I have a bump at the back of my mouth it keeps coming and going its been doing this for about 3 weeks now ..read more

I'm 63 and I'm told I have 30% bone loss (X ray - which also eliminated other issues - I have a sideways widsom tooth inside the gum not thought to play a role here). I maintain excellent oral hygeine but recently notice a bad smell. I found if I squeeze the gum behind my back-most lower molar there is an oozing and the smell. I am told this is inevitable with ageing - bone loss creates a gap into which food can go where it rots. They say there is little to be done. Sometimes they extract the tooth and the gum heals and closes the pocket and that's a permanent fix but there'a also a risk of p ..read more

Keeping it simple. I have an amalgam filling my dentist says needs to be placed. He showed me on a photo that there is a gap between the filling and tooth and that it is certain there is decay underneath. It kind of makes sense. There is not a way to be 100% certain. X-rays can not penetrate metal. I went for a second opinion from another dentist. He said it does not need to be replaced. If there is a gap between the filling and tooth is it certain there is decay ..read more

Just had to have a bridge replaced due to decay in one of the teeth under bridge. What is the best way to prevent this happening again? I eat a clean plant based diet and no junk. I avoid candy etc. However I do like some dried fruits which I realize can cause decay. I am not sure if flossing under the bridge really cleans it out? I use a water pik too and now using a proxy brush but not sure if that helps with bridges. Thnx for any ideas ..read more

Hi everyone. New here. I've become so frustrated trying to get dental care that I finally wrote to the ADA and my reps. Any thoughts? Mind you, I've offered to pay, but I still can't get an appoirntment because no one will see a paitent on Medicaid (they can get sued if I pay while on Medicaid). What an ordeal! Hello! I had a root canal performed on tooth no. 14 about 15 years ago. About a week ago, the filling fell out (and was washed down the drain). I am 58 years old and recently went back to school for a second degree. Although I am a part-time proofreader, my income is very low, and I a ..read more

About two weeks ago I started feeling a small lump on my lower lip. The size and shape of the lump is a small, round dome and is very soft. I can push on it and flatten it out and when I let got it becomes the same round dome shape. The color is translucent around the outside and darker blueish inside. The lump has not grown and remains to look the same. Over the last couple of days, I have been rinsing with warm salt water a few times a day and also using Listerine mouthwash in the morning and at night but have not noticed any change. Any idea what this lump on lower right lip is ..read more

About a week ago, I started noticing some dull pain and aches on my left lower and upper jaw; I have TMJ issues, so I assumed it was just a flare-up and did my normal remedies for the pain (meds, soft foods, ice, and all that jazz). I also noticed a few months ago my left upper wisdom tooth was growing in (which has previously caused very slight pain right on the gum). However, the pain continued and progressively has gotten worse. Once symptoms reached levels I haven't experienced with TMJ pain (swollen parotid lymph node, swelling in the inner mouth and along the jaw, throbbing and sharp pa ..read more

I’m considering getting an onlay placed over my molar because the shape of it has been tampered with too much now my bite is different and uncomfortable. I feel if the shape is restored then the bite will be sound again. Has anyone had an onlay placed on one or two teeth to correct bite issues from teeth that are too low, too high, mishapped from being equlibrated shaved etc? Any success or horror stories, please share. If you had a full crown instead that’s fine too, please share getting new teeth to fix your bite. I know some people have to get restorations after splint therapy or braces ..read more

I have 1 bump that is around 2mm and 2 smaller bumps around 1mm next to it on my lower gum underneath a tooth. They are hard and painless. I can press them in with my nail. Had them for a couple months now. Any idea what they could be ..read more

I was obviously born with a severe jaw deformity as my gums showed a ton when I was growing up and I could barely close my lips together yet the orthodontist I went to never mentioned surgery I had to appliance on the roof of my mouth to separate my top pallet and when I got my braces off nothing was done further I still had a severely gummy smile With straight teeth. Growing up I was always bullied and made fun of because of my deformed looking mouth I have all these pictures that I ruined because so much of my gums showed I thought I only had something wrong with my chin and mouth like a re ..read more