What Are My Options For Missing Teeth?

Missing teeth can lead to multiple dental health issues from malocclusion (poor bite), to alveolar atrophy (jawbone shrinkage), on top of difficulty with speaking and eating. When it comes to tooth loss, the consequences can be overwhelming. That’s why my office offers relief with Dental Implants.

What is a dental implant?

A dental implant is much like other dental restorations in that the crown is shaped and colored to look like a natural tooth. However, what sets dental implants apart from other dental restorations like dental bridges, dentures, and partials, is the titanium rod. This tiny biocompatible piece of the dental implant bonds to the jawbone. The rod allows a dental implant to not only look like a natural tooth, but also feel like a natural tooth. By mimicking a tooth root, the dental implant rod holds the crown in place, giving it strength and stability.

What are the benefits of a dental implant?

This tooth replacement will allow you to enjoy your favorite foods without worrying if your restoration will slip out of place or feel awkward. Dental implants also give you the freedom of a normal oral hygiene routine. You can clean and maintain your dental implant like you would your natural teeth, instead of removing them to soak in cleaner at night, or using special interdental brushing methods, as with dentures and dental bridges. In fact, with proper oral hygiene and regular dental cleanings, you can expect your dental restoration to last for your lifetime. One hidden benefit of dental implants is their ability to replace the chewing stimulation to your jawbone, once provided by your missing tooth. This keeps your jaw healthy and prevents alveolar atrophy as well as holds your surrounding teeth in relative position, avoiding malocclusion.

Stop suffering from the effects of tooth loss by making an appointment with my office about your dental restoration options and to see if dental implants are right for you.

Cosmetic Dentistry: A Reason to Smile

The condition of our teeth says a lot about how well we take care of ourselves. You can be the most beautiful or handsomest person in the room, and if your teeth are discolored or chipped or even missing, the natural beauty is overshadowed. Cosmetic dentistry offers a full range of dental procedures that cover from bare essentials in tooth maintenance to elaborate procedures that alter many of our teeth. How much you modify your teeth depends upon the teeth problems.

Barely There

Modern dentistry is a science, but it is also an art form. Teeth are reshaped, molded, filed, polished, filled and crowned. The procedures range from simple fillings that are barely there to complete coverage of the existing tooth. The cosmetic dentistry profession is always developing new techniques for teeth maintenance and repair. Following is a partial list of cosmetic dentistry procedures now available.

• Fillings have been done for decades but now they can be color matched to your existing teeth
• Teeth can be reshaped to correct jagged edges or chips in the tooth
• Implants are used to replace one or more missing teeth
• Veneers are thin pieces of enamel applied to correct discoloration or a poorly shaped tooth
• Decayed teeth can be restored with bonding resin
• Discoloration can be erased with teeth whitening bleaching procedures
• Dentures and bridges replace missing teeth
• Teeth that are cracked or worn can be crowned
• Root canals eliminate infection in a tooth
• Enamel shaping can improve a poorly formed tooth

Cosmetic dentistry can work unimaginable wonders now with teeth. Scientific advances in techniques and materials have resulted in procedures that make teeth better looking than genetics bestowed.

Baring It All

If you have ever been afraid to smile too wide because of the condition of your teeth, cosmetic dentistry will make you want to bare your smile to everyone. At one time, simple fillings were made out of materials that did not match natural tooth color. They stood out like a foreign object in your mouth. Today, the new porcelains can be color matched. If your teeth are discolored, you can use whitening procedures to brighten your teeth first. Then the dentist can match the crowns or caps to the brighter white color. The interesting fact about teeth is that our teeth are actually different colors. An expert dentist will be able to match to the tooth being filling or covered.

But cosmetic dentistry is not just about fillings and appearance. Cosmetic dentistry can also include Orthodontics. This specialty deals with correcting misalignment of the teeth and jawbones for a correct bite. Occlusal problems can be serious and affect a person's ability to eat normally. Included in orthodontics are also braces that realign teeth.

Au Naturel

The goal of any cosmetic dentistry is to give a natural appearance to your teeth and your smile. It may require the dentist using a combination of the many procedures available. Each tooth needing dental work must be evaluated. By using one of the many cosmetic dentistry options available, you can be assured that you will get the best smile possible. And everyone likes to see you smile!