Expert: Jeff Dalin DDS - 11/7/2005

Question
Thank you for your advice.  I will definitely ask my dentist again about my concerns.  

What do you think about my other question?  About the loose tooth?

I think it is wonderful that you take time to give advice to people like me who are concerned and need someone else to ask questions.  Thank you very much.
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Followup To
Question -
Hello Dr. Dalin,

I had two front teeth removed #7 & #10.  I now have a 6 unit bridge.  There are now dark, sunken spots on my gums where these teeth were removed.  Will this go away?  And, if it will, how long will it take?  I don't even like smiling anymore because if I smile too big you see these spots and I think they are very ugly.

Also, I do have another question on a different matter.  Back in April I had some bone grafting done around #26.  This tooth was pretty loose.  I can't tell that this tooth is improving any.   How long does it take before you know if a bone graft is going to work or not?  To me, this tooth is still pretty loose.  

Thank you very much for listening.  I look forward to hearing from you.
Dena
Answer -
Dena,
How long ago did you have the teeth removed? I assume it has been a while. And then the next question is how long did dentist wait before putting in the bridge after the extractions. If you put in the bridge too soon, you can get some shrinkage of the gums/bone and create a small space under the pontics (the fake teeth) which then looks dark. The sunken in appearance occurs when a tooth is removed. When that happens, the bone can collapse a little and look this way. Sometimes bone can be added in there to build it up. But if you do anything like that at this point, you may have to redo the bridge.

You need to meet with your dentist and voice your dissatisfactions. Point things out with a mirror. Get his or her explanation and what he/she proposes you do at this point. If you get nowhere with your dentist, get a second opinion, perhaps from someone who does a lot of esthetic work in the front. Maybe an opinion from a crown and bridge specialist or maybe even a periodontist (gum specialist). You need to get all of the facts about your case that you can...what caused what you are seeing, what are choices now to correct things. Then you can decide what to do.

I hope this gets you going in the right direction. Without seeing the area in person, I cannot give you anything more definitive. It is tough to diagnose things over the internet. My job is to educate you so that you can ask good questions.

Jeff Dalin, DDS

Answer
Sorry about not answering question #2. A bone graft should work within 2-3 months. You are at 6 months. So I would go back to the dentist who did the grafting for a new xray. Make sure it took. Also have the bite or occlusion checked. You do not want to hit hard on this tooth. Good luck,

Jeff Dalin DDS