Category Archives: Tooth Extractions

John Lennon’s Molar – Priceless?

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According to the December 2011 issue of Dentistry Today, one of John Lennon’s rotten teeth was sold at an auction last month for $31,000 to a dentist out of Alberta, Canada.   The dentist, a reported collector of animal teeth and celebrity memorabilia, claims that he just knew he needed to have it.  When did Lennon lose the tooth?  According to Karen Fair-weather, an Omega Auctions representative who sold the tooth, Mr. Lennon gave the tooth to his housekeeper Dorothy Jarlett sometime between 1964 and 1968 when she lived in Weybridge, Surrey.  It seems Mr. Lennon came back from the dentist one day with his tooth and gave it Dorothy telling her to dispose of it “or better still, give it to your daughter as a souvenir.”  Ms. Jarlett later moved to Canada, where she’s kept it with her ever since, until just recently selling it.

Wisdom Teeth: why and when to have them removed

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Wisdom teeth will start to erupt anywhere from the age of 12-26. The average age of their removal is 16-18 years old. The wisdom teeth, or “third molars”, usually do not have enough room to fully erupt.  When they do erupt they could cause a number of issues.  First, they could cause crowding of your other teeth.  Another problem, is when the wisdom teeth grow halfway in causing inflammation and an infection of the gum behind the second molars. Third molars also have a high predilection to become decayed and cause decay behind the second molars.

Wisdom Tooth Causing Crowding

Infection Caused by Wisdom Tooth Eruption

Decay Caused by Erupted Wisdom Tooth

X-ray of Wisdom Tooth and 2nd Molar Decay

Decayed Wisdom Tooth

There are two good reasons for leaving wisdom teeth. Number one: if it appears they’re going to fully erupt and be cleansable, as determined by you and your dentist. If you have fastidious oral hygiene, perhaps your third molars can be left in place. The second reason for leaving wisdom teeth is if they remain under the tissue within the bone with no expectation of eruption (let sleeping dogs lie).

Impacted Wisdom Teeth Beginning to Erupt

As to the question of when to remove wisdom teeth, it depends on the positioning of the upper third molars. If their eruption is at or near the enamel of the second molars it makes their removal much easier. Therefore all four wisdom teeth could be removed at the same time. If the lower wisdom teeth are causing pain, and the upper wisdom teeth have not adequately erupted, then consideration should be given to removing the lower wisdom teeth only.

Erupting vs. Impacted Wisdom Tooth

Some dentists take out wisdom teeth, while others may refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.  If you’re experiencing pain with your wisdom teeth, upper or lower, it would be wise to seek guidance from your dentist.

Single Tooth Implant or 3-Unit Bridge

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When you lose a tooth, you usually have three choices.
1. Do Nothing
2. Have a 3-unit bridge constructed
3. A dental implant placed

The problem with option one – not replacing the tooth, is your other teeth tend to move and collapse into the space. This can cause malocclusion or periodontal problems, meaning, you may no longer bite together correctly with your teeth moved, and you can have gum and bone problems around the teeth that move.

3-Unit Bridge

Choice number two, getting a 3-unit bridge, entails cutting down the teeth behind and in front of the missing tooth. A 3-unit bridge is then made by a laboratory and the restoration is cemented onto the teeth in front and in back of the missing tooth, with a fake tooth now in-between. The disadvantage to a 3-unit bridge is you have now decreased the strength and integrity of the two teeth holding the bridge. The crown margins, where the crown meets the tooth, is highly susceptible to decay and it may have to be periodically replaced if decay occurs around the margins. The 3-unit bridge is more difficult to keep clean since a floss-threader is required.

Single Tooth Implant

The third choice, a dental implant is usually the best choice, although each case does vary. With implant placement, the adjacent teeth do not need to be cut down, and it is much easier to keep clean than a 3-unit bridge. The success rates for dental implants have improved dramatically over the last decade.

If possible, it is wise to get an implant consult with a specialist prior to the removal of the tooth. The specialist, generally a periodontist or an oral surgeon, may want to extract the tooth himself or herself and place a bone graft. Sometimes the implant can be placed at the same the tooth is extracted. This can save up to four months treatment time. If it is decided a bone graft is needed first without immediate implant placement, then you would wait four months for the bone to integrate, and the implant would be placed later.

With this said, each individual case does vary. Sometimes implants are not possible depending on the amount of bone, positioning of the nerves and the maxillary sinus, or because of various health reasons. In the end all options should be weighed and discussed between the dentist and patient, and the best healthiest choice should be chosen.

Smoking DOES Cause Tooth Loss

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An article written in JADA (The Journal of the American Dental Association) in October 2010 discussed a study done in New South Wales, Australia studying the long-term effects of smoking.  With the data of 103,042 participants they were able to come to interesting conclusions.

The results of the study indicated a significant increase of complete tooth loss (“edentulism”) in smokers compared with nonsmokers.  Their most startling claim: ”Current smokers were at more than twice the risk of experiencing complete tooth loss compared with never smokers.”  In addition, they discovered, that although the risks are much lower with people that have stopped smoking for 30 or more years, they remain at a higher risk than those that had never smoked.

Furthermore, they learned that although people may not be smokers, being in an environment with others that are can be detrimental.  Researchers found individuals that have never smoked but are around ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke) for six or more hours a week, are almost one and a half times more likely to lose teeth than nonsmokers not around ETS.

Lesson?  If you want to keep your teeth, I’d stay away from the cigarettes.  And if you’re already a smoker, I’d try quitting.  You don’t want to lose your pretty smile!

Learn more about the study here

Dental Implants

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Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth.  They can also be used to anchor dental appliances that are removable.  Because implants have been around since 1985, there has been ample time to perfect them which has lent itself to their current high success rate.

The implant is essentially placed into the jaw bone with a piece sticking out the top of the bone called an “abutment”.  A crown is then fabricated to place on top of the abutment to replace your missing tooth.

Surgery to place the implant is quite simple and can be done under a local anesthetic just like a filling or extraction.  Multiple implants can in fact be done to replace all missing teeth, or to anchor dentures in place so they don’t slide around in your mouth.  Most dental insurances now cover the payment of dental implants.

There are some dentists with enough training to place dental implants, but usually they are inserted by an oral surgeon or periodontist.  The patient would then return to their general dentist after placement to allow the dentist to place the crown.  During this process, the surgeon and dentist work in close collaboration to achieve an acceptable outcome for the patient.

If you’re interested in utilizing dental implants to replace missing teeth, contact my office and schedule a consultation to learn more!