|
























































|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
We have placed
tooth-colored restorations in your teeth. The resin material used
is a plastic with small "filler" particles of glass-like
material-the finest and most to date materials available today.
These restorations will serve you well for several years. However,
you should be aware of the following:
Chewing: As with natural teeth, avoid chewing excessively
hard foods on the restored teeth (hard candy, ice, bones, etc.)
because extreme force can cause the resin material to be broken
from the tooth - just as it can in a natural tooth. However, in
the event that a breakage occurs, replacement of a restoration is
not difficult.
Continuing
care: Visit us at regular six-month examination periods. Often
problems that are developing around the restoration can be detected
at an early stage and repaired easily. Waiting a longer time may
require redoing the entire restoration.
Preventive
Procedure: To provide optimum longevity for your restorations
and to prevent future dental decay and supporting tissue breakdown,
please brush and floss after eating and before bedtime. We do recommend
you swish vigorously with a fluoride mouthwash for at least 30 seconds
daily.
Please call
us if notice any change in your tooth-colored restorations, or if
you have any questions at all about them.

|
|
|
|
Your first
few weeks: New dentures always feel strange at first. Several
days, or even a few weeks are required for you to feel like they
are a part of you.
Using your
dentures: Don't overwork your dentures in the beginning. You
wouldn't try to run a mile with a new wooden leg. Take it easy and
gradually progress to harder and tougher foods.
Sore spots:
Your mouth will most likely have some sore spots while you're getting
used to your new dentures. This is normal and expected. You need
to let us know that you have sore spots and we will take care of
them for you. Do, however, wear them long enough so we can see the
sore spot. This helps greatly to know where to relieve the denture.
Of course, there is no charge for this.
Chewing:
The bite will not feel comfortable for a few days. It is very likely
some fine tuning of the bite will be necessary-Usually after about
a week of settling in. There is no charge for this either.
Cleaning
the dentures and your mouth: Your dentures can be cleaned easily
by using a denture brush or a soft bristled tooth brush and regular
toothpaste. Denture soaks, such as Efferdent, are also useful. Brush
your gums with a soft bristled tooth brush at least once a day.
You may leave the dentures in or out your mouth at night, as you
wish. However, if they are out of your mouth for an extended period,
place them in a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 mouthwash. If they
dry out they will not fit as comfortably for a while.
The future:
Your jaw bones and gums shrink year by year. This is one of the
disadvantages of wearing dentures - they get looser and looser as
time goes by. Because of this should have your dentures and tissues
evaluated by us once a year. Wearing ill fitting dentures for too
long a period before refitting them to your gums and bone can cause
some very serious soft tissue disease. Denture adhesives may be
helpful for a while but should not be relied on for too long a time.

|
|
|
|
There are many
reasons for white, brown, gray, or orange spots that appear on tooth
surfaces. In some cases, heredity is the cause. Cigarettes, coffee
and tea also can cause superficial spots. Tetracycline has shown
to cause stains that range in color from yellow to orange to brown
to blue - gray. Regardless of their origin, these spots are objectionable
(unsightly), and may be removed in one or more of the following
ways.
Microabrasion:
For removal of a small amount of the discolored tooth structure
an abrasive solution is the most conservative method used. This
method, microabrasion, which is painless, is usually very fast,
relatively inexpensive and produces a permanent result. We will
advise you if this procedure is appropriate for the superficial
spots on your teeth.
Restorations:
Spots or discolorations which go deeper may be eliminated through
small tooth colored restorations.
Veneer/Bonding:
If there are multiple or very deep discolorations, thin custom-
made pieces of plastic or porcelain called veneers can be bonded
to the surfaces of the teeth to cover the spots. veneers provide
an excellent appearance and have a longevity of several years.
We recommend
beginning with conservative microabrasion if possible. If this is
successful, additional treatment is not necessary. When the spots
are too deep, small restorations may be needed. If the spots or
discolorations are very deep, veneers will then be recommended.
Note:
Smoking, coffee, and tea stains are usually superficial and will
be removed by the hygienist at your routine cleaning.

|
|
|
You have just
had a crown or fixed bridge cemented onto your teeth. It will
replace your missing teeth structure or missing teeth very well
and should give you years of good service - provided you observe
the following conditions:
Chewing:
Do not chew hard foods on the restorations for 24 hours from the
time they were cemented - to obtain optimum strength the cement
must mature for approximately 24 hours. After that there are no
real restrictions, meaning that you can bite and chew any foods
that you would normally do with your original teeth.
Sensitivity:
Don't worry about mild sensitivity to hot or cold foods. This
sensitivity will disappear gradually over next few weeks. When
a tooth has been subjected to decay, fillings, more decay, more
fillings and even breakage, necessitating a crown, there is a
certain chance that it will die. If pain persists or continues
to get worse notify me for an evaluation. The tooth may be a candidate
for root canal therapy.
Preventive
Procedures: To provide optimum longevity for your restorations
and to prevent future dental decay and supporting tissue breakdown
(gum disease), please thoroughly brush and floss after eating
and before bedtime.
Recalls:
The most significant reason for failure is infrequent return for
continuing care examination and cleaning. Visit us at regular
six month intervals for optimum dental health. If problems are
developing around the restoration they can be found at an early
stage and corrected. Waiting for a longer time may require the
entire restoration.
Problems:
Call us immediately if one of these conditions occur:
A feeling
of movement or looseness in the restoration.
Sensitivity to sweet foods.
A peculiar taste from the restoration site.
We have done
our best to provide you with the finest quality restoration. Only
your continuing care and concern can assure long - term dental
health.

|
 |
You have just
received a temporary crown. This temporary crown is meant only
to serve your needs while a permanent crown is being made for
you. Temporary crowns are custom made for each patient. However,
the color, shape and size of the temporary crown does not resemble
the final (permanent) crown in any way.
Your temporary
crown will help protect the sensitivity of the prepared tooth.
However, it does not fit your mouth like the permanent crown will,
so you may notice some sensitivity to heat, cold, or sweets -
sensations you won't feel when your specially - made permanent
crown is in place.
Here are
some other things you need to know about your temporary crown:
-
The
temporary cement requires about 30 minutes (one half-hour) to
set. Please do not chew during that period of time.
-
Certain
foods will stick to the temporary crown. Please refrain from
chewing gum, candies or foods that stick to the crown
-
Temporary
crowns are not very strong and they may occasionally break or
come off. If this should happened to you, please contact our
office immediately, bring your crown with you and we will replace
it. Should you be unable to contract us, simply go to a pharmacy
or grocery store and get some Fixodent or Polygrip denture adhesive.
Replace the temporary crown on your tooth using the adhesive
to hold it in place until you can contact us.
-
Please
do not leave the temporary crown out of your mouth. Without
the temporary, your teeth may move and then the permanent crown
may not fit!
-
Do
not brush or floss too vigorously around your temporary crown.
Remember that it is important to keep the area clean - but use
caution.
-
It
is imperative that you return to our office at the appointed
time for your permanent crown. Failure to do so may result in
a shifting of the tooth resulting in the need to re-prepare
the tooth and re-make the crown.

|
|
|
For thirty
minutes following the surgical procedure bite on the gauze that
was placed. Any bleeding should stop by this time. If not then
fold another piece of gauze and repeat. Steady firm pressure is
the key to getting the bleeding to stop.
Do not use
a commercial mouthwash during the healing period. If you must
rinse, use warm water and be very gentle. After 36 hours you may
gently rinse with 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a full glass of warm
water. Brush carefully around the area.
You will be
rather sore for a while. If you have been prescribed medication
take it exactly as directed. If you experience any adverse effects
from the medication let the doctor know right away.
Avoid alcohol
and tobacco use during the healing period. Do not use a straw
and don't spit excessively. It is important to not disturb the
blood clot so that healing proceeds as rapidly as possible.
Do not bend
over, do any heavy lifting, engage in sports or other activities
that can raise your blood pressure. This could result in starting
bleeding again.
There is one
common complication you should know about- dry socket. This occurs
when the blood clot comes out the socket allowing the bone to
be exposed to saliva, food and bacteria. You will know this is
likely happening because, after a few days of less and less discomfort,
the pain will start increasing. If this is the case let us know
and we will start dry socket treatment. There is no charge for
this.

|
 |
Now in many
cases, instead of a shot to numb the tooth and drill to remove
the decay, we can use an air and powder mix that shoots out of
a very small nozzle. This quickly removes the decay and is painless
in most cases. Even if there is some feeling it is usually tolerable
and preferable to getting numb. Just think how nice it would be
to get your fillings done and not have to have a shot and a numb
lip for the next three hours. If preferred, anesthetic is always
an option, of course.
For sure,
the art and science of dentistry have changed, offering a no needle,
no drill, no fear procedure for removing decay.
Since air
abrasion is achieved by directing a thin stream of air and abrasive
powder at the area of tooth decay, only a minimal amount of tooth
is removed. Air abrasion allows for very small cavity preparations
and is part of what is called microdentistry.
Microdentistry
is the philosophy and practice of finding and treating decay as
early as possible, of removing as little tooth structure as possible,
of making the smallest possible fillings, of assuring that those
fillings are the same color as the teeth, and are long lasting.
So air abrasion is the part of the microdentistry procedure that
removes the decay and prepares the tooth for the filling.
Some people
have a fear dental care. But the gentle process of air abrasion
and microdentistry takes the emphasis off pain and fear and moves
it to conservative, healthy, natural appearing dentistry.

|
 |
Teeth may crack
when subjected to the stress of chewing of chewing hard food or ice,
or by biting on an unexpected hard object. Teeth with or without restorations
may exhibit this problem, but teeth restored with typical are most
susceptible.
Symptoms
and signs of Cracked Teeth:
Pain while chewing
Pain upon cold air application
Unsolicited pain(usually
leakage of sugar into a tooth crack)
Treatment
of Cracked Tooth:
Simple Crack: The majority of cracked teeth-about 9 out of
every 10-can be treated by placement of a simple crown on the tooth.
When the tooth is prepared for the crown, and a temporary restoration
is placed, the pain usually leaves immmediately. If this is the
case with your
teeth, we will palce the final crown on your next appointment, and
the condition should be resolved.
Complex
Crack: Occasionaly - about 1 in 10 - acrack is pronounced or severe
enough to access the pulp of the tooth.If pain persists after placement
to the temporary crown. You may have such a crack into the pulp
of the affected tooth. To verify, please call us. The tooth may
require endotontics before the crown is placed.

|
| |
|
This
health article is made available by
Dr. Michael L. DiPaula DDS a Dentist. Michael L. DiPaula DDS,
PA office at 8509 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21234. Dr. DiPaula
is easy reachable from Baltimore, Glen Arm, Nottingham, Parkville,
Perry Hall, Rosedale, and Towson.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
State of The Art
Dental Care
One Patient At a Time
|
|
| |
|
Click Here to E-mail This Page to a Friend
|
| |
 |
| |
|