Thomas Connelly

Almost all Veneers are porcelain. yes, there are other substances (like composite resin), but the comparison is not close. Porcelain lasts three times as long, and are easier to maintain. if you are getting veneers, get porcelain. They are more expensive, but in this case, it's well worth the $$...  Full Post

Yes - in two ways. The first way is, left unchecked, decay can indeed spread to the permanent tooth forming underneath (not to mention infection and the like.) But even more important are the habits that led to the decay of baby teeth in the first place - oftentimes, those bad habits (improper br...  Full Post

Sometimes there are. It depends on the dentist, and the extent of the problem. Some dentists are ok with trying a very large filling instead of a root canal (although most won't, because the success rate is not high.) The other alternative is removal of the tooth (which then can be replaced with

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A "root canaled" tooth is not a living tooth, and therefore, will always be a little weaker than the rest of your teeth. But that said, with proper oral care and a little common sense (let's not bite down on marbles and the like), a tooth with a root canal should last your lifetime, just like any...  Full Post

They are very successful (studies range anywhere from 85%, which I find low, to about 95%, which, in my experience, is spot on, like most things, you can probably find a study or a statistic to support what you already believed.) Once in a great while, we do run into a root canal that fails - oddly...  Full Post

Veneers are porcelain "slivers" that fit over your teeth. They can markedly improve the look of your smile, in several ways - they can make your smile brighter, more uniform, hide imperfections, and similar.

Here's a good analogy - Have you ever seen that bathroom improvement service that fits a

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Anyone with natural teeth is at risk for tooth decay. Thus, the only people not at risk are infants, and people with full dentures. Now, some people are at higher risk than others - kids who eat sweets might be more at risk than those who do not, but like most of us dentists say, brushing and flossing...  Full Post

It depends on how "complete" the word "complete" is. If it means all teeth will be removed and you will have dentures 100%, no, then a root canal would not be necessary. However, sometimes "complete" dentures still have an anchor tooth or two - if this is the case (and that tooth is the root canal...  Full Post

It depends on timeframe, and how much pain it is. it is very common to have "some" pain after a root canal. This pain will typically reside after a few days to perhaps a week (and truthfully, it shouldn't be that bad in the first place.) However, if you have BAD pain right after your root canal,...  Full Post

Root canals are generally caused by one of two things - trauma to the tooth (like from playing sports, an accident, etc.), or a cavity/decay that has been ignored. So prevention becomes obvious - you always can't "prevent" accidents, but you can certainly prevent cavities by brushing and flossing.

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Just about all dentists handle emergencies. But this is relative - if you are in an accident and go to the hospital, it's likely other areas of your body will get treated first.

That said, emergencies that we do handle in office may include a tooth breaking, a filling falling out, a bridge or crown

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No, not everyone does.

In years past, it does seem like everyone had dentures (I remember my grandparent's "teeth in the glass", which always creeped me out.) But no, losing your teeth is not something that is a given. In fact, your teeth should last a lifetime, provided you care for them. This means

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Flossing is using a piece of floss (essentially very thin string) to clean between your teeth and around the gumline. They also make bristle "flossers" that look like a toothpick with a bristled end.

Flossing is important because it cleans plaque and food particles from in-between teeth and the g

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Doctors of the Mouth we are! Our designations are DDS and DMD, and the first "D" in each stands for "Doctorate" (or Doctor).

We've had an equivalent amount of schooling (4 years for a Bachelor's degree, then 4 years of dental school), and are professionally licensed. As a group, we may privately

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Yes and no (I know, great answer...)

Yes, in that there is surgery available that can help restore gums. But wow, that sounds ugly, doesn't it? So other than what I just mentioned, no, you cannot "reverse" receding gums. But you may be able to stop them.

Talk to your dentist about your receding gums.

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