Q. I am a fraidy cat. Is it true that having a dental appointment early in the day is better because pain perception is less then?

A. I am not sure if pain perception is less in the morning. Certainly we may be fresher in the mornings and perhaps better able to handle stress from pain.

However, dental care should be free of discomfort with the use of anesthetics that numb the tooth. If you are especially anxious about dental care your dentist might be able to prescribe some medication that could ease the anxiety.

Q. I always heard that bad teeth can cause bursitis. Is that still true?

A. I am not aware of this particular problem, however recent dental research has noted important relationships between dental disease and general health including heart health.

It is always a good idea to keep your teeth and gums healthy for the health of the whole system!

Q. Can you really save a tooth that has been knocked out by putting it in a glass of milk?

A. Yes, that is the correct thing to do, and the more quickly you can get to the dentist to have the tooth reimplanted, the better.

Q. My Grandkids are in band in school - can sax or clarinet or trumpet cause problems? Are any of the instruments better or worse?

A. For the amount of time that children play or practice their instruments it should not cause dental problems with tooth alignment.

Some instruments do not apply any pressure to the teeth (flute, etc). It shouldn't be a problem with usual amounts of play-time.