You are looking forward to getting together with your family and friends during the Christmas holiday, mostly, but you’re a little anxious, too.

You know your tooth has been hurting when have hot drinks, like cocoa or hot apple cider. You also know that chewing food has become harder, especially crunchy foods, like Christmas cookies.

When you’re at home, you can avoid the foods that make you wince, but at the party, that could be more difficult since you don’t know what is being served.

It’s may too late to fix your problem before Christmas, but as soon as you can, plan a visit to Edgewood Dental Care. Ask us if a CEREC dental crown might be the solution to your problem.

The trouble with chewing
More than likely, your problem didn’t start this week. You may have noticed your tooth sensitivity growing over the past few months.

One morning, you may have felt a bit a pain while drinking your morning coffee. A few weeks later, your tooth hurt when you tried chewing a handful of nuts as an afternoon snack.

As that pain became more frequent, you’ve found yourself avoiding certain foods. You’ve even turned down a couple dinner invitations after work out of concern that you may not be able to hide your pain.

You’re still eating, it’s just … you’ve had to give up some of the things you enjoy. Chips, pretzels, almonds, even some breads and cereals are off the menu for the time being.

And it’s not just hard foods, either. You may have noticed that steak and chicken have become more difficult to chew, too.

What started as a minor irritation has only gotten worse, and it’s starting to affect your life.

Seeing the problem
You know which tooth is the problem, too. It’s the one that is darker than the rest of your teeth.
It may have been longer than you would like to admit since you’ve been the dentist, but you brush your teeth and you floss almost every day. You also try not to eat too many sugary foods … most of the time.
The thing is, your tooth may have started out a little yellow, but now it’s got dark spots that are nearly black. That’s a little embarrassing, too.

You are sure that your coworkers have noticed it, even if they haven’t said anything. Your siblings might not be so nice at your family get together.

And then there’s the pictures.
It seems like your kids are always taking selfies and posting them on their Instagram pages. How many teenagers will be the Christmas party this year? How many pictures will be taken? How many will be posted online for the world to see?

Even without the teens, most of the adults have a camera phone and a Facebook account. You know you will get roped into at least a couple group pictures, and those will get shared online. Your cousins who leave out of town will see those. Will you have to show your teeth in those pics?

Solve your problem in one visit
There is a way to fix your teeth and end your pain. A dental crown can restore the appearance of your smile and relieve you of the pain that you are feeling when you eat and drink.

And if you live in or near Edgewood, you may be able to get a dental crown faster than you think. Edgewood Dental Care offers CEREC same-day crowns.

For any dental crown the procedure is similar. The dentist will first remove the problem areas from your tooth. This could mean removing the parts that are yellow or dark. This could mean reshaping a tooth that has been chipped or cracked. It could mean removing any part of your natural crown that has been affected by tooth decay.

After your tooth has been reshaped, the dentist will order your crown. At some places, this means sending the order to a laboratory and waiting weeks for the crown to come back.

At Edgewood Dental Care, we can make your CEREC crown that same day. We have a machine that will create a ceramic crown for you. This crown can be shaded to look just like the rest of your natural teeth.

Your procedure is finished when we bond your dental crown in place. That’s when you will be able to eat without concern that the next bit will cause you pain, and you can smile without wondering if people are distracted by your discolored tooth.

Have happy holidays (and more)
The sooner you get your dental crown, the sooner you can begin enjoying your meals (and your morning coffee) again. If you can drive to our office, then you should contact Edgewood Dental Care to learn more about how quickly our dental crowns can help you.

You can call us at 859-474-7830 or use our online form to schedule your appointment.