Why One-Size-Fits-All Works for Some Things but Not for Dental Implants

One-size-fits-all. It’s a practical and possibly economical way to view your options on occasion. But, if you’re considering a dental implant you should know the one-size-fits-all approach isn’t a viable option. Why? Your tooth loss is unique. And there are more complexities to be considered.

First things first.

It’s essential to get a thorough diagnosis. If you’ve lost a tooth, generally, you’re a good candidate for dental implants.

Tooth loss could be where the similarities end though. Your overall health, including your current health conditions should be considered.

  • Are you diabetic?

  • Have you been treated for cancer with radiation?

  • Are you a smoker?

  • Have you been diagnosed with periodontal (gum) disease?

These are vital questions to discuss with us. The more knowledge we have about your past, current, and future health history – the better – if you’re considering an implant for your missing tooth/teeth.

There’s a place for everything…

Your dental implant requires proper placement to fully restore the function of your missing tooth. We’re equipped to assess your mouth and jaw bone structure before making our treatment recommendation.

As your doctor, I will review various oral health records to determine your treatment. I’ll review specialized x-rays, study models of your mouth, and view your bite.

Detailed assessment helps me ensure that your dental implant is placed in  proper position within the available bone. You will experience better tooth replacement and function as result of such a thorough treatment diagnosis.

…And everything in its place…

There’s another consideration regarding dental implant placement. And that’s the type of implant you require.

Single tooth replacement

Perhaps your tooth loss requires a single dental implant. The implant is placed into your jawbone and following a healing period an abutment is attached to the implant.

The abutment serves as a connection of sorts to the tooth portion known as a crown. The crown is what actually replaces your visible tooth by anchoring to the abutment and the implant that forms a new tooth root.

Fixed multiple tooth replacement

It might be necessary to replace multiple teeth in a specific location of your mouth. The same process occurs as with a single tooth replacement but with an exception.

This treatment involves the placement of multiple implants. These are attached to custom-made crowns or to dental bridgework that are produced to match your existing teeth.

The customized implant supported bridge replaces multiple teeth. Your healthy teeth remain undisturbed and bone loss is stopped.

Removable implant supported tooth replacement

On occasion, all of the teeth in either the upper or lower arch of your mouth might need replacement. Two or more implants will be placed to form a secure foundation for your replacement teeth.

Removable dentures are often used when you have extensive tooth, bone, and gum tissue loss. The new denture is fixed to the implants within your available bone.

Your tooth loss is unique to you. It’s vital that your dental implant treatment be made-to-fit.

Question: Which implant option interests you? Have you consulted with an implant specialist before? Comment.

There’s greater value in replacing your missing tooth

Blame the Tooth Fairy for teaching you the individual value of a lost tooth. But a missing tooth holds more than under-the-pillow dollar value.

Each tooth plays a vital, practical role in your mouth. And a dental implant is an invaluable restorative treatment for tooth loss.

It’s useful to think of your mouth as an eco-system. Your individual teeth and gums form a practical support network.

When your teeth are present-and-accounted-for and healthy they’re designed to work in perfect synch with each other. But when one goes missing due to trauma or poor dental hygiene, your entire mouth environment is at risk.

Let’s get practical

Dentists view each tooth individually. In office, for practical purposes, your tooth is identified by a number. Think of it as a numeric street address. In the same way, each tooth functions in a neighborly way with the others.

The back teeth support your facial height and enable you to chew your food. Your front teeth cut the food you eat, protect your back teeth and jaw movement, and showcase your all-important smile. You can begin to understand what the absence of one tooth can do to your mouth’s function. One missing tooth can impact your ability to chew and your appearance.

The most impractical thing you can do

Tooth loss is traumatic. But once the shock has worn off it’s easy to get accustomed to the loss.

Typically, you’ll begin to compensate by favoring your remaining teeth. It’s a natural and resourceful response but not for the long term health of your remaining teeth, gums, and bone structure.

Back (posterior) teeth support the vertical height of your face. Missing teeth in that zone can cause loss of facial height and collapse your bite.

Pressure is naturally placed on the remaining back teeth for chewing. Impact on the front (anterior) teeth can push them outward impacting their function and your appearance.

Form and function

Dental implants restore how your teeth look and perform. An implant supported crown prevents the adjacent teeth from being compromised.

You can avoid additional and often costly treatment by replacing missing teeth with implants. The long term health of your mouth is preserved as well as the cost-effective and time-valued benefit that implants deliver.

Your missing teeth were once an asset – thanks to the beloved Tooth Fairy. Now, it’s more valuable to replace them with the long-term,cost-effective value of dental implants.

Question: What has prevented you from replacing a missing tooth or teeth? Comment.

What Haven’t You Heard About Dental Implants?

Don’t believe everything you hear!” That phrase applies to many things in life – including dental implants. There’s much good information circulating about the best treatment for your missing teeth. And dental implants should rank high.

But merely viewing quick implant treatment as a cosmetic benefit (which it certainly is) misses something more vital to your oral health. Evaluate the information you hear and make the most informed decision you can based on facts.

The cosmetic benefits of dental implants only scratch-the-surface.

Your smile leads the way in the majority of your social interactions. You may choose not to smile because you’re embarrassed due to missing or damaged teeth.

For that reason it makes complete sense that you would be compelled by all the hype about the cosmetic dentistry benefits of implant treatment No one would blame you for wanting to improve the appearance of your smile.

In fact, smile makeovers are among the top reasons you would consider dental implants. But what goes on behind and beneath your smile makes implant treatment a tipping point for treating your missing or damaged teeth.

The “but-wait-there’s-more” factor.

Tooth replacement is about more than filling a gap. The void that remains when you lose a tooth must be filled or you risk further damage to your mouth.

Your teeth are a community. They support each other. And when one goes missing it disrupts the otherwise healthy support system. A dental implant fills the gap. But it does more than look good occupying space.

Dental implants form a substitute tooth root. The implant connects to the bone differently than how the original tooth did but it performs the same function.

The bone structure in your mouth is stabilized when you choose to replace your missing tooth with a dental implant. And it prevents inevitable bone loss that results from missing teeth.

Take the long-view.

Tooth loss is traumatic. Even more traumatic is the damage done to your remaining teeth, gums, and bone by delaying replacement.

Dental implants aren’t a quick-fix. View them as a rehabilitation treatment for the injury done to your mouth from a missing tooth or teeth.

Time is involved in the process of implant treatment. You didn’t develop your tooth roots overnight. Replacing them with a dental implant requires a period of time for the implant to fuse to the bone. This is what makes implants a revolutionary dental treatment. For example, concrete takes time to cure. When it does the foundation is strong and capable of supporting the above structure. Your dental implant will adapt to the bone within your jaw. Once the new tooth root adapts, the strength of your adjoining teeth is improved along with your appearance.

 

Some things about dental implants are worth believing. But the benefits go deeper than mere appearances.

 

Question: What new perspective do you have about dental implant benefits? Comment.

 

How to Cover Your Oral Health Care Basics

There’s more to your oral health than brushing and flossing. Consistent personal oral health care combined with dental checkups help assure that you’re covering all your bases.

Prevention is worth it. Once you require treatment you’ll understand the value of preventative dentistry.

Make it personal

Dental care starts at home. Protect your teeth and gums with consistent dental hygiene.

Realize that what you’re protecting is more than your oral health. Your mouth reveals much about the current and ongoing health of your entire body.

  • Watch your mouth. Lesions or other oral issues could reveal symptoms of deeper problems within your body.

This is why keeping tabs on your oral health starts at home regardless of your age. You’re never too young or too old to view your teeth as a barometer for your overall health.

  • Brush and floss your teeth daily. And when you do, be aware of any sensitivity in a particular tooth or area of your gums.

Flossing cleans the area between your teeth and into your gum line. If you’re new to flossing, some bleeding is natural but ongoing gum bleeding or sensitivity could indicate the beginning of gum disease.

Pay attention when practicing your daily oral hygiene. If something gets your attention take action.

Call a professional

The ADA (American Dental Association) says,  “100 million Americans fail to see the dentist each year.” This statistic is astounding since regular dental examinations and visits to a dental hygienist can help prevent dental disease.

Pain is a common motivator for a dental appointment. But waiting until your mouth pain is unbearable puts you at risk for more serious health problems and could lead to more costly dental treatment.

Your dentist and dental hygienist are an unbeatable team for helping prevent more serious oral health problems. They are trained to help you…

  • Maintain healthy teeth and gums

  • Provide a  treatment plan when necessary

  • Save you from further costly health issues – starting with your mouth.

Make an appointment

Schedule your teeth cleaning and dental examination  with a dental hygienist every six months. This habit and frequency will keep your oral health current and help prevent the need for dental treatment.

Your role is to cover the basics: brushing, flossing, and scheduling your teeth cleanings and dental exams. Our role – as your dental professional: assist your best efforts, spot potential or current oral health issues, prescribe a treatment plan, and provide dental treatment when necessary.

Working together as a team creates wins for your overall health. And remember: good health starts in your mouth.

Question: What helps you stay consistent with daily oral health care? Share with us.

Start Reducing Your Risk of Periodontal Disease

There’s a cause and effect for most occurrences in your life. The same applies to potential indicators of periodontal disease.

Standard wisdom says that regular brushing and flossing protects against many dental issues. And generally that’s the case.

In the process, you must spot and eliminate a common culprit. Unless you do it’s open season on your gum and bone tissue.

Periodontal disease sounds serious…and it is

Consistent and correct brushing and flossing is a start. These oral health habits are your first line of defense.

You leave yourself vulnerable to the many causes of periodontal disease if you don’t practice good oral hygiene. One cause, in particular, is its breeding-ground so to speak.

You hear a lot about dental plaque…but it’s what you may not have heard that leads to periodontal disease.

Dental plaque is the common build up on your tooth surface. It’s also where bacteria thrive and join forces.

Research reveals that there are currently over 600 species of bacteria known to exist in the mouth alone. Only 400 of those bacterial species are currently identified.

When enough bacteria team up your gums become the target. Expanding bacterial colonies find pockets deep in your gum and bone tissue.

Inside those pockets is where bacteria do damage. The impact zone between gum and bone tissue can result in periodontal disease.

Control dental plaque to reduce your risk of periodontal disease.

A dental hygienist is your ally in preventing periodontal disease. Regular dental check-ups and teeth cleanings provide advance warning about plaque build-up.

Where there’s plaque there’s bacteria. Your hygienist will remove plaque from your teeth and check and clean the pockets between your teeth and gums where bacteria thrive.

Avoid the risk factors of periodontal disease with dental check-ups and cleanings every 6 months. More frequent appointments may be necessary if periodontal issues are present.

Control the causes and you reduce the risk of periodontal disease. Practice good oral health habits and stay current with in-office dental check-ups and teeth cleanings.

What new understanding do you have about periodontal disease?

Think of It as Your Mouth’s Eco-system – Periodontal treatment keeps your oral health in balance

Think of It as Your Mouth’s Eco-system – Periodontal treatment keeps your oral health in balance

Ecologists talk about the balance of nature. They have in mind the interdependent eco-system that exists between plants, trees, and their environment.

Think of your oral health as an eco-system. Periodontal treatment keeps your mouth’s ecology in balance.

Your teeth are the most visible feature of your dental environment. It makes sense to give them the most attention.

Brushing and flossing are, of course, the primary focus of maintaining good oral health. And flossing – commonly overlooked – is actually the most effective periodontal treatment you can do outside of a dental office appointment.

There’s more to your mouth than teeth.

Your mouth’s supportive elements are of equal and sometimes greater concern. Those elements include your gum tissue, tooth roots, and bone.

Periodontal treatment focuses there. Daily brushing and flossing help prevent most periodontal issues but regular checkups with a dental hygienist gives you advance protection.

Healthy gums promote a healthy mouth.

Your gums provide clues about the condition of your oral health. If your gums bleed consistently when brushing or flossing this could be an early sign of periodontal issues.

Communicate with your dental hygienist if bleeding occurs regularly. Your hygienist will check (or chart) the pockets around your teeth to determine the existence and severity of tissue and bone damage.

A periodontal treatment to help avoid periodontal disease

Early treatment of the periodontal areas of your mouth can prevent periodontal disease. And early treatment is the least invasive and most cost-effective.

Scaling and root planing carefully clean your tooth root surfaces. Removing plaque and tartar from the deeper pockets targets the bacteria and promotes periodontal health.

You may require ongoing periodontal maintenance to assure gum and tooth health. Scaling and root planing can help you avoid more comprehensive and costly periodontal treatment too.

Your teeth and gums are vital to your overall health. Keep your mouth’s eco-system in harmony with periodontal check-ups and treatment.

What’s your biggest challenge to maintaining healthy oral hygiene habits?

Amazing Dentist

“Dr. Spina is the best dentist I have ever had. He is a very talented dentist and is very friendly. The whole staff is very welcoming. I have never been in pain during or after my visits and I have never had any complaints!”

-Kelly Miller

5 out of 5 stars

Choice, Necessity and Your Dental Health

Freedom of choice is a gift. If you don’t believe this, consider how you feel the next time something happens beyond your control. There are dental treatments you can choose. And there are those that result from an emergency or a treatment diagnosis. For the most part you can freely choose from a variety of cosmetic dental treatments. When a diagnosis reveals a threat to your oral health you may be forced to choose a restorative treatment.

Cosmetic Dental Treatment as Choice

These days you could elect to have a purely cosmetic dental procedure. A smile makeover is a common option that includes tooth color, tooth alignment, replacement of missing teeth, tooth balance, etc. Cosmetic dentistry works closely with you and your desire for an attractive, new smile. A treatment plan will be designed to achieve exactly what you want from the dental smile makeover.

Some restorative procedures may be included too. Bonding, veneers, dental crowns, orthodontics (braces) or oral surgery are common procedures that coincide with some cosmetic dental treatment.

 

Restorative Dental Treatment as Necessity

A dental restoration is ultimately your choice. But a properly presented diagnosis will most often reveal that restorative treatment is a necessity to assure your best oral health. Your treatment plan will determine the specific procedures you need. Most full mouth restorations require phases of treatment and more than one office visit. Restorative treatment can involve the same basic procedures as cosmetic dental treatment. Common essentials include regular teeth cleanings and periodontal (gum) care.

Crowns, bridges, and dental implants are standard restorative treatments as well. Braces may be necessary to move your teeth into proper alignment. Bone grafts  and soft tissue placement are common restorative treatments too. These enhance the stability of your teeth and prepare them for effective implant placement.

The choice is yours. You can choose freely or your choice will be based on necessity. Either way – it ultimately depends on maintaining good oral health habits.

 

Do you consider your current dental needs to be cosmetic, restorative or a combination of each?

These 4 Factors Could Reveal That You Need a Dental Restoration

These 4 Factors Could Reveal That You Need a Dental Restoration

What’s permanent these days? Some things are enduring by design.

Count your teeth among your life’s permanent fixtures. And even if you lose your teeth to trauma, neglect, or other factors, a dental restoration can repair what’s lost.

Your teeth are designed to last a lifetime. Dental treatment revolves around the big idea of restoring your teeth to their normal and healthy function.

Life isn’t always kind to your teeth. And when you factor in common neglect or a random accident the odds favor that you’ll need some form of restorative dental treatment.

Certain factors increase the odds that you’ll require a dental restoration. Some you can control others you cannot.

4 Factors That Can Determine Your Need for Dental Restoration

1-Dental Decay or Trauma

Tooth decay doesn’t happen overnight. Stopping or treating tooth decay is the goal of regular dental checkups.

It’s vital to treat decay before it begins to affect your teeth and surrounding gum tissue. Schedule an appointment with a dental hygienist two times per year to clean your teeth and evaluate your oral health.

Occasionally you’ll experience dental trauma. A random fall, an unexpected accident, biting into food, or chewing on ice can break one or more of your teeth.

It’s important to schedule an appointment as soon as possible when you experience dental trauma. Timeliness can impact the extent of your necessary restorative treatment that results from neglect or trauma.

2-Injury or Fracture

The same applies to an injury to your tooth/teeth. Contact a dental professional the moment you injure or break a tooth.

Teeth are designed to function in partnership with your gums and jaw bone. Delaying the inevitable need for a repair can erode the health of your tooth’s surrounding tissue.

The restorative diagnosis will determine the necessary treatment. A simple tooth restoration could evolve into a more complex treatment plan to include your gums or jaw the longer you delay an initial exam.

3-The Daily Grind

Your teeth are designed to fit to together. Although they form a connection the ongoing impact can wear down your tooth surface and structure.

Occasionally, you will grind your teeth during sleep. Lack of awareness can erode the surface of your teeth and begin to damage them down into the root.

Regular checkups during dental visits can track the structural health of your teeth. Certain clues reveal the presence or extent of any tooth grinding and a plan for restorative treatment can be presented.

4-A Pain in the Neck

The presence of ongoing head or neck pain is a symptom. The pain is often the result of tooth or jaw misalignment.

Treating what’s known as “occlusion” can help eliminate your neck or jaw pain. A restorative diagnosis could include orthodontic treatment to bring your teeth and jaw into proper alignment.

Dental restoration can be as diverse a treatment as your symptoms. These common circumstances are four good reasons to schedule an exam to discuss restorative solutions.

Which of the four factors are you experiencing?

Think of It as a Warranty for Your Teeth

Product warranties take into consideration the long term value of a product. You must factor in usage and the ever present possibility of damage.Unfortunately, your teeth don’t come with a warranty. But you can restore years of neglect or sudden damage with restorative dental treatment.

Life is hard on your teeth.

Monitor your lifestyle for a few days. Certain habits will reveal whether you could potentially face the need for a full or partial dental restoration. Soft drinks and highly acidic foods can slowly damage your teeth. Inconsistent dental hygiene can also lead to a breakdown in your tooth strength.

Teeth are designed to last a lifetime.

Your habits can erode the original strength of your teeth. Most damage to your tooth structure is unintentional but nonetheless costly. Ongoing erosion causes damage to your gums, tooth roots, the surface enamel of your teeth, and overall tooth alignment.  Symptoms will appear and regular dental checkups are an effective way to monitor your needs.

The next best thing to a tooth warranty

The best warranty for your teeth is proper dental hygiene, regular dental check-ups, and a healthy diet and lifestyle. But you aren’t always consistent. Lack of consistency over time can lead to the need for restorative dental treatment.

Restoration can involve dental crowns or dental implants on one or more teeth. Or you may benefit from a fullmouth restoration.

A full mouth dental restoration is more comprehensive and can involve…

• Treating teeth with crowns,veneers, inlays, on lays, bridges, and dental implants.

• Periodontal (gum) tissues treated with scaling, root planing, bone and tissue grafts.

• Bite and alignment issues treated with orthodontics (braces and aligners) and night guards.

• Aesthetics that improve and repair the appearance of your teeth.

Your teeth are valuable assets. Treat them properly or be prepared to utilize the closest thing to a tooth warranty – restorative dental treatment.

What current tooth issues are you experiencing?