I am starting to lose the enamel on my front tooth.  What are my options?
123936
The best solution would be for you to see your dentist so he or she can do an evaluation and go over different treatment options with you.  The cause of the problem needs to be discovered.. is it because you are brushing too hard?  It's possible it can be fixed with a simple filling or may need a veneer or a crown.
299414
I don't know how old you are, my advice assumes you are at least 16. If you are not afraid of blood, try this: buy a tooth cleaner (its a metal hook). Carefully examine the sides of your lower teeth for a color difference, tartar is slightly whiter than the enamel. Pick at the whitish spot, it will come loose as a hard piece. Once you get a hang of the difference betwe. enamel and tartar, you can now probe deeper. Be sure not to scratch the enamel only, look at the surface structure. Be careful now, it should not take too much pressure to lift the white pieces out. Never press in the direction of your mouth, use counterpressure to guard against slipping.\n\nI am providing this only bec. a NIH study found that when dental hygienist use power tools for tooth cleaning, they use excessive velocity. Given that, it is ethical to at least let you experiment with caution. \n\nUnrelated:\nDid you like the Futurama tubes ? Lets make them real, go to http://www.hallisystem.bravehost.com Write us!
477356
i would consult an attorney...it sounds like the dentist who killed your tooth owes you alot more than a root canal...thats your front tooth!!!!!\ndon't say anything else or sign anything until you have called an attorney...please
200114
It is crucial that you go back and have your peridontal maintenance done in 3 mos!I don't know the severity of your infection,but your hygienist or dentist will remeasure your periodontal pockets and chart you healing.Dental floss can only go as deep as 4mm,so even after your are first deep scaled,areas of over 4mm will exist.Basically your homecare is missing millimiters of bacteria(millions upon millions of anaerobic pathogens),so another thorough deplaqueing in needed until you readings are 0-4mm.Now I do feel that $180 is a bit high for a perio. maintenance visit,but I live in the south where our fees are less.There is a great product called Arestin,where we place antibiotic directly into any unhealed pockets.It greatly increases your chance of healing and may reduce your need for surgery later.Ask if your office does Arestin therapy.Make sure your dental provider is willing to explain your periodontal disease to you completely,I get the feeling you were not informed of the WHY you needed the 3 mos. cleaning interval.If you are not satisfied,go elsewhere or seek the help of a periodontist(gum disease specialist).80% of tooth loss today is due to gum disease not decay,so it is a serious problem!!It also affects over 80% of people over age 35.Invest in an excellent electric brush such as the Sonicare or Oral B triumph,they remove much more plaque than and manual brush.Also you may get an electric flosser such as the oral b hummingbird or reach access flosser to help you floss more efficiently.
46384
mineral defficiency,bad diet,drinking colas and softdrinks and too much coffee can start wearing down tooth enamel.Your dad needs to make sure he is getting adequate calcium through a variety of non-dairy sources.Such as figs,soybeans,fortified juices,or fortified non-dairy milks,sesame seeds,broccoli and other green vegetables.He can also take a high qaulity calcium/magnesium supplement and a good multi-vitamin/mineral.Stop brushing teeth with flouride and replace with an herbal toothpaste that is flouride free.
358099
well. white fillings are bonded in. silver ones are held in by undercuts so you dentist felt it would hold better. if it is that big, you needed a crown not a filling. anyway....it sounds like you fractured your tooth, if so and the fracture goes to pulpal floor (where crown meets roots) it is nonrestorable. even a root canal wont help. go back to your dentist.
119985
Stop smoking would be the most logical explanation.\nTry also using baking soda as a toothpaste. Just add a little bit of water to the baking soda forming a thick paste and scrub away.\nI would be hesitant on doing this on a daily basis because it is very abrasive and can cause enamel wear.\n1 day a week won't kill you though\nAnd don't listen to that girl who put rinse with hydrogen peroxide....\nthat can cause you papillae on your tongue to elongate and cause 'black harry tongue' if used long term.\nHydrogen peroxide is used as a mouth rinse in very rare instances but definitely not for whitening purposes, \nBeware!! don't listen to a secretary!
100718
yea you can go to the dentist, but its expensive.  just use crest white strips and whiting toothpaste and whitening gum.
676962
I would go see another dentist and get a second opinion.  There are other options out there, yes you may have to wait until you are older to put crowns on those teeth.  But I would ask about other options..  Good luck
440291
try another dentist... sounds like this one is not giving you the comfort you need....another thing you can stop getting cavities by: cutting out sugar and soft drinks, or at least go sugar free and diet drinks, brushing and flossing are most important at night before you go to bed. good luck
115729
I already answered this one, talk to your dentist for advice.
229390
Floss and brush carefully... If you can't take them away, is the best choice =)
274358
yes\n\nDepending on severity,  You can fill in a chipped spot with composite.   Teeth affected by florosis are tricky, mild cases just look too white,  chalky white,  some times the teeth are brown.  In extreme cases there is a breakdown of the tooth which has nothing to do with cavities or decay,  it's purely structural integrity of the enamel that is falling apart.\n\nWhat you have to remember and be careful here.  Is that the teeth while ugly are not in urgent need of repair, unles it is decay.   I have some young persons with 7 to 8 teeth molars inscissors etc.  falling apart.  We crown the most severely damaged teeth, and bond only the mildly affected teeth. the first year we crown the two worst and then the next year one or two more, and so on.  \n\nIf a dentist tells you to do everything at once and you can afford it.  Get a second opinion.
515964
talk to your dental doctor tell him that you need alternatives for operation if he think that he can control the situation without using operation he wont do any operation..But if the problem have increased very much that means you gotta do the operation...
600769
I'm going to guess it was Prevident 5000, a high concentration fluoride toothpaste.  The other toothpaste you could alternate with is Mentadent Replenshing White, as it restores calcium phosphate to the enamel, which is lost when there is less saliva. Maybe use the replenshing white toothpaste in the morning and the prevident 5000 at night.
615760
had a fall as a kid and broke my front incisor. It turned black as the nerve went dead and later on as a teenager had a root canal done and got a crown fixed. The first crown lasted me for 5 years. Had to get it removed coz the root canal had to be redone. the crown I got fixed after that has a metal on the back side and enamel only on the front. That has lasted me for the last 15 years without any hassles. I do have to get it redone now because the enamel has turned yellow with the passage of time.\n\nGo for crowns if you really want to. A suggestion though: \n\nCheck out the link I have given, maybe some other  procedure could be more beneficial for you than a crown.\n\ngood luck
143750
Use (the thick type) Unwaxed dental floss, it'll do the trick.