Dr. Daniel Bishop

It could either be an infection/abcess under the tooth that is building up in the bone. Because it has no where to go when the tooth root puts pressure on it from chewing it will greatly increase the pressure and pain. Another possibility is a filling/crown/restoration that is getting hit too hard and needs to be adjusted correctly to allow equal pressure loads for the teeth around the mouth.

Extraction sites heal over within two weeks normally. After the first week you can usually go back to eating/drinking normally for most extractions. Wisdom teeth extractions take a little longer to heal and are usually good at two weeks.

There's nothing you need to avoid aside from cocaine and other street drugs that can cause a life threatening reaction in combination with anesthetic used to numb the tooth so you can have a comfortable experience. Tonight you can prop yourself up so you are not laying completely flat and it can help with the pain caused from the pressure of an infection in the tooth.

I personally have found that the following system works best. Floss up and down with a C-shape made by the floss while pulling/pushing towards the surface between the teeth you are trying to clean. Flossing all the teeth in this way after a little practice only takes 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure to come up away from the gums to meet the contact/resistance between the teeth before moving the floss across to the adjacent tooth surface so you don't cut or injure your gums. Following this use a Sonicare Toothbrush. They use ultrasonic vibrations that will produce the equivalent of 31,000 brush strokes/minute. Because the bristles vibrate and do not rotate like the Oral-B's they are more effective and more gentle on the gums and teeth. Don't scrub your teeth, just guide the Sonicare where you want it to clean the sides and tops of the teeth and let it do the work. Whether you use a manual or electric tooth brush only use two fingers worth of pressure, don't think of it like scrubbing, Think of it like sweeping the teeth. After this I use a Breath RX tongue scrapper. There are two sides soft/coarse. I use the coarse side around three times scraping from the back to the front of the tongue. Following this I Waterpik on a setting 8 to 10 from the cheek side first and then the roof of the mouth or tongue side irrigating the scallops of the gums and in between the teeth. If you have never used a Waterpik, or it has been a while since you used one you should start on the 4 setting and over a week or two gradually move the setting up. If I use mouth wash it is the last thing I do.

Smoking and pigments from food/drinks etc. can cause staining of the teeth. There are pores in the teeth where these pigments accumulate over time. Bleaching and modifying habits, diet, and cleaning frequency can help to remove discoloration and maintain a beautiful healthy white smile.

Tooth sensitivity can be caused by unbalanced teeth/jaw. It can be caused also by cavities and infections. It is important to visit the Dentist because these can not be diagnosed or corrected at home. The only things that can be corrected are sensitivity due to open pores in the teeth. Sensodyne toothpaste, fluoride, and minerals can help to close/plug these pores so the nerves inside the teeth can not sense, sugars, fluids cold and hot as much and decrease the sensitivity people feel on their teeth. If these options do not work there is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed by the Dentist.

The main thing you need to know right now is to use a small baby brush and half a pea sized amount of childrens toothpaste to start brushing the teeth that are starting to come in. Around 2 years old all the baby teeth will be in and as the spaces between the teeth close off you will need to start flossing them with a small pre-threaded floss holder. They look like white plastic toothpicks with a U-shaped top and a small attached line of floss. Also it is important not to leave your baby with juice or milk while they sleep. Their teeth should be rinsed with a a little water from a bottle or their final drink for the night should be a bottle of water to prevent bottle rot (rotten, cavities on the back of the teeth)

Ibuprofen can be taken up to 800 mg every 6 hours. If you don't have any problems with Ibuprofen and or Tylenol and the Ibuprofen isn't helping enough with the pain you can try alternating every 4 hours between 2 regular strength Tylenols and 800 mg of Ibuprofen. Not at the same time ie. I would take 800 mg (4 over the counter liquid gels) and 4 hours later I would take 2 regular strength Tylenol liquid gels, followed by another 4 hour wait before taking Ibuprofen again. This is a short term solution and should not be used for more than 3 or 4 days to limit potential liver/kidney damage.

It could be due to biting your lip or cheek, a rough or sharp tooth, or the buttons of Invisalign, or the brackets of Braces, an acidic diet, lemon juice, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate found in some toothpastes. If the problem persists after eliminating these possibilities you can visit a dentist to have them look at the ulcers and determine what is going on.

There's a lot of pathologies that may exhibit as white dots. I would recommend visiting a dentist or oral surgeon to evaluate that. They could be anything from clogged salivary ducts, to small ulcers, to a fungal infection, or a systemic disease.

-Dr. Bishop

An abscessed tooth is a tooth that has an internal infection due to a large cavity or trauma that has damaged the blood vessels and nerve supply to the tooth. The abscess grows at the base of the roots of the teeth in the bone and gums surrounding the tooth. As pressure builds from the infection with no outlet the pain increases and begins to throb and keep you awake at night. Pain gets worse when lying down flat. Earlier signs of an infected tooth before it gets to a full blown abscessed stage include spontaneous pain or pain that continues in the absence of a trigger such as cold. For instance you drink a cold glass of water the tooth continues to ache for minutes after you have already swallowed the water. Some times teeth die and have no sign of pain and sometimes no absess visible. This is why it is important to get checkups and cleanings every 6 months to catch things as early as possible and avoid a lot of the complications of dental infections. If left untreated indefinitely an abscess can grow. Usually, the body will destroy bone around the tooth in an effort to get rid of it and also create a escape tunnel for the infection to drain through the side of the gums. Sometimes though the infection can be more dangerous. With top teeth it can sometimes pour into the sinus and eventually the brain. With lower teeth it can pour into spaces between the floor of the mouth and the throat which can close off the airway becoming a medical emergency with the potential to lead to death. Immune-compromised individuals including those with Diabetes are at a higher risk of dying from a tooth infection. There are also other infections in the mouth such as gingivitis and periodontal disease that can increase someones chance of have a heart attack or stroke by up to 10 times due to bacteria getting into the blood stream and forming blood clots. The condition of an abscess can be reversed with a root canal treatment or extraction to eliminate the source of the infection. Whenever possible you should always take the option to save your teeth with root canal therapy as there are many other repercussions of having tooth extracted.
Dr. Bishop

Sensitivity can come from any form of trauma. It could be something as simple as the teeth getting hit by their opposing counterparts too soon or too hard. This happens frequently with either misaligned teeth or new dental restorations that are not balanced correctly with the bite. If you feel like you are touching them sooner or harder when closing. they will need to be adjusted or aligned more properly.
Cavities can cause sensitivity as well. Depending on how deep the cavities are, the sensitivity can be reversible requiring only a filling or irreversible having reached the nerve chamber in the middle of the tooth which requires Root Canal Therapy to save the tooth. Irreversible infections usually will spontaneously hurt, take minutes to hours to calm down after being
irritated by heat, cold, sugar etc. They will get worse over time and can end up becoming a life-threatening hospital emergency if ignored and not taken care of properly at a dental office. Root sensitivity related to gum recession usually is caused by an imbalance in the bite as well.

-Dr. Bishop

Tooth infections that are ignored can become life threatening and may end up becoming a medical emergency requiring a very expensive visit to the hospital. It is extremely important to get the root canal therapy on the tooth if it can be saved. If it cannot be saved it needs to be extracted or the infection will continue to grow. If you are in Utah I would be happy to take a look at it for you and see what needs to be done to fix the problem. At the very least you need to see a dentist and get a prescription for an antibiotic to reduce the infection, but it will only be a temporary one to two week fix and then the problem will return if it is does not receive the Root Canal Therapy. -Dr. Bishop

I personally use it morning and night to disinfect my gums and rinse out any debris and also to help with any morning breath. - Dr. Bishop

​The main symptom of gingivitis is bleeding gums. If you brush or floss
your teeth and see blood you have gingivitis (infection of the gums) and
maybe even periodontitis (infection of the bone). If the teeth are not
cleaned properly with toothpaste, toothbrush and floss, then bacteria and
food particles will create plaque that will be a reservoir for bacteria to
thrive. Your immune system will start attacking the area to destroy the
bacteria and the gums will become tender, bleed easily and sometimes become
swollen, red, and or recede. Ulcerative lesions start to form pockets
between the gums and the root of the tooth allowing bacteria to hide out of
the reach of floss and allowing bacteria from your mouth to get into your
blood stream as well. Once in the blood stream certain bacteria can form
blood clots and put individuals at a high risk of strokes, heart attacks,
low birth weight/preterm babies, to list a few things. The pockets and
lesions are due to a localized infection that may only be able to be
cleaned in a professional dental office visit. Once the problem is
addressed and proper home care instructions are followed the area can heal
and the lesions and pockets can go away. The American Dental Association
recommends visiting your Dentist every 6 months for a checkup and cleaning
to diagnose and prevent problems. Also two great tools to have are a
Waterpik and a Sonicare Toothbrush. A Waterpik is an excellent adjunct to
irrigate the gums and dislodge any loose food particles in pockets and
between the teeth. A Sonicare toothbrush can clean your teeth more
effectively than a manual toothbrush. -Dr. Bishop

Hello,
The flap you are referring to can easily be removed with laser surgery. I
would recommend a waterlase laser like the one in our office because it
promotes healing, and has much less discomfort while it is healing. This
will make it easier to clean the tooth effectively. As long as you can
clean the tooth and you are not putting yourself at risk for periodontal or
gum disease you should be fine. Those diseases; however, unchecked these
conditions can place you at a 5-10 times greater risk of heart attacks and
strokes so I would definitely do something about it if I were you. -Dr.
Bishop

A dry socket is caused when the hole where the root of the tooth used to be
loses the blood clot that was meant to help the area heal quickly and with
minimal pain. When the blood clot is lost the body will still heal the
area but it takes 2-3 times longer and is much more painful because the
socket is raw, exposed bone with no covering of the blood clot. It can be
prevented by avoiding smoking, spiting, sucking on straws or any thing else
that can build up pressure inside the mouth. Also a partial dry socket
where a part of the blood clot is lost can be caused by eating foods that
are not the recommended soft and semi solid foods. These solid foods get
impacted into the hole and can dislodge part of the blood clot. A dry
socket dressing can be placed in the hole by a dentist to help with pain
during the healing process, or the site can be numbed and curretaged to
create a new blood clot. -Dr. Bishop

Adding a Philips Sonicare toothbrush, Waterpik and Breath RX tongue scraper
to your routine will dramatically reduce the amount of plaque and calculus
that accumulates on your teeth between visits. Make sure to brush each of
the 4 areas: upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left for the full
30 seconds each with a total brushing time of 2 minutes. Do not scrub,
think of it more like sweeping. Let the Sonicare do the work and guide it
to all the surfaces of the teeth and gum line. Two fingers worth of
pressure is all the pressure you should put on your toothbrush. With the
Waterpik sweep the gum/tooth junction and pause and hold to irrigate
between each flossing point. -Dr. Bishop

It could be your toothpaste. If it contains sodium lauryl sulfate as an ingredient you may want to find one that does not. Some patients have had reactions to it such as canker sores and sloughing of tissue. Also you should rinse your mouth thoroughly after brushing so that the toothpaste is not staying in your mouth while you sleep. It could also be the result of breathing through you mouth at night instead of your nose and drying out the gums and cheek. Also alcohol and mouth washes with high percentages of alcohol can cause this. Let me know if you have any other questions -Dr. Bishop

There isn't really a safe natural way of whitening teeth. A lot of the home remedies are dangerous. The best you can do if you are not willing to have in office whitening would be super smile toothpaste and whitening accelerator. It was formulated by a dentist. The process of truly getting your teeth whiter requires hydrogen peroxide to open up the pores of the teeth and lift all the stains and pigments that have deposited over time. The safest way to do this treatment is in office Zoom because the kits come with all the barriers for the gums, lips and cheek to keep the hydrogen peroxide almost entirely on the teeth. Also we can use a stronger prescription strength hydrogen peroxide with unique buffers and LED light frequencies to create the equivalent of 30 days of home bleaching in around 1 hour. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Dr. Bishop