Q.
i am 55 and have a top right wisdom tooth that has not broken thru. I had the molar in front of it pulled a couple of years ago because it was cracked. The oral surgeon said he would leave the wisdom tooth alone, it may or may not come in. However, from time to time the gum gets sensitive (as if the tooth is trying to come) with just a little blood. No pain without touching the gum. What would you recommend given my age and the fact that there is no tooth blocking the wisdom tooth from dropping down. Thank you!

Q.
Where do I start? I used to have a perfect smile and in the past couple years I have noticed its changed and looks completely different. My gums are receding and my teeth shift and move. My entire bottom left side seems to lean more and more inward towards my tongue, and I even feel like I lost some jaw bone and its smaller? When I bite down my front teeth don’t touch and in general its all messed up and out of line. I’ve never been good when it comes to flossing, I’ve also had an eating disorder and used drugs in the past. I probably haven’t been to the dentist in like 8 years b/c I’ve always had a fear of them, however now I’m just SO embarrassed I’ve let my teeth get this bad I don’t want to go. Well, I did go recently and clearly need a lot of work done…I guess what I really want to know is after all the problem teeth and areas are fixed will my gums stop receding and teeth stop moving? And am I going to need braces again to fix my bite and smile? And even more recent now, like in the past week or two Ive started noticing small spaces appearing in between my top front four teeth at the gum line. What is causing this and what can be done to fix it?

Q.
In Nov 2011 I had a full upper denture put in. Jan 2012 I had a soft re-line done. Soon after I started dealing with (for lack of better description) an oily feeling in my mouth. Some days it is so thick feeling, that it feels sticky and makes it difficult to speak. My dentist says he has not heard of this before and wasn’t sure what to do. We have tried not soaking in denture cleaner, we have tried using my regurlar toothpaste to clean them. When I have the denture out, I don’t have that feeling, but when I put the denture in, it’s almost immediate. I’m at the end of my rope and no one seems to have any ideas or suggestions. I sure hope you can help. Please! Thank you!

Q.
Hello drs. I would like it if you could please help me with my situation. Had my denture relined and they cant seem to get as good a fit as before. It just keeps getting worse and worse…it is like there is too much material and feels bigger. falls out of my mouth when I talk…something is so wrong. I have been tempted to tell them to take out everything they put in. I just want to cry as this was a very costly denture and i feel it has been ruined. Looking online I saw this site and looking for a direction to go. I live in Tucson, AZ Now and am truly lost. please get back to me. it would be really appreciated

Q.
I’m in my forties and would like to know of the best options for my current situation…I have a missing moler tooth on my bottom right which was pulled out in my twenties. Having this gap in my bottom teeth has made them go crowded they have also shifted. Now my top teeth are starting to shift and i have crowns on my two front teeth due to knocking them out at the age of ten. what would be my easiest and less expensive why to fixing them if you can possibly answer?

Q.
I have been unknowingly grinding and clenching my teeth. And now my gums have receded and my teeth are worn down. Will grinding and clenching for years affect my bone tissue? Will my jaw start to shrink? Can I get dentures without needing a bone graft? How much would a whole mouth front and back teeth dental bone graft cost? Do you need gum grafts before getting dentures? And lastly how much would a full mouth extraction cost? I am asking all these questions to get a fix on a price. I am unemployed and on ssi and disability. I have no insurance and am looking to get a bank loan. So I need to know approximitly how much I need and what procedures are necessary.

Q.
Hello Dr.

I have a craze line/crack running down my front tooth and I really dont like the look of it. I understand that it is only minor and not structurally weak; however it just upsets me when I see it. I have beautiful teeth and have never had any problems, so I was looking for the lease invasive fix possible (micro abrasion/light sanding and polishing etc.)

I also have white spots on my teeth from my braces and have just finished KOR bleaching which didnt help

What would you recommend to fix the problem with out putting vaneers over my teeth?

Thank you for your help dr Lemongello

Q.
i have always had spaces btw my front teeth am 30 and i really want to to do something m front teeth have spaces big spaces espcially the one btw the two front ones so i have a question i heard about venners that can fix that p[robleme howver i heard it can be very expemsive and i heard something about bridges ?? will that work too to fill in my spaces btwn my tooth or not(they are nt missing teethe its juts that are spaces) now if i get to either choose venners or bridges i have a question i also had one extracion in te upper long time ago and i nver had a replacement there in order to have vnners or broidges do i have to replavce that teeth that no one will ever see anyone tks

Q.
Hi, Wonder if you can offer some guidance please? i have a large gap on my left side of my upper teeth (maybe 4 teeth missing) and have been lead to believe there is nothing i can do about it, it has been like this for a number of years now, and as a result the line of my jaw would make it impossible to fill the gap, . however having read through this web, im wondering if there is a solution to this problem? i think the gap is to big for a bridge, and i keep coming back to the same problem that my bottom teeth are possibly “in the way” and unsure how this can be resolved? this is something that is causing me a great deal of unhappiness and embarrassment, however i am not in a position to consider major cosmetic dentistry and wonder if you can guide me on how i can look to put this right, if at all ? any confidential advice would be appreciated that you can offer me to try and improve my smile Many thanks

Q.
About 5 months ago I had a bridge installed on 30,31,32. The next day, I called the dentist back and told him that there was a gap between the lower and upper teeth. The dentist told me that he left a bit of a gap because I had to have a root canal on #32 prep and he didn’t want to irritate it. He said that the teeth would naturally come together over time and my bite would be normal. This sounded strange to me, I didn’t know how teeth would get longer, but I didn’t pursue it further.

In the last few days, I have noticed that I have bad breath even minutes after cleaning my teeth and rinsing. I’m also having some very slight pain on my #3 tooth, directly above my new bridge. Could this be a result of the occlusion not being right and the tooth extending down too far to meet the bridge on the bottom and exposing too much of the tooth. I suspect that I have an abscess that is draining in my mouth and causing bad breath. But is isn’t painful because it is draining. If this is the result of a poorly fitted bridge, then I think this dentist should be responsible.