Can my infected teeth be saved?

Hi I went to the dentist today as my gum was red and litlle bit swollen, dentist took an x-ray and told me that i have infection and they cannot treat it anymore as it is too late to do anything about it. She told me that we have to take two teeth out. Do you think there are any other ways to avoid tooth extraction? should I go to another dentist?
- Ella from the UK

Ella-
I don’t know if these two teeth are hopeless or not, but I can maybe be helpful.

Just because a tooth is infected and the gum is red doesn’t mean that it can’t be saved. Most cases of tooth infection can be treated - with root canal treatment, or gum disease treatment.

I am suspicious. If you have serious gum disease, I believe I would be hearing different things from you. Now I wasn’t there to hear what they told you, so I don’t know this. I’m just trying to plant questions to help you get more complete answers.In the case of serious gum disease, this should have been stated clearly, and there should have been a very direct discussion about what to do about ALL your teeth, not just two. If this isn’t what happened, then it means that either 1) you don’t have serious gum disease, and therefore these teeth don’t necessarily need to be extracted, or 2) they were negligent in dealing with your gum disease. So I would seek a second opinion.

Another link:
Naperville emergency dentist - Dr. Newkirk

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Lumineers and receding gums

I have a few teeth with receding gums. Can lumineers be made to cover up the exposed gums also if I have my teeth covered by lumineers?
- Jeri from Missouri

Jeri,
You have to be very careful about what dentist you will allow to do this, but with a highly artistic dentist, yes, you can use porcelain veneers to cover your teeth and make them look more natural when you have receding gums. When done right, your smile can be made to look more youthful and it won’t appear like you have receding gums. But it’s a situation where the cosmetic dentist needs a lot of experience with smile makeovers and a strong sense of artistry to be able to create a natural-looking result, because the exposed roots have to be camouflaged, long teeth have to be made to look shorter, and the dark triangles that usually occur with receding gums have to be dealt with.

And you asked about Lumineers, but I answered with the more generic term of porcelain veneers. Lumineers is a particular brand of porcelain veneers, and I believe there are better brands. So don’t get hung up over the brand name. In fact, I would stay away from dentists that promote themselves as “Lumineers” dentists. Most expert cosmetic dentists don’t like to use the Lumineers laboratory because it’s a large, impersonal laboratory. Especially for a case like yours, you will need a more customized approach.

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My dentist tells me I need gum disease treatment.

My dentist claimed that my bottom front teeth were slightly loose and he said this was due to bone loss. He stated that he wanted to perform a tooth bonding procedure on my lower teeth to strengthen them. I’ve been to other dentists and no one has commented on this problem before. Is this procedure proper for my problem. I am a 60 year old male. Thank you.
- Steven from New York

Steven,
My tendency would be to commend your dentist for being alert and checking the health of your gums and the bone support of your teeth. Not enough dentists do this.

You say that no one else has mentioned this problem before. But you are 60 years old, and most patients who are 60 have some degree of gum disease, with accompanying bone loss, so I’m not surprised. Gum disease progresses slowly throughout your life. It could be that it has just gotten worse on you recently and that is why no one else has mentioned it. Or it could be that your dentist is more conscientious about this than your other dentists.

The treatment he is recommending isn’t an awfully expensive treatment. He wants to splint the lower front teeth together so that they strengthen each other and resist becoming loose. This is an appropriate treatment in some situations where there is gum disease. I can’t tell you if it is the right treatment for you from this distance.  Unless your dentist has given you some reason to not trust him, I’d go ahead with it.

Related links:
Read about laser gum disease treatment
See the main web site of Seattle cosmetic dentist Dr. Brian McKay

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