Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could refer me to a good dentist in boulder Colorado. I have a lot of dental work that needs to be done. Two root canals 15 & 30, several cavities some composite (8,9,22,23,24,25, 14,12,11,7,2,4) and a deep clean due to severe tartar around teeth (20- 17)

The best way to find a good dentist is to ask friends, family, co-workers and neighbours.
You could also check RateMD.com You will find comments from patients of dentists in Boulder there.

Hi!

It is not in Colorado, but still very excellent, my aunt has just been there and is really satisfied! In Hungary, the empireclinic! I think a check up is worth it..
Bests
Rusty

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to Flossie and Rusty's recomindation I went to the dentist today for x-rays and a treatment plan (they wouldn't clean my teeth becaue of the state their in). I have a bunch of questions about my treatment plan.

1. I had two deep cavities filled when I was a child teeth (15 & 30) now they have severe decay again. In order to save these teeth I need two molar root canals then crowns the dentist suggested gold crowns but obviously people will be able to notice I have crowns but he said they are more stable. Thoughts?

2. I need multiple fillings. On my front teeth I have 8 cavities that will need composite fillings (he said the fillings will stain if I drink coffee, tea or wine which I love) so he suggested veneers. Thoughts?

3. Most of my other teeth minus 10,14,21 need fillings. He wants to do these all at once. Won't that be painful. He also said my top molars that need filled could be deep (he won't know how deep until he goes in and fills once he is in there he may need to perform a root canal) Does that sound right I thought they could tell the depth of a cavity by x-ray.

4. Tooth 22 has a 5mm pocket and root loss plus a cavity he wants to extract the tooth and replace with an implant. He said the tooth isn't worth keeping because it is severely sensitive to hot and cold now and will probably result in another root canal. Thoughts?

5. He also said I need a deep clean in all quadrants of my mouth due to severe tartar. Followed by a regular cleaning but none of this can be performed until the cavities and decay are taken care of. Why is that?

PS: My teeth hurt more now then ever and all he did was x-ray and exam any thoughts as to why.

Thanks for all your advice.

Hi Runner,
My thoughts...

1. Gold crowns are stronger, healthier and less tooth structure needs to be removed. Full gold crowns are generally recommended for molar teeth. If you are concerned that the gold will show, ask the dentist to have a porcelain front put on the cheek surface but keep the biting surface gold.

2. Yes, composite fillings will stain in time. These veneers are not a priority for you right now. I'd suggest have the composites placed on these teeth, add milk to your tea, cream to your coffee and switch to white wine:)
Composite fillings have come a long way in the past years and they are not as porous as they once were.
Use a toothpaste like Crest's Vivid White to help control the staining.

3. Can't always tell how much decay is there with an x-ray. What he is seeing is that it is close to the nerve. If, when he's cleaning the decay out and the nerve gets exposed, then a root canal will be needed. Sometimes they will place a sedative dressing to see if the tooth is going to cause problems. If it doesn't, then a filling is placed without a root canal.

4. Is the tooth loose? If not, keep the pocket clean (5mm IS reversible). If you were my family member I'd leave the tooth where it is. An implant can be placed at any time. I'd go for the root canal, it could buy you a number of years.

5. If you have open areas of decay it makes it difficult to do a thorough cleaning. If you need quadrant scaling why don't you schedule the scaling the same day he does work in a particular quadrant.
My feeling in regards to this is that having healthy gums can make the restorations easier to do as the DDS doesn't have to deal with bleeding caused by unhealthy gums.

PS: He's been poking around with a periodontal probe and explorer. Take some Tylenol and you should be more comfortable.

I hope this helped.

Thanks for your response flossie.

I have the two root canals scheduled for tomorrow I decided to go with gold crowns. Is there anything I should be aware of going into the root canals?

Two weeks after the root canals I have all the fillings scheduled. I am thinking of taking the day off work as they are filling all but 5 of my teeth. Thoughts?

Then 3 weeks after that I am getting root scalling and planning on tooth 22 and a possible root canal with a porcelin cap.

Then 4 weeks after that I am getting a full mouth deep clean they said this will take 5 hours yuck.

Then finally 6 weeks after that I have my regular dental cleaning.

I was wondering if there was anything I should do to prepare for all this dental work.

Thanks for all your advice

Hi Runner,

The only thing I might suggest is perhaps taking a couple of Advil prior to the appointments. Ideally you should wait about 3-6 months after root canals are done before going ahead with the crowns. You want to be sure that the tooth is OK before going ahead with the investment of crowns. That being said, root canalled teeth are always at risk of failing and eventually having to be retreated or extracted.

Curious... how deep were your pockets and how much bleeding was noted when you had the periodontal charting (pockets measured) done?:confused:

A good power toothbrush like the Oral B Triumph is a good choice to maintain the gums, teeth and margins of the crowns. The Oral B "floss action" brush head works great for reducing stain.

Crest's ProHealth toothpaste and mouthwash are also good products to use to help the gums stay healthy or if you'd prefer something more holistic go to a paste that contains tea tree oil like Thursday's Plantation or Melaleuca's tooth polish.

You should also become very good friends with dental floss or an alternative like Sunstar's SoftPicks or GoBetweens.

After your treatments are done be sure to let your dentist know if something doesn't feel right. You may not notice a problem until you are home and the freezing is out but call to let him/her know. Sometimes a slight adjustment to a filling can make all the difference to your comfort.

Good luck and Congratulations... you are on your way to better health! :)

Hi,

I just had the two root canals done. The dentist said they were more complicated as most of my tooth was decayed. He also said he is not sure if they will take there is only 1/3 of the tooth left that is not decayed on tooth 15 and 1/6 on tooth 30. I have temorary crowns for a month to see if the teeth give me anymore problems he says if they do I will need to get both extracted. Is there nothing else he can do to save the teeth?

Flossie to answer your question my right top had pockets 8mm. Right bottom pockets 6mm. Left top pockets 9mm and left bottom pockets 7mm. What does that mean?

Also Flossie thanks for your advice on home care is there an alternative to flossing? I absolutely hate to floss and having my fingers in my mouth gives me canker sores.

Runner,

In regards to "pockets" healthy pockets are between 1mm and 3mm. The higher the number the more serious the disease. It's good that you are having quadrant scaling!
Remember, the pockets can reverse and get healthier with the scaling and your home care. The idea is to get the pockets to a point that will be easy for you to manage at home.

You really should invest it a waterpik and Oral B Triumph brush. If flossing isn't for you, try the Soft Picks or Go Betweens as I mentioned in my previous post.

The teeth that had the root canals... time will tell. If they were so badly decayed that there wasn't much tooth structure left you may very well end up losing them.

Thanks for your advice Flossie. I will buy the soft picks and try them. Should I use them ASAP or wait until my cavities are filled?

Just a update on my root canals. I can't tell if they are bothering me or my other teethache but I have a pretty severe toothache on the right side of my mouth and am currently taking 600mg of Ibuprofin to releave. Any thoughts?

The tooth that had the root canal could just be letting you know it's not too happy with all the filing and reaming that was done today. Continue with the Ibuprofin and if it's not feeling better in the morning call your dentist. If the pain gets worse as the night progresses you should call your dentist.

You can start using the softpiks as soon as you get them. They will help keep the food and bacteria out from between your teeth in the mean time. You use them just like a toothpick and don't force them any further between the teeth than they will comfortably go.

I hope your night is uneventful dentally!

Thanks flossie!

Actually I am headed to the dentist now he thinks it is another large cavity that is bothering me on the tooth next to the root canaled tooth . I tried to brush my teeth today after lunch and the right side of my mouth hurt to brush so he said to come in ASAP. I'm headed in soon. The receptionist said I might have food stuck in my cavity can this happen?

Yes food can get stuck but if it's probably been getting stuck before today. I'll be anxious to hear what the dentist says.

Hi Flossie,

The dentist said it was food getting stuck in my cavity next to the tooth with the root canal tooth 31. He cleaned out the food and filled the cavity he said it was really deep and large on 3 surfaces O,L&D. He said the filling probably won't be good enough and a root canal will most likely be necessary but he doesn't want to perform one until we know tooth 30 took. He also went through and cleaned out my other cavities but didn't fill them, this procedure hurt pretty bad. I didn't know dentists did this is that common practice? After the cavity cleaning he told me I should come back weekly to have it done until my teeth can be filled. Thoughts

What do you mean by "cleaned out" the cavities? Do you mean of food debris? If that's the case start using the softpicks, they will help with that plus a WaterPik with warm water on the lowest setting will also flush out the debris. What kind of fee is he going to charge for the weekly visits? I have honestly never heard of that being done.

How is the pain now?

I have no idea of the fee. Yes he cleaned the debris out of the cavities. I will try your suggestion.

On a plus note my root canals feel good so far.

He thinks he might be able to move up the date of my fillings thoughts? I am in very little pain now and it is coming from cavity sensitivity I think, I hope once my teeth are filled it will go away.

I'd take whatever appointments you are offered. You won't have to worry about getting food stuck in the holes where the decay is!

Just to update. I went in today for my fillings it took 5 hours to fill all my teeth. My mouth is still numb but my teeth look much better. He did say I need 5 more root canals due to deep cavities, I have 2 scheduled every week for the next 3 weeks. Four of the root canals are molar and one is on tooth 25 fun fun fun! On a plus note he thought the root canals he performed last week were looking good but he said we won't be able to tell until my mouth isn't numb and my other root canals are taken care of.

WOW! Be careful what you eat tonight! You might experience some temperature sensitivity and remember when the freezing comes out if your bite doesn't feel right get back in for him to adjust it.

My numbing is gone and my bite feels great. I do however experience a lot of heat sensitivity in my molars. Is this because of the root canals needed? Also my front tooth that needs a root canal is still black at the bottom by the gum and on one of the sides by the gum is this normal? The dentist also called today and would like to get me in quicker for root scalling on tooth 22, what does root scalling entail and why the rush to get this done?

Runner,
I have no idea why the rush. It sounds like this dentist doesn't have a very full schedule if he can get you in for 5 hours at a time and move appointments up OR he gets a lot of cancellations.
Root scaling or root planing is the debriding of the root surfaces in order promote reattachment of healthy tissue. Usually they will freeze the area if the pockets are really deep (6mm or deeper), use hand scalers or ultrasonic/piezo scalers and sometimes irrigate with an antibacterial solution.

Is it normal to experience a lot of heat sensitivity in my molars. Is this because of the root canals needed? Also my front tooth that needs a root canal is still black at the bottom by the gum and on one of the sides by the gum is this normal?

The tooth that is black is probably because the tooth had been dead for some time.

Give the teeth that are sensitive some time to settle down. The filling is probably sitting very near the nerve. You should know better if root canals are needed within the next few weeks.

Tooth number 25 and 31 root canals done today. I'm not numb anymore but he doesn't think tooth 25 will work, severe decay and little to no tooth structure that isn't dead left. He did the canal work anyway and put on a temporary crown. Two more root canals next week. On a plus note my teeth are starting to not hurt. Still have some sensitivity on the back bottom right will see if that goes away after this root canal if not will need to extract some molars. FUN FUN FUN.

You should have a chair dedicated to you by the time you are done Runner!

Two more root canals today. He said that tooth 25 will need an extraction as well as tooth 30. One more root canal next week and extracting tooth 25. I can't wait until this is all over.

I can't believe that it's all been done in just over a month! Your dentist must be thrilled with you as his patient!

I had the last root canal and the extraction today, and I am in severe pain from the extraction. He put in a temporary until the implant comes in but my gums are swollen and tooth 24 now looks black on the sides. He did mention that I will need to come back for some bite wing x-ray's as tooth 24 might have a cavity. Why all the pain, when will it go away and why didn't he see the cavity initially?

If there is no tooth beside tooth 24 he should be able to see a cavity without a bitewing. The tooth could be black if the tooth that was removed had an amalgam filling between it and 24, sometimes you can get leeching of the amalgam onto a non filled tooth.

What do you mean he put in a temporary? Did he put it in the extraction site? Temporary what? Why would he not have the implant in the office ready to be inserted on the day of the extraction? Did it need a bone graft done first?

Rinse gently with warm salt water but just let the water run out of your mouth, DON'T SPIT!

He said he saw the cavity in tooth 24 but wanted a bitewing to see how deep. Yes I need a bone graft. Now he is saying a root canal on tooth 24. AHHH

WOW! I would love to see these x-rays!

All right all the root canals are finally done! Bone graft done. Now I go in today at 3pm for a cleaning and more x-rays wish me luck hopefully no more cavities

Good luck! I hope all goes well!

WEll it was better then the first time I had x-rays but he still found 3 cavities no root canals but need 3 more fillings. I want to rip out my teeth.

See if you can get your hands on some Oravive toothpaste. It will help remineralize any weak spots you have on your teeth. Ask your dentist about it. The other toothpastes you can try are Novamin, Restore or MI Paste.

Thanks Flossie,

I had the fillings done about a month ago and know I am experiencing pain in some of my teeth again on the top left. I have a dentist appointment in an hour to see what this pain is from however I think I have more cavities. Is there anyway the dentist could have missed the cavities in the initial x-rays? The reason I think the cavities are present is my friend who is a hygenist looked at my teeth and said she saw black spots.

Hi Runner,

What did the dentist say? Are there more cavities?
If there are, what are you eating and drinking? How many hidden sugars are you consuming every day?
Were you able to find MI paste?

Hi Flossie,

The dentist said I did have 4 more cavities and they were all new. AHHH. I drink manly coffee, water and 1/2 a glass of juice a day. I eat really healthy as I am a vegetarian however I eat a lot of fruit. Yes I was able to find the toothpaste. Also today I started noticing brown on 3 of my lower teeth near the gum line any idea what this could be?

Runner,
Are you taking any medications that cause your mouth to be dry? It sounds like the new spots you are talking about could be root caries. You need to be using a daily fluoride rinse or have your dentist make trays for you to apply topical fluoride at home on a regular basis. Try the MI paste between now and your next regular visit and see if things settle down.
Be sure you follow the directions for its use to a T.

FLossie,

What are root caries and how are they treated. I am using ACT floride is that good enough? I have the fillings scheduled for tomorrow on the four new cavities. I was going to point out the brown spots then.

Hi Runner,

Here is a link showing root caries (decay). If you are STILL getting a lot of decay discuss with your dentist the option of having fluoride trays made so you can give yourself fluoride treatments at home on a regular basis. If you continue to use the ACT be sure you are using it as directed, swishing for no less than one minute either once or twice a day (depending on the type) AFTER brushing AND flossing. Try to avoid the cinnamon flavouring as it causes the mouth to dry.

Here is the link:Root Caries (http://rootcaries.com/default.aspx)

The brown on the teeth were due to cavities in the roots I am having one tooth extracted and two more root canals. Also I am having a filling looked at in my last botton right molor because it is very sensitive. Also I asked the dentist for fluoride trays and he will make a mold of my teeth and provide them to me. He said the roots cavities were due to poor brushing after the quadrent scaling (so I guess this one is my fault).

You wouldn't have gotten decay that quickly after the quadrant scaling. Also, did they not go over proper brushing with you before or at the quadrant scaling appointment?
If you have issues with your mouth feeling dry a lot of the time you should consider using gum or mints that contain xylitol.

It sounds like you are paying for your dentists new car or winter vacation! :)

Flossie they did not go over proper brushing with me is it different then how you would normally brush after quadrant scaling?

What brand of gum contains xylitol?

Also I am thinking about getting denters. What are the pro's and con's.

The dentist said that when he filled the cavity in the bottom right molar it was really deep and he wasn't sure if the filling would be sensitive he is suggesting another root canal. Also he is suggesting a dental cleaning every 3-months thoughts?

Runner,

I'd suggest you purchase an Oral B Triumph power brush if you don't have one already. This is the one I highly recommend Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide Electric Toothbrush (http://www.oralb.com/en-CA/products/pc9900/)

SPRY is a gum or mint with xylitol in it. It is available in the pharmacy area of your store. There is another one called ZAPP but I'm not sure if you have to buy it online but it IS made in the USA.

After all the dental work you have had done why on earth would you consider dentures now?? :confused::eek: You really need to figure out what it is that is causing your decay problem.
If you like, you can PM me and I can see what I can do to help figure out where the problem lies.

If the filling has been done and you aren't experiencing any sensitivity that could be a good thing. A tooth can be sensitive for a few weeks when a filling has been placed that is close to the nerve so if you can put up with any sensitivity you may have for a few weeks you may find it will settle down on its own and a root canal could be avoided.:D

I would love to PM you to dicuss where my decay problem lies. Can you please tell me how to do that.

Click on my name and the drop bar gives you options. Click on send private message.