Reader Questions Answered
Canker Sores
Q: What do you recommend for mouth sores? A: Mouth sores or canker sores cause great pain and can interfere with daily lives. There is not much you can do to cure them, but to let your body heal them. While healing, you can try a few things to help relieve pain. In dental offices, your dentist can apply a little bit of topical anesthetic gel to numb the pain. Sometimes topical … [Read More...]
Root Coverage Surgery
Q: What is a root coverage surgery? What is Miller's classification? A: Root coverage surgery is a soft tissue grafting procedure that is done to cover exposed root surface. Root surfaces can become exposed (gingival recession) on the lip side of teeth either by brushing trauma or by inflammation. Exposed root surfaces can become abraded easily while brushing, prone to decay … [Read More...]
High Blood Pressure Medications
Q: What high blood pressure medications cause gum growth? A: The calcium channel blocking high blood pressure medications can cause gum growth or gingival over-growth. These medications disrupt the calcium ion passage through calcium channels. Examples of these drugs include Amlodipine (Norvasc), Barnidipine (HypoCa) Cilnidipine (Atelec, Cinalong, Siscard) Clevidipine … [Read More...]
Abscess from Crown Lengthening
Q: Is it possible to get an abscess from crown lengthening? A: Crown lengthening is a routine procedure done by periodontists or general dentists to create more tooth structure available for putting a cap on. Crown lengthening can also be done to correct gummy smile, by removing some gum tissues and exposing more of the tooth structure so that teeth will have esthetic appearance. Crown … [Read More...]
Oral Cancer Screening
Q: What is oral cancer screening? Do I need to see a dentist who is equipped with a special oral cancer screening device? A: Oral cancers can be deadly but if caught early they can be treated successfully, making oral cancer screening and early detection important. Oral cancer screening can be done with or without special screening devices. Special screening devices help clinicians detect … [Read More...]
Health News
Changes
Happy New Year! I have been making changes to this site. Keep checking back to see frequent updates. … [Read More...]
Jobs and Tips for Dentists
I learned that Dental Soul has gone through a transformation to a site where dentists and other dental professionals can post free ads and get practice management tips from the pros. Go check it … [Read More...]