Dr. Dipika Shah Performs Tooth Extractions

If decay has reached too deeply into one of your teeth or if an infection has damaged too much of the supporting bone or tissue, you will need a tooth extraction, and in Holmdel, NJ, Dr. Dipika Shah can provide the extraction you need to restore your oral health.

Before the procedure is performed, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area around the extraction site. During a simple extraction, the tooth is then loosened with an elevator and extracted with forceps. Once removed, Dr. Shah may choose to smooth and contour the underlying bone. When she is finished, the gums are sutured.

After the extraction, it is critical to keep the area clean to prevent infection. A dry, sterile gauze will be placed over the gums to limit bleeding. You must make sure to keep it in place for 30 to 45 minutes while the blood clots. During the 24 hours after the procedure, you should not smoke, rinse your mouth vigorously or clean the teeth immediately adjacent to the extraction site. Strenuous activity, hot liquids and straw drinking should also be avoided. A certain amount of pain and discomfort accompanies an extraction, so a painkiller may be prescribed.

If you are suffering pain from decay, infection or impaction, Dr. Shah can determine if a tooth extraction is required to save your smile. Schedule an appointment at our practice by calling 732-264-8180. For more information, visit www.dentistnj.com.

Dr. Dipika Shah Can Save Your Tooth with a Root Canal Procedure

If the root of your tooth becomes infected, it is important to first try and save the tooth rather than extracting it and replacing it with an artificial restoration. This is because restorations, such as implants or bridges, are both expensive and not as beneficial to your oral health as having your own root supporting your tooth.  To avoid extracting a tooth, Dr. Dipika Shah performs root canal procedures, which can effectively save your tooth and relieve your pain in Holmdel, NJ.

Root canals can be performed with new 3D technology and rotary instruments that provide improved quality and efficiency and less pain. During the procedure, Dr. Shah will remove the infection by first applying a local anesthetic to the area and then creating an opening in the canal. With her rotary instruments, she is able to remove the infected tissue and clean the area before filling the canal with a sealant to protect from further infection. Teeth that have root canals performed on them also usually require a crown to protect it from fractures, as well as improve the appearance and strength of the tooth. Once the procedure is complete and any soreness subsides, you will be able to eat without pain and sensitivity.

If you’re in pain, you can stop you’re suffering by scheduling an appointment with our office in Holmdel, NJ. Call 732-264-8180. For more information on Dr. Dipika Shah, please visit www.dentistnj.com.

Wisdom Teeth Extractions

Your third and final molars to emerge are your wisdom teeth, which usually come in when you are between 17 and 25 years old. While many people do not experience problems with these new teeth, many others find that their's must be removed. If your mouth does not have enough room for your wisdom teeth to come in, a wisdom tooth extraction is necessary, and at our office in Homdel, NJ, Dr. Dipika Shah can determine whether a wisdom tooth extraction is the best course of action for you.

Wisdom teeth are usually removed because they become impacted, which means that the tooth does not have enough room to come in straight through the gums and instead emerges at an angle. This can cause pain, damage to the jaw and a more crooked smile. Additionally, the site of impaction can become a bacterial hotspot since impacted wisdom teeth are hard to clean.

Wisdom teeth extractions can range from removing a single tooth to removing all four teeth at once. Dr. Shah will let you know what she thinks is best for you. For the procedure, she will use either a local anesthetic to numb the area or a general anesthetic to sedate you while the teeth are extracted. The tooth will then be accessed through an incision in the gums and wiggled until it is loose enough to be lifted out. If the tooth is too deeply embedded to be removed this way, it will be broken up into pieces before being removed.

Whether you are already feeling pain due to impacted wisdom teeth or have not yet felt them come in, we can determine if your wisdom teeth will cause problems for you. To schedule an appointment, call 732-264-8180. For more information, visit www.dentistnj.com.

Dental Crowns

Crowns are used to protect and strengthen teeth that have become extremely weak, decayed or fractured. Covering your affected tooth and restoring it to its original shape and size, dental crowns (sometimes called caps) can help reduce pain, save your tooth from needing to be extracted and keep your smile beautiful and functional. At our office in Holmdel, NJ, we can see if a crown is necessary to save your smile.

Over time, as your teeth begin to weaken, they become more susceptible to problems, including decay, cracks and discoloration. Crowns are usually only necessary if decay has reached the point where the tooth structure is compromised. When a crown is installed, the decay is removed from the tooth and a core build-up is used to insulate the nerve and create a surface to bond the crown to. An impression is then made of this surface so that crown can be custom fitted. Usually made of porcelain, gold or porcelain fused to metal, the crown is fabricated in a lab and then cemented onto the current tooth. This fabrication process can take between two to three weeks.

Crowns are made incredibly strong to protect the remaining tooth structure, and the custom fit ensures that the seam between tooth and crown is miniscule, which helps protect the tooth from further decay.

If you’re experiencing pain in one of your teeth, stop by our office to see if a crown can save your smile. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Dipika Shah by calling 732-264-8180. For more information, visit www.dentistnj.com. 

Why Do You Need a Root Canal?

While the thought of having a root canal procedure usually fills patients with dread, the procedure is a necessary one for those whose teeth become infected in the nerves. Besides causing pain, infections, if left untreated, can become abscesses, which are much more serious and result in a loss of bone mass in the jawbone. Dr. Dipika Shah can relieve your pain with a root canal procedure in Holmdel, NJ.

Although root canals may not sound pleasant to you, they are well worth it to stop your pain and improve your oral health. While there is soreness after the procedure, it is only temporary and usually nothing that over-the-counter painkillers cannot take care of.

During a root canal, Dr. Shah removes the infection by applying a local anesthetic to the area and drilling into the tooth to create an opening in the canal. Then she is able to remove the infected tissue and clean the area. Once the infection has been removed, your tooth will be filled with a sealant and then fitted with a crown to protect it from infection in the future. The crown also helps improve the appearance and strength of the tooth. Once the procedure is complete and soreness subsides, you will be able to eat without experiencing pain and sensitivity to heat, cold and pressure.

If you’re in pain, you don’t need to suffer. Schedule an appointment with us by calling 732-264-8180. For more information, visit www.DentistNJ.com.

Facial Pain

Dr. Dipika Shah treats patients in her dental office for many different types of ailments, including facial pain. Facial pain can be caused from issues with the nerves, jaw, teeth, ear, or head. Many cases of facial pain seem like the pain is experienced in the Jaw, gums or teeth, but it can be a  sinus infection, an infected or impacted tooth, Myofacial Dysfunction, a result of periodontal disease, fractured tooth, Cancerous lesion, trigeminal neuralgia or even Bell's palsy!

Complete history, proper clinical evaluation along with some radiographs can help  etermine the cause and possible treatment for this type of pain. Some of the more common causes of facial pain that are treated by our dentist Dr. Shah include:

• Tooth infection
• Sinus infection
• Toothache
• Arthritis
• TMJ disorder
• Neuralgia
• Injury
• Bruxism, also known as teeth grinding
• Periodontal gum disease

We provide treatments for facial pain depending on the cause. For TMJ or jaw-related pain, which is often caused by teeth grinding, we recommend that a custom splint be made and worn. Treating infections ranges from root canal procedures and antibiotics to extracting the tooth.

If you are experiencing facial pain, do not hesitate to call us at 732-264-8180 to schedule an appointment.