First off, sorry if I’ve got the wrong thread here.
So, my husband has had this "thing" on his lower lip for about a month now. It’s bothering him and just won't go away, so he started Googling it—I know, I know, Google is the absolute worst when you're worried about health stuff. The only thing he found that actually looked like his issue was some kind of cancer. Obviously, we're heading to the doctor ASAP. He has a high-stress job, he smokes, so honestly, I wouldn't be surprised by a diagnosis like that. I’m trying to keep him calm until the doctor weighs in, but he asked me to post this on a forum to see if anyone might have some actual insight... Photo is attached below. Thanks. 🙂
Keep in mind the photo quality is pretty terrible... But it looks like a cluster of tiny bumps all grouped together. At this stage, they sit slightly above the lip line, so they almost look like little blisters to me. Now... I hate to say it, but it's possible this could be a condyloma... which is caused by HPV. If that's the case, without even touching him, you should head straight to a clinic for testing... IF... it actually turns out to be a condyloma. It might not be that. But if it is... and you're clean... well, then you've got some serious marriage counseling to do.
Nicole White84 said:Does anyone happen to know anything about this? I'm over 30 and I'd really love to give it a shot. My local orthodontist told me I'd probably have to travel all the way to Italy for something like this. Does anyone have any info they could share? Thanks in advance! 😊
You don't need to go to Italy... did your orthodontist actually tell you that your situation requires a palatal expander? If there's a legitimate medical reason for it, I know an orthodontist and a surgeon who work together and perform those kinds of procedures And no... it's not me
Douglas Ward12 said:Jane Doe, has anyone dealt with something like this? I am seriously going to lose my mind worrying over the holiday weekend, so please, if you've had a similar experience, reach out! My little Michael is three, and since yesterday, there’s been this weird growth between his two front teeth—like some kind of raw, fleshy lump... We went to see a dentist (not his regular one, since they're closed for the holidays), and she said he’ll need a minor surgical procedure once his actual dentist is back in office. Honestly, I'm freaking out. With all these random illnesses going around lately that don't care about age or anything else, I can't help but panic!! I know it might be nothing serious, but still, the fear is real!! 😕
And even if they somehow end up with extra cash, it doesn't change much. Their paycheck says minimum wage, but then there's whatever else they pocket... they walk into the bank thinking they're set, only to realize they can't actually do anything with that money.
Aaron Evans3 said:huh.. what’s the starting pay like if you work for a private practice instead of a community health center? I know it all depends on how much business they bring in and their overall revenue, but is there some kind of average?
Hardly any beginners work purely on commission (personally, I don't know a single one, though that doesn't mean they don't exist). Pay usually isn't tied to volume like that. Most people are just signed up at minimum wage, and honestly, half of them probably get a chunk of it under the table. In the beginning, it's way more financially worth it to work at a public clinic because the salary is significantly higher and everything actually hits your bank account properly.
Until you hit $950, stick strictly to the private practice rules. And there is no way in hell a dental assistant is getting $6,500 out of a $20,000 monthly revenue. The payroll taxes and overhead on those numbers push the actual costs up to nearly double... and that’s just her salary alone. Electricity, water, gas, and every other utility bill... Then you've got supplies, which get incredibly expensive if you actually care about quality. We're talking about a decent chair costing at least $40 $0.00, plus the autoclave, instruments, the compressor, or a high-end physiodispenser if you want something reliable. Then there's rent—whether you're leasing or buying the space—furniture, and inevitable equipment breakdowns... Only after all that do you even look at the dentist's actual pay and the taxes taken out of it. You think $20 $0.00 is a lot? Anyone trying to run a legitimate, serious practice on $20 $0.00 isn't even covering their basic overhead, let alone making a profit.
Aaron Evans3 said:So, when is this actually done? Can you do it on perfectly healthy teeth just for looks? And is there something for widening the mandible too? Because if my upper jaw expands by 9mm in three weeks, isn't that going to leave me totally out of proportion with my lower jaw? Also, what does this even cost?
An RPE is used when standard braces just can't create enough space in the upper jaw to get a functional bite. If your issue is specifically with the width of your upper jaw and not your lower one, the expansion goes exactly as far as needed to fix the relationship with the bottom jaw. Basically, if you need 9mm, you get 9mm; if you only need 6mm, then it's 6mm. Your orthodontist is the one who calculates those measurements. Every orthodontic treatment has its limits... you can't fix everything with just braces. That’s why these more intensive measures are sometimes necessary. As for the price, you really need to ask your orthodontist. It varies wildly from one clinic to another.
If you’ve got a fistula—basically an abscess—hanging around a tilted root, I’d suggest getting a 3D scan. You need to see if those roots are accidentally touching. Why risk it? You want to make sure the infection hasn't jumped to a neighboring root that's perfectly fine and innocent. If the swelling is sitting right in front of the root, things are manageable... but if it’s wrapping around behind the root? Now we're talking about a much bigger problem. Regarding the infection itself: technically, you don't "infect" the root itself, but rather the material inside the root canal. If that infected gunk leaks out from the root, it starts eating away at the surrounding bone. Over time, it spreads, and before you know it, it can wreck the teeth next to it too. Do you see how dangerous this actually gets?
The root doesn't actually have to be touching the number two... I know it looks that way in the photo, but that's just a 2D representation. It’s kind of like those photos where two people are standing super close and talking into someone's ear, but because of the camera angle, it looks like they're kissing. 🙂 Basically... one object can be sitting right behind another, but in a flat projection, it looks like they're touching. Since these kinds of cases are atypical—and since it’s blindingly obvious you have an infection around that tooth (you literally mentioned pus)—my advice is this: 1. Find a specialist who actually has the capability to read 3D imaging. 2. Get a 3D scan done so you can see exactly where that root is heading and what needs to be done about it.
Steven Garcia62 said:My teeth are pretty crooked—I think I have an open bite. I tried fixing it back when I was a kid, but it was done super sloppily by some hack orthodontist. When I was little, my parents gave me, I don't know, some crappy soda or whatever, so my baby teeth came in late and fell out way too late too. I think when my upper right lateral incisor 😁 fell out as a baby tooth, the permanent one just never grew in. I can't be 100% sure though (and yeah, it's still missing today). When I finally saw a dentist at 11 and he saw the gap, he basically had nothing to say 🙂. Ten years later, I'm realizing that the right side of my jaw sits differently than the left, which is lower. On top of that, my right hip sits higher than my left, so my hips look tilted, and my right leg feels longer—plus it looks a bit thicker. Is it actually possible that this is all because of my teeth? If it is, I have a bad feeling there's no saving me. But whatever. I guess having crooked teeth and weird legs is better than having neither 😬 Does anyone have another theory?
It's possible... but if you want a real answer, you’d need to undergo an incredibly thorough functional diagnostic workup. I mean, it's possible your posture is off because of your bite, but if one leg is actually physically shorter... that has nothing to do with your teeth.
If you’re actually going to bother with exercises, at least figure out why you’re doing them and what they’re supposed to accomplish... here, take a look at this link so you can see which muscles are actually working during pull-ups... LINK
As you can clearly see, those specific muscles I mentioned aren't even being used in pull-ups.... yet those are the exact ones responsible for maintaining scapular tone and pulling your shoulders back and up. And here's the thing... if you're hitting push-ups and chest work—which pull your shoulders down and forward—but you aren't doing any counter-movements, your shoulders are just going to keep slouching further and further forward.
Go ask a trainer to explain it to you... it’s honestly mind-blowing that they let a 16-year-old run wild in the gym without any guidance.... it isn't your fault, per se...
John Morris5 said:I’m all about those Spartan-style workouts at the gym... you know, push-ups, pull-ups, basically everything bodyweight related... that makes up 90% of my routine! And that's not even the main part of the workout!
What are you doing for your upper back??? I mean the muscles between the shoulder blades and up toward the neck...
Man... you're tall... What kind of gym workouts are you doing to build up those lower legs? Also... since you're 16... are you hitting the gym on your own or is it part of some organized club program?
First off, you have to understand that CJD—or bovine spongiform encephalopathy—is caused by prions, not viruses. Prions are simpler than viruses and sit right on that line between living and non-living matter, which makes them incredibly hard to kill. Your standard sterilization methods don't touch prions; you basically need temperatures north of 1800 degrees Fahrenheit to wipe them out, and obviously, we aren't doing that in a dental office. So, in theory, transmission is possible. What’s certain, though, is that an instrument would first have to come into direct contact with an infected person's blood, and the infectious dose required to trigger it in a human is tiny. Are you actually going to catch it? Look... you're more likely to get struck by lightning on your way to the clinic or get leveled by a car on your way to school, work, or whatever. But that doesn't stop you from doing those things every single day, does it? You're stressing over something that is borderline impossible. You'll be killed by a tooth infection full of bacteria and decay long before you ever deal with a prion from BSE during a procedure. A hell of a lot sooner.
hiddensailor14....are you actually serious right now? You’re still sitting there giving him directions on where to go, what to do, and who to talk to?? Are you out of your mind??? The guy clearly doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, yet he's acting like he's ready to wander around town carrying a Sword... and of course, you're just sitting there, bursting with all this "expert" info, practically tripping over yourself to guide him to the nearest corner store so he can pick one up... Just what the world needs... more people wandering the streets with Swords...
shadowsailor9 said:That is exactly right! As soon as nickel comes into contact with sweat, it reacts instantly because the body absorbs it so much faster... which is why jewelry is such a critical issue. Personally, I have this one outfit where I can't take off the studs, so I apply bandages to the inside—the thicker, the better!
Look, speaking as a dentist, let me give you a heads-up on one thing... if you ever need porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns in your life... SERIOUSLY tell them about your nickel allergy... there won't be any difference in how you feel, the dentist will just know to use nickel-free alloys instead... and that's all there is to it.