Natural Smiles Root Canal

The Cracked Tooth Dilemma The incidence of what we call ‘cracked teeth’ is quite high in Trinidad and Tobago. Cracked teeth present with a variety of symptoms with the most common being extreme pain when chewing. Another common complaint is pain to different temperature extremes. The problem with cracked teeth is that it goes undiagnosed in most cases. For one, cracks of the tooth crown cannot be detected on regular dental x-rays. Secondly, cracks when present on the tooth are not always easy to detect, especially with the naked eye. Therefore, when patients (who have cracks) present with severe symptoms of pain when chewing or temperature extremes, root canal treatment is often initiated without knowledge of a crack or cracks being present. The unfortunate result of this most commonly would be failure of the root canal treatment. This usually presents as persistent pain or recurrent abscesses/infection after root canal treatment has been completed. Case 1 In this first ex...

Knocked out tooth – What to do It is not uncommon for accidental injuries to the dentition to occur during your child’s developmental years, especially if they take part in sports or with ‘rough’ play. But these can sometimes result in a knocked out tooth which should be managed appropriately. Whether your child loses a baby tooth or a permanent tooth, parents can help by knowing what to do. Here are a few guidelines that will help should your child suffer this injury: Rule #1 :   Stay calm  and comfort your child since they most likely will be frantic. Knocked out Tooth at a Tender Age – Baby Teeth There’s no need to panic too much. Just have your child rinse their mouth with water and then apply a cold compress (like a clean washcloth) to keep the swelling down and stop any bleeding. You may have them bite on sterile gauze to stop bleeding in the socket. A visit to the dentist is recommended depending on their age. If the underlying permanent tooth is not clo...