Take St. John Dentist’s 5-Minute Dental Quiz

How quickly can you change your smile? What is best way to replace a missing tooth? How long you do have to save a tooth that has been knocked out?

You might find a lot of different answers to these questions on the Internet, and that’s why I want to give you some information about how we can change your smile at either my St. John dental office or Valparaiso dental office. I have five questions for you to answer about your oral health. There is nothing on the line here, but you can use these questions and answers to decide who you want caring for you and your family.

Here we go …

1. ) How long does it take for a tooth to die once it has dislodged?
15 minutes or less
30 minutes
One hour
None of the above

2.) We can whiten your teeth in one dental visit.
True
False

3.) Tooth decay is leading cause of tooth loss in adults.
True
False

4.) Dental implants can be placed with a success rate of …
50 percent
75 percent
More than 95 percent
None of the above

5.) What percentage of Americans are afraid of the dentist?

5 percent
10 percent
20 percent
None of the above

Answers:

1. A. A tooth can begin to die less than 15 minutes after it’s dislodged. That means you have to act fast. I can’t tell you how many people come to my office with a dislodged tooth that cannot be replanted in the socket because of they waited too long. When a tooth is completely dislodged and you can find it, here’s what you do: Try to pick up the tooth (always by the crown and NEVER by the root). Once you have the tooth, clean it off with water (NEVER use soap) and stick it back into the mouth. The tooth has a better chance of surviving if it remains in its natural habitat. You can also place the tooth in milk or water. Once you have completed these steps, get to our office quickly!

2. A. Teeth whitening is one of the easiest cosmetic dental procedures. We use state-of-the-art equipment to improve the brightness of your smile by several shades in one visit. The treatment is rendered in 15-minute sessions. We place a special whitening gel on your teeth and then activate the material with a special light. You simply sit back and relax as the whitening gel takes effect. We even have a free whitening program for patients who maintain their regular dental visits and cleanings.

3. B. You probably hear more about tooth decay than other dental disease, but it’s not the leading cause of tooth loss. The leading cause of tooth loss is gum disease, a problem that has also been connected to serious illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. Gum disease occurs when an infection is present in the gums. If left untreated, gum disease can spread throughout the mouth and cause the teeth and gums to pull apart. Even worse, the infection can reach the jawbone, causing the tooth to become loss in the socket. To avoid problems with gum disease, floss your teeth every day. If you already have bleeding gums or swollen gums, you need to schedule an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.

4. C. Dental implants have been used in dentistry for more than four decades. The first dental implants were less predictable, but today we use root-form dental implants, which are made from titanium. The titanium implant merges with the jawbone and can be restored with a single crown, bridge, or even dentures. The best news for patients is that we can place dental implants with more than a 95 percent success rate. That’s a very low risk for you with high rewards.

5. C. Millions of Americans suffer from dental fear. Of the 20 percent who have dental fear, about 5 percent of Americans avoid the dental at all costs. At our offices, we treat dental fear a number of ways. We make sure that every patients is comfortable in the dental chair, and we also offer sedation. We use both nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation for our fearful patients. Our heavier form of sedation, oral conscious sedation, is rendered in pill form. Patients who use oral conscious sedation rarely remember their dental visits, and even better, we can complete a number of treatments in one visit.

I hope you need well on the quiz. If you have any questions about your teeth or would like to schedule a visit, call our St. John dental office at 219-322-9920 or the Valparaiso office at 219-462-1970.