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What are the Dental Emergencies

With your dental health, as well as with your physical health, accidents and sudden aches and pains happen. When trauma to your teeth, gums, jaw or face occur or if sudden, severe or persistent pain is present, you should see your dentist right away.

If your tooth gets knocked out, it is important to find the tooth and go to the dentist immediately. If you wait too long for a dentist to put your tooth back it, it will die and will need to be replaced by an implant and crown. It is estimated that you have an hour-long window to reinsert your tooth before it is lost and unusable. If you lose a tooth, gently wash it off with cold water and try to reposition it back in your mouth, gently biting down to hold it in place. If you’re not able to place it in your mouth, place the tooth in some milk. Don’t set it in water.

Braces are a common orthodontic dental alignment treatment commonly found in teens and some adults. Braces have metal wires and brackets that can become lose and brake. A broken metal wire is sharp and can cause injury to the inside of the cheeks, gums and the tongue. The broken part of the braces will need to be promptly removed and replaced by a dentist or orthodontist to prevent further damage and irritation. Before going to the dentist or orthodontist, cushion the edge of the broken piece to avoid additional injury to the mouth.

Sports, accidents, falls and biting hard objects all have the potential to crack, fracture and break teeth. Broken teeth are the most common dental emergencies. Fortunately, a broken tooth can be easily fixed by a dentist using dental bond. If you brake a tooth, locate the pieces and carefully clean them as well as the tooth. If the tooth was broken due to impact or trauma to the mouth, nose or face, apply a cold compress on the area to reduce the swelling( dental equipment).

Sometimes the bonding that fills in cavities can become lose and get dislodged, causing the tooth to become exposed to pressure, air, cold and heat. This exposed part of the tooth will be extremely sensitive so pain is often accompanied when a filling is lost. Similarly, if a tooth is covered by a crown, it becomes sensitive. To maintain the stability and integrity of the tooth, it is important that you see the dentist as soon as possible. If you find the crown, rinse it off and bring it with you.

Dental emergencies are very common. An underlying infection may be present or the damage due to the accident can cause further damage if not promptly treated. A dental emergency is one in which the patient’s tooth or teeth are at risk of being lost, there is much bleeding and/or there is severe, inhibiting pain.

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The Benefits of Dental Air Polishing

Like many things in dentistry, air polishing has changed since the late 1970s. There are several new dental air polisher designs and new abrasive powders, and we now have the ability to use air polishers subgingivally. Sodium bicarbonate was the original abrasive powder used, but newer abrasive powders include glycine, calcium carbonate, calcium sodium phosphosilicate, aluminum trihydroxide, and erythritol. These additional powders give us more choices for our patients’ individual needs.

Use of air polishers decreased as the clinician’s age and experience increased. Curricula in many dental hygiene schools do not include clinical instruction in the use of this polishing device due to inadequate numbers of units and difficulty in moving units between clinic stations. Inadequate or insufficient knowledge and experience, therefore, appears to be a major factor in the underutilization of the air polisher. In an attempt to provide a suitable knowledge base for practicing dental hygienists, the primary purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive summary and critique of the research on all aspects of air polishing. In addition, a suggested technique, common concerns, and possible solutions will be discussed.

Discussions are based on a review of the relevant literature on air polishing. Tables organize the data into categories to facilitate access of needed information. Because of the various research designs employed and the number of variables that must be controlled, comparative analyses of the studies are difficult. However, where possible, analyses of the validity and reliability of the studies are provided. It should be remembered that while laboratory (in vitro) investigations are useful, the most definitive conclusions must be obtained through clinical (in vivo) studies. Case reports or opinion articles have limited applications. Therefore, interpretation and application of research results must be done with caution.

The benefits of air polishing for the dental professional include less operator fatigue, less time involved than the traditional polishing technique, and improved access to difficult-to-reach areas. Benefits to the patient include less time in the chair, less “scraping,” excellent stain removal, reduced dentin hypersensitivity, and improved periodontal status.

Air polishing has been compared to scaling( dental scaler ) and rubber-cup polishing for efficiency and effectiveness of stain and plaque removal. The use of the air polisher as an efficient and effective means of removing extrinsic stain and plaque from tooth surfaces. Air polishing requires less time than traditional polishing methods and removes stain three times as fast as scaling with comers. In addition, less fatigue to the operator has been mentioned as an important benefit of air polishing.

dental health

The Serious Occupational Lung Disease Caused by Dental lab Materials

Dental health has improved dramatically with falling rates of tooth decay and attention has now shifted to the needs of an ageing population, with an increased emphasis upon aesthetics – that is, having a full set of sparkling white teeth. Therefore, dental technologists spend much of their time in the lab creating cosmetic dental prostheses such as crowns and implants. This work creates dust and chemical fumes. Without proper protection, exposure to these may risk the health of the dental technologist( dental lab equipment ).

Research has shown us that the dust from the types of materials that are used in dental technology contain between 54-70 per cent of respirable particles (that is, particles of less than 5 microns in size that enter the lungs). A particular concern is the silica content of this dust, which can reach 30 per cent and may exceed maximum recommended levels during the sandblasting and grinding processes. Another is exposure to dusts from heavy metals like the cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys. Both exposures may lead to a lung condition known as pneumoconiosis, of which several cases have been reported as being linked to dental technology.

There have also been a number of cases of silicosis, a well-known and very serious occupational lung disease that is cause by inhaling respirable crystalline silica dust. These have been highlighted in the United States Center for Disease Control’s publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR). Traditionally, silicosis is associated with the mining, quarrying and ceramics industries. However, it appears that materials and processes used in dental laboratories put those who work there at risk of the condition. According to MMWR, occupational disease surveillance in five states found nine cases of silicosis among dental technologists. The case reports are revealing of the importance of protection against dust in the dental lab – as follows:

Case 1 – worked 46 years in a dental lab, exposed to dust, cobalt and chemicals and never wore a respirator. Died of respiratory failure, pathology report showed silicosis.
Case 3 – died of renal failure, pathology showed silicosis. Worked for 28 years in dental labs and never wore a respirator or used an air cleaner for dental technicians, while exposed to various dusts when carrying out sandblasting processes.

In general, the smaller the particle the more likely it is to damage health. Of particular concern are the ultra-fine particles (UFPs) which have a size in the nano range – that is less than 0.1 microns, or 100 nanometres. A recent study analysed the size range of particle which dental technologists may come into contact with during the course of their work. A number of blocks of composites used in dental prostheses were ground and the dust thus generated analysed. All of the composites released a certain amount of respirable dust.

dental health

Why You Need to Get a Root Canal

Your teeth are strong, but poor dental care can cause the protective enamel that encases your teeth to break down. When this happens, your teeth become sensitive and more vulnerable to fractures and cavities. This is when your tooth’s root can become infected. Each tooth has soft tissue that runs through the tooth’s canals. The tissue is made up of nerves and blood vessels, which provide vital nourishment to the tooth. When a cavity or fracture is left untreated, that pulpy, soft tissue becomes infected and causes pain – that’s when to get a root canal.

When it comes to root canals, myths abound, and you’ve probably heard them all. It’s been said that root canals hurt, that they cause disease, and that you only need to get one when a tooth is painful. One myth even alleged that root canals cause cancer and other diseases. With stories like that swirling around the world of dental care, it’s no wonder people dread root canals. But there’s good news! All those myths have been busted. So if your dentist sits you down to talk about when to get a root canal, don’t run for the door.

Most of the time, patients notice signs that a tooth requires dental care before their dentist recommends a root canal. The most common symptoms include the following:
Pain when chewing or brushing
Lasting sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures
Tenderness around the tooth and gum
Discoloration of the tooth
Swelling of the gum

Sometimes, however, there are no symptoms, and it can be difficult to know when to get a root canal by dental endodontic instruments. That’s why it is important to schedule regular visits to the dentist and practice healthy habits for good teeth. You can’t see what is happening inside your mouth, but a dentist can.

Root canals are a common procedure used to save your tooth once infection sets in. If untreated, the infection can spread and cause damage to surrounding bone. Once this happens, there’s a greater risk of losing your tooth.

To remove the infection and stop it from spreading, a small opening is created at the top of the tooth. From this opening, the tooth’s nerve is removed from the canal, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned before the canals are filled with a rubber-like material. Filling in the now-empty canals helps to seal them from future infection. Once complete, a temporary filling is placed onto the tooth until a permanent filling or crown is ready.

If you’ve been suffering from tooth pain or sensitivity, don’t hesitate to visit your dentist and learn when to get a root canal. It could protect your tooth and save you a lot of pain and suffering.