Golden Opportunities

When we were kids, losing a tooth brought a big smile! It meant a visit from the tooth fairy! But, as we get older, no one smiles when they lose a tooth – and not just because there won’t be a dollar under their pillow. Dentist Steve Marsh is here to tell us why we some of us lose teeth – and what we can do about it.

Question: Is losing one or two or more teeth inevitable as we get older?

Answer: No, it’s not. It is truly preventable.
There are two contributing factors for why we lose teeth: Gum disease and Bone disease
Good home care of your teeth – brushing regularly, flossing, cleaning out the bacteria and debris in your teeth as well as seeing your dentist regularly - are the best ways to avoid tooth loss.

Question: I notice you didn't say "avoid sweets"!

Answer: For this particular situation, it really isn’t cavities that are the problem. If you lose the bone because of disease, you’ve lost support for the tooth – and that’s why the tooth falls out.
Also, if you have decay, from gum disease, it can be so rampant that there is no tooth left. The decay breaks it down and the tooth falls apart.
Now, while new cavities are responsible for losing teeth, I will tell you that old silver fillings that were done to handle cavities in the past are more prone to fracture. Silver fillings don’t hold the teeth together; they just fill the hole.
New materials/composites fill the hold but also attach to the teeth, giving it more stability and strength. So, once you start seeing any fracturing in the filling or tooth, it’s best to replace the silver filling with the tooth colored composite. Otherwise, you may bite down on something and find that you have broken a tooth.

Question: So, what are our choices if we have missing teeth? What do you do to replace them?

Answer: There are three choices: partials, bridges and implants.
Let’s start with partials: Partials are made to replace one or more missing teeth. In the past they were made of metal with hooks and clasps, which were not only unsightly, they would adversely affect the teeth. Today, partials are all composite, plastic material that are more gentle and flexible.
Another option for replacing one or more teeth is a bridge. A bridge is a series of crowns all put together. You need two good teeth on either side of the bridge to anchor the bridge. You can think of it like a clothesline – you need a pole on each side to hold it up. And, surprisingly, it’s okay of those two teeth had dental work, like a crown, because they have been built up and strengthened.
The final opportunity is implants. For an implant, we place a root form into the bone and it ultimately grows into the bone. On top we put a “post” or “button” – and then on top of that we put a crown. In general, you have to wait three to four months for the bone to grow around the root form. For cosmetic reasons, we can provide a removable tooth for that time. However, there is a new approach called “immediate loan implants” that allow for the implant and a temporary crown to be done at the same time. What some may find surprising is there is a 97% success rate with implants.

Question: You mentioned the option of having the implant and the crown done at the same time. Is that what it means when we hear "teeth in a day"?

Answer: Those offering “teeth in a day” are really providing temporaries in a day. They really are dentures. Let’s say there are four missing teeth; you would have four implants and one denture. And six months later you’d have to go back to have a new partial screwed in.
When we talk about implants, we’re talking about having an implant/tooth for each missing tooth, not a set of dentures.

If you are missing teeth, follow Dr. Marsh’s advice and you’ll be all smiles again in no time. Plus it just might put the tooth fairy out of business! To learn more, give Dr. Marsh’s office a call. The number’s next.