Tooth Sensitivity

If you feel a shooting pain through your teeth when you bite into something cold, that indicates a problem with your dental health. We’ve restored a lot of teeth at the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group in Austin, so we know the warning signs of deteriorating enamel. If you want to protect your teeth and their function, read on.

Natural teeth contain a nerve in their pulp. Dentin, a yellow-grey porous substance, surrounds the pulp, and heat can easily be transferred through it out of the nerve. The crown of the tooth is mostly made up of enamel, a thick mineral substance that insulates dentin, while the tooth root is made of cementum, a thin substance that helps the root adhere to gum tissue. If enamel erodes or gum tissue recedes, the tooth will be more sensitive to sudden changes in temperature.

Although it is possible for enamel erosion to result from mechanical stress, most instances are caused by exposure to acid. Oral bacteria secrete acid as they metabolize sugar, and the acid becomes stuck in the gum pocket and in a natural tooth’s biofilm. Patients will have to improve their brushing to reduce sensitivity and switch to toothpaste with extra fluoridation. If they have a partial denture, they may also want to consult with us to ensure they are cleaning it correctly. (Oral appliances should not be cleaned with fluoridated toothpaste or they may get scratched.) Patients should also avoid drinks that are acidic, such as soda and citrus juice.

Frederick Shaw, DDS, operates the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group at 1500 W 38^th Street, Suite 34, Austin, Texas, 78731. To schedule an appointment, call 512-451-7491 or visit Frederick Shaw DDS and fill out a contact form.

 

Cleaning Fixed Bridges

When we provide patients with replacement teeth at the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group, we hope that they will maintain the proper oral hygiene regimen to make their new teeth last. But there are many types of tooth replacements, and different techniques may have to be used. Let’s take a look at fixed bridges.

When a bridge is cemented to pontic teeth or supported by implants, the main concern is cleaning the area beneath the bridge. When bridges are supported by the surrounding teeth, the most common cleaning method is to thread a strand of floss under the bridge and loop it around. The patient will then slide the floss along each tooth surface and rub it along the underside of the bridge with a back-and-forth motion. The looping may be accomplished with a threader, such as the ones used with orthodontics, or with specialty floss that has a stiffened portion.

Implant supported bridges may be cleaned similarly, but the larger spaces beneath the bridge may also make the use of a proxy brush desirable. (Proxy brushes are the little ones shaped like Christmas trees.) Electric toothbrushes and Waterpiks are also now being manufactured with special tips for cleaning implants.

Frederick Shaw, DDS, operates the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group at 1500 W 38^th Street, Suite 34, Austin, Texas, 78731. To schedule an appointment, call 512-451-7491 or visit FrederickShawDDS.com and fill out a contact form.

 

How to Clean Dentures

At the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group, we’ve fitted many patients with dentures and helped them maintain their new sets of teeth. Not being living tissue, dentures cannot self-repair like natural body parts and need special care.

Removable dentures need to be kept moist, but they could warp if they are put in hot water. Room temperature water or a specially made cleaning solution is best. A person with dentures should continue to regularly brush their gums and tongue, but dentures should not be brushed with conventional toothpaste. Like natural teeth, they should only be brushed with a soft-bristled brush and there are certain denture-specific toothpastes to use with them. Ultrasonic cleaners are useful but are a supplement for brushing, not a replacement. Patients should remember to brush the underside of a denture before reinserting it, and quickly inform a doctor if a denture or abutment used to support it becomes damaged.

Frederick Shaw, DDS, operates the Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group at 1500 W 38^th Street, Suite 34, Austin, Texas, 78731. To schedule an appointment, call 512-451-7491 or visit FrederickShawDDS.com and fill out a contact form.