While removable dentures in general can prove to be a hassle for patients with a lack of natural teeth, the most troublesome are lower dentures. Patients choose dentures first, however, because they are more economical up-front and appear to be the most cost-effective choice for replacing missing teeth.
However, full lower dentures can create more issues they fix and contribute to a reduced quality of life or even reduced nutritional intake, as healthy fibrous foods are tougher to chew and eat with unstable or uncomfortable dental prosthetics.
What Makes Lower Dentures Uncomfortable?
Bone Loss - After teeth are lost or extracted, bone becomes thinner over time, as there are no natural tooth roots to stimulate bone density after jaw arches heal from the extraction process. This bone resorption is actually accelerated in the lower jaw, creating significantly diminished bone quality than with extracted teeth in the upper jaw. If lower dentures are placed soon after teeth are extracted, they can quickly become loose and bothersome as bone quality and shape change.
Displacement - In everyday dental function, your tongue moves against teeth to help you speak, chew, and eat. With the tongue seated in your lower jaw arch, lower dentures are more easily moved out of place throughout the day, which creates problems for doing these simple but essential tasks.
Lack of Suction - It’s important to note that upper dentures cover more physical space in your mouth and include a section that covers your palate and provides for suction that firmly holds the prosthetic in place. Lower dentures, however, cover a lesser amount of space and are not able to hold suction as adequately, even with the assistance of denture paste. In addition to normal tongue movement, this lack of suction makes lower dentures a real problem for patients with total tooth loss in their lower jaw.
Stabilizing Permanent New Teeth with Minimal Implants
Some patients believe that they need an entire arch of implants, or prosthetic tooth roots, to permanently stabilize a full arch of teeth, which is a costly treatment -- but this is not the case. Advances in implant technology and treatment methodology have made finding stable and comfortable dentures solutions possible. New approaches to implant stabilization are also more affordable, with the use of few rather than full arches of implants.
While as few as two dental implants can be used to attach a full lower prosthesis, four dental implants can be used to permanently attach your lower denture. At West Houston Dental, we provide the revolutionary All on 4 treatment from Nobel BioCare, which utilizes only four implant posts, thereby cutting down on treatment costs, and holds your full arch of lower teeth in place -- no popping your teeth in and out each day.
For more information about solving lower denture problems with All on 4 treatment, please call our office today for your consultation.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Sedation Dentistry and Overall Oral Health
While some patients put off their routine dental cleanings because of inconvenient timing or a busy schedule, there are others who avoid dental care entirely, to their detriment, because of extreme dental phobia. Even events like loose teeth, decay, and pain aren’t even enough to get patients in the door of a dental office because of their anxiety over treatment.
For these patients, sedation dentistry is an essential tool in the fight to preserve your oral health and restore total body wellness. By offering dental sedation, West Houston Dental can do all of the following:
Help Patients Access Dental Care – In instances where you feel so anxious about dental procedures that you cannot even fathom picking the phone or entering a dental office’s waiting room, sedation is the equalizer that can get you in the door. With the promise of a worry-free dental office visit, anxious patients can feel comforted knowing that all parts of their visit will be less worrisome. Sedation makes visiting the dental office much more accessible, so you can more easily get the care you need.
Calms Gag Reflex – For other patients, issues like a sensitive gag reflex could be what triggers dental anxiety. Patients with this reflex find it hard to tolerate X-rays and many other parts of their routine dental visits. While sedation can be utilized for more advanced procedures, patients who need sedation to minimize a gag reflex can benefit as well. Sedation makes diagnostic X-ray taking and teeth cleaning far more tolerable for patients who struggle with the discomfort of a strong gag reflex.
Protects Total Body Health – It may not be something that patients think about, but your mouth is not a separate entity from the rest of your body. By neglecting dental care, problems like infections and bacteria can create secondary health issues that affect more than just your smile. Patients who let their dental conditions go for fear of treatment are setting themselves up for risk of total-body medical issues. Sedation dentistry can therefore be an important part of what keeps you healthy overall, by making dental care less intimidating.
Discuss Your Anxieties and Options with our Dental Office
The first step in combating dental anxiety is speaking to our Houston dentist about your fears and concerns, so that we may create a treatment plan that helps to minimize triggers. We can also discuss recommendations for sedation, depending on your anxiety level, dental needs, and the treatment plan we prescribe to care for your smile. We have options available that ensure you feel peaceful and relaxed during your treatment. If you have questions about sedation dentistry, we encourage you to call our office to see what we can in helping to protect your health and to make dentistry a more welcoming process.
For these patients, sedation dentistry is an essential tool in the fight to preserve your oral health and restore total body wellness. By offering dental sedation, West Houston Dental can do all of the following:
Help Patients Access Dental Care – In instances where you feel so anxious about dental procedures that you cannot even fathom picking the phone or entering a dental office’s waiting room, sedation is the equalizer that can get you in the door. With the promise of a worry-free dental office visit, anxious patients can feel comforted knowing that all parts of their visit will be less worrisome. Sedation makes visiting the dental office much more accessible, so you can more easily get the care you need.
Calms Gag Reflex – For other patients, issues like a sensitive gag reflex could be what triggers dental anxiety. Patients with this reflex find it hard to tolerate X-rays and many other parts of their routine dental visits. While sedation can be utilized for more advanced procedures, patients who need sedation to minimize a gag reflex can benefit as well. Sedation makes diagnostic X-ray taking and teeth cleaning far more tolerable for patients who struggle with the discomfort of a strong gag reflex.
Protects Total Body Health – It may not be something that patients think about, but your mouth is not a separate entity from the rest of your body. By neglecting dental care, problems like infections and bacteria can create secondary health issues that affect more than just your smile. Patients who let their dental conditions go for fear of treatment are setting themselves up for risk of total-body medical issues. Sedation dentistry can therefore be an important part of what keeps you healthy overall, by making dental care less intimidating.
Discuss Your Anxieties and Options with our Dental Office
The first step in combating dental anxiety is speaking to our Houston dentist about your fears and concerns, so that we may create a treatment plan that helps to minimize triggers. We can also discuss recommendations for sedation, depending on your anxiety level, dental needs, and the treatment plan we prescribe to care for your smile. We have options available that ensure you feel peaceful and relaxed during your treatment. If you have questions about sedation dentistry, we encourage you to call our office to see what we can in helping to protect your health and to make dentistry a more welcoming process.
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