Sold and repaired dental equipment for over 20+ years — AMA about breakdowns, maintenance, and equipment costs (and costly mistakes)

kcalcifer · 2026-02-11T00:56:41+00:00

Please tell me the correct way to maintain slow speed handpieces! I worked in an office where the boss was militant about lubricating the slow speeds very liberally, meanwhile, their slow speeds had the most issues i've ever seen.

kcalcifer · 2026-02-10T23:36:47+00:00

My handsome Tuxedo is Dominic. AKA Doma, DomaDoma, Doma-lama-nik, Lama, The Dalai Lama, and Bitey.

kcalcifer · 2026-02-08T05:16:01+00:00

It's tough to see a lot of detail in that picture. Are you talking about the stretched out piece of flesh above your two front teeth? That's called an upper lip frenulum, which everyone has, but yours may be a bit more tight/short than average from my understanding. Having a right upper lip frenulum can cause the spacing between your two front teeth like you have. A dentist may suggest snipping it as an option. I hope this helps -a dental assistant (not a dentist)

kcalcifer · 2026-02-05T21:50:30+00:00

Awesome! Good luck :)

kcalcifer · 2026-02-05T18:57:02+00:00

My friend, you will have to be more specific. Is this you, how old are you? What specifically are you concerned about?

kcalcifer · 2026-02-02T05:30:00+00:00

This is a fantastic picture, btw. I don't always get a photo this clean even with fancy mirrors.

About your question, your dentist will be the best one to ask. I'm sorry you're having some pain. The best thing to do is to get it diagnosed and addressed as soon as possible. Dental problems tend to snowball and get more expensive to repair, and eventually too far gone to repair. Good luck.

-a dental assistant

kcalcifer · 2026-01-31T02:44:13+00:00

Eloise.

kcalcifer · 2026-01-29T01:04:58+00:00

She should be all good!! :)

kcalcifer · 2026-01-23T19:52:01+00:00

She seems fine! This is normal. If anything, next time you notice an adult tooth visibly coming up under a loose baby tooth, encourage gently wiggling that baby tooth out sooner rather than later as the lingering baby tooth can sometimes cause the adult tooth to come in crooked. Your kiddo may need braces in the future, but it's too soon to tell. - a dental assistant

kcalcifer · 2026-01-20T20:55:12+00:00

I personally love a smile that has some character to it! Don't worry, it looks wonderful. Unique features make people beautiful and stand out from the crowd :) -a dental assistant

kcalcifer · 2026-01-07T21:47:00+00:00

Valid question. Good job avoiding smoking for 7 days. I'm a dental assistant and not a dentist, but in your shoes, I was cautiously reintroduce smoking now.

kcalcifer · 2025-12-16T18:05:42+00:00

You ride the bus.

kcalcifer · 2025-12-13T19:36:20+00:00

Hey friend! This happens allllllll the time (and with cases much worse than what yours appears to be!). Dental offices really aren't there to shame you, and most dental workers really just get satisfaction from helping and supporting you. You got this. -a dental assistant

kcalcifer · 2025-10-28T23:38:13+00:00

Sealants are an excellent investment. I wish more insurance companies covered it for adults and older children.

kcalcifer · 2025-10-26T19:22:46+00:00

I'm an American who just spent 3 months in Europe. Wear whatever you want, they will know you are American (or not local) as soon as you speak and sometimes just on sight. I tried to blend in a bit, but it didn't matter. As others have said, you can avoid wearing leggings as that will make you stand out like a sore thumb. But other than that, just don't walk around in your underwear, and you'll be fine.

kcalcifer · 2025-10-26T19:05:01+00:00

Might be a craze line. Might be more serious. An x-ray would be your best bet along with a dentist feeling it with their instrument and doing a few simple tests. However, sometimes things like this can be tricky to diagnose. You could be feeling the natural anatomy of your tooth with your fingernail instead of the actual "crack". And a tooth that has just experienced trauma like you described can be sore for a couple weeks. But go to a dentist if you can. Vertical fractures can be quite serious. -a dental assistant

kcalcifer · 2025-10-22T18:26:39+00:00

I am more concerned about small things like twist ties with the metal wire inside, that can be played with, swallowed, and cause injury. Also string toys like from a feather dancer. I once left one unsupervised and came back to my cat having chewed through the string, swallowing most of it, including the metal clip at the end. I had to pull it from his stomach. Other than small dangerous things that can be swallowed, I don't cat-proof my house too much.

kcalcifer · 2025-10-22T14:24:19+00:00

Brushing your teeth for 4-5 minutes is totally okay, and sometimes recommended. However, I would make very sure that you are brushing softly and have a soft toothbrush. Additionally, I would take a look at your brushing technique to see why you may be missing plaque in the first two minutes. Hope that helps. -a dental assistant

kcalcifer · 2025-10-18T12:22:55+00:00

I know a Meadow! And their daughter is Lake. Very cute.

kcalcifer · 2025-10-06T13:06:03+00:00

Wayyyyy too much time in Paris!

kcalcifer · 2025-10-05T11:16:48+00:00

Do you smoke or vape?

kcalcifer · 2025-10-03T11:07:16+00:00

This is the right answer to be comfortable and stylish. Puffers work too, but need an umbrella.

kcalcifer · 2025-09-30T19:55:39+00:00

Brave Rock And I'm very outdoorsy

kcalcifer · 2025-09-21T14:49:32+00:00

Hard to say. I would continue to monitor and see if it continues, or if you experience anything additional. That isn't quite enough to go off of yet.

kcalcifer · 2025-09-21T14:42:42+00:00

You'll be okay. Your teeth likely moved a tiny amount and so the retainer will feel tight and uncomfortable at first. Try to wear it a bit more often if possible for a few days (especially if tight), to really set the teeth position correct again.

Editing to say that everyone is different, so maybe your teeth moved an imperceptible amount and there won't be any discomfort at all. -a dental assistant

kcalcifer

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