FAQs

What Are Crowns And Why Are They Used?
A crown is a restoration that covers, or caps, a tooth to restore it to normal shape and size. Its purpose is to strengthen or improve the appearance of a tooth. Crowns are placed for a variety of reasons. Crowns can:

Restore teeth when there isn't enough tooth
remaining to provide support for large fillings
Attach bridges
Protect weak teeth from fracturing
Restore fractured teeth
Cover badly shaped or discolored teeth
Cover dental implants

How Do I Take Care Of My Crowns?
Root Canals When you have crowns, it is especially important to brush twice a day and clean between your teeth daily with floss or other interdental cleaners. Brushing and flossing remove a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Be sure to remove plaque from the area where the gums meet the tooth. When plaque accumulates in the sulcus, it can cause dental decay or gum disease. To prevent damaging or fracturing the crowns, avoid chewing hard foods, ice or other hard objects. It also is important to visit your dentist regularly.

Why Do My Fillings Need To Be Replaced?
Dental fillings (restorations) may last many years before they need replacing. However, constant pressure from chewing, grinding and clenching may cause a filling to wear away, chip, crack or even fall out. Fillings that are worn around the edges or have pulled away from tooth enamel are invitations to decay-causing bacteria.

How Can I Have A Cavity Under My Filling?
The bacteria which are present in saliva, combine with sugar or starch from food products to produce acids. The bacteria can, in some cases, enter the tiny spaces between the filling and the tooth. Once there, they cannot usually be removed with a toothbrush. Decay may start to develop along the margins of the filling.

Improper hygiene, improper diet, gum recession or decreased saliva flow might cause recurring decay. If the current decay is not removed early, it eventually progresses into the soft dentin and then the dental pulp, the tooth's living core. If the damaged or diseased pulp is not removed, the tooth and the surrounding tissues can become infected.

Why Couldn't You Just Remove The Tooth?
There are many disadvantages to losing a natural tooth. When a tooth is removed and not replaced, the adjacent teeth may begin to shift from their normal positions. This may cause the teeth to become crooked or crowded, which decreases biting and chewing efficiency. Crowded or crooked teeth may be more prone to gum disease because they are harder to keep clean than properly aligned teeth. A replacement tooth (an implant or bridge) is usually more expensive than endodontic treatment and can involve more extensive dental procedures on adjacent teeth. A natural tooth is normally better than an artificial tooth.

What Is A Sealant?
A sealant is a plastic material that is usually applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth
(premolars and molars). This plastic resin bonds into the depression and grooves (pits and fissures) of the chewing surfaces of back teeth. The sealant acts as a barrier, protecting enamel from plaque and acids.

How Long Do Sealants Last?
As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from decay. Sealants hold up well under the force of normal chewing and usually last several years before reapplication is needed. During your regular dental visits, your dentist will check the condition of the sealants and reapply them if necessary.

Are Sealants Just For Kids?
The likelihood of developing pit and fissure decay begins as soon as the back teeth erupts, so children and teenagers are obvious candidates. But adults can also be at risk for this type of decay and can benefit from sealants as well. Ask your dentist about whether sealants can put extra power behind your prevention program.

How Are Sealants Applied?
It usually takes only a few minutes to seal each tooth. The teeth that will be sealed are cleaned. Then the chewing surfaces are conditioned to help the sealant adhere to the tooth. The sealant is then "painted" onto the tooth enamel, where it bonds directly to the tooth and hardens. Sometimes a special curing light is used to help the sealant harden.

What Causes Peridontal (Gum) Disease?
Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that clings to teeth and gums. Even if you brush and clean in between your teeth every day, you may not completely remove plaque, especially around the gum line. The bacteria in plaque create toxins that injure the gums and underlying bone. Over time, these toxins can destroy gum and bone tissue. Plaque that is not removed completely every 24 to 48 hours hardens into a rough, porous deposit called tartar, or calculus. Once tartar develops, the only way to remove it is by having your teeth cleaned at the dental office.

Tartar that builds up below (under) the gumline makes it more difficult to remove the film of plaque. This can lead to chronic inflammation and infection.