Embarrassing Loose Dentures?

Implant Dentistry offers solution once and for all!

Anyone with regular dentures knows that eating a steak or biting into an apple is always risky because the dentures in the jaw may slip and slide as they lose
their attachment to the gums. The solution to this is getting the denture attached to implants in the jaw. Implant-supported dentures lock the denture in place,
providing people peace of mind that their dentures will not slip when eating or speaking in public.

An implant-supported denture is a type of denture that is supported by, and attached to, implants, whereas a regular denture rests on the gums and tends to fit less firmly in the mouth.  The implants are placed into the jaw and bond to the jawbone forming an anchor. When a person has enough bone in the jaw to
support implants, an implant-supported denture is ideal. This sort of denture has special attachments that snap onto the implants, allowing the denture to feel stable and secure.

Patients who choose an implant-support denture over a regular denture say they have a better ability to chew, have an improved appearance, are more confident,
maintain a healthier diet, and feel happier and better about themselves. The reason is that implant-supported dentures feel more like "real" teeth than regular
dentures because they feel more stable and secure. Implant-supported dentures are locked firmly into place, whereas the regular dentures may occasionally slip off the gums.

• Eat better.
Implant-supported dentures can triple your biting force, allowing you to eat foods that you ate with your natural teeth. As the jawbone shrinks, your chewing efficiency reduces, making it difficult to eat certain foods. Implant dentures can restore chewing efficiency comparable to that of natural teeth, allowing you to enjoy foods like apples, steak, and corn.


Copyright 2007, Curtis Marketing Group, Inc.

Missing Teeth?  Take Your Choice of Solutions

Most people have one or more missing teeth. But, that doesn’t mean you have to live with that embarrassing space. Today, there are three very good options to give you back your good looks and chewing ability.  
            • Porcelain-fused-to-metal bridges
            • All-Porcelain bridges
            • Dental Implants

When a tooth is lost due to decay or gum disease, or just never appeared at all, a fixed dental bridge is a good way to restore the missing tooth. A dental bridge is like a false tooth, and can be used to replace a single missing tooth, or several teeth in a row.

Porcelain fused to gold bridges are popular for restoring missing teeth in both the front and the back of the mouth. They are very strong and esthetically pleasing, but they do have drawbacks. Over time as your gum line changes, you may be able to see the little metal grey line where the porcelain ends and the metal begins.  That can look like you constantly have food or something caught in your teeth.

The other type of bridge is an all porcelain bridge. These bridges are the most esthetically pleasing of the three. Porcelain bridges can be made to look almost identical to your natural teeth. And, because there is no metal involved – no grey line!  All porcelain bridges used to be somewhat fragile. Today, with advances in porcelain, the all porcelain bridge has become a very good choice for replacing a missing tooth.

Finally, best of all are dental implants. Rather than using adjacent teeth as anchors like fixed bridges, dental implants are long-term replacements that your dentist surgically places in the jawbone. Composed of titanium metal that "fuses" with the jawbone, dental implants never decay like the teeth anchoring fixed bridges might. Because dental implants fuse with the jawbone, your jawbone assumes that a real tooth is in there.  That usually stops the bone loss that can happen with a bridge.

If you are missing several teeth in your mouth, you may still enjoy the confidence and lifestyle benefits that come with dental implants. Depending upon the number of teeth that are missing, your dentist may attach several new teeth to two or three dental implants in a bridge/implants combo. This technique can even be used to securely anchor complete dentures. The implants will serve as a stable support that tightly locks into your replacement bridge or dentures to prevent slipping and bone loss.

With an overall success rate of about 95% and almost 50 years of clinical research to back them up, dental implants are frequently the best treatment option for replacing missing teeth.

The most common cause of toothache, or pain in the region of the jaws and face, is pulpitis - inflammation of the pulp of the tooth. The short, sharp pains usually occur in response to hot, cold or sweet stimuli.

If left untreated, the pulp dies and becomes infected, leading to the formation of a dental abscess. The pain from a dental abscess tends to be in response to pressure on the tooth, and is throbbing and continuous.

What causes toothache?

• Dental decay.
• A fracture of the tooth.
• A cracked tooth. This may be invisible and so can be difficult to diagnose.
• An exposed tooth root, which can occur if the gums recede or are damaged by over-vigorous brushing.

The following problems can also cause symptoms similar to toothache, even though the teeth themselves may be free of disease:

• an abscess in the gum (lateral periodontal abscess).
• ulceration of the gums (acute ulcerative gingivitis).
• ulceration of the soft tissues can sometimes be mistaken for toothache.
• inflammation of the gum around a tooth which is in the process of growing/breaking through (pericoronitis).
• inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) can be mistaken for toothache in the upper jaw.

It is worth remembering that the nerves supplying the teeth sometimes give the wrong message to the brain. This means that, although you feel pain in a particular tooth, the problem may actually be in a different tooth - even one located in the opposite jaw.


Copyright 2007, Curtis Marketing Group, Inc.