Frequently Asked Questions

Periodontal pockets are natural spaces between teeth and the gingiva (gums). These pockets are normally 1-3mm in depth. It is important that the depths of these pockets be monitored regularly as the gingival disease processes can cause the depth of these pockets to increase, making them much harder, or impossible, to keep clean at home.  Inflammation of these pockets is called gingivitis and is the beginning of what could be a more serious oral health problem.  If gingivitis goes unchecked then it may lead to bone loss around the teeth and resulting deeper pockets and more inflammation. This condition is called periodontal disease and the damage is usually permanent.  Regular periodontal maintenance is key to preventing or limiting damage caused by all stages of gum disease. 

Read more about gingivitis and periodontitis below 

Click here to read more about oral health maintenance  

Gingivitis is a localized irritation of the gingiva usually caused by the buildup of dental plaque at the gum line and between teeth. Bleeding gums are the most obvious sign of gingivitis, but the gums may also appear swollen and red. These inflamed areas may be sore to brush or floss. It is important to note that healthy gums do not bleed when you brush or floss.

Solution: In most cases of mild gingivitis, more diligent brushing and flossing are enough to address the redness and bleeding. In moderate to severe cases of gingivitis, a professional cleaning may be needed to remove the harder deposits that have built up in the hard to reach places between teeth. If addressed early, gingivitis is reversible.

Periodontal disease is what untreated gingivitis leads to. Gingival inflammation, if not addressed, will begin to erode the bone supporting the teeth. Once this bone damage occurs, gingivitis has progressed to periodontal disease. The bone damage is often irreversible. Worse still, the bone damage caused by periodontal disease can create deep pockets between the teeth and gingiva which are impossible to keep clean at home and are the perfect breeding ground for very destructive bacteria. These bacteria cause increased inflammation, bleeding, bad breath and further bone loss. If left unchecked, periodontal disease creates a vicious cycle of inflammation, bone erosion and pocketing that can lead to the affected teeth becoming loose and falling out. Unfortunately, periodontal disease is common and the damage it creates is often permanent.

Solution: If a person has evidence of periodontal disease, impeccable oral hygiene and visits to the hygienist every 3 months are very important. Hygienists have the training and expertise to be able to clean deep into those gingival pockets, removing plaque and tartar, and stopping the inflammation destruction cycle of periodontal disease. Hygienists also keep regular records of the depths of periodontal pockets so they can determine if the disease is effectively stopped or progressing. In cases of very deep pocketing or aggressive periodontal disease, a patient may be referred to a gum specialist called a periodontist.

Pain is a poor indicator of dental problems. Many problems with teeth and gingiva are painless in their early stages, when they are easiest to fix. Pain generally indicates a more advanced dental problem such as periodontal disease, deep tooth decay, or tooth abscess/infection. Tooth abscesses/ infections can be very painful and require root canal treatment to resolve. Treating a small cavity earlier preserves more natural tooth structure by keeping fillings smaller and can be more cost effective in the long run by preventing more involved and costly treatments.

Click to read more about root canal treatments.

Short answer: No, but it couldn’t hurt.

Long answer: Anything that can be done with an electric toothbrush can be done with a manual toothbrush, but electric toothbrushes have their benefits. All but the most budget minded electric toothbrushes have timers on them, which, in our opinion, is the single most effective feature of any electric toothbrush. The most common problem with tooth brushing is the time and distribution of the brushing effort. A tooth brushing session should last 2 minutes with the time and effort evenly distributed throughout the mouth. Electric toothbrushes with timers usually have a 2-minute timer that is divided into 30-second increments so you are constantly reminded to brush each quadrant (corner) of your mouth for the same amount of time. Also, if you shut your brush off before time is up, then you know that you are short changing your oral health care and can let the guilt ensue.

Routine dental x-rays (radiographs) are used to identify and monitor disease processes that cannot be monitored via direct vision during your dental exam. These are usually the bone levels and any possible decay in between teeth. Routine x-rays are usually taken once per year if you have had active decay at your last checkup or if there are areas of decay that are being watched for possible progression. If you have had no cavities at your last checkup and do not have any areas of incipient (small) decay that are being monitored then your x-ray interval can be extended to every 18 months.

These are the intervals suggested by the Canadian Dental Association and are based on research that has outlined the rate of progression of tooth decay. If you do not have cavities between your teeth that are detectable by x-ray and then in 18 months there is the onset of decay or the progression of a previously undetectable area of decay, it is unlikely that it will progress fast enough to become a serious problem. This allows your dental team to catch potential problems early. If you do have decay between your teeth that is being monitored for progression and you wait 18 months between x-rays, there is an increased chance that an incipient area of decay may progress to a more serious problem, thus we shorten the interval to 12 months.

Teeth can crack for a number of reasons but usually it is due to a combination of chewing forces on a tooth that has been structurally weakened by a large filling, root canal, and/or decay. 

The ideal treatment for a cracked tooth is a dental crown.  This treatment completely surrounds the tooth structure with a metal or ceramic cap to hold all of the pieces together when chewing forces are applied. This gives the tooth the best long term prognosis.  Read more about dental crowns by clicking here .

Even with ideal treatment some cracks can keep progressing resulting in the need for root canal treatment  of the tooth (Click to read more about root canal treatments) or, in rare cases, loss of the tooth altogether. Your dentist will assess your individual situation and work with you to decide what is best for your individual situation. 

The human jaw joint (the temporomandibular joint or TMJ) is a complicated joint that rides on a disc of cartilage that glides with the jaw throughout its range of opening. Sometimes the cartilage disc and the jaw do not move in harmony and the disk is pushed ahead of, or falls behind, the jaw which can cause a pop or "click" that can be heard when opening. Usually this condition is not associated with any discomfort and no treatment is necessary. If the joint ever begins to hurt then a visit to your dentist can help diagnose and treat the cause of the discomfort.  TMJ problems that cause discomfort are called temporomandibular disorders or TMD.