FAQ

Retainers – What is a Retainer?

A retainer is an orthodontic appliance (usually removable) that is supposed to be worn after your orthodontist removes your braces. When braces are removed, the teeth have a tendency to want to return back to their original positions. Retainers prevent this from happening.

Most upper retainers are made of wire and hard plastic and fit in the roof of your mouth. A lower retainer can be removable or permanently cemented to the lower teeth so that it doesn’t come out.

During the first several months, retainers are usually worn full time. After that, your orthodontist will decide how often they should be worn.

When your braces come off, it is very tempting not to wear your retainers. To keep your teeth from shifting and avoiding having to wear braces again, it is crucial to wear your retainers as often as your orthodontist tells you.

What is Nitrous Oxide?

Nitrous Oxide is a gas that’s combined with Oxygen to produce a a calming effect and a sense of well being when inhaled. Many dentists use Nitrous Oxide to help a patient relax during dental treatments.

When the dental procedure is over, the dentist will have the patient breathe only Oxygen for a few minutes to eliminate the effects of the Nitrous Oxide.

Unlike other sedations, the patient should have a clear head within minutes of coming off of the Nitrous Oxide allowing them to function normally with no lingering effects. Nitrous Oxide is also known as laughing gas.

What is Root Canal?

A root canal is a dental procedure to fix a tooth that cannot be filled or restored any other way. If the tooth is severely decayed into the pulp of the tooth and / or infected, root canal treatment is usually the only option to save the tooth. Your regular dentist might do the root canal, but he / she may send you to an endodontist.

What to Expect

After the dentist numbs your tooth, he / she may use a rubber dam to keep the tooth area dry and free of saliva. A rubber dam is simply a piece of rubber that fits over the tooth and isolates it from the rest of the mouth. The dentist will then prepare the tooth by drilling an opening. After the dentist removes all of the decay and bacteria, he / she will use root canal files to clean out the canals (roots) of the tooth.

Root canal files are small instruments that increase in diameter and fit down into the canals enabling the dentist to remove the pulp of the tooth.

Some dentists like to wait a week or two before they finish a root canal, to make sure that there is no discomfort or further infection. If this is the case, the dentist will thoroughly clean the tooth and usually put some soothing medicine inside and seal it closed with a temporary filling material.

At the final stage of a root canal treatment, the dentist will usually fill the canals with a rubber filling material called gutta percha. After the canals are filled, a regular filling will be placed in the tooth.