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Decatur, AL, 35601

Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Archives for February 2023

Are There Things an Emergency Dentist Cannot Do?

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I live in two states. One I live in eight months of the year and the other four months of the year. Normally, I only see a dentist in state one, where I spend most of my time. However, this past winter, while I was in the other state, I ended up with a dental emergency. I looked up emergency dentists and called their office. They got me in the same day and got me out of pain, then followed up a week later and finished out the treatment I needed. Overall, it was a great experience, especially considering how much pain I was in. I wondered if emergency dentists can do other things. Like, could I go to both dentists just as dentists or do emergency dentists only work on emergencies?

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

Man holding his cheek while in pain and in need of an emergency dentist

That is a great question. In reality, emergency dentists are actually just general dentists who arrange their hours so that if a patient, or even a  non-established patient, has a dental emergency, they can work them in for treatment. Often, these are dentists who understand that many people have a dental phobia and end up in dental emergency situations, or who are away from home when things blow up. They want them to have options for treatment.

I am glad it was such a great experience for you. As to whether this dentist can do everything your one in the other state can, it would depend on the type of services offered. All general dentists will do your basic bread and butter dentistry, such as cleanings, fillings, and crowns. However, other dentists offer things such as sedation dentistry, teeth whitening, or even more advanced procedures such as dental implants and porcelain veneers.

I would speak to the dentist, who worked on your emergency situation about what services you generally need and see if he offers them.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Is It Bad to Leave My Dentures In At Night?

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I’ve been in dentures for close to five years. I was talking to a friend who also has dentures and mentioned that I sleep with mine. She was adamant that this was bad for me. I did explain that I took them out each morning and cleaned them, but I put them right back in as soon as they had been cleaned. Is it really as bad for me as she says? The thing is I am in a new relationship and I really, really do not want him to see me without my dentures in. Plus, I worry about getting that old person, hollowed out look that people get with dentures so I keep them in as much as possible.

Patsy

Dear Patsy,

 

Dentures

You have asked a question that I am sure many people have. That fact is that your friend is right. It is important that you take your dentures out at night. Without that, you will eventually develop some problems. Taking your dentures out at night gives the small blood vessels in your oral tissue an opportunity to open up and the blood to flow more easily. This gives your oral tissue a break from the constant pressure on them.

Without that break and the time without the denture to allow your saliva to flow over the area, you risk getting denture stomatitis. This causes the gums to become inflamed, reddened, and painful.

What Causes the Old Hollowed Out Look with Dentures?

Before and after facial collapse

The problem of the older appearance that happens with dentures does not have to do with whether or not you keep them in at night. It is a matter of how long you are without teeth. When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes that and begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone that it was using to help secure your tooth roots. Without tooth roots, your body assumes you don’t need those minerals there and transfers them to use elsewhere in the body.

While an efficient use of your body’s resources, it has the unfortunate side effect of slowly shrinking your jawbone. After ten or more years in dentures, depending on how fast your minerals resorb, you will no longer have enough ridge to keep your dentures in. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.

Is There a Solution to Facial Collapse?

The best solution is to have dental implants placed in your jaw. This will signal to your body that you still have teeth and you need your jawbone to keep them secure. With four to six dental implants you can then anchor a new set of dentures to them. This is known as implant overdentures and has so many benefits. They are permanently anchored so you won’t have to worry about taking them out ever again. Because they’re anchored to the implants you won’t have the same blood flow problem.

You will also now notice that your chewing capacity goes up significantly. You can eat anything you want again without a problem. There are other benefits too but the one relevant to your concern is it will completely prevent facial collapse.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.