Dr. Ronald M. Sarosi, d.d.s., D.D.S.

Your frequency of flossing is exemplary. My only comment would be if you have food trap areas, it would be wise to keep them free of debris.

Hello, let me answer this in a few ways: 1) at a minimum should floss nightly before brushing. This is so important because saliva flow slows during the night. 2) if you have specific areas where food continually gets trapped, then it would be prudent to floss. Sometimes people are super conscious of such areas. Therefore, no problem flossing those spots. 3) since you mentioned having a history of cavities, another concern to consider is your daily exposure to sugar. Mealtime exposure is unavoidable. What is important to avoid is sugar exposure in between meals. The body needs to time to neutralize the acid produced by bacteria feeding on the sugar. Repeated exposure then doesn’t allow the body sufficient time to do so. The result is cavities. Eliminating cavities is the result of eliminating or reducing the bacterial population by brushing and flossing faithfully and not feeding the bacteria sugar. How ‘s that for a short answer?

Typically, a local anesthetic such as articaine (very popularly used by a multitude of dentists). Depending on the status of the nerve, that may be sufficient. The chemistry of an infection competes with that of the anesthetic. So supplemental LA may be needed: PDL which means in the ligament that surrounds each tooth; or into the nerve itself.

Typically, no. May have an issue that can arise from the site of the injection or dry socket. If the tooth was infected to begin with, removing the cause usually allows the area to heal uneventfully.

The likely answer is pathological wear patterns. Clinically called, anterior wear due to contact avoidance syndrome. Likely that there is some disharmony in the way your posterior teeth fit together that impacts the stability of your jaw joints. There can be other reasons as well, but this would be my primary concern.