My teeth are crooked and twisted in same direction and tooth is broken off
Q. Hi, I have a question about treatment for a problem with my lower teeth – the four between the incisors on the lower jaw. They’ve always been crooked, all of them are twisted in the same direction. I always brush twice a day at least, however, I still have had problems. Whilst brushing I felt a piece of what felt like tooth come out. I checked and I noticed a yellow buildup all along the inside of them 4 teeth. And the tooth which part of came away from now feels broken from the bottom of it and sharp. It feels as if the lower quarter of the tooth has just come off. Also, the yellow deposits will not brush off at all. I have no idea why I have these as I always brush a minimum of twice a day. perhaps it’s because the crookedness stops the brush from reaching there. My question was two-fold:1) What can be done for the tooth which has been chipped away?
2) What is the yellow buildup on the teeth? 3) As a long term solution, can braces be used to straighten the teeth and to ensure that there aren’t any nooks for nasty stuff to build up in?
4) What would be the cost of such treatment?
5) How much of a tooth has to chip off before there’s a risk of it falling out?.. Thanks very much for your time.
A. The yellow deposit that has fallen off the neck of your tooth is calculus ( hardened food ). It has developed over time due to food been left behind your lower teeth that has calcified. Some people develop calculus quicker than others and some areas ( especially crooked teeth) can be especially a problem to clean. If you did keep this area meticulously clean the calculus would not develop. You have 2 things you may want to do:
1. Visit a dental hygienist to have the calculus removed and been shown how to keep the area clean. You will be amazed at just how precise you need to be to keep this are clean and how necessary it is to clean between the teeth with something like floss or interdental brushes.
2. Have your teeth straightened with a brace. This will certainly make this area easier to clean. I guide to the cost is that it can range from about £1500 to £5000 depending what is needed to done. However you would need to get an estimate from your dentist or orthodontist as costs can vary.
Dr Julian Caplan – Director on the board of the BACD
Aviva Cosmetic Dentistry
101 St Peters Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3EN
Web: www.avivacosmeticdentistry.co.uk Tel: 01727 854429
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Dr Caplan
Tags: chipped tooth
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Dr Caplan's Answers, Experts Answers, Q. Broken teeth.
1) The tooth that has chipped away can easily be fixed with white filling or a porcelain veneer.
2) The yellow build up on your teeth is tartar. It is hardened plaque and is very difficult to remove by brushing alone. All adults get a build of tartar even though they brush their teeth. For you it is harder because your teeth are crowded. You need to see a hygienist to remove the tartar. All of my patients see the hygienist every 3-6 months to make sure tartar build up is removed and the gums don’t become inflammed. It is a very simple treatment and can take from 20 mins to 1 hour.
3) braces are a very good, non destructive treatment to correct crowding. However after treatment you will still get tartar build on the backs of the lower front teeth and I would recommend that you see a hygienist at least every six months.
4) Your lower tooth won’t fall out because it has chipped. It can however break off at the gum margin if a lot of force is put on it but by the sound of things your chip seems like it can be fixed easily.
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