There are many reasons why people are referred to our practice. Listed below are the more common reasons.
Tooth Ache
Either decay in a tooth or leakage from around a restoration causes the dental pulp (nerve) to become inflamed. Such a tooth can be painful, especially to temperature changes, pressure from biting, touching the tooth, or sometimes the pain is spontaneous. If the episodes of pain has been present for days, or is severe and/or continuous, then probably the tooth is suffering from an irreversible pulpitis. Either root canal treatment[services/root-canal-treatment/] or extraction is recommended for these teeth. tooth ache
Dental Infection
When the dental pulp (nerve) inside the tooth dies then the space inside the roots (root canals) will inevitably become infected. The microbes in the root canals will leak out the end of the root causing an abscess. This may occur rapidly within days, or it may be slow taking a year or longer for an abscess to appear. The symptoms from a tooth like this may vary from severe pain, swelling of the face, systemic illness including a fever, difficulty in swallowing, to no symptoms at all other than a draining point beside the tooth.
Dental Trauma
Dental trauma may cause a piece of tooth breaking away, to a tooth being knocked completely out of its socket (Avulsion) or being pushed out of position. In more severe cases the jaw may be broken. Usually the hospital will take care of more severe injuries, but a general dentist will see the common problems. If a tooth has been avulsed it may be able to be kept with quick and appropriate management. Please down load the free App called *Knocked Out* (available on both Android and Iphone).
Cracked Tooth
When a restoration (filling) is placed into a tooth then one corner or more may move independently when biting on the tooth. Not very commonly, this also occurs in a tooth with no restorations. The common complaint is a sharp pain when biting on hard food. This pain usually lasts only when biting down or releasing the bite. Sometimes a cracked tooth may cause irreversible pulpitis (an inflamed nerve) or even pulp necrosis (a dead nerve inside the roots). These cases will require either root canal treatment or extraction.
Chronic Pain
Long lasting pain can affect the mouth. This may have different causes and sometimes it is not related to any particular damaged or diseased tissue. It is important to eliminate inflammation or infections around teeth as a source of this pain. It is also important to avoid doing unnecessary treatment on such teeth in the hope that this will resolve chronic pain as it may make it worse. There are other dental specialists who may manage this type of pain, but it is important to eliminate other possible causes of this pain.
Dens in Dente
This is a term that is used to describe Dens Invaginatus or Dens Evaginatus. Both are unusual developmental abnormalities that result to unsual folding of the enamel and risk the dental pulp becoming diseased. These teeth can sometimes develop large lesions (abscess or cyst) without necessarily causing any prior symptoms. Root canal treatment is often necessary and sometimes a decompression technique as well. If the dens is spotted early the internal or external folding of the enamel can be fissure sealed to protect the dental pulp within the root.