Month: August 2024

How Long Do Dentist Appointments Take: Factors to Consider

Written by Dalesandro DMD on August 6, 2024. Posted in General, Cosmetic.

How long do dentist appointments take? Although the exact time depends on the dental procedure occurring, you can expect an average appointment to take somewhere around 52 minutes. For a general checkup and deep cleaning of teeth, 30 to 45 minutes is common.

Time is a concern for patients at the offices of Dr. Dalesandro & Associates. We understand your time is valuable. We’ll discuss some of the factors that affect your dental appointment time, helping you make an accurate estimate. Understand that our staff will do everything we can to provide a streamlined experience for you, all while keeping you comfortable.

General Dental Checkup

How long is a dentist appointment? A comprehensive dental exam during routine visits requires 30 to 45 minutes. You spend much of this time with the dental hygienist for the teeth cleaning process.

If you are experiencing particular problems with your oral health, the appointment time may be longer. If you need oral X-rays to look for dental issues, this could lengthen the appointment by a few minutes, too.

The general checkup typically includes:

A discussion of any oral health issues you’re noticing
A visual exam of your wisdom teeth and other teeth
X-rays (typically once per year)
A routine cleaning process for removing plaque and tartar
Additional brushing and rinsing as necessary for teeth and gums
Flossing the teeth to remove any remaining particles at the gum line
A fluoride treatment, which can include a foamy gel or a substance painted on the teeth

Finally, the dentist performs a thorough exam to address any areas of concern you have or areas the dental hygienist covers with you. As part of this thorough examination, the dentist may perform oral cancer screening and other screenings that weren’t part of the routine a few decades ago. However, they’re an important part of a modern general dental checkup that adds a few minutes to the exam time.

Cavity Fillings

If you need the dentist to fill a cavity for you, expect the process to take anywhere from about 20 minutes to an hour or more. The time required for this appointment depends in large part on the severity of the problem and on the number of cavities you need filled.

If you have deep cavities where the tooth decay is severe, the process takes longer as the dentist tries to protect the healthy part of the tooth. If you have multiple cavities, the dentist may need to apply multiple shots of numbing medication or local anesthetic. It could take longer for the medication to take effect in a situation like this.

If the cavities are in the back of your mouth where it’s difficult for the dentists to work, the process of filling cavities can take longer than normal.

Even though it can take longer to fill multiple cavities in one appointment, some patients prefer this option. The overall time required for the procedure in one appointment should be significantly less than multiple appointments to fill a single cavity each time.

How long do dentist appointments take to fill severe cavity problems? The oral hygienist can give you an estimate, taking the number of cavities you have and the depth of damage to the teeth into account.

Restorative Dentistry and Oral Surgery

If you are visiting your dental office for complex procedures, you can expect a single visit to take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, including treatment planning for certain procedures.

Some of these types of restorative procedures require more than one visit to the dentist’s office for follow-up care. Your dentist may need to take measurements for partial dentures or implants during one visit before installing them in subsequent visits.

For example, if you need a root canal, it can take 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the severity of the problem and how many rest breaks you need. Your treatment plan might require a second appointment after the root canal for the dentist to install a crown, which could take another 60 to 90 minutes.

Some of the most common types of restorative dental procedures and oral surgeries, as well as the length of time required in the dentist’s chair, include:

Broken tooth repair: 30 to 60 minutes
Crowns: 60 to 90 minutes (when made in-house)
Dental implants: 60 to 90 minutes
Periodontal gum disease treatment: 3 to 5 hours over multiple visits
Root canals: 30 to 90 minutes
Tooth extraction: 30 minutes
Wisdom tooth removal: 1 to 2 hours for all four wisdom teeth

Factors That Affect Times of Dental Exams

The time spent waiting in the dental office is frequently of concern to patients. Waiting too long can enhance dental anxiety.

At the dental offices of Dr. Dalesandro & Associates, we take every step possible to keep our dental exam appointments on time. We work hard to consistently beat the industry average time for dental practices of around 10 minutes of waiting room time for oral health patients.

Some of the ways you can speed up how long your dentist appointment takes include:

Arriving a few minutes ahead of your appointment, just in case you need to update contact data, your medical history, your patient history, or dental health insurance information.
Having up-to-date insurance cards with you when you arrive.
Alerting us ahead of time if you will be late for the appointment.
Calling us before the appointment if you are having any specific dental concerns for your teeth that you want to address, so we can prepare for the visit.
Following good oral hygiene practices for clean and healthy teeth and to avoid dental problems.

Let Us Show You How Our Office Procedures Streamline Your Dental Visit

How long do dentist appointments take? At Dr. Dalesandro & Associates, we understand that you want to receive the highest level of care in an expedient fashion. No matter what kind of oral health procedure you’re having done at our office, we promise to make the job go smoothly.

To book your next dental appointment, call us today at (520) 327-5993. Let us show you our level of professionalism and efficiency first-hand.

What Does an Abscessed Tooth Feel Like?

Written by drdalesandro on August 6, 2024. Posted in Teeth & Gums Problems, Restorative, Tooth Replacement.

If you are having severe pain in your mouth that you fear may indicate a tooth infection with an abscess, how seriously you should take the problem? Should you see your dentist? What does an abscess tooth look like? More importantly, what does it feel like?

An abscessed tooth may feel sensitive to temperature changes. You may notice pain not only in the tooth, but also spreading throughout the jaw. You may have redness and swelling along the gums and on your face near the affected tooth.

A dental abscess is nothing to ignore. At Dr. Dalesandro & Associates, we can inspect the problem and help you determine whether you have a tooth abscess. We then can provide immediate treatments for tooth abscesses that alleviate the pain and fix any underlying problem, such as tooth decay or gum disease, that may be causing the tooth pain and pain in the surrounding tissues.

There are different types of abscessed teeth, and each one of them has distinctive symptoms.

Tooth Abscess Symptoms

Tooth abscesses are bacterial infections in the tooth. The tooth abscess is a pocket of pus-filled swelling inside the jawbone, teeth, and gums. As swelling occurs inside the tooth, jawbone, or soft tissues of the mouth, it causes pain and tooth sensitivity to hot and cold.

In addition to the stinging pain, tooth abscess symptoms may include both visual signs of a tooth abscess and sensations of discomfort that indicate a problem.

What an Abscessed Tooth Looks Like

Depending on the location of your tooth abscess, you may not be able to easily see the area of the mouth or surrounding tissues. Try to use a mirror or have someone else look in your mouth for visual symptoms. What does an abscessed tooth look like?

Swelling of the gums in the area
A raised area on the gums that resembles a pimple
Discolorations in or near the affected tooth
Swelling in the face or jaw near the area
Swollen glands in the neck
Red skin near the area

You also may notice an unpleasant odor coming from the mouth, even after recently brushing your teeth.

If you notice redness or facial swelling on the skin, an abscessed tooth likely has a serious infection. You should see a dentist immediately for prompt treatment before the infection develops and spreads farther.

What an Abscessed Tooth Feels Like

Even if you cannot see the tooth abscess, you may be able to diagnose the problem through sensations you’re having. Certain types of pain can be a clue to this dental problem.

What does a periodontal abscess feel like? Symptoms of a tooth abscess include:

Pain in the area when chewing
Sensitive tooth or teeth to hot or cold temperatures
Severe toothache or discomfort in the area
Pain that radiates from the affected area into the gums, jaw, or neck
A bitter taste in the mouth, even when not eating
Discomfort in the mouth, jaw, and neck
A feeling of heat inside the mouth near the area
Fever
Heat on the skin near the area
A feeling of general illness

Again, if you are feeling a fever or heat radiating from the dental abscesses, this likely is a sign of bacterial infection that needs immediate dental treatment.

What Causes a Tooth Abscess?

What does a tooth abscess result from? A common cause of a tooth abscess is dental decay left untreated from incomplete or poor oral hygiene. The area of tooth decay causes a hole or gap in the tooth enamel. Then, bacteria invade and reach the dental pulp in the center of the tooth.

A tooth abscess is a pocket of pus in the tooth pulp that these bacteria cause. The pulp has blood vessels and nerves, allowing the infection to spread from the interior of the tooth to nearby areas of the mouth, upper or lower jaw, and head.

Other causes of abscessed teeth include:

Broken tooth
Cracked tooth
Chipped tooth
Injured tooth
Loose tooth or tooth loss
Gum disease
Periodontal disease
Lack of good oral hygiene
Dry mouth
Excessive sugary foods
Poor oral health

How a Dentist Treats a Tooth Abscess

Once you understand what an abscess tooth looks like and feels like, it’s time to seek tooth abscess treatment. Even if you aren’t completely sure whether you have an abscess tooth issue, something is causing your discomfort.

Make an Appointment

Does a tooth abscess require urgent treatment? Yes — it’s best to call our office and request an immediate dental appointment.

Once we see you, our dentist will perform a complete exam to get your abscessed tooth diagnosed quickly. We may take x-rays and visually inspect the tooth. We also may take some medical readings to determine whether you are showing signs of infection.

Common Treatments

Let our dentist determine whether you have tooth abscesses. If so, some of the most common tooth abscess treatment methods we’ll deploy include:

Draining and flushing the tooth
Repairing any tooth decay with fillings
Removing any foreign objects
Performing a tooth root canal treatment and adding a crown
Removing the infected tooth
Administering antibiotics for any infected tissue
Treating any gum disease
Taking steps for improving dental health

You can trust our team to focus on alleviating your pain while cleaning up any signs of infection in your teeth gently. We will administer medication to help you avoid serious complications, too. We strive to take care of your tooth in a stress-free manner.

If we need to treat the tooth’s root with a root canal treatment, we will keep you as comfortable as possible throughout the process. We then can help with a restored tooth to return your oral health to normal.

If You Think You Have a Dental Abscess or Tooth Decay, Call Us Today

A tooth with an abscess is nothing to ignore. What does an abscess tooth look like and feel like? It can be quite uncomfortable, causing throbbing pain and a raw area in your mouth.

If you suspect an abscessed tooth, the team at Dr. Dalesandro & Associates is ready to help. Contact us today at (520) 327-5993 to see your dentist for expedited dental care to fix the problem.

What Would Be Considered a Dental Emergency?

Written by drdalesandro on August 6, 2024. Posted in Dental Services, Teeth & Gums Problems.

What is considered a dental emergency? You likely are having a dental emergency if you have an injury to your mouth or teeth that involves broken or damaged parts of the mouth, bleeding, and severe tooth pain.

At Dr. Dalesandro & Associates, we often take calls from patients who are unsure what to do after a mouth injury. Should they go to the hospital or come into our office for assistance? We’ll help you decide what to do.

What Is Considered a Dental Emergency Exactly?

Determining whether you have a dental emergency often comes down to deciding whether your situation is hazardous to your life and health. In other words, if putting off emergency dental care or medical care could cause your health to deteriorate or even threaten your life, you need what is considered emergency dental care.

Some potential dental emergencies situations include:

Broken teeth
Cracked teeth
Loosened teeth
Knocked out tooth loss
Broken jaw
Gum tissue injuries
Severe bleeding from the mouth
Tooth pain or dental pain that’s severe
Inability to open the mouth
Laceration to the tongue or soft tissues
Significant swelling in the mouth parts, gums, or jaw
Signs of infection

Are Dental Emergencies Dangerous?

Unfortunately, some people ignore the signs of dental emergencies. They may not want to visit a hospital emergency room or take time off work to see a dentist.

After a day or two of trying to tough out the problem, though, they often find the severe pain is significantly worse. Putting off seeking medical care might be causing the situation to worsen, which may require more extensive treatment. Delayed treatment for common dental emergencies might cause the mouth to never heal fully.

What Should I Do if I Have a Severe Mouth Injury?

If you suffer a significant injury to your mouth, you should do a quick assessment. Are you bleeding? Do you suspect broken teeth or a broken jaw? Are you struggling to open and close your mouth? If so, you should reach out for emergency dental care.

At Dr. Dalesandro & Associates, we provide emergency first aid dental services for accidents. Our team can perform almost any kind of dental procedure that you need. Just call our office and describe the emergency situation. We will find a dentist appointment time for you as quickly as possible.

However, if you suffer severe dental injuries, you should consider going to the emergency room at the hospital.

If you are severely bleeding from the mouth or gums, an emergency room doctor can give you treatments for dental emergencies to prevent a life-threatening loss of blood.
If your type of mouth injury involves a severe infection or increases your chance of developing an infection, the hospital can administer powerful antibiotics immediately.
If you have a broken jaw, this injury could lead to a knocked out tooth and severe dental pain. You may need immediate surgery or medication to relieve pain and to help you start a faster recovery.

If you are unsure whether you should go to the emergency room, think of it this way. Do you or your loved ones think your first call should be to 9-1-1 for help with your mouth injury? If so, you should consider a trip to the hospital.

Otherwise, call our dental office and explain what is happening. We can give you advice on whether you need to visit the hospital or visit our dentist immediately.

While you wait, apply pressure to the area with a cold compress or rinse your mouth with warm water if applicable.

How Do I Know if I Have an Urgent Dental Situation?

Not all dental problems are considered a dental emergency. If you don’t believe you are experiencing a dental emergency injury that requires immediate care at a hospital, you may have an urgent dental issue.

Urgent dental care remains potentially serious. You should seek treatment from a dentist as soon as possible. However, it may not require immediate treatment to save your life or to prevent the injury from leading to further damage or permanent damage. This could involve:

A cracked or chipped tooth that’s painful or a severe toothache that still allows you to eat. Without seeing a dentist, cracked or chipped teeth could worsen quickly, causing pain. Urgent care from a dentist can alleviate pain, even mild toothache pain.
A lost filling that isn’t affecting your ability to go about your day. It needs repair from a dentist’s office, but it’s not threatening your life. Without quick repair, the portion of the tooth that the filling was protecting could suffer additional cracking, causing pain and damage.
A loose permanent tooth, especially if it may fall out soon. Adults should never have loose teeth. If your loose tooth or tooth loss occurred in combination with contact sports or car accidents, you probably should seek emergency care for an examination.
If your bleeding stops quickly after you rinse your mouth with warm water or use a cold compress, you probably can wait to see a dentist until the next day. However, uncontrolled bleeding is very serious.

Do not wait too long to receive treatment for the affected area with the urgent dental injuries. If left untreated, you could end up with permanent damage.

If you are unsure what to do with an urgent dental situation, reach out to our office and contact your dentist during or outside regular business hours. We usually try to schedule you for a dentist appointment later in the day or early the following day for your teeth.

If You Have Dental Emergencies, Contact Us Today

What is considered a dental emergency? If you believe your dental problem situation is life-threatening, go to the hospital immediately and contact your dentist later for follow-up. Otherwise, the team at Dr. Dalesandro & Associates is ready to help you decide what to do. Call us today at (520) 327-5993.

We are ready to serve all your regular dental needs, dental issues, and most dental emergencies you have with expedited treatment and immediate attention you can trust. With our care, you can also prevent dental emergencies in the future.

Why Are My Teeth So Bad Even though I Brush?

Written by drdalesandro on August 6, 2024. Posted in Teeth & Gums Problems.

Surveys have shown that about 70% of Americans brush their teeth twice a day, just like the American Dental Association recommends. However, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research has found that nearly 90% of adults aged 20-64 have tooth decay.

As long as you brush your teeth, you might think you’re practicing better oral hygiene than most. But you may still find yourself dealing with bad teeth.

Just because you’re brushing your teeth regularly doesn’t mean you’re doing enough to stop tooth decay and cavities. Neither does it mean you’re doing enough to steer clear of gum disease and other dental care issues.

Find out why your teeth don’t feel clean after brushing and begin putting together a new whole-mouth cleaning routine.

Reasons Brushing Your Teeth Isn’t Preventing Tooth Decay and Gum Disease

There isn’t always a simple answer to “Why are my teeth so bad even though I brush?” You’ll need to analyze your routine cleaning to prevent bad teeth. Here are the top reasons you might not see the desired results.

You Aren’t Brushing Your Teeth Often Enough or Long Enough

Do you brush your teeth twice every day? Do you brush them for at least two minutes?

If you answered “no” to either of these questions, it could explain why you’re encountering bad teeth and other oral hygiene issues. The American Dental Association has created a series of guidelines for brushing teeth, and brushing them twice a day for two minutes is recommended.

You Aren’t Using the Right Tooth Brushing Techniques

The ADA recommends that parents begin brushing their children’s teeth as soon as they start coming in. Many infants suffer from a dental health condition called baby bottle tooth decay. Parents can prevent this decay by brushing their kids’ teeth.

The ADA also suggests parents spend time teaching their kids how to brush their baby teeth and supervise them while they brush from ages three through six. This enables many children to learn the proper tooth-brushing techniques before getting permanent teeth.

Unfortunately, not all parents teach their kids how oral hygiene plays a significant role in their body functions and overall health. If you weren’t taught how to brush your teeth, you might use techniques that aren’t effective.

This is how the ADA says to brush teeth:

Apply a pea-sized amount of ADA-approved fluoride toothpaste to a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Hold a toothbrush at a 45-degree angle near the gumline.
Gently move a toothbrush back and forth across the surface of the teeth while using small, short strokes.
Repeat this process the same way on the front and back of teeth.
Rinse out the mouth when finished brushing the teeth.

Another important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t brush your teeth too hard. Doing so could result in permanent damage to tooth enamel, enamel erosion, receding gums, tooth sensitivity, and other dental hygiene issues.

You Aren’t Flossing Enough

Flossing at least once each day is every bit as important as brushing your teeth. Yet, studies show only about 40% of Americans floss daily.

If you only floss sporadically or, worse, if you don’t ever floss, it’s likely why you’re asking, “Why do I have such bad teeth?” Flossing removes the buildup between your teeth more effectively than brushing, especially if you have crooked teeth.

When you first incorporate flossing into your daily routine, your gums may bleed. This might initially seem like an inherently bad sign. However, it can indicate that your body is sending blood to your mouth to eliminate common bacteria that can cause bad breath, infections, and other oral health issues.

You Aren’t Using the Right Dental Health Products

Maintaining a healthy mouth will require you to invest in good dental health products. These include:

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Regular dental floss and floss picks
Mouth wash
Teeth whitening products

Look at their packaging for the ADA Seal of Acceptance. This seal indicates that the ADA has found these products effective for preventing decay, gum disease, and other oral health conditions. Even those with the seal, like whitening products, must be used sparingly to avoid damaging your teeth.

You Aren’t Scheduling Routine Tooth Cleaning Appointments

Even the best ADA-approved toothbrushes, floss, and mouth wash won’t get your mouth 100% clean. You’ll still find buildup will appear on your bad teeth before long if you don’t schedule preventative tooth cleaning appointments with your dentist to keep teeth healthy through special fluoride treatments. Don’t just visit your dentist when your teeth hurt, at which point harmful bacteria have already done their damage.

Arrange for these appointments every six months to ensure early detection. A dental hygienist will clean every nook and cranny in your mouth before your dentist comes in for an evaluation to pinpoint any bad teeth. They can provide valuable insights into what you’re doing wrong when brushing your teeth, causing you to wonder, “Why don’t my teeth feel clean after brushing?”

You Aren’t Staying Away From Things That Can Damage Teeth and Gums

How’s your diet? You might experience bad teeth if you don’t eat a well-balanced diet and choose to chow down on sugary and acidic foods instead. They can wreak havoc on your oral health, leading to decay, gum disease, and other dental issues like cavities.

You should also abstain from tobacco products and various substances containing other compounds. They can cause everything from ongoing decay and gum recession to tooth loss across multiple teeth and possibly even serious oral conditions like mouth cancer. Sugar-free gum can help with these dental problems.

Want Healthy Teeth? Make an Appointment With a Dentist From Our Practice

Brushing your teeth is only one part of the equation when it comes to maintaining them. You also need to floss, avoid foods that cause certain dental issues, and make regular dental visits for healthy teeth and a clean mouth.

If you’re wondering, “Why are my teeth so bad even though I brush?” let the dentists from Dr. Dalesandro & Associates explain how you can play an integral role in keeping your mouth clean. Contact us to schedule an appointment.