Dr. Katrina Wall, DMD

Great question! These days we all want to know how long something is going to last. Dental bonding is an awesome way to repair a tooth that has gotten a cavity, has been injured, or has some kind of genetic abnormality. The smaller the area that is bonded, it has been my experience that it will have a smaller number of issues. As the restoration gets larger in size, there is more surface area to stain or break. As always, good hygiene and a healthy diet will help keep your teeth sparkeling!

Who doesn't want to feel super fresh as their head hits the pillow? Rinsing with a mouthwash for most patients is a great idea to be the final step. Using an antibacterial rinse or fluoride rinse is awesome! Some patients need to use a prescription toothpaste, so in that case, rinsing is NOT a good idea, since the idea is that the toothpaste stays on the teeth for at least 30 minutes. The other group of patients that need to be super careful about rinsing are the patients that suffer from dry mouth. These patients need to be fussy about which products they use, as some rinses could be drying.

While we would love to grow layers of enamel, at this point we aren't able to regenerate lost enamel. However, we can make what we have SUPER strong.... this is done with a prescription level toothpaste that your dentist can prescribe for you..... and of course awesome hygiene, watching the sweets and acids intake.. and making sure you don't have any underlying health condition like gastric reflux. Great question!

Great question! Dental Implants themselves will not cause a sore throat but a virus, bacteria, or allergy will! You should check with your physician if you have had a sore throat for more than a day, you may actually have a seasonal allergy, strep throat, or a virus!

In a miracle world, wouldn't it be awesome if we could fix cavities with braces? Unfortunately, moving teeth and repairing teeth are two entirely different processes. So, no, you cannot fix your cavities with braces.

Depending on the procedure you had, dental implant procedures can be a little uncomfortable. It might be a good idea to reach out to your dentist to let them know and maybe find reassurance that your discomfort is normal for the procedure you had.

Many patients will experience geographic tongue when they are under a higher than normal amount of stress. At this point, the best way to make sure you are healthy is to have your regularly scheduled appointments with your dentist in order to monitor the changes in your tongue's appearance.

Most patients find that Advil or Tylenol really does help the post-root canal discomfort.