Root Canal vs Extraction: How the Decision Gets Made
The short answer. The root canal vs extraction decision comes down to one question: can this tooth be restored so it lasts? MouthHealthy, the American Dental Association’s patient site, says root canals are used to repair and save a tooth instead of removing it, and MedlinePlus says that, depending on the source of infection and […]
Root Canal Retreatment: What It Means When a Treated Tooth Hurts Again
The short answer. Root canal retreatment is a second round of treatment on a tooth that has already had a root canal. The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) says a treated tooth can become painful or diseased “months or even years after treatment,” and that retreatment is a second chance to save it. Pain in […]
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last, and What Shortens Them
The short answer. How long do dental crowns last? MedlinePlus says most should last at least 5 years and can last as long as 15 to 20, and our crowns and bridges page says 10 to 15 years or more with good hygiene. Both are ranges, because a crown is a cover and the tooth […]
Adjusting to New Dentures: Your First Month, Honestly
The short answer. Adjusting to new dentures in the first month means a few awkward weeks: a denture that feels loose while your cheeks and tongue learn it, extra saliva, some soreness, and speech that feels different. The American Dental Association says the loose feel, extra saliva and minor soreness are not unusual and should […]
Tooth Extraction Recovery Timeline: Hour by Hour and Day by Day
The short answer. A tooth extraction recovery timeline is predictable for most people: bleeding slows within hours, swelling and soreness peak around day two or three, pain steps down over the first week, and the gum closes over in one to two weeks. The useful question is what counts as off the curve: bleeding that […]
Dry Socket Prevention: The One Complication Worth Planning Around
The short answer. Dry socket prevention is one job: keep the blood clot in the socket for the first few days. Everything on the aftercare sheet, no straws, no smoking or vaping, no hard spitting or swishing, soft food, gentle rinsing only when told to, is the same rule in different clothes, because suction can […]
Cracked Tooth: Emergency or Not? How to Sort It Today
The short answer. Whether a cracked tooth is an emergency or not is decided by three things, and none of them is how big the crack looks. Is there pink or blood in the break, meaning the nerve is exposed? Does the piece or the tooth move? Does it hurt when you let go of […]
A Knocked-Out Tooth: What the First 30 Minutes Decide
The short answer. With a knocked out tooth, the first 30 minutes are spent protecting the root, not the tooth you can see. Pick it up by the crown, never the root. Do not scrub it, and do not let it dry. If it is an adult tooth and you can, set it back in […]
Why Dentures Stop Fitting and What a Denture Reline Does
The short answer. Dentures stop fitting because the gum and bone under them keep changing shape after the teeth are gone, while the denture stays exactly the shape it was made. The denture did not change. The ridge under it did. A denture reline resurfaces the fitting side so it matches the ridge you have […]
Dental Swelling: When to Go to the ER and When to Call the Dentist
The short answer. Dental swelling decides when to go to the ER: some of it can wait for a call to the office, and some of it cannot. Swelling that stays on the gum next to one tooth is a call to the dental office today. Swelling that closes an eye, runs under the jaw […]