If you have lost one or more of your original pearly whites, here are five important facts you should know about dental implants and why it is they are regarded by many as the best the dental industry has to offer! # 1 New teeth implants are the only dental devices that replace the crowns AND the roots of the missing tooth or teeth. Both tooth-supported bridges, partials and removable dentures only replace the visible portion of the missing teeth and this can be problematic in the long run. “The roots of your teeth play a fundamental role in keeping the underlying bone tissue stimulated and healthy. So when this functional stimulation is taken away, the jawbone can begin to atrophy and waste away, which can have terrible consequences for a person’s overall oral health, facial appearance and candidacy for implants,” explains a dental implants surgeon in Rutherford. “This is one of many reasons we encourage patients to consider implants.” # 2 New teeth implants are often regarded as being prohibitively expensive, when in fact, if you compared the cost of this once-time procedure to the accumulative expenses associated with wearing removable dentures, maintaining them and undergoing periodic re-fittings (as is necessary with dentures), then you’d end up with pretty much the same amount of money! “Patients who wear removable dentures often need to invest in products such as anesthetic creams for sore gums, adhesives to prevent their teeth from slipping and soaking solutions to store their dentures in overnight,” explains a dental implants surgeon in Rutherford. “Add these repeat expenses to the need to have ill-fitting dentures redone every few years and you’re looking at a teeth replacement technology that is deceptively expensive and frankly, poor value for money.” # 3 New teeth implants are regarded as the best option available for most people who need one, several or even all of their teeth replaced, but they cannot rival the function and longevity of your biological technology: your own natural teeth. This is why your dentist always stresses the importance of good oral hygiene, a healthy diet and regular dental check-ups and professional cleanings. # 4 Dental implants are made from titanium metal, which is the same stuff space crafts are made out of! Professional sports equipment and fighter jets are also made out of titanium, which is so useful because of its exceptional strength, durability, lightweight, non-corrodibility and non-toxicity. Additionally – and perhaps most importantly – titanium is bio-compatible, which means that the body does not typically reject it. It’s this property that allows the jawbone to heal around the new tooth implant, fixing it in place so that it functions like a natural tooth root. # 5 If placed by an experienced oral surgeon and cared for properly by the patient – who is presumably in good general and oral health – new teeth implants have the potential to last several decades without any trouble. In fact, they have the potential to last a lifetime!
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This article explores the benefits of choosing dental implants to replace missing teeth and not conventional removable dentures. We all know that your teeth are quite useful in helping you eat. This becomes especially evident when you lose your teeth to gum or periodontal disease and are forced to either manage without them entirely, or with teeth replacement devices such as removable dentures. The value in getting new teeth with dental implants goes so much further than in restoring bite function and, of course, your appearance; although these are among the most important benefits. In this article, the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons who work with new teeth implants will be explaining to us the key benefits patients can expect to enjoy from getting beautiful new teeth. Smile Again So many people live with failing and/or missing teeth and gum disease for so long that they forget what it’s like to smile openly without embarrassment, shame or reservation. Those family photos just aren’t what they could be with a miserable and uncomfortable-looking parent or grandparent standing in the background, are they? With new teeth, you will immediately enjoy the ability to smile openly again. The bridge held in place using dental implants is expertly fabricated to look just like a complete set of natural teeth and gums, so your smile will once again be beautiful, healthy and natural looking without the thin, pinched appearance that dentures typically give. Eat Your Favorite Foods Your teeth are an important part of your digestive system! Without them or with inferior teeth replacement technologies, such as removable dentures, you simply can’t enjoy the variety of foods you used to. In fact, eating can become such a challenge that the edentulous elderly can suffer from malnutrition as a result! Patients also experience digestive problems because they are not able to chew their food properly. A dental implant-supported bridge facilitates a strong and natural bite force that enables patients to eat most of their favorite foods and even those you thought you’d never be able to manage again, such as steak and corn on the cob. Eating and chewing comfortably, without teeth that hurt your gums and move around, is just one of the many benefits offered by dental implants. Additionally, owing to the much lesser bulk used in the fabrication of the bridge (as opposed to dentures), it won’t compromise your ability to taste your food properly, nor sense subtle variations in its temperature and texture. Feel Comfortable and Confident New teeth implants offer an impressive suite of benefits and advantages over traditional removable dentures. In addition to those mentioned above, dental implants... • Once healed, don’t typically damage the neighboring teeth in your mouth or the surrounding gums, • Help prevent persistent pain and discomfort often associated with removable dentures • They help to promote excellent jawbone health and in doing so, prevent atrophy and a loss of bone volume, • This in turn helps to prevent premature aging and the need to have the dental bridge refitted to accommodate the changing shape of the jawbone (as is the case with dentures.) • Dental implants are typically a one-time expense because they can last many decades and seldom require restoration or replacement. • They typically do not need repeat expenses, such as adhesive strips, soaking solutions and anesthetic gels, • Implant supported bridges do not generally trigger the gag reflex or cause embarrassing social problems, such as halitosis (as dentures can). For all these reasons and more, new teeth specialists urge Americans in need of a second chance at a beautiful smile to seek treatment using dental implants. Make a long-term investment in your oral health and quality of life. This four-part series scrutinizes and dispels six of the common misconceptions people have about dental implants and dental implant procedures. Welcome back to this four-part article series on the myths and misconceptions surrounding dental implants and the procedures followed to place them. In our two previous posts, the specialists responsible for giving NJ patients new teeth explained that, contrary to popular belief, dental implants are not prohibitively expensive nor do they cause patients much (if any) pain during and after surgery. They also explained that dental implants seldom require replacement, making them one of the smartest and most cost-effective teeth replacement technology on the market! In this article post, the third installment of the series, we shall delve deeper into the modern techniques used to place dental implants and how they’ve radically changed the journey patients need to take when undergoing fixed oral rehabilitation. Busting Myth # 4: It Takes Months and Even Years to Get New Teeth with Dental Implants Prior to the innovation of the “All On 4™” dental implant protocol, yes, this was indeed the case. In order to have a complete set of upper and/or lower teeth replaced, you could require six, eight or even 10 dental implants per jaw! Such a great number of implants simply couldn’t be placed in a single surgery - not only would it be very traumatic for the patient, but the risks of complications and implant failure would increase. So, new teeth implant specialists in NJ would plan a patient’s treatment to consist of several smaller and more manageable surgeries, which would be spread out over the course of many months. In some cases, a patient could spend up to 18 months in and out of surgery before they could get a complete set of fixed teeth. This is not even to mention the delay caused by bone grafting surgery, which is typically needed by patients who have lived without natural teeth for many years (missing teeth leads to bone loss in the jaw). It was this incredibly arduous journey that compelled Dr. Paulo Malo - CEO of MALO CLINICS, with headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal - to develop a newer, more sophisticated dental implant protocol for the treatment of edentulous (toothless) and near edentulous patients, as well as those suffering with a failing dentition. The “All On 4™” protocol was born in the early 1990’s and, through the strategic and precise placement of only four dental implants in parts of the jaw that tend to be more resistant to atrophy and bone loss, enabled specialists to give patients an implant-supported prosthetic dental bridge (new set of teeth) in as little as a single day, with a single surgery. This is almost always possible without the need for bone grafting surgery, saving patients months of surgeries, months of recovery time and at the same time drastically reducing the new teeth implant cost in NJ. By reducing the number of surgeries needed from multiple to one and the number of implants from as many as 20 to 8 (for both jaws) and by eliminating the need for bone grafting, the “All On 4™” protocol can give patients new teeth in one day and at a cost that can be tens of thousands of dollars cheaper! Stay Tuned for Part 4 To read up on the final two common myths and misconceptions surrounding dental implants and the procedures used to get new teeth in NJ, stay tuned for the fourth installment of this article series. This four-part article series explains the meaning to some rudimentary dental implant terminology that patients might come across on their journey to getting new teeth. Welcome back to our four-part article series on some rudimentary terminology you might like to know if you’re thinking of having new teeth implants placed. In our previous article installment, the third part of the series, we reviewed some important terms pertaining to full mouth reconstruction, including bone grafting, which is a procedure that is done to augment and encourage the growth of new and healthy bone tissue in the jaw so that dental implants can be placed. We also provided a brief description of the All-on-4 dental implant protocol and osseointegration, the process whereby bone tissue forms a strong biological bond with the titanium surface of an implant. In this article, the final installment of our four-part series, we’ll provide a brief explanation of tooth anatomy before discussing the various oral conditions that cause tooth loss and Cone Beam Computed Tomography, an indispensible diagnostic tool used by the oral specialists that offer patients new teeth with dental implants. Dental Terminology You Might Like to Know! The Anatomy of a Tooth: Your teeth consist of a hard outer coating of dental enamel, which protects the delicate insides from infection and contamination by bacteria. Beneath the enamel is a slightly softer and more porous substance called dentin. Within the heart of the tooth resides the pulp chamber, within which lie all the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels (called the pulp). This chamber narrows at the base of the tooth into the thin canals that run the length of the roots (root canals). Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CT): CBCT is a diagnostic imaging tool that emits a cone-shaped beam of X-ray radiation. The resultant images are translated into digital data by the machine and this is fed into a computer software program. The oral specialists who use CBCT can use this software to view a highly detailed and accurate 3-D picture of their patient’s dentition, tooth orientation and jawbone structure (see image below). This, in turn, enables them to plan dental implant surgery before the patient has even come in for the procedure. By determining the best possible sites for dental implant placement prior to surgery, oral surgeons can reduce risks, complications and the chance of implant failure. Cone Beam CT also decreases the degree of invasiveness, thus decreasing recovery time and patient discomfort. Periodontal (Gum) Disease: An advanced oral bacterial infection of the gums surrounding the teeth. Periodontal disease, or periodontitis, is the advanced stage of gingivitis and is marked by gum inflammation and recession, chronic bad breath, oral lesions, tooth discoloration and tooth loss. Periodontal disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in the United States. Risk factors for this condition include smoking, heavy drinking, poor oral hygiene and illnesses such as diabetes, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Edentulism: The state of not having a single original adult tooth left. There are currently an estimated 38 million edentulous people living in the United States. These people desperately need new teeth, yet instead of opting for a sophisticated teeth replacement solution like the All-on-4, they instead tend to wear removable dentures. Plaque: A whitish sticky substance that can be scraped off the teeth with a fingernail. Under the microscope, plaque is revealed to be millions upon millions of bacterium. There are over 700 different kinds of bacteria in plaque! Tartar: Hardened deposits of plaque, which offer bacteria an excellent hiding place away from the roving bristles of your toothbrush. Tartar causes tooth decay and tooth loss... and it can only be removed by a dental healthcare professional, which is why it’s so important to visit your oral hygienist twice a year! This article provides the top 10 tips for excellent dental hygiene and oral health care. It also cautions against certain habits, behaviors and addictions that could ultimately lead to tooth loss. Want to keep your teeth for life? Then there are a few things you should know about what it takes to keep your teeth and gums in excellent condition. Some of these “best practices” are second nature, such as brushing, but others you may not be aware of. Avoiding the need for new teeth implants requires a lifelong dedication to dental hygiene and oral health care. Here are the top 10 tips from implant specialists who have seen it all! 1. Brush your teeth at least two times a day, preferably more. Brush for two minutes at a time, dedicating 30 seconds per quadrant of the mouth. Be thorough because your aim is to eliminate as much plaque, bacteria and food debris as possible. 2. Floss your teeth every day, preferably before you go to bed at night. Flossing is an essential component to any home oral hygiene routine. If you don’t floss, you’re not looking after your teeth properly and it’s as simple as that. 3. Make use of an ADA-approved anti-bacteria mouthwash in between brushes. It won’t only freshen your breath after lunch’s onion bagel, it’ll also help wash away food debris and discourage bacterial activity. 4. Teeth-grinding (Bruxism) and jaw-clenching do terrible damage to the enamel of your teeth. Over many years of Bruxism, people can grind their teeth down to the dentine! If you’re conscious of grinding your teeth during the day - a habit that is generally caused by stress - then try to stop it. If you grind your teeth at nighttime, as most people do, then have a mouth guard fitted by your dentist. 5. Diets that are high in sugar, starches and acid-rich beverages are bound to cause early tooth decay in people of all ages, even children whose teeth should be in optimal condition. View fizzy, sugar-rich beverages as treats, not as thirst-quenchers and try to limit your intake of: • Soda • Energy drinks • Foods high in starch, such as potato chips and white breads • Fruit juices • Coffee and tea (or at least cut down on your sugar) • Sweets and chocolates 6. Alcohol causes dry mouth, which impedes the natural flow of saliva leaving your teeth and gums more vulnerable to bacteria. Alcoholic beverages also tend to be high in sugars and acids. While it’s perfectly acceptable to enjoy a glass or two of wine with your dinner, cut down on the frequency with which you consume alcohol, as well as the amount. 7. Smoking or chewing tobacco is a death sentence in many more ways than one. If you fancy getting new teeth by the age of 45, keep up that 30-a-day habit. 8. Receive treatment for eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. Both, as a result of malnutrition, can cause your teeth to fall out, but the latter has an especially vicious impact on dental health. It’s important not to ignore such an affliction for many reasons, but one of those reasons is for the good of your dental health, which is expensive and difficult to fix once damaged. 9. Keep regular scheduled appointments with your general dentist and oral hygienist. Prevention is better than cure! 10. If you ever do lose teeth, get new teeth with dental implants. Dental bridges require healthy teeth to be sacrificed in order to provide them with support. |