Thanks for visiting my blog. It is my dental patients in the Palm Beach Gardens area and others beyond with useful information regarding dental hygiene and related matters. So, if you have information to share or questions to ask, please bookmark this web site and check back frequently.

      Here’s a useful tip for those of you who travel and have a loose temporary or permanent crown with no available dentist. 

      It is very important that the temporary is kept on the preparation while you are waiting for your permanent one to be made.  It keeps the surrounding teeth from shifting as well as protecting the tooth from sensitivity.  What are you to do if it comes out?  You will more than likely have toothpaste with you.  All you have to do is remove any remaining cement and dry the inside of the temporary off.  The temporary goes back on the tooth in only one way so try placing it back on the prepared site for a practice fitting.  When you are confident it is placed the proper way, dry it out again and then place a small amount of toothpaste in it.  The tricky part is drying off the prepared site and keeping it dry while you place the temporary back on.  GENTLY press down on the temporary until it rests all the way down and is aligned with the surrounding biting surfaces.  Here’s the Caveat….this fix is only  temporary and it will come back out if you eat sticky foods; this includes bread.  If you are careful, it should hold until you get to a dentist the next day to have it properly cemented.  You don’t want to swallow it so be careful. 

     There are products available at the pharmacy that will temporarily cement a crown but you must clean ALL old cement out of the temporary and you must place it accurately on the prepared site, for if you do not, when the cement dries you will have a crown that is not in alignment and when you bite down you will not be able to close the teeth properly causing a very sore jaw.  

Either techique can be used on permanent or temporary crowns.

I recently read an article in Dental Economics by Dr. Joe Blaes about the new camera offered by Carestream Dental. It is located in the 2010 pearls. I have had a long history with Carestream aka Kodak aka trophy/Softdent especially with their cameras. In 2004,I bought the upgraded camera from them and it never worked well. The drivers and software were always buggy. The photo quality was average at best and the driver constantly dropped. When I upgraded to new sensors in 2008, I was told the issues were all fixed and I would have no problems. Welllll!!! let me tell you it was just as bad as the first. (Kodak 1000). I have recently upgraded to the new software to no avail. Now they want to sell me new sensors and the 1500 camera. I don’t think so!

Foreign object between teeth? Here’s the trick—Pick a piece of floss 1 foot long tie 2 knots approximately 4 mm. apart.  Floss between teeth and pull through. Not coming out? Then use floss threader between teeth at tissue level and pull up. Foreign body should then dislodge.

Some great information pertaining to the health of your teeth can be found on the Web MD web site under their Oral Health Center.  A wealth of information can be found including How To Floss Your Teeth The Right Way and Electronic Toothbrushes vs. Sonic Toothbrushes, information that could be invaluable during this gift giving season.