dental implants Archives - Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Invisalign for a Crooked Front Tooth

Posted on December 6, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have a crooked front tooth. It’s really embarrassing because it goes behind the tooth that is next to it. I am hoping that braces are not my only options. If it is I’d rather replace the tooth. What would be the best replacement option in that case?

Jenny

Dear Jenny,

Please do not pull your tooth. You have a couple of good options for fixing this front tooth. The first, is to use Invisalign. This a great way to straighten your teeth without traditional braces. No one will know that you are straightening your teeth, even at a conversational distance.

A second option would be to get porcelain veneers. This will not straighten your teeth, but will make them look straight. This is a much more expensive option and is typically used for a complete smile makeover. It can change everything about your smile, including the shape, size, and color.

If the only thing you want to fix about the smile is your crooked tooth, I would definitely use the Invisalign option. If you want to fix the crooked tooth and whiten your teeth, I’d still use the Invisalign because the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. Then all your dentist will need to provide you with is the gel. This saves you money allowing you to get two procedures done for a fraction of the cost.

However, if there are multiple things you want to change about your smile, porcelain veneers is the way to go. It is what celebrities turn to in order to get that Hollywood smile. Be aware that it is an extremely advanced procedure and you will want a dentist who has post-doctoral training in smile makeovers and porcelain veneers to do your work. Otherwise, you could end up with something worse than what you started with.

On a side note, if you ever do have a tooth which cannot be saved and you need to extract it, the best tooth replacement is a dental implant. Hopefully, that never becomes an issue for you, though.

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

Do I Really Need to Extract All Of My Teeth?

Posted on October 19, 2024 by writeradmin.

My dentist wants me to extract 17 of my teeth because of gum disease. The thing is, some of those teeth are fine and don’t even bother me. Will it be damaging to my health to leave those teeth? I don’t want to do something risky but I don’t necessarily want take out good teeth either.

David

Dear David,

Dentists vary in their willingness to save teeth. Some will give it a Herculean effort, while others would rather not bother. It sounds like your dentist is one of the ones who does not want to put forth a lot of effort. This does not mean that you have to extract them. It is perfectly safe for you to keep the healthy teeth. You may even be able to save some teeth that are in bad shape.

Unfortunately, given your dentist’s attitude, he won’t be the best dentist to help you with this. You’ll probably have to switch to a dentist who is willing to work hard on your teeth, but the work is worth it. One of the first things you will need to do is extract any teeth that are hopeless and cannot be saved. The reason for this is it will reduce the stress on your remaining teeth, giving them their best chance.

The next step will be to deal with your gum disease in order to prevent losing more teeth. That will require having a hygienist do a deep cleaning and periodontal maintenance every few months until your gums are back to a healthy state.

Then, you will want to replace any teeth that you do have extracted. There are removable partial dentures, but the best tooth replacements are dental implants. Your gum disease will need to be completely under control for those to work. Depending on how much bone you’ve lost because of the periodontal disease, you may also need some bone grafting done.

If you are willing to put in the effort, you can have a healthy, attractive smile. Just find a dentist who is willing to work hard alongside you.

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

Is My Dentist Trying to Scare Me?

Posted on September 29, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have an infected tooth and I want to wait and see if it gets better before I have a root canal treatment. He insists if I wait I am putting my life at risk and says I could end up with a brain infection. To me, that seems a bit melodramatic. Is he just saying that to scare me? Why can’t I just take some antibiotics and be done with it?

Jasper

Dear Jasper,

If your dentist is trying to scare you, it is not just to make money. He was trying to get you to understand how dangerous this is. Even in the 21st century between 5 and 10 people die from tooth infections every year.

You should be aware that antibiotics do not solve tooth infections. This is because the pulp inside the tooth dies, leaving you without any blood flow to get to the actual infection. The only thing you can do with an antibiotic is temporarily hold the infection at bay. It will only last until the antibiotics run out. Then the infection will blow up even more.

The only way to truly deal with a tooth infection is for a dentist to get in there and physically remove the infected pulp in your tooth. There are two ways to do that. The first is with a root canal treatment. This is the best solution because it saves your tooth. If the tooth is too far gone, then you need to go with the second option, which is a tooth extraction.

If that happens then it will be important for you to replace the tooth. If you don’t, the other teeth will shift or tip into the empty space. That can leave to painful TMJ Disorder. If that happens, the best tooth replacement will be a dental implant.

Please take this seriously. Your dentist wasn’t kidding when he said that this could spread to your brain. If it moves upward, that is a real possibility. Or, it could move downward and close up your throat, get in your bloodstream, or reach your heart. Please understand that a tooth infection is considered a dental emergency. Don’t let it become a life threatening one.

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

I Keep Gagging on My Dentures

Posted on August 8, 2024 by writeradmin.

I am having a hard time adjusting to my dentures. I keep gagging on them. I’m pretty sure the problem is the upper denture because if I take that out, I’m fine. However, I can’t live that way. Is there a solution for someone with this type of problem?

Hadleigh

Dear Hadleigh,

There are a few possibilities for someone in your position. The first thing I would do is ask your dentist to double check that the denture isn’t impinging on your soft palate. It should not go past the limits of your hard palate. If that isn’t the problem you have two choices.

First, you can change out your removable dentures for implant supported dentures. This places four to six dental implants in your bone and then anchors the dentures to them. This will eliminate the need for a denture plate and therefore there will be nothing on your palate at all. No more gagging.

A second option is to try a procedure developed by Dr. Finlay Sutton, a prosthodontist in Great Britain.

Usually, an upper denture goes all the way to the edge of the hard palate, known as the vibrating line. In Dr. Sutton’s procedure, the denture could be carefully trimmed to not go back quite as far. In some patients, this will eliminate the gagging. It has to be done carefully by someone with expertise because an upper denture is held in by suction. If too much is cut back or it is trimmed improperly, it can compromise the suction and it will no longer stay in place.

Because it sounds like you have both upper and lower dentures, I recommend that you get the first option if at all possible. While Of these two options I recommend the first. This is more important for your lower arch. While your upper arch is held in by suction, the lower denture just rests on the ridge of your lower jawbone.

I don’t know if your dentist warned you about facial collapse, but when you have removable dentures, this is an inevitable problem. As soon as your teeth are removed, your body immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere in your body where they will be of more use. It is very efficient, but does shrink your jawbone. Eventually, you will not have enough jawbone left to keep your lower denture in your mouth.

Having dental implants placed, signals to your body that you need your jawbone in order to retain your teeth and it will leave your jawbone intact.

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

With Dentures, What Comes First?

Posted on June 20, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have a mouth that is driving me crazy. I feel like every single visit to the dentist leads to more visits to the dentist to deal with the problems they find. I’m spending so much time there, I should get a key at this point. I’m thinking I should just get dentures and be done with these stupid teeth. Do I see the dentist or the oral surgeon first?

Paul

Dear Paul,

If you are getting dentures, then my recommendation would be to go to a dentist who can do both the pre-denture surgery and the dentures. The surgery is not complicated and should be something every dentist is qualified to do. However, I wouldn’t convince a dentist to do it. Instead, look for a dentist who already has experience with the surgery. I would just call a dental office and ask what their normal procedure is as to whether they do the surgery themselves or refer out to an oral surgeon.

Before You Decide on Dentures

I know it sounds like your life will be a lot easier without teeth right now, but I want to make sure you understand what will happen as a result. First, as soon as your teeth are removed, your body immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. It does that to be as efficient with your body’s resources as possible. Recognizing you no longer have any teeth that need to be supported, it uses those minerals elsewhere in your body. Unfortunately, this has the side effect of shrinking your jawbone. In about ten years or so, you will no longer have enough jawbone to even retain your dentures. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse. I’ve put an image of what this does to a jaw above.

To prevent this, you have a couple of options. First, save as many teeth as possible. If you are keeping up with all your oral health care and dental cleanings and are still having problems, evaluate how much snacking you are doing between meals. One of our biggest allies against tooth decay is our saliva, which contains bacteria fighting minerals, but it needs time to work. If you are a frequent snacker (including drinks that aren’t water), then your saliva can’t do its job. If you are not a frequent snacker, then it may be an issue of losing a genetic lottery. If that is the case and you want to replace your teeth instead of continuing to fight them, the second solution to this would be to get implant supported dentures. The dental implants signal to your body that you still have tooth roots you need to retain your bone structure.

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

Can’t Afford the Bone Surgery My Dentist Wants Me to Get

Posted on May 10, 2024 by writeradmin.

I’d lost my lower teeth and had to get dentures because of finances. I’d been saving to get the dental implants, but it took me a bit. Now my dentist is saying that in order to get the dental implants that I will need to have a bone grafting procedure in order to get the dental implants. If I do that, then I will no longer have enough money to get the dental implants. Is this bone surgery really necessary?

Steven

Dear Steven,

If you’ve lost enough bone, then, yes, it is necessary. This is because your body immediately begins resorbing the minerals in your jawbone as soon as your teeth are removed. This has the side effect of shrinking your jawbone. In order to retain your dental implants, your body will need enough bone to support the implants. Without that, the procedure will fail so there would be no point. Though, there is the additional complication of remaining in dentures. Eventually, there will no longer be enough bone in your jaw to even keep your dentures. This is known as facial collapse.

You have a couple of options. You can continue to save up until you can get both the bone grafting procedure and the dental implants. A second option is to have an all-on-4 procedure done. This is a special procedure that angles the implants in a way can allow people with less bone to still have dental implants placed. Not everyone is a candidate, but if you are it could save you the cost of the bone grafting procedure.

Be aware that the longer you are without dental implants, the more bone loss there will be.

Whoever you get to do the procedure will need to have advanced implant training. If you are having the all-on-4 procedure, you will also want to make sure that they have the specialized training and experience that it requires.

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

My Dentures Make Me Gag

Posted on April 17, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have a pretty strong gag reflex. One of the reasons I ended up with dentures is that I dreaded my dental appointments because I’d throw up every time it was time for some x-rays. Now, I am having trouble with the upper denture. It uses this hard plate to help keep things in but I am constantly gagging and having to take it out, which defeats the purpose of having it. I don’t have the same problem with my lower dentures because it just sits on the bone and there isn’t anything pushing on my palette. Is there any way around this?

Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

You are in a difficult position. The firmness of the framework you are struggling with is necessary in order to fit properly and allow you to chew. The only way to have the dentures without that framework, is to get implant supported dentures. With this, you will have four to six dental implants placed on your upper arch. Then, after the bone has had time to integrate with the implants, your dentures can be anchored to it. These implant supported dentures are commonly called implant overdentures. This will prevent you from having to have any framework on the roof of your mouth. There will be nothing there to cause a gag reflex. Instead, it will be just like having your own healthy, natural teeth in your mouth again.

While having those dentures on the upper arch will make your dentures more comfortable, they will be even more important to have on your lower arch. Once your teeth were removed, your body recognized that there were no longer any teeth roots which it needed to support. Our body’s are remarkable efficient machines. In order to use the minerals in your jawbone as efficiently as possible, it begins to resorb those minerals to use them elsewhere in your body where they will be more useful. Unfortunately, that will slowly shrink your jawbone. Eventually, somewhere between ten and twenty years from when you first place them, there won’t be enough of your jawbone left to even retain your denture. In dental circles, this is known as facial collapse.

Placing dental implants in your bottom arch, signals to your body that there are still teeth roots in your mouth. As a result, you will not have to worry about facial collapse and your jawbone will stay completely intact.

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

How Far Back Should My Dentures Go?

Posted on February 26, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have not been crazy about my dentures. One thing that has been specifically irritating is the fact that I am chewing on the gums where my wisdom teeth used to be. The dentures are not covering that area at all. My dentist doesn’t think this is a big deal, but it is making life uncomfortable for me. Should they go back far enough to cover that area?

Brian

Dear Brian,

I am glad you wrote. I will be honest that dentures have many flaws, some serious, that lower your quality of life. However, the situation with the gums by your wisdom teeth is one that is definitely fixable and should not have been an issue for you to begin with.

Your denture should cover not just the area where your wisdom teeth were, but also go a smidge further. Just past your wisdom tooth area is your retromolar pad. Ideally, the denture should cover part of that as well. You do not want it to compare the entirety of the pad because that causes the upper and lower dentures to conflict with each other.

A possible reason your dentist is trying to ignore this is that the only way to fix the problem is for your dentist to start over with brand new impressions. This is a lot of work for him, especially if you have already paid for it.

You have a couple of options here. You could show him this blog post. If his integrity is not pricked by that, then you can threaten to post a negative review online. These reviews do impact a dentist’s ability to draw in new patients.

A Danger with Completely Removable Dentures

I hope your dentist warned you about the dangers of wearing completely removable dentures in the long term. When your teeth are removed, your body immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone as a means of being as resourceful with your body’s needs as possible. While efficient, it does have the unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone.

You will notice that it will become harder and harder to for your to eat and keep your dentures in place. Eventually, you will lose so much of your jawbone that it will no longer be possible to retain your dentures. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse.

The Solution to Facial Collapse

The way to prevent this issue is to get implant retained dentures. This is commonly called implant overdentures. The dental implants serve as prosthetic tooth roots and will signal to your body to keep those minerals in your jawbone. You’ll find your quality of life goes up dramatically and you’ll be able to eat anything you want again.

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

Dentist Said I Cannot Get Dental Implants. Now What?

Posted on June 12, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am losing pretty much all of my teeth. I was hoping to get dental implants but have a severe nickel allergy, which even makes me sensitive to stainless steel. My dentist told me that because of those allergies I will not be able to get dental implants. What is my next best option? I’m really hoping to avoid dentures.

Kaitlyn

Dear Kaitlyn,

A nickel allergy is fairly common. If you are severely allergic than the stainless steel issue makes sense too because it contains nickel. However, most dental implants are made from titanium. Your dentist should know that too. This is very biocompatible. In fact, I don’t even know of a titanium allergy. Even if you were allergic to titanium, there are now zirconia implants that are completely metal-free. If you decide to go the zirconia route, then I suggest you look for a metal-free dentist.

My suspicion is that your dentist is not trained in dental implants ard therefore is steering you away from the implants toward dentures, which he does know how to do. Even though you can get dental implants, I do not recommend that you pressure your dentist into providing them for you. Without that training, it would be a complete disaster. It is quite an advanced procedure and there are countless dental implant horror stories. You do not want to be one of them.

I would simply go elsewhere to have your dental implants done. Just make certain whatever dentist you use does have some post-doctoral training in this procedure. This is important.

One other point of importance is how to handle it if you need a dentist and an oral surgeon. While the oral surgeon will place the implants, it needs to be the dentist who determines the placement. That is important so make sure you see the dentist first.

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

Are There Things an Emergency Dentist Cannot Do?

Posted on February 28, 2023 by writeradmin.

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,

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.