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Posts for: June, 2019

By Randall Furman DDS
June 26, 2019
Category: Oral Health
Tags: oral health  
PreservingthePulpisPriorityOnewithaNewlyEruptedPermanentTooth

The change from primary teeth to permanent is an announcement to the world that a boy or girl is "growing up." "Growing up," though, is still not "grown"—the new teeth are still in a period of development that can affect how we treat them if they're injured or diseased.

While a new tooth erupts with all its anatomical layers, the middle dentin is somewhat thinner than it will be after it matures. The pulp, the tooth's innermost layer, produces new dentin and gradually increases the dentin layer during this early development period. While the pulp continues to produce dentin over a tooth's lifetime, most of it occurs in these early years.

To prevent or stop any infection, we would normally perform a root canal treatment in which we remove the pulp tissue and fill the empty pulp chamber and root canals. This poses no real issue in an older tooth with mature dentin. Removing the pulp from an immature tooth, though, could interrupt dentin development and interfere with the tooth's root growth. Besides a higher risk of discoloration, the tooth could become more brittle and prone to fracture.

That's why we place a high priority on preserving a younger tooth's pulp. Rather than a root canal treatment, we may treat it instead with one of a number of modified techniques that interact less with the pulp. Which of these we use will depend on the extent of the pulp's involvement with the injury or disease.

If it's unexposed, we may use a procedure called indirect pulp therapy, where we remove most of the tooth's damaged dentin but leave some of the harder portion intact next to the pulp to avoid exposure. If, though, some but not all of the pulp is damaged, we may perform a pulpotomy: here we remove the damaged pulp tissue while leaving the healthier portion intact. We may then apply a stimulant substance to encourage more dentin production to seal the exposure.

These and other techniques can help repair an injured young tooth while preserving most or all of its vital pulp. Although we can't always use them, when we can they could give the tooth its best chance for a full life.

If you would like more information on caring for your child's teeth, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Saving New Permanent Teeth after Injury.”


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By Randall Furman DDS
June 16, 2019
Category: Dental Procedures
Tags: loose tooth  
SeeYourDentistASAPtoSaveYourLooseTooth

A loose adult tooth isn't normal. It could be loose because it's been subjected to high biting forces like those that occur with a tooth grinding habit. Or, it could be the result of periodontal (gum) disease or some other infection that has weakened some of the tooth's supporting gums and bone. Whatever the underlying cause, we'll need to act quickly to save your tooth.

Our first step is to find out this exact cause—that will determine what treatment course we need to follow. For a tooth grinding habit, for example, you might need to wear an occlusal guard or have your bite (teeth) adjusted. With gum disease, we'll focus on removing dental plaque, the thin film of bacteria and tartar (calculus) fueling the infection. This stops the infection and minimizes any further damage.

While we're treating the cause, we may also need to secure the loose tooth with splinting. This is a group of techniques used to join loose teeth to more stable neighboring teeth, similar to connecting pickets in a fence. Splinting can be either temporary or permanent.

Temporary splinting usually involves composite materials with or without strips of metal to bond the loose tooth to its neighbors as the periodontal structures heal. Once the tooth's natural attachments return to health, we may then remove the splint.

There are a couple of basic techniques we can use for temporary splinting. One way is to bond the splint material to the enamel across the loose tooth and the teeth chosen to support it (extra-coronal splinting). We can also cut a small channel across all the affected teeth and then insert metal ligatures and bond the splint material within the channel (intra-coronal).

If we're not confident the loose tooth will regain its natural gum attachment, we would then consider a permanent splint. The most prominent method involves crowning the loose tooth and supporting teeth with porcelain crowns. We then fuse the crowns together to create the needed stability for the loose teeth.

Whatever splinting method we use, it's important to always address the root cause for a tooth's looseness. That's why splinting usually accompanies other treatments. Splinting loose teeth will help ensure your overall treatment is successful.

If you would like more information on treating loose teeth, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Treatment for Loose Teeth.”


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By Randall Furman DDS
June 06, 2019
Category: Oral Health
ActorDavidRamseySaysDontForgettoFloss

Can you have healthy teeth and still have gum disease? Absolutely! And if you don’t believe us, just ask actor David Ramsey. The cast member of TV hits such as Dexter and Arrow said in a recent interview that up to the present day, he has never had a single cavity. Yet at a routine dental visit during his college years, Ramsey’s dentist pointed out how easily his gums bled during the exam. This was an early sign of periodontal (gum) disease, the dentist told him.

“I learned that just because you don’t have cavities, doesn’t mean you don’t have periodontal disease,” Ramsey said.

Apparently, Ramsey had always been very conscientious about brushing his teeth but he never flossed them.

“This isn’t just some strange phenomenon that exists just in my house — a lot of people who brush don’t really floss,” he noted.

Unfortunately, that’s true — and we’d certainly like to change it. So why is flossing so important?

Oral diseases such as tooth decay and periodontal disease often start when dental plaque, a bacteria-laden film that collects on teeth, is allowed to build up. These sticky deposits can harden into a substance called tartar or calculus, which is irritating to the gums and must be removed during a professional teeth cleaning.

Brushing teeth is one way to remove soft plaque, but it is not effective at reaching bacteria or food debris between teeth. That’s where flossing comes in. Floss can fit into spaces that your toothbrush never reaches. In fact, if you don’t floss, you’re leaving about a third to half of your tooth surfaces unclean — and, as David Ramsey found out, that’s a path to periodontal disease.

Since then, however, Ramsey has become a meticulous flosser, and he proudly notes that the long-ago dental appointment “was the last we heard of any type of gum disease.”

Let that be the same for you! Just remember to brush and floss, eat a good diet low in sugar, and come in to the dental office for regular professional cleanings.

If you would like more information on flossing or periodontal disease, please contact us today to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Understanding Gum (Periodontal) Disease.”


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