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dental-implant

Why Are Dental Implants Best For Tooth Replacement?

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Our teeth are one of the strongest body parts and are quite essential. They help us chew food, speak and provide good aesthetic value to our face. However, a natural set of teeth may be lost due to various reasons, like tooth decay or gum disease. These missing teeth must  be replaced, as they are responsible for some important functions.

Teeth made of ceramic or zirconia, are considered common options for replacement of missing teeth. However,  the most recent advancement in the world of dentistry is a dental implant, which are becoming widely popular.

What is a dental implant?

Natural teeth are made up of a visible portion known as the crown and lower portion known as the root. The roots of teeth are embedded into the jawbone and are not seen.

A dental implant also consists of parts similar to the natural tooth. The root portion of the dental implant is made up of titanium material, which is easily compatible with the jaw bone and strong enough to withstand chewing forces. Titanium has a special quality of fusing with the bone, which is known as ‘osseo-integration’.

Why dental implants?

The answer is simple. Dental implants function the same way as your real teeth. Instead of natural tooth roots, your tooth is held in with a titanium implant post that is surgically implanted in your jawbone. Over time, your jawbone heals in and around the titanium implant, through a process called osseo-integration. The strength of your jawbone, and your jaw’s ability to heal around the implant directly influences the strength and stability of the implant. Implants also have excellent stability. They provide optimal support and are very comfortable. Moreover, they are one of the most aesthetic tooth replacement options.

Who can get implants?

While living with missing teeth can be distressing and difficult, dental implant surgery is a completely comfortable procedure. It is minimally invasive and leaves little to no post-procedure discomfort. For most people, the placement process is very simple. In more complex cases, the procedure can span over several months. However, people with basic cases can  get same day dental implants. Thanks to advances in dentistry, same day dental implants are becoming more common. To see if you’re a candidate for treatment, you first have to get a complete dental examination. If you have a sufficient amount of jawbone, you can have the procedure at any time. If not, you will need to strengthen the bone with bone grafts, which can increase the cost of dental implants.

Implant placement procedure

Dental implant placement is a simple procedure. There are  3 basic steps.

Step 1

The first step is placing an implant post, or the root. It is fixed deep into the gums so that it can support the implant, just like the root of a natural tooth. It is a minor surgery and is done under local anaesthesia.  At this point your tooth may still appear missing, as the upper portion of the crown has not been replaced yet. A type of temporary cover prior to replacement is done for appearance, if required.

After this step is done, there is a waiting period for bone growth around the metal post. During this time, the process of jaw bone fusing to the implant material begins. This is known as osseo-integration.  During this process, the jawbone grows in and around the surface of the dental implant and locks it in place. The process can take several weeks or months. It will mainly provide strong support for the new artificial tooth.

Step 2

Your dentist will do a thorough assessment of the bone growth with the help of an x-ray or a CBCT and decide whether you are ready for the next step. Once the osseo-integration is complete, you will need to place the upper portion (support for the crown), known as the abutment. This is where the crown will eventually be  attached.

In some cases, the abutment is attached to the dental implant post when the post is implanted. That means you may skip this surgical step. Some people don’t like that appearance and prefer to have the abutment placed in a separate procedure.

Step 3

After the abutment is placed, your gums will adapt and heal around it. This will take another week or two.  Then the artificial tooth, matching the shade and colour of your other natural teeth, can be attached to the abutment. Your dentist may take certain measurements and impressions during the entire procedure. These impressions are mainly used to fabricate the crown of your implanted new tooth. The crown can’t be placed until your jawbone has enough strength to support the use of the new tooth.

At Bellevue Dental Health, we believe in providing the best services to give you a beautiful and healthy smile. You can discuss with our team to know the best tooth replacement options for you. Our surgeons are highly skilled and we promise you affordable and durable dental implants. Our aim is to create a healthy smile for you, that can help build the foundation for overall health and confidence. So, make a decision today to have a functionally sound smile.

Discover how cosmetic dentistry will enhance your appearance and self-confidence with us!

Request an appointment today at https://www.bellevuedentalhealth.com/ or by calling (425) 641-3311.

smoking

How Smoking Effects Your Teeth

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We’ve all heard about the detrimental effects of smoking on your health. However, did you know that smoking also adversely affects your oral health? Well, it’s true! Smoking causes many oral health problems and the longer you smoke the more severe these problems become.

With there being about 36 million smokers in the United States, (according to the Centers for Disease Control), this amounts to about 15% of the population. That’s a huge number of people risking their oral health by smoking. So, how exactly does smoking affect your teeth? That’s what we’ll talk about in this article…

  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for oral cancer: Smoking or chewing tobacco can cause cancers of your mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and throat. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, about 50,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with oral cancer every year. An estimated 80% of them are smokers. If you are a smoker as well as a heavy drinker, your risk for oral cancer substantially increases. I screen all of my patients at their dental appointments for oral cancer. It often begins as a white or red patch in the mouth and is not symptomatic. It later can be accompanied by difficulty chewing or swallowing, numbness in the jaw, and pain in the ear. If you have these symptoms for more than two weeks, visit your dentist, as the earlier oral cancer is detected, the more effective will its treatment be.
  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for gum disease: Smoking adversely affects your gums in two ways. If you smoke you are more likely to produce more bacterial plaque in your mouth, which puts your gums under steady attack. Second, smokers have lower oxygen levels in their blood, therefore delaying healing. This means that when your gums become infected, your body is less likely to be able to deal with it. Gum disease progresses at a very rapid rate in people who smoke. Losing teeth is a very real consequence in people who are heavy smokers.
  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for cavities: Due to the plaque and gum problems caused by smoking, smokers are at higher risk for tooth decay. If you smoke, you’re putting your mouth at risk for cavities three times more than non-smokers.
  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for bad breath: Smokers have a greater incidence of halitosis or bad breath. This is because about 4000 chemicals pass through your oral cavity every time you smoke. Many of these end up collecting on the surfaces inside your mouth. Smoking also contributes to bad breath by drying out your mouth. This can trigger gum infection and can irritate your sinuses, resulting in post-nasal drip.
  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for stained teeth: Smokers typically have stained teeth, with unattractive yellow stains that tar and nicotine leave on your teeth. Over time, this discoloration can leak into tiny cracks in your tooth enamel, leading to permanent discoloration and staining.
  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for delayed healing: Smoking results in the increased possibility of tooth extraction and oral surgery. However, at the same time, it results in delayed healing and slows your body’s ability to recover from these procedures. It also lowers the rate of successful dental implant procedures. The more you smoke, the more vulnerable you are to developing further complications.
  • Smoking puts you at greater risk for altered taste and smell: Smoking results in an altered sense of taste and smell. This interferes with your enjoyment of food and is also likely to make you add more salt or sugar to your food to make the taste stronger. Research shows that about one in five smokers have a less precise sense of taste and smell. However, this can be reversed if you stop smoking.

So, now you know how smoking can adversely affect your teeth. At Bellevue Dental Health we can help you manage the effects of smoking on your teeth. We work individually with each patient and take a detailed patient history to determine what treatment options each patient has.

If you are a smoker be sure to have regular dental care and a regular exam. As always, we are here to help at Bellevue Dental Health!

For more information about a dental consultation and different dental procedures,
contact Dr. Libby Finnessy of Bellevue Dental Health at 425-641-3311 or at info@bellevuedentalhealth.com.