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Q. What should I do when I get a
toothache late at night?
A: A
midnight toothache is perhaps the most common dental
emergency. If you live beyond the range of all-night
pharmacies and emergency rooms with a dentist on call, there
are still things you can do to help yourself before you see
your dentist.
First, sit up. A throbbing
pain when you fall asleep can often be relieved by sitting
up. Elevating the head lowers the blood pressure in the head
and neck area, which reduces pain.
The American Dental
Association recommends that you rinse your mouth vigorously
with warm water to clean out any debris. The ADA also
suggests taking a minor painkiller such as aspirin,
acetaminophen, or ibuprofen, but cautions against the
once-common remedy of crushing an aspirin directly on the
tooth. Aspirin is an acid that can burn the gums and damage
teeth.
And when the emergency is
over, resume a regular schedule of checkups and treatments.
Your dentist knows how to make the Midnight Caller go
away.
Q. If someone brushes and flosses
regularly and the teeth are not discolored, how necessary is
a cleaning in the dental office?
A: Don’t
confuse "cleaning" with "polishing." The purpose of
professional cleaning is to prevent tooth decay and gum
disease, by removing stubborn plaque and hardened tartar.
Polishing is a minor part of a professional cleaning, and
only the last minutes are devoted to it.
Plaque must be removed from
all tooth surfaces, including the edges that brushing
doesn’t reach. It’s at the gumline and below where neglected
plaque hardens into tartar. Removing tartar at or near the
gumline is called scaling. When plaque and tartar create
damaging pockets between tooth roots and gums, the removal
process is called root planning. Some people need a
professional cleaning every three months, others need once a
year.
How long since you had a
cleaning and checkup?
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Q. Is fluoride beneficial only for
children, or is it something that concerns
adults?
A: Fluoride
helps to prevent decay both in children and in adults. You
never outgrow your need for it. It’s especially important
for children because it is incorporated into enamel as the
tooth is formed. But adults also benefit from fluoridated
water and the use of toothpaste's and rinses containing
fluoride.
For adults, there is another
plus for fluoride—to help protect tooth roots when they are
exposed because of receding gums. The dentin of the tooth
root is softer than enamel and is more vulnerable to decay
from plaque. Fluoride applied by the dentist in the form of
a solution or gel can be very effective in helping to
prevent root decay.
Q. I’m sometimes confused when my
dentist talks about plaque, tartar, calculus and other such
terms. Can you help clarify the
differences?
A: Knowing
the language of periodontal disease can help you fight this
tooth-threatening condition. Plaque is the colorless coating
heavily laden with bacteria, that sticks to your teeth. You
can fight it at home when you floss and brush
properly.
Tartar and calculus are
interchangeable terms for the unsightly cementlike substance
that builds up along the gumline. Tartar traps plaque,
creating serious interference with good dental hygiene.
Tartar/calculus can be removed only by a dentist or dental
hygienist, a very strong reason for adults to have a dental
checkup at least twice each year.
Gum disease is an ongoing
battle fought together by patient and dental health
professional.
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Q. What are dental "composites "and
how are they used?
A:
Composites are a combination of resins that have become the
most versatile materials in the history of dentistry.
Tooth-colored, they are soft and shapeable when applied to a
tooth, and they quickly harden in place. For people, in
contrast to silver-colored amalgams, composite resins make
it possible to fill cavities of visible teeth in a way that
blends in.
More than that, composite
resins have come into broad use as a versatile means of
upgrading the appearance of unsightly teeth. The
natural-looking material is used, for example, to fill in
chipped tooth edges, coat discolored front surfaces, reshape
imperfect teeth and close gaps between teeth.
Are you unhappy with the
appearance of your teeth? Tell the dentist. Composite resins
are among several types of solutions now available that are
painless and within your means.
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