2 Potential Treatments For A Lateral Incisor With A Talon Cusp

Dentist Blog

The lateral incisors are the teeth on the upper jaw that flank what are commonly called the "two front teeth." Incisors are used for cutting into food while eating and are thus sharper with no cusps like molar teeth, which need cusps to grind the food passed back before swallowing. But in rare cases, an incisor can develop a cusp on the rear of the tooth due to a condition called talon cusp.   

The claw-shaped cusp doesn't always cause problems but can cause damage to the tongue and soft tissues, create bite problems, or make the incisor more vulnerable to damage. There are a couple of different ways that a dentist can treat a talon cusp to minimize the risk of problems.

Dental Shaving and Composite Resin Bond

The dentist will likely want to shave off the problematic cusp before performing any other fixes. The cusp is shaved off with dental tools until the tooth returns to the standard incisor size. If the cusp was particularly large, the remaining tooth might still look odd due to the sheer amount of tooth that had to be removed. Your dentist can opt to cover up this problem using a composite resin bond.

Composite resin bonds start out as a malleable material that the dentist can sculpt directly around the tooth to restore the look of a healthy incisor. The resin is then hardened into place with a specialized light. The resin will serve as the new dentin and enamel layers for the tooth as the natural tooth will be mostly to fully covered.

Root Canal Treatment and Dental Crown

Dental shaving isn't always followed up with a bond. Sometimes some interior repairs are required before the tooth can be covered. If the cusp or its removal caused damage to the pulp inside the root canal, your dentist will need to perform a root canal procedure before continuing with changing the tooth's appearance.

The root canal procedure involves carefully drilling into the tooth to access the root canal then scraping out any damaged pulp. The pulp chamber is then filled with a dissolving biocement that will hold the canal rigid until new pulp has time to enter the chamber and then the biocement will absorb into the tooth.

The entry hole and the misshapen incisor can then both be corrected with the application of a dental crown. The porcelain crown fits down over the whole tooth and provides a stronger exterior protection wall than a composite resin bond. To learn more, contact a dental clinic like Leidenheimer Dental Group Inc

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11 June 2016

Mouth Rinses Are Not Just for Bad Breath

I have always brushed and flossed my teeth daily, but I still had the occasional cavity when I visited the dentist for a check-up. He told me it was normal to have a cavity on occasion and that I shouldn't let it stress me out too much. Well, I am not one to just accept any problem I am having, so I started looking into how to improve my oral hygiene even more. I had always thought mouthwash was just to improve your breath, but I found some that said they helped keep cavities away. I started using one every day before bed. I haven't had a cavity in two years now, and I think the mouth rinse is the reason! I created this blog to remind other people that even if they brush and floss regularly, they can always find ways to take even better care of their teeth.