My trays were molded to fit my teeth and they fit perfectly until a month ago when I left them out one night and one of my cats took them all over the house. It took me 2 days to find them and they are not quite the same now but I'm still using them. Guess I'm lucky one of the cats found them as my puppy would have just eaten them.

Yes, you should have custom trays made.

It would be unusual for a tooth to crack when a "small surface filling" is done. Teeth can have hidden fractures in them that even a dentist won't see and they don't show on x-rays. All it takes is biting on something hard to cause a tooth to break. Fractures can go undetected for years. Also chewing on ice can lead to fractures in the enamel.

Ken's wife & Samta,

You will find a great deal of information on this website by using the search fields at the top of this page and on the home page by typing in HBO or the full name.

Jerry

In the office they likely use one size fitz all, but you want the custom made ones to ensure they fit well and keep the fluoride in the right place (I find that I can get the paste or gel into the silicone trays just right and not have the stuf all over my mouth).

I agree with my wonderful colleague on the undetected fracture it is a common phenomenon that is very hard to diagnose let alone see (probably more undected ones in Jerry's practice with his age and failing eyesight, sometimers disease,...sorry Jerry just had too..)There is however a way that I have used on many occasions to determine if the tooth is, in fact fractured. Think of the small filling as the wedge in the wood that you bang on to split it. The forces applied to the wedge make it much easier to split the larger piece into smaller pieces. So...when you bite on this small filling if the bite is not perfect it puts adverse forces on the rest of the tooth. When the tooth starts to flex to the point where the stress is beyond normal the patient gets a sharp stabbing pain or "zing" in the tooth and subsequently doesn't chew on it (..and then blames the dentist for practicing substandard ...never mind). If a dentist cements a properly fitted orthodontic band around the circumference of the tooth all the adverse forces are directed down the root of the tooth and viola no more pain. If pain remains then I would suspect that a root canal or extraction would be in order. If the pain goes away the band can remain almost indefinately or a crown can be placed on the tooth.

Wow...I can certainly make a short story long...sorry..but you get the idea.
Cheers,
Mike

[size:20pt] Mike,

Could you use a larger font please?

Jerry[/size]

Love the way you guys provide a little light hearted entertainment in between reading all the sad stuff here

Haaaa Haaaaa. Ohhhh myyy ribs ...Jerry you kill me ...now my wife is wondering if the medication will ever work. Me sitting here typing and laughing at the screen.

Jerry...where are the big keys that make the letters that big...Oh yeah we don't have those in Canada.
Cheers folks I'll be here all week. Try the chicken.

Mike

Gabe,

When you spend most of your day "looking down in the mouth" and often hearing "I hate dentists", you have to have a good sense of humor. However, I try not to make my patients laugh when I have my fingers in their mouth.

Jerry

Wow you guys are playing in a whole different field I had all my teeth removed over 6 years ago...should have been a sign then but my doctor told me that cause I had no teeth it helped saved my jaw bones prevented the cancer or took it longer to get to the bone. In any case true or not not sure but it is what I was told.

This experience not having teeth is well been a little bit easier can't expect to eat a big steak don't so don't miss it...my dentures are very comfortable and very functionable although not sure what way we are going to go now........I just know there was no more pain but I do understand having one's own teeth...If you can keep them awesome but just from the other side of the fence they ain't that bad...

Dianne

Dianne,
Understanding that you now have dentures, whether there were other options or not, you now have to move forward with them. There is really no reason why a good, functional and comfortably fitting denture should prevent you from eating a steak, apple or corn on the cob. You just have to adapt to the way they work.
If, after much perserverance, you find yourself unable to accomplish eating and enjoying these foods you should probably consult the dentist who constructed them to see if they can be adjusted to accomodate the situation. If the answer is they cannot then you may want to consider having implants placed to support and anchor the dentures in your mouth so that they do not move or slip when you eat. Your existing dentures can easily be secured to implants without having new ones constructed.
After all, eating is one of the simple pleasures of life and being a denture wearer should not deprive you of this. You just have to know what options are available.
All the best.
Mike