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If circumstances have left you without your teeth at a relatively young age, it can be easy to feel like you’re the only one. As a result, many patients think there is a stigma against younger people getting restorative dentistry. They think only seniors have dental implants and dentures. Not true!As dental professionals, we don’t want anyone to miss out on a functional and beautiful smile, so we want to guide you past you preconceived notions about restorative dentistry.
Young people can lose their teeth for many reasons. While bad habits like smoking and poor nutrition and dental hygiene during childhood are common reasons, other reasons include accidents, genetic conditions, drug use, and side affects of eating disorders.
Many patients avoid getting help because they are ashamed of their dental condition. Whatever caused you to lose your teeth, hiding your smile from the world and always worrying what people will think is no way to live your life!
No matter what your dental history, never be afraid to ask your dentist about the restorative and reconstructive solutions that may be available to you. Most dentists became dentists in order to help people, not judge them. Give us a chance to bring you all that our training and the latest dental technology has to offer.
There are many people as young as their twenties or thirties who have bridges, partial dentures, complete dentures or implants. These patients have put aside what’s happened in the past and embraced what modern dentistry can do for them today to give them healthier, more beautiful smiles.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the longer you put off dental restoration, the more damage there might be to repair, even if all your troublesome teeth have already been removed. When you lose teeth you also lose bone in your jaw, leading to a sunken or compressed looking facial structure that can make you look much older. This bone loss continues throughout your life unless we do something about it. Traditional dentures can restore the shape of your face, while implant supported dentures & individual dental implants can also help stop bone loss.
If tooth loss is keeping you from experiencing life the way you want to, please talk to the dentist about restoring your smile. We want to show you what’s possible!
Dental implants are one of the greatest innovations of modern dentistry. They are true prosthetic replacement teeth, consisting of an artificial titanium tooth root with a porcelain crown attached. Over 3 million Americans have dental implants, and that number is increasing by 500,000 people per year (source). With dental implants becoming a more and more popular solution to replace missing teeth, it’s fair to ask: how long do dental implants last?
The short answer is that dental implants can last a lifetime. Here’s the long answer.
Anyone who has had to have a crown or a bridge replaced or dentures re-fitted knows that not all dental restorations last forever. These three types of restorations can each fail for their own reasons. In the case of crowns and bridges, they can fail if the original tooth structure they’re attached to gets compromised due to decay. Most dentures eventually need to be refitted or replaced when bone loss causes the jaw to change shape.
Luckily, if you get dental implants, you don’t have to worry about the same risks. One of the reasons that implants are considered the best and most advanced option for replacing missing teeth is they are not subject to the same failure problems as standard crowns, bridges, or dentures. That isn’t to say that dental implants work perfectly all the time, but recent studies have shown that dental implants have a 98% success rate (source).
Many dentists conservatively estimate that implants will last about 25 years. The reason we can’t guarantee they’ll last a lifetime is there haven’t been very many long-term studies of dental implants yet.
Dental implants in their modern form were invented a little more than 50 years ago. In 1965, a Swedish scientist named Per-Ingvar Brånemark placed the first dental implant in the mouth of a man named Gösta Larsson. When Larsson died in 2006 at the age of 75, his original implants were still in place. They had lasted over 40 years!
Just like your natural teeth, the health and longevity of a dental implant depend on looking after your oral health. Dental implants are cared for just like natural teeth with daily brushing and flossing and regular dental checkups. Smoking can make it much more likely for dental implants to fail, as can pre-existing gum disease (periodontal disease). These health factors should be taken into account before a patient decides to have dental implants placed. If you’re interested in replacing missing teeth with dental implants, come see us and start a conversation!
Like an orthodontist or a periodontist, a prosthodontist is a type of dentist who has received specialized training in a particular type of dentistry. After completing their education in general dentistry, a prosthodontist continues to train for three additional years in the repair or replacement of teeth and jaw structure restorations. Specially trained prosthodontists even work with head and neck deformities.
Prosthodontics is the dental specialty of dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry. In Greek, “prostho” means “replacement” or “addition,” and “dont” means “tooth.” So prosthodontists are specially trained in repairing your smile where teeth are damaged or missing.
You might visit a prosthodontist if you want to improve the esthetics of your smile. Prosthodontists can repair your smile with many different dental prosthetics, including, but not limited to:
Bridges are dental appliances that replace missing teeth and create a “bridge” between teeth. A prosthetic tooth, called a “pontic,” is attached to an existing tooth to fill a gap in your smile.
Crowns cover and support a tooth to protect the tooth from breaking or to restore an already broken tooth. They can also cover a discolored tooth and are a great way to make your teeth stronger and improve their appearance.
Dentures are a set of removable teeth that replace missing teeth. They can improve your smile and your overall dental health by making it easier to chew and eat and by preventing facial sagging.
Dental implants are prosthetic replacements for natural teeth. They are anchored in the jawbone and permanently secured in your mouth, and they look and act like natural teeth.
Inlays and onlays replace old fillings. An inlay is like a regular filling and fits inside of the cavity of the tooth. An onlay also fits inside the cavity, but it covers the tooth cusp as well.
Veneers are thin prosthetics that are placed over a tooth to improve its appearance or strengthen it.
Prosthodontists also work on TMJ/TMD problems in the jaw joint.
General dentists can do some of the treatments that prosthodontists do, but prosthodontists specialize in these tooth restoration procedures. They even regularly lead teams of dentists to solve your dental problems and focus on the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of your oral health, appearance and comfort.
The goal of modern dentistry is for each & every patient to keep all their teeth for their entire lifetime. As dental health awareness & dental technology have advanced over the last half century, we now see fewer older people who are missing all their teeth (a condition dentists call edentulism). Still, we find that people may loose a tooth or a few & not think much of it. The reality is that a missing tooth is far more than just a gap in your smile: it can have serious oral health & psychological effects down the line.
Bones are similar to muscles in that if you don’t stimulate them, they will start to atrophy. The bones in your jaws are stimulated when the force of biting & chewing travels down the root of your teeth into the bone. When you lose even a single tooth, the bone under where the tooth used to be starts to weaken & decrease in density. If you are missing all the teeth on your upper or lower jaw, this effect is even more pronounced, & can lead to the face having a sunken & shortened appearance that makes a person look much older.
Patients who have lost teeth also experience negative effects on their health & quality of life. Missing teeth can make it hard for people to eat healthy foods that might be difficult to chew, such as nuts, vegetables & meats. As a result, many patients with missing teeth also suffer from poor nutrition. Missing teeth can also have social consequences, as patients who are self conscious about their appearance or eating ability may avoid social activities that they once enjoyed.
If you are missing teeth it’s very important that you look into your options for tooth replacement as soon as possible. The longer you wait to replace a tooth, the worse your problems with bone loss & other consequences will be.
Dental implants are by far the best option for replacing teeth. A major reason for this is they replace both the tooth root & the crown. The fact that the replacement tooth is imbedded in the bone helps prevent further bone loss. The implant is an artificial tooth root that is anchored in the bone. The crown is a porcelain or ceramic tooth that is then attached to the metal implant using dental cement. Essentially, the only drawback to dental implants is the healing time, which can be as long as three months. But the result is permanent teeth that will last the rest of your life & be as functional as if you never lost your natural teeth. Plus, unlike other tooth restoration options, implants don’t ever have to be replaced or adjusted, so you only have to pay for them once.
Bridges are replacement teeth that are held in place by attaching to neighboring healthy teeth. While traditionally bridges have been made from gold, ceramic, or alloys, today the preferred kind of bridge is made entirely of ceramic. This provides the most natural-looking result. A ceramic bridge consists of a false tooth with hollow tooth crowns on either side. These hollow crowns are then cemented to nearby healthy teeth that have been reshaped & the false tooth in the middle fills the gap left by your missing tooth.
Bridges can help prevent bone loss in your jaw & also keep your remaining teeth from shifting into the gap, which can misalign your bite, make chewing difficult & even affect your appearance. While bridges are durable & long-lasting, most of the time they do need to be replaced eventually. Bridges are also a less desirable option than implants because they involve taking structure away from healthy teeth in order to attach the bridge, so the loss of one tooth ends up affecting several teeth.
Dentures are dental appliance that replace an entire arch of teeth (i.e. all the teeth on your upper jaw or lower jaw). Dentures consist of a plate that holds false teeth & gums that are held in place by fitting over your gums & the power of suction. Dentures are usually made of a durable resin material that is colored to look like your own natural teeth. Partials are used for patients who are missing a few, but not all, of the teeth in an arch. They consist of a plate that fits against the roof of the mouth, false teeth, & clips that attach to existing teeth to hold the partial in place.
While dentures & partials will restore the appearance of your smile & some of its function, they do not help prevent bone loss due to missing teeth. Even if you wear dentures the bones of your jaw will continue to diminish & change shape. As a result, you may need to have your dentures adjusted or replaced, as the original bone structure they were designed for will have changed. This is why, despite having a lower upfront cost, dentures can end up costing more than dental implants in the long run.
If you are missing teeth or know you are at risk of losing teeth, please don’t hesitate to talk to us about your options.
Dental implants are the latest & greatest in dental technology that allows dentist to replace missing teeth permanently. You may know that implants can replace teeth & are used in complete smile reconstructions & makeovers. But you may also not be sure exactly what dental implants are, & how they work.
That’s why we’ve written this simple & quick intro to dental implants. If you want more detail about the implant procedure or want to find out if you’re a good candidate for dental implants, please call us to schedule an implant consultation visit.
First, we want to familiarize you with how natural teeth work. Natural teeth consist of a crown, which is the visible part of tooth that’s outside the gums, & a root, which is under the gums & attached to the bone of your jaw. Your smaller front teeth tend to have one root each while the larger teeth toward the back of your mouth (molars & bicuspids) tend to have more than one. The root of your teeth contain the nerve & the pulp, which nourish the inside of a healthy tooth. When this pulp becomes damaged or infected, that’s when the dentist tells you you need a root canal, a procedure which can save your tooth even when the pulp is compromised.
Traditional tooth replacement options such as bridges (partials) & dentures only structurally replaced the crown part of your missing tooth. Bridges or partials replace your tooth by attaching an artificial tooth to the healthy teeth nearby. Dentures replace an entire upper or lower arch of teeth & visually replace the gums too for a natural look. Neither of these options anchor replacement teeth in your jaw or gums, which means that people with these appliances have to avoid many foods & may experience slipping or discomfort when eating or speaking.
With the quickly-advancing technology of dental implants, we can finally offer a restorative dentistry option that replaces your missing teeth both visually & functionally.
Dental implants actually consist of two parts, just like your natural teeth. The implant itself acts as an artificial tooth root & is secured in the bone of your jaw just like a real root. Implants are made of a special kind of bio-safe titanium. Both this special metal & the screw-like shape of the implant’s lower portion are designed so that bone will grow around it, keeping it tightly in place.
The second part of the dental implant is the crown. This is an artificial tooth that is made of porcelain & is custom designed by a dental technician to match the color, size & shape of your natural teeth. It is attached to the metal implant using a permanent dental adhesive.
Once the procedure is complete & the patient has healed, they will have fully functional teeth that are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth. The result is a return to eating any of the foods you want, speaking naturally, smiling confidently & being free of dental pain.
It’s true that dental implants cost more than most tooth replacement options such as bridges or dentures. If your biggest concern is cost, you may consider these other options. However, if you biggest concern is your longterm comfort, health & quality of life, implants are your best option.
Whether you’ve lost teeth to decay, periodontal disease or an accident, we know that having a missing tooth can be embarrassing, inconvenient & often very uncomfortable. Luckily, there are many options for restoring your teeth, but with so many options, there is also some confusion. In this post we’re going to break down the choice between dentures & dental implants for replacing missing teeth.
Dentures are a set of false teeth that fit over the gums (full dentures) or clip into place on existing teeth (partial dentures). You can get dentures for your upper teeth, your lower teeth, or both. Dentures also have a gum-colored acrylic base that can be matched to the color of your actual gums to look natural.
Dental implants are an artificial tooth root made from a titanium metal post. The implant is inserted into the bone of the jaw under the gums, where it can act as the foundation for an artificial tooth, called a crown, to be permanently attached with a dental cement. Dental implants have ridges on them that make them resemble screws. The purpose of these ridges is actually to give the bone of your jaw more surface area to hold onto & grow around, a process called osseointegration. Once in place, dental implants & crowns are nearly indistinguishable from natural teeth & function just like them too.
Ultimately, most dentists will strongly encourage the use of implants for replacing missing teeth. Dentists know that dental implants are the best choice for both your oral health & your comfort. As much as we think about teeth on a daily basis, we don’t want you to have to think of yours constantly! Once a patient’s implants are placed & healed, they can return to a life with a fully functional smile.
Like any dental procedure, your choice of which treatment to undergo & the results you can expect all depend in your individual dental condition. When we make a recommendation of treatment for replacing missing teeth, we take your current oral health, your health history, your ultimate goals & your financial preferences into account. If you’re interested in either dentures or dental implants, please arrange a consultation with us.
