Dr. Robb Andrew Warren, DDS

You have to wait minimum of 8 weeks before you can have the crown put on. Ideally it is best to wait 3-4 months and have an integration check to verify the implant is solid in the bone. When you go back they will take an impression and then two weeks later you will have a new crown. God Bless and Keep Smiling.

There are lots of things that can cause soreness but the most common is a loose or ill-fitting partial. If your partial moves a lot when you are eating or talking it will rub the gums and leave a sore, kind of like getting a blister on your heal if your shoes are too big. The solution can be as simple as tightening the clasps. Other times a relining of the partial denture may be needed. In the short term, you can use denture adhesive to hold it still for some temporary stabilization. Then give your dentist a call to have them take a look. God Bless and Keep Smiling.

Ideally it should last for many years, even decades. It all depends on the reason it was needed, how stable the tooth is prior to and after the root canal and most importantly how well it gets taken care of over time. Repeated trauma, bad bite mechanics, or having to replace the filling or crown due to decay, again and again, will all shorten the life of the tooth with the root canal.

It takes two appointments. About 30-40 minutes for each one. At the first appointment, they will remove the healing abutment (the cover screw over the implant cylinder) from the implant and place a scan body (most ideal for a digital impression) or an impression post. They will take the impression and once that is complete they will replace the scan body or impression
post with the healing abutment. They will pick out a shade and then send you home. About 2 weeks later, you return to the office where they will remove the healing abutment, and if it is a screw retained implant (most ideal), they will adjust contacts and screw in the implant crown. Adjust the bite and then place a resin filling over the top and you are complete. The other way is to screw in the implant abutment to the implant and then the steps are just like a regular crown where they try it in, adjust the bite and once it fits great they use a dental cement to glue the implant crown to the implant abutment. Give it about 30 minutes and then put your new tooth to use!

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.

If the tooth is already out and the bone is good, then not much. Putting an implant in is exponentially easier when it comes to healing versus removal of the tooth and grafting. If you are having the tooth removed and the implant placed the same day or if you are having some grafting done, that can impact the post-operative pain and healing. Even in that case, if you
can, take 800mg of ibuprofen the night before and again about an hour before your appt to help with the swelling. Be sure to follow the post-op instructions from your dentist and after about 8-12 weeks, you should be ready to get your new tooth on top of your implant.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.

It depends on the size and exact location as well as what caused the loss of tooth structure. If it is smaller and does not compromise the strength of the tooth then a tooth-colored filling works great. Things like small cavities, or erosion or abrasion of the tooth along the gums are areas that usually work best with a filling. If the affected area is bigger or undermines the outer cusps of the tooth then a crown may be more ideal.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,
Robb

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.
*Warren Family Dental
Your Sports and Trauma
Dentistry Experts! *

*EAST*

4226 Milwaukee St

Madison, WI 53714

(608) 241-7999

(608)-217-2169 Dr. Robb Cell

*IGNORE YOUR TEETH AND THEY WILL GO AWAY!*

“I’m just a nobody, that wants to tell everybody, about somebody, that
can save anybody.” Cleve McClary

A fixed dental bridge is when you have a crown on the tooth in front of the missing tooth space and a crown on the tooth behind the missing tooth space and it is connected with another crown in the middle. The substructure is all one piece like a bridge across the river. The lab team puts porcelain around that substructure it to make it look like three individual teeth and
match the shade of your teeth. It is a very good solution for a single missing tooth.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.

Yes, you can. I would recommend putting a towel over your pillow as when you drool there might be some blood seeping from the extraction. This is normal. It’s just a way to make sure you don’t ruin your sheets.

Keep smiling,

Robb A. Warren

It is never too late. I have patients that start orthodontics to straighten their teeth in their 60's. Lots of options these days with Invisalign (clear aligners that you can take in and out on your own) to the traditional metal braces. Talk to your dentist to find out which option would be best for you as well as find out how long the treatment will take.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.

The need for a root canal is independent of a bridge, in other words just because you are having a bridge does not always mean you need a root canal too. It all depends on the reason for the root canal. Did too much of the tooth break off and the only to build up the tooth to make it stable for a bridge is to do a root canal and put in a post and build it up? Or if the decay is deep and into the nerve or the nerve is dead, then a root canal would be needed whether you were doing single crown or a bridge. If the tooth is not symptomatic (lingering sensitivity to temperature, constant ache, swelling, infection or abscess visible on the X-ray), I would ask your dentist why the root canal is needed. Also, make sure you are given options. Bridges are less expensive than implants, but sometimes a root canal and a single crown along with an implant where the tooth is missing may be a better long term option.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.

4226 Milwaukee St

Madison, WI 53714

(608) 241-7999

(608)-217-2169 Dr. Robb Cell

*IGNORE YOUR TEETH AND THEY WILL GO AWAY!*

“I’m just a nobody, that wants to tell everybody, about somebody, that
can save anybody.” Cleve McClary

It all depends on the depth of the filling. Sometimes smaller fillings they do not go as deep do not require anesthetic. From a dentist’s perspective, as long as you are not a moving target, having anesthetic is up to you. I’ve done surgical extractions and root canals on patients without an anesthetic, but 99% of the time, patients prefer to be numbed up.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren

There are lots of different reasons a tooth can hurt. If the pain is spontaneous (not eating or drinking anything cold to cause the pain) and lasts for longer than a minute or two, there could be a cavity working its way into the tooth and irritating the nerve. Sometimes the nerve will pull back, but as the cavity gets deeper the pain becomes more intense, more frequent, or both. If you wait until the pain is all the time, you will end up with a root canal or possibly losing the tooth. I would recommend getting in to see a dentist, get an X-ray to see what is going on. Hopefully it will just need a filling.

God Bless and Keep Smiling,

Robb A. Warren, D.D.S.

You will usually feel a few things that help us predict the need for a root canal. It doesn’t always guarantee it. If you are having lingering sensitivity to cold temperature meaning behind 30 seconds, specific sensitivity to hot (coffee, tea, hot foods), or spontaneous radiating pain back to the ear or up the eye

Bacteria got into the nerve canal of the tooth and as the nerve dies, gases build up inside the tooth. They have no place to go but out through the only opening in the tooth which is the end of the root. As it drains it eats away at the bone and create a pool of infection that over time usually shows up as a dark circle on an x-ray.
The infection into the nerve is usually caused by trauma to the tooth that doesn’t break it (one time hit or continued grinding or clenching), a deep cavity that is into or at least close to the nerve, or an old filling (usually amalgam/silver) that has led to cracks in the tooth.
Best way to prevent it is to see you Dental team regularly so they can monitor them before they break or before a cavity gets deep. At home you can prevent the problem by flossing before brushing 1-2x a day, using an electric toothbrush twice a day using fluoride based toothpaste and then finish with a good anti bacterial, alcohol free mouth rinse.

Bad breath can come from an infection in the mouth. If it’s not a decayed tooth/teeth, then most bad breath, 80%-90%, comes from the tongue, and the rest from sinus drainage or reflux from the stomach. A few things that can help:

-use a tongue scraper (not just your tooth brush), brush the roof of your mouth, and your cheeks, too.
-stay hydrated, as dry mouth causes bad breath
-check your medications, hundreds of medications have a side effect listed as Xerostomia or dry mouth
-use an oral care system like Biotene that is designed to help with dry mouth
-ask your dental team about Xylimelts as that is another product we have had good success using for our patients.