Implant-Supported Dentures

The transition to dentures can be both an exciting and unnerving time in your life. First of all, your lifestyle is going to improve immeasurably: you’ll be able to eat, talk, swallow and smile in a whole new way. Implant patients also report a dramatic rise in their self-esteem and confidence, as their new smiles radiate from well below the surface.

But new dentures can also be scary. Will they hurt? How long does it take? What if my dentures wiggle around in my mouth or – mercy! – what if they fall out?

The Unique Case of Lower Dentures

While upper dentures have the ability to create suction through the roof of your mouth, thereby holding the denture in place, the same isn’t true for lower dentures. Lowers will invariably wiggle around, shift, cause sores, and live out their lives in the bottom drawer of your nightstand.

Not to Fear: Support from Dental Implants

With the new and improved technology of dental implants, Dr. Tidwell can place two “receiver balls” (on implants) into your jaw, which will secure the lower denture in place – snug as a bug in a rug.

A typical lower denture rests on the gums, with nothing to secure it in place except gravity. This is why lower dentures always shift inside your mouth, making them uncomfortable and causing sores. Lower dentures supported by implants, on the other hand, are locked into position with a “ positioning ball” and “receiver cup” (see photo).

This procedure gives the lower denture incredible stability, eliminating the “floating boat” syndrome of typical lower dentures.

You may be surprised to learn that this procedure takes a very short amount of time, is often completely painless, and post-operative recovery time is extremely fast.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Dentures

We know you have questions, and that’s why Dr. Tidwell offers free consultations on implants and dentures. (He always has and he always will.) Included with your complimentary session with Dr. Tidwell is a state-of-the-art, 3-dimensional “cone beam” x-ray for the best possible diagnostics. And you have absolutely no obligation to move forward with the procedure.

Dr. Tidwell will develop your Treatment Plan with you as an individual – as your mouth, your needs and your goals are unique to you. In the meantime, here are some important insights into implant-supported dentures:

Tooth Extraction

Removing teeth is often an integral part of receiving dentures. It is important to note that Dr. Tidwell uses advanced tools and techniques to perform tooth extractions. This new process eliminates the need to pull your teeth/tooth with dental pliers. Rather, each tooth is gently pried loose with a method that is easier, faster and smoother, and with a quicker recovery period. Our promise to you: The traumatic stories of old that you may have heard from your parents or grandparents about tooth extraction are a thing of the past and have no place in the work of Tidwell Dental.

Implant Procedure

Illustration courtesy of Zest Anchors, http://www.zestanchors.com

There are four components of an implant-supported denture, each placed in its proper sequence:

1. The Implants: Two titanium posts are inserted directly into your jaw in the same location as your eye teeth would be. These implants permanently fuse with the bone. Once placed, it takes approximately 3-4 months to heal in a natural process called osseointegration. (Dr. Tidwell calls this period of time “the mystery, the joy and the excitement” of the dental implant process.)
2. The Positioning Balls: Two gold “positioning” balls are placed on top of the implants. Then an impression is taken of your lower gums, including the implants, for fitting to a denture.
3. The Receiver Caps: Two small rubber “caps” embedded in your lower denture connects the “ball” on your implants to the denture. This mechanism self-aligns, allowing you to “seat” your lower denture with ease.
4. The Implant-Supported Denture: The set of teeth click into place on your lower jaw, with the receiver ball secured into the cap. The dentures then become the workhorses of your mouth, doing all the chewing (and smiling).

Long Term Benefits

Also known as “overdentures,” implant-supported lower dentures are the gold standard in treatment options for people with missing teeth. They replace your teeth with strong, stable dentures, which you can remove at will, but fit snugly into place until you want to take them out for cleaning or maintenance.

Without lower teeth, your jaw experiences progressive bone loss, dramatically aging your profile.

Dentures supported in this way give you the stability that only implants can offer with the economical cost of dentures.

It’s very important to note that, in addition to the benefits of function and aesthetics, dental implants also act as a tooth root. This is critical to your appearance because without teeth – roots and all – your jaw will inevitably experience bone loss. Bone loss, in turn, leads to a “caved-in” or receding profile (see photo panel below).

Our Dental Implant Credentials 

Dr. Tidwell has earned the coveted status of Diplomate in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI). His lead surgical staff assisting with implant procedures has also received the highest possible accreditation for surgical assistance from the ICOI. Together, they are among the finest dental implantology teams in the business, bar none.

So great is their learning, Dr. Tidwell and his staff have been conducting monthly Implant Study Clubs (for over a decade) for interested colleagues. What all this means to you is that you will receive the highest possible standard of expertise and care when receiving your implant treatment at Tidwell Dental.

CAPTION: Schedule your complimentary consultation with Dr. Tidwell (with no obligation for services). Call or text us at 503-359-5481.

P.S. Shhh … here’s a special secret: With implant-supported dentures, you’ll be a better kisser. True.

 

 

 

The Gold Standard: Inlays, Onlays and Overlays

“The gold of life is for those bold and brave in life.” —Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha

Cast Gold Restorations

The very best thing you can do to repair a tooth that has a cavity – or has been cracked or chipped from an old filling – is to treat it with cast gold. Typically called onlays or inlays, gold restorations perform better and last longer than any other dental substance.

In the olden days, dentists worldwide primarily repaired cavities by drilling out the tooth decay and filling the indentation with an amalgam* substance (liquid mercury combined with a powdered alloy of silver, tin and copper). This filling, over time, would invariably shrink and separate from the healthy enamel. The tooth would inevitably crack, fracture and/or chip as a result.

Today, fortunately, you can “go for the gold” instead, and enjoy the many benefits that only gold can offer. (Most notably keeping you out of the dentist chair over and over again.)

Top 10 Advantages of Gold Restorations

1. Precision: The gold repair is cast in a laboratory, creating a more precise fit in the effected tooth as well as the opposing and surrounding teeth.
2. Safety: Gold is not toxic to humans (mercury is a known toxin)
3. Durability: Gold inlays/onlays/overlays last much, much longer than amalgam or porcelain, typically 20-30 years or longer.
4. Consistency: Gold does not chip or fracture like amalgam and porcelain.
5. Strength: Gold restorations actually strengthen the tooth and prevent it from fracturing.
6. Protection: Gold decreases the possibility of future decay because it repels bacteria.
7. Flexibility: Gold expands and contracts with the tooth when exposed to hot and cold temperatures (i.e. ice cream and coffee).
8. Pliability: Gold is soft and pliable, perfect for rebuilding and finely shaping the repair to the original structure of the tooth.
9. Improves Over Time: The more your chew, the tighter the gold adheres to the tooth, which prevents decay from forming in the thin border between the filling and the tooth.
10. Best Value: Though gold restorations cost more upfront than their porcelain or amalgam counterparts, they are a far better solution that will last years, often decades, longer.

3 Other Things to Consider

1. Time: Because they are cast and then bonded to your tooth, rather than packed in from a malleable substance, gold restorations take longer to implement than traditional fillings (two visits instead of one).
2. Expense: Gold restorations cost more than amalgam or porcelain. (They also last years/decades longer.)
3. Expertise: Gold restorations require great finesse and precision to install. Make sure your dentist has the expertise and experience you deserve.

Technically Speaking

Inlays, onlays and overlays are cast – formed in a laboratory to fit the exact impression of your tooth, as opposed to fillings, which are packed into the tooth’s cavity. There is also a difference in the dental chair between a gold inlay, an onlay and an overlay. [See illustration (right) courtesy of http://www.zahnarztpankow.de.]

• The Inlay sits completely inside the corners of the tooth
• An Onlay repairs a larger cavity than an inlay, but does not extend to the cusps (corners) of the tooth
• An Overlay covers at least one cusp

Summary

Inlays, onlays and overlays that are cast from gold make the finest possible tooth repairs and restorations. The benefits of using gold in the restoration and repair of your teeth are vast and significant. Gold is simply the very best substance dentists can use to restore decayed, fractured or chipped teeth. Cast gold restorations perform better and last many years longer than amalgam, composite and porcelain. Gold even helps protect your teeth from future decay. And that’s an investment worth smiling about.

*Dental amalgam, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. Approximately 50% of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight.

So You Have a Toothache. What Next?

Sooner or later, nearly everyone experiences tooth pain. The healthier your teeth are – through diligent brushing and professional cleanings – the less likely and less severe your toothache will be. Your diet, age and previous dental work (such as nasty mercury fillings) will also affect the frequency and severity of your toothache.

The two most common reasons for a toothache are:

1. You’ve cracked or chipped a tooth and exposed a nerve. Ouch. You will most likely experience pain when you eat or drink something cold. Or when you bite down on something hard, like tortilla chip. (It happens more often than you might imagine!)

2. You have an infection under the tooth. Super ouch. This is going to get exponentially worse with each passing day. You have two choices: a root canal or an extraction. The root canal will be more expensive than the extraction, but you won’t have a hole where your tooth should be. Unless, you have an implant placed where the tooth used to be, which in turn costs exponentially more than a root canal. Read more about dental implants here.

Whenever you have tooth pain, don’t procrastinate. The sooner you see your dentist the better off you’ll be. It’s easy to put off a toothache until it really, really hurts. But the longer you delay, the more extensive – and expensive – the repair will be. The most common treatments for tooth pain vary from fillings, to root canals, to extractions, based upon the damage to your tooth and your budget.

Regular check-ups and cleanings will help prevent the onset of a sudden toothache. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. When it comes to healthy teeth, I couldn’t agree more. If you’re human, like the rest of us, and end up with a bad toothache, “bite the bullet” and see your dentist right away. You’ll be so glad you did.

For more information on tooth repair, including fillings, gold onlays, root canal therapy, dental implants and more, visit our website at www.TidwellDental.com.