scrub" the
teeth as long as you are brushing at
least twice a day and visiting your
dentist at least twice a year for
cleanings.
-
Is
one toothpaste better than others? Generally, no.
However, it's advisable to use a fluoride
containing toothpaste to decrease the
incidence of dental decay. We recommend
our patients use what tastes good to them
as long as it contains fluoride.
-
How
often should I floss? Flossing of the
teeth once per day helps to prevent
cavities from forming between the teeth
where your toothbrush can't reach.
Flossing also helps to keep your gums
healthy.
-
What's
the difference between a
"crown" and a "cap"? These are
restorations to repair a severely
broken tooth by covering all or most of
the tooth after removing old fillings,
fractured tooth structure, and all decay.
The restoration material is made of gold,
porcelain, composites, or even stainless
steel. Dentists refer to all of these
restorations as "crowns".
However, patients often refer to the
tooth-colored ones as "caps"
and the gold or stainless steel ones as
"crowns".
-
What's
the difference between a
"bridge" and a "partial
denture"? Both bridges and partial
dentures replace missing teeth. A bridge
is permanently attached to abutment teeth
or, in some cases, implants. A partial
denture is attached by clasps to the
teeth and is easily removed by the
patient. Patients are usually more
satisfied with bridges than with partial
dentures.
-
What
about "silver" fillings versus
"white" fillings? Although the U.S.
Public Health Service issued a report in
1993 stating there is no health reason
not to use amalgam (silver fillings),
more patients today are requesting
"white" or tooth-colored
composite fillings. We also prefer
tooth-colored fillings because they
"bond" to the tooth structure
and therefore help strengthen a tooth
weakened by decay. While fillings are
also usually less sensitive to
temperature, and they also look better.
However, "white" fillings
cannot be used in every situation, and if
a tooth is very badly broken-down, a
crown will usually be necessary and
provide better overall satisfaction for
the patient.
-
Do I need to have a root
canal just because I have to have a
crown? No. While most
teeth which have had root canal
treatments do need crowns to strengthen
the teeth and to return the teeth to
normal form and function, not every tooth
needing a crown also needs to have a root
canal.
In
order to find more comprehensive answers to tour
queries, I suggest you use an internet search
engine such as
google or
yahoo!
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