Advantages of Dental Implants Over Dentures and Fixed Bridges

People who have missing or damaged teeth can choose alternatives to replace their missing teeth. The methods that are practiced to replace missing teeth are dental implants, dentures and fixed bridges. Among these methods most of the candidates choose dental implants for replacing missing teeth as it has several advantages over dentures and fixed bridges.

Advantages of dental implants over dentures:

• Dental implants are long lasting and are fixed permanently.
• In implant placement, there is no need to remove all the teeth.
• Implants integrate with jaw bone and keeps bone healthy without any shrinkage of jaw bone.
• Implants resemble natural teeth.
• Implants improve speaking ability. Dentures may slip out while speaking.
• We can eat any food without any limitation.
• No adhesives are used in implantation.
• Unlike dentures, implants will not brittle.
• Easy to maintain.

Advantages of dental implants over fixed bridges:

• Implants are reliable.
• Implants are aesthetic compared to bridges.
• Implants can not overload on adjacent teeth.
• Implants are not prone to bacterial decay.
• Implants have proper stimulation with the jaw bone
• Implantation does not need any adjustment of adjacent teeth
• Fixed bridges over a period of time become rough and need treatment to smoothen the surface.
• Implants does not have any sensitivity problems.
• Implants have high success rate than fixed bridges.

Problems Faced During Dental Braces Treatment

Orthodontic treatment, like any other medical treatment have some kind of risks and limitations. Many of the orthodontist have made the improvements and aimed to make the treatment comfortable and trouble-free for the patients. Nevertheless, all the minor risk and limitation should be considered while taking the decision. This section covers the common risk that can be faced during the orthodontic treatment.

Pain due to injection before the extraction of premolars
Extraction of teeth depends much on the problems which needs correcting of the teeth. The decision of extraction can be reached in few cases like having crowded teeth. In order to get the best result or long-term result extraction of teeth will be like "Gold Standard" plan because it provides space to the teeth to move inward.

Before extraction, orthodontist gives you injections in your mouth that can hurt a little bit but this is done to numb your teeth. After doing this they ask, if you can feel it when they poke you at the place of extraction. Be comfortable to answer, because this helps you for not feeling the pain at numbness. After doing so they pull your teeth. While pulling, you can hear the sound of cracking and crunching but this is normal.

Sore taste (for a week after the braces is placed)
When you get braces, you will have sore taste for a few days. Also while adjusting braces you can feel the sore taste. When you meet or have a check-up appointment for tightening your braces you may face this problem. However, when you get your braces at early stages you may be distracted or dis-comfortable to talk. But you can avoid this, if you rinse your mouth with warm salt water twice a day. This will help you to heal the sore taste within a week.             

Pain while biting or chewing the food
If you have just got braces or have tightened them, you may feel it difficult or painful to chew food at the initial stages for a few days. Eating inappropriate food can cause unnecessary pain. Braces can be annoying, but you don't need to take any narcotic drugs or pain killers. Usually at severe pain, a normal dosage of Ibuprofen/Tylenol will do the trick. Aspirin should not be considered as it could cause bleeding.

Cross bite due to unorganized teeth
Clinically cross bite is an "abnormal relation of one or more teeth" which is opposing of one arch of teeth with another arch of teeth. Cross bites are caused due to variety of factors, it occurs when top tooth improperly bites behind the bottom tooth which is due to unorganized teeth. Cross bite should be corrected because it can cause premature of teeth, asymmetrical arrangement of jaws, also cause dysfunctional chewing factors.

Time consuming for cleaning the stuck food
Cleaning of braces is time consuming, because food gets stuck in the tiny spaces of the archwire and brackets, which becomes difficult to remove as it takes time. If dental braces are not cleaned at regular intervals then oral health problems such as gingivitis and decalcification may occur.

However, if the braces cause pain it has to be tolerated to maintain the oral hygiene as well as the oral health. Proper oral care isn’t just about making your teeth look better, but also to maintain the hygiene. Hence, no matter if it pains, it has to be kept. As after the removal of braces you'll find the pain was worth it.

Reshape Tooth with Enamel Shaping

Do you have any irregularities in the shape of your teeth? Are you unhappy with  your smile? If so, you can correct it by undergoing enamel shaping. It is one of the techniques in cosmetic dentistry to correct minor dental problems. The enamel is a tough layer on the surface of the teeth to protect teeth. Enamel shaping involves removal of small amount of it. This process is opposite to dental bonding. We will discuss here enamel shaping briefly.

Who can go for it?
Candidates who want to correct

• Irregular teeth shape
• Cracked or chipped teeth
• unevenly arranged teeth
• Canine teeth
• Overlapping of teeth
• Shortening of long teeth

How it is Done?
Enamel shaping is a simple procedure to correct minor changes in the teeth shape.
It involves the following steps in the enamel shaping.

• First, the tooth where enamel shaping is necessary is identified
• Then, the tooth is examined by taking X-rays
• In this procedure, no anesthesia is required as it is a painless treatment
• Dentists use sand disk or fine diamond burs to remove a small amount of enamel to correct the irregularities in the tooth/teeth.
• Once the shape of the tooth is corrected, the tooth matches with the rest of the tooth in the mouth.
• Then, the edges of the tooth are polished to make surface smoother.
• After completion of enamel shaping, a fluoride varnish is placed on the teeth to seal any exposed tubules in the enamel to prevent tooth decay problems in future.
• In this technique, the dentist takes the photographs before and after treatment to check the difference.

Advantages of enamel shaping

• Improves smile
• It's economical
• Enamel shaping does not require anesthesia
• It takes very less time to complete the process
• The results of enamel shaping is quicker and permanent

Disadvantages of enamel shaping
The disadvantages of enamel shaping are

• Sensitivity problems may arise
• Sometimes breakage of tooth while removing enamel takes place.
• Enamel can not be restored once it is removed

These are minor problems associated after enamel shaping. These can be eliminated by selecting an experienced dentist.

Conjunctions with enamel shaping
If the tooth has a large chipping, conjunction of enamel shaping with the dental bonding takes place. In this, enamel shaping removes the irregularities and the bonding add the resin to the surface of the tooth. Finally, the tooth is polished. Sometimes enamel shaping is used in conjunction with wire braces.

As it has a few limitations, enamel shaping can be an ideal technique for individuls who want to correct minor problems such as pointed teeth, uneven teeth, chipped or fractured teeth.

How to Care Your Temporary Dental Crown?

As you know, dental crowns are considered to treat the dental problems effectively. However, before keeping the final crowns designed for your teeth, the dentist places a temporary dental crown on the tooth. It is very much necessary to take care of the temporary dental crowns till you get the final one.

• Avoid using the side of your mouth which has a temporary dental crown. Consider the crown while eating and avoid chewing.
• Do not use sticky foods like chewing gum, caramel and so on which may grab the temporary crown and pull it off.
• Foods like tough steak and bread which leave fibers between the teeth should also be avoided.
• Brushing and flossing can be done. But, be gentle and avoid overzealous brushing or flossing. While flossing, it is necessary to floss towards the gums and then slide the floss out by one end instead of lifting it back up through the teeth. It is advised to rinse youhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifr mouth thrice a day with warm salt water.
• Avoid taking hard foods like raw vegetables (carrots) which rises the chances of breaking the temporary dental crown.
• Take the prescribed antibiotics in time without negligence.
• The most important thing to be remembered is to quit smoking.
• Some people often suffer with sensitivity upon having dental crowns. Consult the dentist to get relief instead of trying for your own treatment options.

With improper care of the temporary dental crown, it may become loose and come off. You need to again visit your dentist so that it is re-cemented. Tooth sensitivity and tooth decay may be evident when you do not take effective care.

Indications for Necessity of Root Canal Therapy

Proper maintenance of oral health is indeed important. Improper dental care may result in many serious complications like root canals. A root canal treatment includes removal of the root and pulp of the tooth, in addition to cleaning and sealing the cavity. It is mostly recommended for teeth which are badly infected and decayed. However, certain indications help you know the necessity of root canal therapy.

Tooth Pain
It is the most common sign for a root canal therapy. The pain is experienced when chewing the food or drinking hot or cold drinks. The pain is also experienced when speaking and when the tooth is touched for treatment by the dentist.

Stimulating Pain
A stimulating pain starts from the teeth and spreads to some other organs like ear and head. If you have the root canal problem in one of your left teeth, then you experience a sort of stimulating pain in your left ear. This is also an indication that you require a root canal treatment.

Discoloration
This is one of the indications of decaying teeth. A tooth requiring a root canal treatment may fade and become discolored. However, after the root canal treatment, the discoloration is treated by specific teeth whitening procedures.

Swelling of Gums
Gums may be swollen because of the dental problem. The swelling may be in the form of a pimple. It causes severe pain and releases pus or blood when pressed.

When you find any of these signs, it is necessary to consult a dentist and get the root canal treatment.

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