Henry Buhl

Orthodontist

4355 TN-58 Chattanooga Tennessee, 37416 Show map

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About

Craniofacial group children's hospital, great Lakes society orthodontists, Southern society orthodontists, American society general dentists, tn. Dept health appointment to hospital affiliation

Education and Training

Furman university BS 1970

university of Kentucky DMD 1974

university of Kentucky MS 1978

Provider Details

MaleEnglish

Henry Buhl

A Primer to Dentistry on General Topics
I've been deliberate about waiting to define the way I want to set this blog up in order to sample some questions over the past few months and see what topics are of interest. I find that many patients through their questions make me realize that a vast majority doesn't get regular Dental Care. That...

Is gum disease hereditary?
Periodontist would say that gum disease is prevalent and all patients to one degree or another depending on their level of efficiency in cleaning their teeth of bacteria and controlling plaque. How your body reacts to the level of the same would be an individual expression and subject to wide variance. A good rule of thumb is if you are over 40 years of age you should see a periodontist. READ MORE
Should I get Invisalign?
You should see an orthodontist who is the specialist in the alignment and treatment of the teeth and Jaws and determine whether your case is simple enough to have a suitable resolution by Invisalign, or if you need a more classical approach involving full braces. Do not be misled by advertising that applies a simplistic approach to a difficult problem just because of slick marketing. READ MORE
My son cracked his tooth and won't get if fixed. Are there any risks?
Without proper radiograph and clinical examination it's hard to tell what damage has been done and especially the course of treatment because the trauma that was in deward during the incident that cracked a tooth may not have symptoms for 5 years or more then it may result in a dark shaded tooth which indicates a nerve that is dying. At this point there's little that can be done to save the tooth except for root canal and a permanent Crown both of which are much more expensive then determining the Damage Done Now. READ MORE
How do I know if I need a root canal?
The classic symptoms would be localized swelling and extreme pain during the course of eating when otherwise your teeth would fit together normally. This is due to the pressure from the infection which has spread out the end of the route to the underlying socket and can get much worse involving a systemic infection which spreads to the heart eventually. This needs to be diagnosed and checked early on as it is not your imagination READ MORE
Will asprin help my tooth pain?
Aspirin is an analgesic that is effective systemically that is to say generally for the whole body as it is ingested and not laid on top of the tooth to dissolve therefore causing a burn to delicate tissues of the mouth. Take aspirin only as prescribed or instructed on the bottle. You taking aspirin the correct way if this does not alleviate the pain then your dentist should be consulted and an x-ray taken as well as a clinical examination to determine the level of disrepair. READ MORE
How can I help my child's fear of the dentist?
Any children's dentist who is the specialist, a pedo dentist will make the first visit strictly for observation. Believe me when the child sees this environment and not the stodgy old dentist that the parent goes to, they will be much more comfortable in a child's environment and with the care that a specialist gives particularly to children who have not had routine care. READ MORE
I never grew out of my buck teeth. What should I do?
You have protrusion and it may be double involving the teeth or it may be skeletal which is hereditary. You need to see an orthodontist in order to be able to evaluate the proper method of treating. But you are correct this is only going to get worse as you get older and begin to experience shifting of the teeth. It's better to attack list now and especially if you have not had your wisdom teeth out yet READ MORE
How is TMD diagnosed?
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction is diagnosed clinically while you are in the chair and the dentist palpates both sides of your jaw joint as you open and close and guide your jaw into positions of lateral movement much like chewing. During this examination he will listen for crepitus, clicking in the joint, they will also palpate for sore muscles, and look at your teeth for wear for sets which indicate an imbalance of your bite. Diagnostic cast will be made and specific x-rays to highlight the dysplasia involved in the joint itself. Your treatment may involve a night guard, judicious adjustment of your teeth, or combination of mild functional therapy and or surgery if it is Extreme. Remember this problem didn't occur overnight so it is a bit of a garden path to determine the cause. READ MORE
How long will I have to be on painkillers after a root canal?
A good rule of thumb is you're likely to have 5 days of analgesics prescribed and possibly a 7-day regiment of antibiotics. The idea is the pain will go away before the actual infection is completely controlled. Follow instructions, take your medication on time, and take all of it. READ MORE
What can I do to maintain my dental implants?
I've always felt that if you had implants you should have instructions on how to take care of them already. Time is of the essence do not let valuable time lapse before you begin to judiciously care for these expensive Dental replacements. Buy yourself a waterpik and some mouth rinse as well as the proper instruments to adequately clean and stimulate the gum tissue so that always remains pink and healthy not red and swollen, a periodontist is a specialist that should be consulted if you have any question about your efficiency in cleaning your mouth. They will put you on a strict regimen of oral hygiene which will maintain the state-of-the-art restorative example that you have invested in which deserves your full attention as it can fail easily from your own neglect. READ MORE
What is the treatment for mouth ulcers?
I would look to several factors as the reason for mouth ulcers which are usually due to increased stress which is hard to eliminate but you must determine what's causing your body to secrete excess acid, or a combination of medications which are instrumental in changing the pH of your mouth. For example if you are prone to ingest lots of citric acid in the form of tomatoes, their juices, lemons, orange juice to access, ketchup based foods like pizza and toppings that are extremely spicy it's likely your diet is contributing. No over the counter medication is going to overcome a chronic habit READ MORE
What health precautions do dentist take?
Do dentist is required by law to follow OSHA and American Dental Association guidelines for sterilization and disinfection as well as reduction in communicable diseases and institution of barrier control as well as equipment maintenance to assure each patient's experience is without incident and towards their better dental health. Gloves are disposable and not reusable, all surfaces are decontaminated between visits and between patients, face masks are used, and dry heat or steam sterilization is used make sure the instruments are properly sterilized and then they are packaged individually for each patient's examination tray and each procedure that require specific instruments. You can be assured that any Divergence from the description that I've just given you would meet with severe penalties for the office that finds itself non-compliant ineffective dental procedures and would be sanctioned by the State Board of Health. These offices are subject to on-site unscheduled spot checks by the Board of Health and are very effective with very stiff penalties for those who do not comply with public health standards. READ MORE
What are the side effects of teeth whitening?
I'm afraid that slick marketing has gotten ahead of thorough grounded research when it comes to tooth whitening and the long-term effects of applying caustic acids do the surfaces of enamel when they are surrounded by delicate tissues of the mouth and especially when out for Violet lights are used to intensify the experience in the name of 1 hour visit and 10 Shades Improvement. There has to be a trade-off somewhere for what is healthy for the patients dentition. It is possible that damage can occur when patients take home their kits and think if a little bit of the additive is good, a whole lot is better and they do not follow instructions properly or overuse the product in an effort to get piano white teeth. The best rule of thumb is to follow the instructions and get an ADA approved whitening kit which can be purchased at any drugstore and experiment with it very carefully. If this does not yield the results you want consult a dentist for his supervision during the course of professional whitening done in his or her office. Then you can't go wrong. READ MORE
Can eating ice harm my teeth?
If you have a habit of crunching on Ice make sure it's shaved ice, blocked ice cubes can be very calm attic to the delicate edges of the front teeth especially but sometimes if you crunch on back teeth larger feelings make the back teeth weaker around the cusp and you may endanger breaking one which will be very painful and expensive to repair it's not worth it. READ MORE
Does a wisdom tooth need to be removed?
Your wisdom tooth needs to be x-ray to see if it's going to erupt fully and it needs to be evaluated as to the position it's likely to take in order to determine if you can keep it or not. A partially erupted wisdom tooth is going to be a real problem at some point in time and it's better to know early on whether or not they should be removed READ MORE
Is a baking soda rinse safe for my teeth?
Yes, it is, but it doesn't taste very good. I like to recommend an ADA product as it is been properly researched and has fluoride in it as an additive. READ MORE
I had pulpectomy on my lower left tooth. It still hurts. What should I do?
Make an appointment to go back to the dentist and have them determine if the pain you're having is because of the pressure of the erupting permanent tooth underneath the baby tooth which had the procedure. It is possible to erupting permanent tooth is causing pressure against baby tooth and causing it to sometimes get tighter and other times feel loose as it erupts READ MORE
I am a 27 years old, and one my adult teeth still hasn't come in. What happens now?
The lack of space that you have in your mouth is a little more complicated than just that one tooth as it is throwing off probably multiple teeth as far as their correct position period an orthodontist needs to be consulted in order to adjust the T so it begins to take its proper position, or possibly braces. READ MORE
What age do baby teeth usually fall out?
Loss of the baby teeth usually occurs in a wide variance between patients depending on their maturation dentally. Most baby teeth are gone by the age of 11 to 13 but some precocious children lose them by 9 or 10 period an orthodontist should be consulted to give you a better individual time frame for your child and also evaluate for possibly an orthodontic problem later on in adolescence READ MORE
My baby has been diagnosed with nursing bottle caries. What is it?
Make an appointment with a children's specialist so that individual instructions Panda given you on how to effectively clean a youngsters teeth at the age they begin to erupt with possibly a Q-tip or a very soft adolescent brush between bottle feedings. READ MORE