Clinical experience, misunderstood concepts and frequently asked questions. Notes from many years of practice.
Dentin hypersensitivity, the sharp zing to cold or sweets, has a pooled prevalence of 11.5% across 77 studies. Here is which pain pattern points where.
A meta-analysis of 29 studies gives veneer survival of 96.81 percent for lithium disilicate and 96.13 percent for feldspathic. A veneer is a shell.
Tongue-tie is present in 4% to 11% of newborns. The Cochrane review found reduced maternal nipple pain but inconsistent feeding outcomes after frenectomy.
Fill with warm water, start on low pressure, place the tip before switching on and trace the gumline at 90 degrees. Water flossing, step by step.
Laser teeth whitening is in-office bleaching with light-activated peroxide gel; it lifts coffee, tea and tobacco stains but cannot change crowns or veneers.
The association is strong and measured: in a meta-analysis of 33 studies, daily pacifier use carried an odds ratio of 10.22 for anterior open bite. The reassuring half is that in 5 studies of children aged 4 to 12, open bite self-corrected by 50% to 100% once the habit ended.
A perfect smile is a set of decisions with published lifespans, such as 96.81% survival for lithium disilicate veneers at 10.4 years. Which treatments first.
Pooled re-entry studies found 3.79 mm of horizontal bone reduction after extraction. Here is why alveoloplasty reshapes the ridge before a denture.
A network meta-analysis of 31 trials ranked resin infiltration and P11-4 with fluoride varnish above varnish alone. Early lesions can be arrested.
