I am often faced with many health issues during the day to day practice, but when I graduated from dental school, I never imagined treating people for headaches.  You see, I graduated 26 years ago from dental school and back then, they did not talk to us about the relationship of grinding, Temporomandibular joint and muscle spasms, clicking, locking of the jaw and headaches.  I remember lengthy lectures about the anatomy of the joint and muscles and their insertions, but I do not recall any body talking about headaches. As I started my practice and started taking continuing education courses, I mean a lot of courses in Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD), Muscle spasms, and occlusal disharmony, I realized how I can help.  I learned more about the bite and its relationship to all the above topics I just mentioned.

I started fabricating Occlusal Guards and Orthotics for patients who suffered from headaches and TMD issues.  The result was phenomenal. I was excited. I was helping a group of patient I never knew I had. I was treating patient with a simple device and detailed adjustments each visit.  This was exciting to me. So, I began to read more and take more courses on the subject. I noticed that headache sufferers are often people who grind their teeth or have clicking of their jaw joint  or deviation upon closing and or opening of the jaw. All these factors would have to be examined to determine which muscles are involved. We have to determine if the joint is undergoing changes.

Today, I am confident that I can help people who suffer from facial pain.  We can certainly eliminate or greatly diminish the symptoms for this class of patients. If you are experiencing headaches or clicking of the jaw, just call our office at 301-740-2686 or 301-737-4747 and arrange a consultation with me.  I will be glad to examine the issues and recommend appropriate treatment.

I am often asked this question by my patient, "Do Root Canals really work, my friend had a root canal and she ended up losing her tooth anyway".  

It is possible that you can still loose your tooth after our best efforts to save the tooth through root canal therapy, but it is not likely.

There are some requirements before I would recommend to my patients to have save their teeth through a major procedure such as root canal.  Several factors have to be met. The tooth in questions has to have these qualities:

a. A favorable prognosis after root canal therapy is performed

b. The tooth should be healthy and should not have advanced gum disease.  

c. There has to be enough tooth structure for the tooth to be able to support the final crown.

The last criteria is very important and is often missed.  When root canals are performed properly, they have over a 95% or higher success rate, but if they are not restored properly, the process will not succeed. What do I mean by this?

When a tooth is treated for root canal therapy, it should be treated with a crown almost immediately or very quickly.  I often perform the crown procedure at the same session I perform Root Canal Therapy. This will help prevent the tooth from fractures. If a tooth fractures, it might then have to be extracted. This is one of the most common causes that a tooth might have to be extracted after root canal therapy. Patients often are treated with Root Canal therapy and their pain is under control. But later, they might not be able to visit the dentist in time to complete the treatment for variety of reasons.

So my answer to my patients are often that if the selection of the tooth to be treated is correct, and the patient follows the treatment to the end by restoring the tooth with a crown, Root canal therapy works every time.  I should know, I have had root canal and I then placed a crown of my tooth. I still enjoy using that very tooth. So, you can say, I practice what I preach.

by Dr. A. Fatemi

11/30/2018

Dental Emergency: what should I do in a dental emergency  

Basically, any dental problem that requires immediate treatment in order to save a tooth, stop ongoing tissue bleeding or alleviate severe pain is considered a dental emergency. A severe infection or abscess in the mouth can be life-threatening and should be dealt with immediately.  A dental emergency can cause you to have a swollen face, being sensitive to hot and cold fluids and many other symptoms.  

When you have a dental emergency pain can be unbearable. You resort to all sorts of remedies. You may put over the counter gels on the area, but in 99% of the time, this will not help.  You see, the dental infection is inside the tooth and any gel you put on it, will not reach the infection. You may experience throbbing pain where there can severe inflammation inside the tooth.  Does antibiotics work? not always.  Again, the problem is inside the tooth and if the nerve has died inside, there is no more blood flow to the tooth.  No blood flow, no antibiotic effect.  You need  antibiotics to reach the site of infection and if there is not enough blood flow, there will not be any effect. That is the reason only a dentist can help in this situation.

Dental Emergency patients require special attention. At our office, once we receive the emergency call, we will accommodate the patient and will see them the same day.  We examine the patient, determine the cause and will arrive at a diagnosis. Once we know the reason, we can offer the patient different options of treatment. These can range from extraction, root canal, filling, crowns, denture repair or other issues.

If you think you have a dental emergency, you can visit us at either one of our locations in Gaithersburg, MD at 301-740-2686 or Lexington Park MD at 301-737-4747.

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Fight Back against Dental Fear, Look into Sedation Dentistry

Sedation dentistry is an excellent option for those with dental fear.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Sorry, FDR. It turns out there is actually a lot that Americans fear. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are over 6.3 Million Americans with a diagnosed phobia. Some of the most common include fear of public speaking (74 %), fear of death (68 %), and fear of spiders (30.5 %). But what about Dental Fear?

Fear of the dentist is not as uncommon as you may think. According to the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation (DOCS Education), roughly 30% of the population has some form of dental fear keeping them from receiving the regular dental care they need. This is just as true for adults as it is for children.

WHAT IS DENTAL FEAR?

A phobia is an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something, like the dentist. This fear can be brought on by a traumatizing event, such as a painful experience with a filling, or a feeling of helplessness. No matter the cause of the phobia, dental fear is the reason why 36% of those who don’t see a dentist regularly skip their 6-month checkups, according to a survey by the British Dental Health Foundation. Are you one of the 36%? If so, there could be a solution to all of your problems – Sedation Dentistry.

WHAT IS SEDATION DENTISTRY?

Sedation dentistry is an excellent option for those with anxiety, but is also appropriate for people who have a low pain threshold, have sensitive teeth, have a sensitive gag reflex, or need a large amount of dental work. Sedation dentistry uses different levels of sedation to help patients relax during dental procedures.

Click Here to learn more about IV sedation.

SEDATION DENTISTRY IN GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND

With three state-of-the-art locations throughout Maryland – Gaithersburg, Upper Marlboro, and Lexington Park – Dr. Fatemi is well suited to meet all of your dental needs. Dr. Fatemi specializes in sedation dentistry, having completed one year of intense training for intravenous (IV) sedation at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. IV sedation is both safe and effective when administered by a trained professional, like Dr. Fatemi. He further Obtained the prestigious Title of Master of Americal Colldge of Sedation Dentist from the  American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.

Root Canal Procedures: How DoYou Know You Need One

A tooth needing a root canal procedure can be extremely painful. You may have a deep infection. Call our offices today!

Pain while chewing? Temperature sensitivity? We’ve all been there. Having a problem tooth can distract you from the things in your life that are important. Frequent dental visits prevent tooth infections, but if it’s already too late a root canal procedure could be necessary. Be sure to visit your dentist if experiencing any of these signs or symptoms.

PROTECT YOUR ROOTS!

When a cavities’ infection runs deep, it will start to eat through the root of your tooth. The root itself will then become infected. A procedure called a root canal is required to keep the infection from causing permanent damage. The pulp, or inner core, of the tooth, may be infected as well, in which case, a root canal procedure will clear all affected areas and then clean and seal the tooth. Nerves and blood vessels encompass the pulp and must be removed as well if the infection is bad enough. A tooth’s nerve is not vitally important to its function. It really only helps you sense heat and cold. Therefore, the removal of the pulp does not affect dental functioning.

PAINFUL SIGNS

Signs of infections severe enough to require a root canal procedure are going to be extremely painful. As most infections are often pain inducing, the specific types of searing oral misfortune are as follows.

• Serious discomfort when chewing or applying pressure to the problem tooth

• Sensitivity to hot or cold that will often linger once temperature degrees are removed

• Discoloration, or darkening of the problem tooth

• Painful bumps or cysts forming around the problem tooth closer to the main area of discomfort

• Swelling, bleeding, or tenderness of the gums surrounds the problem tooth

THE PROCEDURE

The procedure itself is much quicker and far less painful than the root infection itself. Don’t worry! The tooth will be numbed first, so you won’t have to worry about crying out in discomfort during the procedure. Root canals sound scary, but you’ll feel so much better afterward. Neglecting a root canal is far more frightening. Once the tooth is numbed, an opening is created through the crown of the tooth to the pulp chamber. Special tools are then used to clean the pulp infection and canals. The canals and pulp chamber are filled with a permanent material called ‘gutta-percha.’ It will create a barrier so that further infection cannot occur. A temporary filling is used to cap the tooth off and receives a permanent crown so the internal structures cannot be penetrated. Once all of this is finished, the risk of infection is a thing of the past. Your pain and suffering will be over!

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTERWARD

The problem tooth area may be tender afterward, so it’s best to keep pressure off it for a while. Practice chewing on the other side of your mouth. This will avoid recontaminating the tooth or breakage post procedure. If the tenderness becomes too much, taking over-the-counter painkillers will reduce your pain. It should only feel sore for a couple days. If pain persists call mmediately, 301-740-2686, Dr. Fatemi

THINK YOU NEED A ROOT CANAL PROCEDURE? CALL FATEMI FAMILY DENTISTRY

Call Fatemi Family Dentistry. Located in Gaithersburg and Lexington Park our experienced dental professionals have the skills and tools necessary to determine if you should have your wisdom teeth pulled. And if you do, we can perform the procedure quickly and painlessly, getting your mouth back in shape and you back on your feet.

Call Fatemi Family Dentistry today at 301-740-2686