Welcome to the third installment of this four-part FAQ guide to teeth replacement using dental implants! Previously, in Part 3, an experienced cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs answered questions regarding the length of dental implant treatment involved, as well as whether procedures are as painful as they are unfairly rumored to be (they’re not.)
Now, let’s take a look at some of your final frequently asked questions…
Question: Am I a candidate for dental implants?
Answer: “Most patients who require a tooth, several teeth or even all of their teeth replaced are candidates for dental implants. Advancements in surgical protocols and techniques mean that nearly everyone can be considered for dental implant treatment. There are only a very few exceptional cases where the loss of bone volume in the jaw has been too extensive, or the patient presents with certain illnesses (such as blood clotting disorders, heart disease, respiratory disease or bone diseases) for which implant surgery would be considered ineffective or too dangerous.
“Your dentist will consider your full medical history and deduce from X-rays and other examinations whether you are a candidate for implants,” explains the Colorado Springs dental implant surgeon. “If necessary, he or she will speak directly with your medical doctor to determine if surgery is a safe option for you. As I explained, most people who need new teeth are candidates, even if they have been previously told by other dentists that they are not.”
Question: How quickly can I get booked in for my procedure?
Answer: “There is a procedure to follow, so don’t expect to get your new teeth at your first dental appointment! First you will need to set up a consultation with a dental implant surgeon. Then you may require one or more treatment planning sessions, during which he or she will study your case, take X-rays and photos and perform examinations. Then a date for the actual procedure will be set. The great news is, most patients can get their dental implants and their new teeth placed on the same day, meaning you’ll walk out of the dentist’s with a beautiful new set of non-removable teeth,” says the cosmetic dentist.
Question: How long will recovery take?
Answer: “You should plan to stay home from work and just take it easy for a week after your procedure, if you’ve had full mouth reconstruction. If you’ve just had one or two teeth replaced, you can go to work the very next day, provided you’re up for it! Full recovery is a process that takes months, but you won’t really know about it because all the “recovery” will be happening beneath the gum line.
“The gums heal within a few weeks, but it’s in the months following your surgery that the jawbone will healing around and bonding to the implant. You should, however, be right as rain within days of your procedure – just make sure to take your medications as prescribed, stay away from strenuous activity and follow the diet recommended to you by your surgeon,” says the Colorado Springs cosmetic dentist.
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In this four-part article series, we speak to an experienced Colorado Springs dentist about dental implants, what they are, how they work and what patients can expect from getting them. Welcome to the third installment of this four-part article series in which we speak to an experienced Colorado Springs family dentist about implants as a comprehensive solution to missing teeth. Previously, in Part 2, the differences between implants and the more traditional approach to replacing teeth – the porcelain bridge – were explored. We also discovered a key benefit of dental implants and that was that they replace the roots of missing teeth, which helps to maintain good jawbone health. Let’s now take a look at what patients can expect from dental implant surgery! All right, so we’ve established that dental implants are the preferred treatment choice of many dentists across the country. Now, let’s move on to what the procedures involved in having them placed are. Can you give us a rough idea of what patients might expect? Colorado Springs dental implant dentist: “Most patients who are only having one or two teeth replaced can have the procedure done in our office in a single dental appointment. Modern dental implant technology and techniques have really made most procedures very quick, predictable and simple. Even full mouth reconstruction can be done within the space of a single day using advanced surgical protocols, such as the All-on-4.” Does it hurt to have dental implants done? Colorado Springs family dentist: “We always provide patients with the gentle sedation and local anesthesia necessary to keep them completely relaxed and totally pain-free throughout the procedure. We also send patients home with prescription medications to help manage any post-operative discomfort, although most report that this is only necessary for the first few days. Would you then say that dental implants have a bit of an unfair reputation for being painful? Because that’s what I’ve always heard. Colorado Springs dental implant dentist: “You must remember that dental surgery has come a very long way, even over the past decade. Where dentists used to “feel our way in the dark,” we now have powerful diagnostic technology and sophisticated computer imaging software to help guide us. As a result, modern dental implant surgery is meticulously planned, minimally invasive and therefore causes minimal trauma and discomfort. Perhaps the stories you heard were from patients who had dental implants done many years ago and who, as a result, may have experienced a more painful recovery.” Let’s talk about the success rate of dental implants. Colorado Springs family dentist: “Ah yes, the success rate of our dental implant procedures are very high. 98% for simple cases involving single tooth replacement and 95% and higher over a period of 10 years for complex cases requiring full mouth reconstruction.” Do you ever have cases where patients come to you with their dental implants having fallen out of their mouths?
Colorado Springs dental implant dentist: “Patients who experience any kind of post-operative difficulties usually return to our office well before anything quite so dramatic happens! It’s very rare for patients to experience problems, but if they do we insist that they contact us immediately. We also perform standard post-operative examinations after 10 to 14 days, which enables us to identify any existing or potential concerns. So, to answer your question: no. Not yet, at least and hopefully never!” Stay Tuned for Part 4 Stay tuned for the final installment of this four-part article series to find out more about dental implants and what patients can expect from getting missing and/or irreparably damaged teeth replaced. Colorado Springs Dental Implant Dentists Explain 8 Healthy Habits to Protect Your Enamel, PART 39/16/2014 This four-part article series explains eight changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle to keep your dental enamel healthy, thereby helping to prevent tooth loss in the long run. Welcome to the third installment of this four-part article series on the things we can do to help protect our dental enamel against decay and acid erosion. In Part 1 and 2, our panel of Colorado Springs dental implant surgeons explained the following important tips for keeping our pearly whites in beautiful condition: Tip # 1: Decrease the amount of sugar in your diet, Tip # 2: Increase your intake of calcium-rich foods, Tip # 3: Don’t over-brush your teeth or press down too hard when brushing, Tip # 4: Get treated for acid reflux, heart-burn and bulimia. Let’s take a look at the next two important tips for great enamel health… Healthy Enamel Tip # 5: Be Careful of Chlorinated Pools You’d never imagine that the cool, delicious embrace of your pool during the hot summer months could damage your teeth or your children’s teeth, but if its chlorine levels aren’t carefully controlled, it very well could! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ran a study that examined the effect of chlorinated pool water on dental health and it found that 15% of those who swam frequently displayed some symptoms of enamel erosion. That’s approximately one in six people. This is compared to the portion of people who don’t swim frequently, of which only 3% displayed signs of erosion. The message here is crystal clear, say dentists to Colorado Springs residents with pools. Monitor the pH levels of your pool carefully and try to keep your mouth closed when you do go underwater. Healthy Enamel Tip # 6: Avoid Substances that Cause Dry Mouth Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, is a condition that impedes the normal production of saliva in the mouth and is caused by all sorts of substances: usually those that are bad for you. These substances include tobacco-use, alcohol and a variety of illegal drugs, which is just one of the many reasons you should avoid them.
According to Colorado Springs dental implants dentists, saliva is fundamental for the preservation of good oral health and hygiene because it washes away the sugary food residues that can encourage oral bacteria to grow. It also helps to neutralize the pH levels in your mouth, thereby remineralizing your dental enamel. As such, it’s quite normal for people with xerostomia to suffer from acid erosion and tooth decay. Unfortunately, xerostomia isn’t always preventable, as it does come hand-in-hand with certain chronic medications and illnesses. In these cases, you will need to be more conscious about drinking water and chewing sugar-free gum to keep your mouth hydrated as much as possible. There are medications that can be taken to offset dry mouth, but these will need to be recommended and prescribed by a doctor. Stay Tuned for Part 4 Stay tuned for the final installment of this four-part article series to learn more about the necessary healthy habits for good dental health, courtesy of the advice of our panel of dentists serving Colorado Springs. This four-part article series explains what you should do in the event that you lose one or more of your adult teeth, whether it is the result of an accident or tooth decay. If the statistics of tooth loss released by the American CDC (Centers for Disease Control) are to be believed, then it would seem that we will all have experience with tooth loss at some stage during our lives. And by tooth loss, we don’t mean the kind involving financial transactions with the tooth fairy! Once all of your adult teeth have emerged, you only have one set to last you a lifetime, so it’s a very big deal when one or more fall out or need to be extract as a result of tooth decay, accidental trauma or gum disease. What we want to know is what happens now? What’s the step-by-step process for New Jersey residents whose smile has taken a gappy turn for the worse? To answer this pressing question, we spoke to some experienced Colorado Springs dental implants surgeons. This four-part article series presents what they had to say on the matter. What are the most common reasons Colorado Springs residents come to your practices to have a tooth or several teeth replaced? “I think most dentists will agree that the greatest cause behind tooth loss is tooth decay. Bad oral hygiene, not seeing the dentist frequently enough for professional preventative care, tooth grinding, smoking, unhealthy eating, excessive drinking and drug abuse can all lead to a greater risk of tooth decay, which, if left untreated, can cause tooth loss,” explain the dental implant surgeons. “Many of these habits and addictions can also lead to a greater risk of gum disease, which is yet another major health concern in the Colorado Springs and one that ultimately leads to tooth loss and even complete edentulism in the absence of timely treatment. Edentulism is the state of not having any natural teeth left at all.” What about tooth loss resulting from car accidents, for example? Does that bring a lot of patients to your offices? “We typically find more people losing teeth from accidental injury sustained in playing sports, especially hockey and competitive combat sports. Sure, many Colorado Springs residents have lost or had teeth badly damaged in car and motorbike accidents, but also from skating, biking and other modes of getting from A to B,” explain the dental implant surgeons. “Our advice for sports players is to always wear a mouth guard.” So, say I lose a tooth or my dentist extracts it because it simply cannot be saved. What happens now? What should I do? “Colorado Springs dentists will discuss your tooth replacement options with you before they extract the problematic tooth. While there are several technologies available, dental implants are considered the best because they look, feel and function more like natural teeth than the alternatives and they tend to last longer too. If you decide to go with dental implants, your dentist may refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, or elsewhere depending on what’s most convenient for you.”
Stay Tuned for Part 2 To find out more about the journey involved in getting teeth replaced with dental implants, stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series. This article describes the pros and cons to immediate load dental implants. Do you have dentures or dental bridges? Are you seeking a more permanent alternative? Or are you missing one or more of your teeth and still researching the many options you have for your dental care? This article discusses the pros and cons of dental implants -- specifically instant dental implants or immediate load dental implants in Colorado Springs. One of the drawbacks to receiving dental implants is that sometimes it can take weeks to months to have the prosthetic tooth placed into the abutment that stems from the titanium rod inserted into the jawbone. This is a major inconvenience for most people, simply because it’s not aesthetically pleasing to have a metal stub in the mouth that is visible when the person smiles. Particularly if you are missing one of your front teeth, it can be embarrassing to even have to wait a few days before the ceramic crown is placed. With immediate load dental implants in Colorado Springs, the ceramic crown is placed immediately after the surgical procedure. Thus, they are often called “instant” implants. You may ask your dentist about the Sargon Immediate Tooth Replacement System, which is the name of the company that has pioneered the immediate load dental implant procedure. Now when you receive dental implants, the entire procedure can be done in one day. You can be back to work the next day. The traditional way of getting dental implants involved a waiting period in which the ceramics were made off-site by a ceramicist, and then shipped to the cosmetic dentist for placement. Sometimes the waiting period is only a few days. In other cases, the waiting period could be up to six months. If you’re missing a tooth in the front of your mouth, this presents a very embarrassing issue even if the waiting period is only for a few days. No one will forget seeing you talk, smile, or laugh with a metal knob shining through in place of a real tooth! This not only looks like some sort of Halloween costume, but it some cases it can prevent career advancement, ruin a family photo, or making dating a hopeless pursuit. Thankfully, there is no need to be self-conscious anymore about missing teeth, clicking dentures, or the cosmetic flaws of having a bare implant abutment in your mouth. With the advanced design of instant dental implants, no one will ever know that your dental implant is a fake tooth. In fact, the ceramic crown will look and feel just like a natural tooth. It will resist staining and discoloration, so there will be no need to replace it every few years like dentures need to be replaced. There are a growing number of savvy implant dentists in Colorado Springs who are choosing to offer immediate load dental implants to their patients. It is really the next generation in implant and restorative dentistry. In our fast-paced world, no one wants (or needs) to wait weeks to months on a dental procedure to be finalized. Many outpatient surgical procedures are performed in one day, so why can’t dental procedures all be performed in one day? We have the technology now to do implants in one day, so why wait? You don’t want to miss out on life simply because you can’t smile because you’re waiting on an outdated procedure to proceed.
Dental implants can protect the health of your jaw and gum tissue, as well. The sooner you have the procedure done, the better protected you are from the damage that occurs when you have missing teeth. When you wear dentures, the jaw and gums are not protected from bone loss and recession. When the gums recede, your face will start to sink in like the typical “aging” cartoon character. You can prevent this from happening with dental implants. Should you pay more money for dental implants, or will cheaper dentures suffice? This article explains why you might consider dental implants instead, and save costs over the long-term. If you’re missing one or more teeth, or if you are in danger of losing a tooth from decay or injury, you may feel alone and embarrassed. However, it’s fairly common for adults to lose a tooth at some point, either due to injury, illness, or difficulties keeping the tooth clean (often the case with crooked teeth or those close to the back of the mouth). There is no need to feel too embarrassed to seek out a dentist to help you. And in fact, dental implants in Colorado Springs can replace any missing teeth, and the implant will look just like a natural tooth. No one will ever have to know it isn’t your natural tooth, unless you tell them. There are other benefits to choosing dental implants in Colorado Springs over less expensive dental products such as dentures and bridges. Because the implants contain titanium rods that are inserted surgically into your jawbone, the implant eventually fuses with the bone, making it stronger. In contrast, your jawbone will become weak and osteoporotic over time if you simply leave an empty space where your tooth once was, or if you choose dentures and bridges instead. This causes the jaw to recede, conveying images of “old” cartoon characters. A dental implant prevents this kind of problem. In addition, the implant is permanent. It won’t come loose or wobble, and you don’t have to remove it for cleaning. You brush the implant just like you would brush your natural teeth. There is no need to worry about your implant coming loose if you bite into a candy apple or corn on the cob! Smile, laugh, and talk without fear of a wobbling or clicking tooth! Quality of life is definitely easier with an implant than with dentures. This is one reason why more people opt for the implants instead of cheaper products from a dentist in Colorado Springs. No one wants to have “false teeth” or to have to hide the fact that one’s teeth “aren’t real.” Dental implants in Colorado Springs do not look like false teeth. The titanium rod is covered with a crown that is usually made of a high-quality ceramic material, just like porcelain veneers used in cosmetic dentistry. No one will recognize the implant as a “false tooth.” A cheap acrylic crown may turn yellow over time and need to be replaced, and these are what most people are seeing when they recognize a “false tooth” in a person’s mouth. Even if you are missing multiple teeth, you can still get dental implants instead of dentures. You may be missing all of your teeth because of serious health conditions that caused you to lose them, or because of an accident. It’s more common than you think, and dentists trained in surgically placing dental implants see this kind of thing all the time. The quicker you are able to get implants, the better the prognosis will be, and the healthier your jawbone will be. Oftentimes, you can receive all the dental implants needed for your mouth in one day. If the dentist in Colorado Springs who places the implants shares an office with a ceramicist, you are likely to have a quicker procedure if little wait time before the crowns are placed onto the rods. The drawbacks to dental implants are that they do require a surgical procedure and you will need to seek out a specialist in implant dentistry. They are more expensive than non-permanent products, but they do not need to be replaced every few years. Therefore, they can be less expensive over the long-term.
Colorado Springs Dental Implants Specialists Discuss the 12 Most Common Mouth Problems, PART 211/20/2013 This three-part article series provides an explanation of the most common oral conditions, ailments and diseases that affect Americans today, from cold sores to gum disease. Welcome back to our three-part article series on the 12 most common oral ailments, conditions and diseases. In our previous article post, the first installment of the series, Colorado Springs dental implants specialists explained the following four problems to us: 1. Cold sores or fever blisters 2. Oral thrush 3. Black hairy tongue 4. Canker sores or apthuous ulcers We still have another 8 to go, so let’s jump right in! 5. Top Oral Problems: Leukoplakia Leukoplakia is a whitish patch or plaque that forms in the mouth and can be scraped off. It generally forms in reaction to an irritation, such as tobacco (smoked or smokeless), alcohol, rough teeth or dentures that don’t fit well. These patches are completely painless and can be treated by removing the cause of irritation. Having said that, persistent leukoplakia can be a sign of cancer, so you should see your Pueblo dentist CO for a proper diagnosis if you present with this problem. 6. Top Oral Problems: Oral Cancer “Oral cancer is a major problem that, if not diagnosed and treated in its early stages, can be fatal,” warn Colorado Springs dental implants specialists. “It appears as a persistent mouth sore that doesn’t heal. Patients may also experience strange and unexplained numbness in the neck, mouth or face. The causes of oral cancer include a family history, smoking and chewing tobacco, repeated exposure to the sun and excessive drinking. Recent medical research has linked oral cancer with HPV (human papillomavirus), so make sure you see your dentist for regular preventative check-ups!” 7. Top Oral Problems: Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ)TMJ disorders are characterized by a disharmony between the articulating joint in the jawbone and the intra-articular disk and surrounding muscles. This can result in stiffness of the joint, inflammation and painful facial muscles. “TMJ can cause acute discomfort for patients,” says the Pueblo dentist CO. “It’s usually associated with teeth grinding, jaw clenching or trauma received to the head, neck or face. It can be very painful and the pain associated with this condition can refer to the head and neck, causing terrible headaches that can leave patients dizzy and nauseous. Extreme cases of TMJ may require surgery, but generally, treatment measures such as mouth-guards, periods of rest and pain-killers are sufficient.” 8. Top Oral Problems: Chipped Teeth Our teeth are made from the hardest substance in our bodies and yet they are not invulnerable. We tend to forget this when we do stupid things like use them as tools for punishing tasks, such as chewing ice, forcing open containers, tearing packaging and grinding them. “These tasks and habits can cause the enamel of the teeth to become chipped or worn down, exposing the softer and more vulnerable dentine underneath,” say Colorado Springs dental implants specialists. “There is a number of restorative treatments Pueblo dentists can provide to protect damaged and worn teeth. These include bonding, porcelain veneers or even crowns for teeth that have sustained considerable damage or decay.” Stay Tuned for Part 3To read more about the various problems and ailments that affect the oral cavity, stay tuned for the final installment of this three-part article series. |
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July 2015
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