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Can I Superglue a Crown that Falls Off?

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I’m in a bit of a bind. I’m out of town. Actually, I’m out of the country in Great Britain. My crown fell off. It’s done this before, but I was always near home so I could go to my dentist to have it re-bonded. I’m going to be here for three weeks. Can I just leave it until I get back? If not, is it safe to just superglue it in place for now?

Michael N.

Dear Michael,

Auburn Emergency Dentist

I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this at all, let alone while you’re out of the country. Unfortunately, three weeks is entirely too long to leave your crown off. In that amount of time, your teeth will shift and your crown will no longer fit by the time you get back to your dentist.

I’m a little concerned that this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Most dentists go their entire careers without having a dental crown fall off. Because this has happened several times on your crown alone, I suspect your dentist is struggling with his or her bonding skills. This may end up being a blessing in disguise.

Superglue, however, is a bad idea. For one, it will make it harder to get the crown off if you place it improperly. Placing a crown in its proper position is imperative both for your comfort and the health of your bite. If you place it too high, every time you bite down you’ll wish you had morphine (not a habit I’d recommend). Other types of misplacement can cause your bite to shift in a way that could lead to massive problems for you, including TMJ Disorder.

Handling Dental Emergencies When You’re Out of Town

In the United States, we have emergency dentists. They will see non-established patients the same day when there is a dental emergency. I’m positive the NIH in Great Britain has something similar. They can bond your crown back on properly. If for some reason you can’t find one, many pharmacies have over-the-counter dental cement. It will temporarily bond on your crown. If neither of those things seems available to you, call our office and I will try to find another solution.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Raymond Bolt.

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Holding a temporary crown

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My temporary crown fell out. Is there something I can use to get it back in?

Adam K.- Wisconsin

Adam,

Your dentist should assume responsibility for re-cementing this crown.  However, if for some reason he is out of town, there are a few things you can do in a pinch:

  • Dental adhesive: This will hold your temporary crown fairly well. It’s not perfect, but it will work.
  • Dental cement: Drug stores will sell a temporary dental cement to hold in crowns.
  • Superglue: This will hold it, but it is sometimes difficult to remove in order to place your permanent crown.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Alabama Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

Supersmile Toothpaste

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I’ve heard that Supersmile toothpaste is good for porcelain veneers. Does it work with porcelain crowns too?

Emily S.- St. Louis

Emily,

Supersmile toothpaste is fine to use for porcelain crowns. It is specifically designed to use with dental work. It is great at helping to remove stains without damaging the porcelain.

You may also be interested in learning about Lumineers.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

 

Can I whiten fake teeth?

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I have two missing teeth that have been missing since birth.  Right now I have two fake teeth on a retainer that are used to replace them.  I’m hoping to get dental implants when I’m done saving up for them. I’m a little embarrassed, but my other teeth are pretty yellow. I’m hoping to get my teeth whitened. I was wondering if my fake teeth will whiten also?

Olivia R.- Madison, WI

Olivia,

You’ve asked a great question. No, fake teeth will not whiten. In fact, you can’t whiten any dental work, such as porcelain crowns or porcelain veneers. Only your natural teeth will respond to teeth whitening.

My recommendation is that a few weeks before you get your dental implants, you have your teeth whitened. This gives your tooth color time to settle in and your dentist can match the dental implants to your new white color.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Alabama dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

 

Still have a baby tooth

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One of my adult teeth is coming in but the baby one won’t come out. my dentist wants to take it out but i don’t want to. What will happen if i dont’ take it out?

Brooke

Brooke,

I agree with your dentist that you should have this tooth removed. If you don’t, your adult tooth will still come in, but it will come in crooked. Then, you’ll need braces to fix that later, which is  much more expected.  It is always better to prevent problem than it is to repair them.

You may also want to read about wisdom tooth extractions, because sometimes this is another preventative measure to take.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Alabama Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

Tooth decay from kissing

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I’m a little embarrassed asking this, but I needed to double check. One of the girls at school said you will get cavities if you kiss someone that has them. It sounded wrong to me, but i needed to double check. Is she making this up?

Name withheld.

Your friend is either messing with you, or has believed false information herself. Tooth decay comes from bacteria in your mouth. Everyone has this bacteria to some extent or another. What matters is how well and often you clean your teeth.

You may also be interested in reading about mercury-free dentistry.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Alabama Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

 

Pus by wisdom tooth socket

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I had my wisdom teeth removed. Everything went well except for one tooth, which had a pocket. When my dentist poked at the area a green pus came out that smelled worse than anything I have ever smelled before. I can’t describe how awful it was. I use Listerine every day, but that doesn’t seem to be  helping. My dentist used something to blow air into the area, but I can tell the problem is still there by the smell. What is it and is there anything to fix it?

Kimball P.- Pencil Bluff, AR

Kimball,

When you’ve had a wisdom tooth extraction it leaves a socket. It seems like the problem you’re facing is an anerobia bacteria in the socket. The reason your dentist used air is because oxygen is poisonous to this type of bacteria. You don’t want to leave an infection around. I recommend two things to fight this.

First,to attack it directly, ask your dentist for an irrigating needle. Use this to pump a mixture of 3% peroxide and salt, equal parts of both ingredients, directly into the socket. Do this after each meal. Secondly, ask your dentist for a 150 mg prescription of Clindamycin. This will attack it from the blood stream. Do this for ten days, by then the infection and the smell should be gone. After ten days, you can irrigate the socket once a day as it fills up with tissue.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, Alabama dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

Lemon juice to whiten teeth

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I read that if I mixed lemon juice with baking soda and use it for two weeks, it will whiten my teeth. Is that true?

Judi D.- Oregon

Judi,

No, that is not true. I don’t know why people write these kind of things on the internet. I’m glad you asked before you tried this, because lemon juice contains citric acid, which is very bad for your teeth.

Even when you drink things with citric acid in it, such as sodas or water with lemon, you need to be cautious. make sure you leave at least thirty minutes between consumption of citric acid and brushing your teeth. Otherwise you’ll grind the acid into your teeth and promote the wearing away of acid.

If you really want to get your teeth whitened, I suggest you contact your dentist and see what programs he has available. Some have a one appointment in office method. Others a take home whitening kit. Some have both.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.

Treating deep pockets

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I’ve got a deep pocket affecting my back molars and causing them to shift a little. My dentist has already done a deep cleaning. I am brushing and flossing twice as much as I used to. Is there anything else I can do to treat this problem?

Eric S. – Washington

Eric,

Many times just doing a really deep cleaning is enough to stop the progress of the gum disease. Hopefully your dentist is putting you on a three month check-up schedule instead of six, just until you are certain you’ve gotten a handle on the pocket problem.

If you’re having a problem keeping the area thoroughly cleaned, your dentist may want to recommend a crown lengthening. This is done with a local anesthetic. The excess tissue around your tooth is removed. The procedure helps by reducing the distance from the top of your gum to the bone. That reduces your pocket and makes it easier for you to keep the area cleaner.

You may also be interested in learning about sleep apnea.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Family Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.