Here are answers to frequently asked questions from patients.
Q1
- Q.I'm concerned that my three-year-old son's bite alignment is reversed.
- A.A reversed bite alignment will not correct itself naturally and can affect jaw growth. It is best to repair bite alignment early on. This has recently become easier with a simple device (MUH shield) that is placed inside the mouth while a child sleeps, which reduces the stress on the child.
Q2
- Q.I have a cavity, but I don't want to have my tooth drilled a lot.
- A.In the past, teeth had to be drilled a lot so that the filling would not come out. We now use a material that is glued onto the tooth and only the affected section needs to be drilled. The treatment is relatively painless and the filling can be the same color as the tooth.
Q3
- Q.My teeth are discolored and I want to make them look whiter.
- A.Discoloration can be treated using either a whitening method that does not involve drilling the teeth, or a method that scrapes the surface of the teeth slightly and then laminates the teeth using a material that is the same color as the teeth. The treatment method depends on the condition of your teeth. Please consult with us about which method would be best.
Q4
- Q.The inside of my mouth is sticky and feels bad. I constantly need water. I have half given up because of my age, but is there anything I can do to fix this problem?
- A.Your saliva production may have decreased. There are a number of reasons for this. Your mouth could also feel dry as a result of any medications you are currently taking, because you are breathing through your mouth, or some other physical condition. To treat this, you can massage your salivary glands, or you can use a medication that treats the underlying problem and works best for your health.
Q5
- Q.I am elderly and it has become difficult to eat. I choke when I swallow, and food sometimes falls out of my mouth. Is there anything I can do?
- A.If you have a history of cerebral infarction, this may be causing numbness and tingling in your mouth and the laryngopharyngeal area. Even if there is no numbness, you may experience these symptoms if you have less saliva, your mouth is dry, you have excess sticky saliva, or if your dentures do not fit well. In addition, if you have had surgery or received treatment under oral anesthetic, this can cause temporary numbness and tingling and make it more difficult for you to control movements in your mouth. Once we have established the cause, we can bring you into remission through appropriate treatment, medication, or rehabilitation.
Q6
- Q.I have ongoing tingling pain on the tip of my tongue. I don't notice it when I'm eating, but I feel pain when I'm not doing anything.
- A.An increasing number of people have been complaining about pain and discomfort on the tongue. Sharp sections of teeth or artificial teeth can cause cuts on the surface of the tongue that you cannot see, or your body may be sensitive after taking sleeping pills or stabilizers for extended periods, which can result in these kinds of symptoms on your tongue. We can treat this if we know the cause. We recommend that you come in for an examination.
Q7
- Q.My dentures don't feel comfortable lately. They come out easily and my bite has changed. What should I do?
- A.When you use dentures for an extended period, the shape of your gums (residual ridge mucosa) changes and a denture that has been fine until now might not fit well anymore. We recommend modifying your denture or having a new one made.
