Tag Archives: root canal treatment

Teeth Whitening

Using Lemons for Teeth Whitening?

I was thinking about whitening my teeth. I know not to use household bleach. A friend of mine tried that and it ended up a disaster. I recently read an article about people who use lemons to whiten their teeth. Lest I go the way of my friend with the bleach, is this a safe option?

Tara

Dear Tara,

teeth whitening trays
teeth bleaching trays

For those reading who may not realize why you don’t use bleach to whiten your teeth, it is because bleach is a base, like lye, which is very corrosive. It can eat away at organic material. In fact, many dentists use it to do just that in cleaning out dead organic material in a root canal treatment.

As for the lemons, I don’t recommend that either. Lemons contain citric acid. What the citric acid will do is etch your teeth. While this can scrub off some surface stains, it also damages them. That damage makes them pick up stains much more easily, which will make them darker than when you first started.

There are over-the-counter whitening kits that work, like Crest Whitestrips, however they are much weaker. It will take a large number of kits to see any real difference. In the long run, that doesn’t save you much money. The safest and most cost effective way for you to whiten your teeth is using professional teeth whitening through your dentist.

You can get results much faster under the watchful eye of a dentist to ensure that nothing else goes wrong while you are getting the white smile you want. There have been cases of people needing a root canal treatment because of an over-the-counter treatment. That is the last thing you need when you are just trying to get a white smile.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Can You Bleach Your Teeth with Household Bleach?

I’m thinking about getting my teeth bleached. Before I do, I just thought I’d check about a question I have. Is there a reason that I couldn’t just use household bleach? It seems like I should be able to swish it around in my mouth every day and get some whitening, right?

Ellie

Dear Ellie,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

I like that you’re trying to think outside of the box. That being said, this won’t be a good option for you. Household bleach, such as Clorox, is a base, like Lye. These are very corrosive. Not only can they burn through living tissue, but if they combine or come in contact with certain other chemicals it can poison you by releasing chlorine gas. There are also warnings about you mixing bleach with other household cleaners for the same reason.

Something you may find interesting is that the corrosiveness of bleach makes it ideal for dentists to use it in root canal treatments. They’ll use the bleach to dissolve all the dead, organic material inside the tooth. You wouldn’t want to use it inside your mouth and let it damage your soft tissue.

When a dentist does teeth whitening, they do not use bleach. Instead, they use a special peroxide gel developed specifically to safely, but powerfully, whiten teeth. If you want to whiten your teeth, then I would recommend doing it with a dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
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Affordable Dentist

Does This Root Canal Need to Be Re-Done?

Can you help me figure out the most affordable option for me? I had a root canal treatment on my upper right canine. Recently the filling came out and I now have an abscess on the gum. I went back to the dentist’s office and he says I need to have a second root canal treatment. If the abscess is not painful unless the area around it is pressed, could I just take an antibiotic? I just paid for this first root canal.

Stanley

Dear Stanley,

Illustration of an abscessed tooth

I am sorry this happened to you. At this point, you definitely need the root canal treatment. When a root canal treatment is done, the filling placed is not meant to be a stand alone. It is just there as a temporary measure. A follow-up appointment should have been scheduled for you to have a dental crown placed. Without that, then your saliva will slowly seep through the filling and it will end up falling out, as yours did. It won’t take long after that for bacteria to build up and cause another infection. Again, as yours did.

An antibiotic won’t be a good solution. The infection has to be physically removed. All an antibiotic will do is hold it at bay for a very short period of time. Then, when the medication runs out, you will be in an even worse situation than you started with.

If your dentist never told you about the need for a second appointment and dental crown or scheduled you too far away for it to be helpful, then he or she should take some responsibility for what happened. If you just didn’t follow through, then you’ll have to bear the brunt of the cost.

If your dentist’s fees are too high, then you could always shop around for a more affordable dentist. That could take some of the pressure off of you. What you don’t want to do is put this off, because then you will end up with a dental emergency.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Premium Home Teeth Whitening

I keep receiving a Groupon order for Premium Home Teeth Whitening. Is this something worth investing in? I’ve always wanted to whiten my teeth but never really talked to my dentist about it.

Amy

Dear Amy,

teeth whitening trays
teeth bleaching trays

After looking this over, I can tell you that the whitening ingredient they use is legitimate. It will whiten your teeth. That is the good news. The only real bad news is it will not be as effective as you’d hope, even though they do have a good percentage of their active ingredient.

The reason for that is the whitening trays. Pictured above are the type of teeth whitening trays you would get with your dentist. These are custom fit to your bite. This serves to protect the whitening gel, as well as your gums.

The trays that come with this kit are not fit to your bite. It’s a DIY. This means that your saliva will leak into the trays, thereby weakening the gel. It also means some of the gel will leak out. This not only means less whitening potential for your teeth, but it can put your gums at risk. There have even been cases where patients ended up needing a root canal treatment from using an over-the-counter whitening kit.

My suggestion is you simply talk to your dentist about your desire to whiten your teeth. The cost of Premium Teeth Whitening is not that much less than what your dentist would charge you. Ask him or her if they would be willing to come down on their price a little or allow you to pay out the current cost. Most dentists are happy to find ways to help their patients afford dental work. I think you’ll end up much happier with your results that way.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Does My Son Really Need a Pulpotomy?

My pediatric dentist wants to schedule my son, who is only 6 years old, for a pulpotomy procedure. Is this really necessary for a baby tooth that is going to fall out anyway?

Susanna

Dear Susanna,

I am glad you wrote. I never want parents to allow their child to have a procedure they don’t understand. For those who may not know, a pulpotomy is a child’s version of a root canal treatment. It is only useful if the tooth is a molar.

While most baby teeth can come out early with no serious repercussions, back molars need to stay in place until your son is around 12 years old. Otherwise, the adjacent teeth will begin to shift or tip into the empty place. Then, when his adult molars erupt, you are looking at a lot of crowding and expensive orthodontics. Every parent wants to avoid braces if at all possible.

So, if it is a back tooth, you will either want to get the pulpotomy or extract the tooth and then have a space maintainer placed to keep the area open for the adult teeth.

If it is not a back tooth, then you will not need the pulpotomy. However, it is also important that you deal with the tooth. I am assuming that he suggested this treatment because the tooth has an infection. These are considered dental emergencies so you will not want to leave it.

Infections spread. If you think about how close your child’s jaw is to his heart, lungs, and brains, you can see how these things can turn life-threatening quickly.

If your pediatric dentist was not willing to explain why he or she thought you needed one, I feel strongly you would be better served with a different dentist for your precious son. Parents are the ones responsibile for their children and they deserve to have all the information in order to make the best possible decisions for their children.

If you can’t find a great pediatric dentist in your area, there are plenty of general dentists who love to treat entire families, including their children. Each of them has done a pediatric rotation and will be qualified to provide their dental care.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Dental Fillings

Do Amalgam Fillings Stain Teeth?

I have two amalgam fillings that cover about 70% of my tooth. I want to remove them and replace them with composite fillings. He said the amalgam stains teeth and they won’t look nearly as good. Is that true? Should I leave the amalgam fillings on?

Meredith

Dear Meredith,

While there is some staining of teeth with amalgam fillings, they will always look better with composite fillings. Always. In addition, while amalgam fillings simply rest on the tooth, composite fillings are bonded directly to the tooth which strengthens the tooth and puts it at less of a risk for fracture.

I suspect your dentist said that to disuade you from switching. This is likely because he is uncomfortable placing composite fillings. They are placed with a completely different technique than he or she is used to placing the old amalgam fillings.

I don’t recommend you push him into doing it though. There are horror stories of patients who ended up needing a root canal treatment after a dentist placed them incorrectly. Even if it isn’t that bad, you could end up with other issues.

If you want this done right, I suggest going to a dentist who is familiar with placing them. You can do an internet search using the term mercury-free dentist. These dentists only place composite fillings and have the technique down pat.

I have one other concern I’d like to address. You mentioned your current fillings cover 70% of your tooth. In that case, your dentist really should have done a dental crown to adequately protect your tooth. This additional information puts me more in doubt of his abilities. You may want to start looking for another dentist, who can better meet your needs.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Emergency Dentist

Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection

I’ve had a tooth infection and went to see a dentist. He prescribed me antibiotics that I’ve been taking antibiotics for 11 days. I was fine for a while, but now it seems to have started acting up again. Do I just need to refill the prescription or do I need another visit to the dentist?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

A man holding his jaw in pain.

I’m hoping there was some miscommunication between you and your dentist. While the antibiotic is useful until the infection can be dealt with by a dentist, it does not eliminate the infection, as you have discovered. Once the antibiotic is completed, it doesn’t take long for the infection to rear its ugly head.

With a tooth infection, a dentist has to get in there and physically remove the infected pulp. This is typically done with either a root canal treatment or by extracting the whole tooth.

It is always better to save any tooth you can, so a root canal treatment would be the better choice if it is still possible.

If the Tooth Cannot be Saved

In the case that it has been too long and the tooth cannot be saved, it is important that you replace the tooth as quickly as possible. The longer that spot is left open, the more you will be dealing with the adjacent teeth shifting or tipping into that spot. This will throw off your bite leading to jaw pain, headaches, and even TMJ problems.

Ideally, you’ll want to have a dental implant for your replacement. It is the closest thing to having a natural tooth again. This will help you preserve the underlying bone. If that is not possible, there are other options such as a dental bridge or a removable partial denture.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Emergency Dentist

Her Dentist is Putting her in Danger

I had a root canal treatment several years ago. The area started hurting again so I went in and my dentist did an x-ray and decided I needed a re-treatment. He did it right then and gave me both Vicoden and penicillin. I was fine for a bit, but maybe that was just the Vicodin. Then the pain came back with vengeance. I called him and he said some people just take longer than others to heal and to give it another couple of weeks. I’m in so much pain I can barely breathe half the time. What do you recommend?

Stacy

Dear Stacy,

Woman grabbing her jaw in pain

I’m concerned about how your dentist is handling this infection. I can’t tell for sure if you got better and then worse or just got steadily worse to where the Vicodin was no longer working for you. Either way, it is a bad sign and he is putting you in danger.

Most root canal re-treatments are only successful 1/2 to 3/4 of the time. I realy think you need to see a root canal specialist at this point. He’s not taking this seriously. At the very least, he should have switched you to a stronger antibiotic when you were not better after a few days.

When you call a specialist, let them know what is going on so they can get you in for an emergency dental appointment. If they can’t get you in right away, they should at the very least prescribe a stronger prescription for you.

I’m sorry this is happening to you.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Phoenix Dentist, Root Canal Treatment

Is My Root Canal Linked to My Cancer?

Hi there,

I am in remission from a bout with cancer, and trying desperately to stay that way. I recently learned that getting root canals can be linked to cancer. A documentary I saw recommended extraction instead of saving the tooth via root canal treatment. I had a root canal about 10 years ago, and am now terrified it may cause my cancer to come back. Will  a dentist be willing to remove the tooth? Should I have opted for an extraction over a root canal back then? Honestly, I would feel better with it out at this point.

Zarya, from St. Petersburg, FL

 

Hi Zarya,

You probably could find a dentist to remove the tooth. However, the dentist would likely be doing it to calm your nerves, not because it is  a cancerous ticking time bomb. A general dentist can do the procedure, or you can look for a holistic dentist in your area. A holistic dentist takes your entire body’s health into consideration when recommending treatment.

The documentary you saw may have been focused more on fear-mongering than accuracy. As you probably learned,  teeth requiring root canals have bacteria present. A root canal removes the bacteria, and seals the tooth, so it cannot become filled with bacteria again. More recent studies show that patients who receive root canals are healthier, and even at a lower risk of cancers. The documentary you saw likely referenced an old, outdated study that has not been replicated, yet is still causing panic and worry.

Good oral health is linked to good heart health, so taking care of your teeth is necessary to a healthy body. Being concerned about your oral health is important to keeping your body healthy. However, you do not need to worry so much. Your past root canal did not cause your cancer, nor will it cause it to come back. Getting it extracted is up to you and your dentist.

This blog post is brought to you by Scottsdale dentist and root canal provider, Dr. Hillary Peck, of Peck Family Dentistry.

 

Affordable Dentist, Emergency Dentist

Can’t Afford to Get Infected Tooth Removed

Hello,

I think I have a dental emergency. One of my teeth is throbbing with pain. I think I need a root canal, however, I cannot afford one. Should I wait to see a dentist when I can, or go see an emergency dentist immediately? It is really painful, I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with the swelling.

Mallick, from Trenton, New Jersey

 

Hi Mallick,

If it is swelling that much, you need immediate assistance. If you cannot go see your dentist, you will need to see someone who can do your root canal. If you cannot afford this, you will need to go see an emergency dentist.

If you do not see an emergency dentist for the infection, you run the risk of the infection spreading. An oral infection can spread to the heart or brain, and once it does, it can cause severe consequences and even death.

Also, do not take antibiotics without a treatment plan. The overuse of antibiotics can cause side effects, such as leading to treatment-resistant infections. Once the infection can no longer be treated with antibiotics, it will become more dangerous and more difficult to eradicate.

This blog post is brought to you by Phoenix emergency dentist, Dr. Hillary Peck, of Peck Family Dentistry.