If you have missing teeth, there may be different solutions available to you. In some cases, missing teeth can be addressed with one or two individual dental implants. In others, a full set of implants, or full dentures might be the best solution. If a row of teeth is missing, a patient might opt for a fixed bridge. If you are missing just a few teeth, you might be eligible for an easy and cost-effective solution: partial dentures, or “partials.”
What, exactly, are partials? They are removable, prosthetic teeth that can replace missing teeth in your mouth. They are usually attached to a plate that matches the color of your gums. The plate is often held into place with a metal frame that fits into your mouth. Many people choose partials when they are missing some but not all of their teeth, and they wish to avoid the cost and invasiveness of permanent dental implants.
Partials look great, and you can use them in largely the same way that you would use your natural teeth. With proper maintenance, they can last a long time–up to several years. They are an excellent solution when you would like to replace missing teeth, but you still have healthy teeth that can be preserved rather than removed.
Why replace missing teeth?
Sometimes, replacing missing teeth is not essential. It can be an aesthetic choice. There is nothing wrong with wanting a smile full of pearly whites.
In many cases, replacing a missing tooth can help keep the teeth located on either side of a gap healthy. It can keep them positioned correctly, preventing them from loosening or becoming damaged. Tooth replacements can also keep your bite aligned, which can help you avoid painful conditions like TMD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction).
A partial can also help keep food particles from getting jammed into the gaps left by missing teeth, which could otherwise lead to gum disease and infections.
Should I opt for partials or permanent implants?
Permanent implants can be a great option if you want to replace your missing teeth without the hassle of removing and replacing them every day. Their immobility can make them feel more like natural teeth. Another option is a fixed bridge–a row of prosthetic teeth held into place by implanted crowns at each end.
However, if you are interested in achieving a beautiful smile of functional teeth without an invasive and costly dental implant procedure, then partials may be an excellent option for you. It can take time to get used to the routine of removing your partials each night, cleaning them, and replacing them in the morning; but once you do, you may find it to be an easy and agreeable way to keep your mouth healthy and your smile shining.
Contact Smile League Dental
Talking with your dentist is the best way to determine what kind of tooth replacement will work best for you. At Smile League Dental in Joliet, we are happy to discuss your options for replacing missing teeth and answer any questions you might have about your family’s dental health. Call us at 815-782-6243 to schedule an appointment today.
Are you interested in getting dental implants in Illinois? If so, you may have plenty of questions about the process for getting them. What is involved? How long does it take? What can you expect? Let’s go over the process of getting dental implants, from start to finish.
The initial evaluation
Before you can begin the process of receiving dental implants, your dentist will have to determine whether or not you are in fact a good candidate for getting them. What makes a person a good candidate for dental implants? Your dental practitioner will make sure that you meet the following criteria:
Your jawbone has enough strength and density to support implants.
You have good oral health and your gums are disease-free.
You are able to commit a timespan of months to the full implant procedure.
Your dentist will check for other factors too, such as whether or not you are pregnant, and if you smoke cigarettes, as these could impact your candidacy.
Determining the type of implant you should receive
During your evaluation, your dentist can help you decide what kind of implant would be best for you. There are several different kinds of dental implants:
A single-tooth implant works for people who are missing one tooth.
An implant-supported bridge is a row of crowns that are supported by implants at each end of the row. This option can be ideal for patients who are missing multiple teeth that are next to each other.
Full-mouth dental implants can be a great option if all or most of your teeth need replacing.
Your dentist will also help you decide how deeply your implants should be placed.
Implant placement
Before the implant is placed, any teeth that need to be taken out will be removed. Then, a titanium post will be inserted into your jaw. The surgery can take around 1 to 2 hours, depending on how many implants you are getting.
Healing
Your jaw and gums will need plenty of time to heal. Your jawbone will integrate itself into the titanium post, making the post sturdy and ready to receive a crown. This healing process can take months. Once you are healed, a small connecting piece called an abutment is placed onto the titanium post.
Making new crowns
Your dentist will make crowns to replace your missing teeth. These will then be attached to the abutments to complete your shiny, new dental implants.
Enjoy your new teeth!
You can now enjoy a bright and healthy smile! Healed dental implants function much the same as natural teeth. Speak with your dentist to find out if there are any foods or habits that you should avoid to make the most of your dental implants.
Caring for your dental implants
Just like natural teeth, dental implants require upkeep. You will need to continue brushing with a soft toothbrush and flossing daily. You should also schedule regular dentist visits to make sure your implants are doing well.
Would you like to schedule an evaluation to discuss dental implants in Joliet? Call Smile League Dental in Joliet today! Our friendly and knowledgeable team would be happy to answer any questions you might have. You can reach us at 815-782-6243.
When you brush your teeth and floss each day, you know that you are completing an important daily routine that keeps your mouth clean and healthy. But did you know that scrubbing your pearly whites also helps to keep your entire body in optimal health? Having an unhealthy mouth does not just result in discomfort, pain, and costly dental procedures. Poor dental health can actually affect your digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems. It can even affect your brain.
Oral bacteria
How can poor dental health have such an impact on an individual’s overall health? One of the primary ways is through oral bacteria. A healthy mouth naturally contains a certain amount of bacteria. However, gum disease and oral infections can cause an overabundance of the wrong kind of bacteria to thrive in the mouth. There are various ways that oral bacteria can spread to the rest of the body:
Bacteria is swallowed into the digestive system.
It spreads into the lungs when we breathe in.
It can be absorbed through blood vessels and into the bloodstream.
Again, consuming a certain amount of bacteria is perfectly normal and healthy. However, if a person has too much bad bacteria in their mouth–perhaps from tooth decay, gum disease, or an infection–they could run the risk of spreading too much harmful bacteria to the rest of their body.
Dental health and diseases
Studies have shown that poor dental health can be associated with a variety of ailments in other areas of the body. What does science know about the link between oral health and certain diseases?
Cardiovascular Disease
Research has shown that poor oral health can lead to blood vessel inflammation and sometimes infection of the inner lining of the heart, both of which can contribute to heart disease.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Scientists are studying how oral health may be linked to dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Older people who have gum disease or oral infections may be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a dangerous infection of the lungs. Harmful bacteria can travel from the mouth to the lungs when an individual breathes in. When such bacteria reach the lungs, there could be a risk of developing pneumonia.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD, is a term for digestive diseases that involve inflammation of the digestive tract. Studies have shown that those who suffer from IBD can benefit greatly from maintaining good oral health. Having a healthy mouth can mean fewer IBD symptoms and flare-ups.
Other Diseases and Disorders
Poor dental health may also contribute to the development of pregnancy complications; an increased risk of stroke; skin infections; diabetes; and many other ailments.
Smile League Dental
If you are concerned about maintaining your overall health and well-being through your dental health, or if you simply wish to get the best quality dental care available in the Joliet area, please feel free to get in touch with us. At Smile League Dental, we are passionate about providing our patients with excellent care in a comfortable and family-friendly clinic. You can reach us at 815-782-6243.
Are you thinking of getting dental implants in Joliet? There’s a lot of history behind this procedure and it goes back farther than you might expect.
From the very first recorded implants to present-day surgery, we’ve come a long way. Smile League Dental is proud to be able to provide this procedure in a safe, friendly atmosphere with very little risk and very high success rates. Feel free to contact us or stop by our Joliet office to learn more or to schedule an implant consultation.
Just in case you’re wondering what a dental implant is, it’s a prosthetic tooth route that binds to your bone in order to replace a missing tooth. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how implants have changed over the years.
Antique Implants
It has, in fact, been more than just years since implants have been around. It has been millennia.
Some of the earliest dental implants we know about come from China. Chinese dentists some 4000 years ago used carved bamboo shunts as an implant material, securing them into the jaw bones of their patients. Ancient Egypt was also a center of early implant technology, except the Egyptians used precious metals, minerals, and materials such as ivory as a prosthetic.
There’s evidence in the Americas of dental implants, too. People here used carved shells as dental prosthetics.
Modern Implant Research
Some of these ancient methods must have worked based on archaeological evidence, but chances are that the success rate was not very high. The lack of infection control also probably made dental implants relatively dangerous. The goal of modern dental researchers was to make implants into the reliable, safe technology that they are today.
This did not happen overnight. Initial research focused mostly on precious metals, with little success. These metals did not fuse to the bone enough to become reliable permanent replacements for teeth.
Breakthroughs in modern dental prosthetics came around the 1930s, about the same time orthopedic surgeons were making strides in bone and joint repair. Unsurprisingly, the same materials that worked for other bones also helped teeth fuse to the jaw bone.
Into Contemporary Times
Early prosthetic alloys were not the most accessible options for most people. We have mid-20th century medicine and metallurgy to thank for the popularity of implants today. Most implants are now made of titanium, a material that was becoming widely available starting around the 1950s due to increased demand in the aerospace industry. A researcher discovered that it was an effective material in bone grafting, which led to its widespread use as a dental implant in the second half of the 20th century on through today.
Getting an Implant
Research has kept going, with new improvements on, alternatives to, and refinements to the solid foundation of titanium implant technology. In fact, this is one of the best times in history to get dental implants in Joliet, so feel free to schedule your appointment with Smile League Dental today by calling 815-782-6243.
It’s natural to feel uncomfortable or even a little scared of gum disease. This type of infection can have some embarrassing and painful symptoms.The best way to deal with gingivitis and periodontitis is to face the issue head-on and get the help you need as early as possible. Smile League has Joliet gum disease treatment in a relaxed, friendly, professional environment, so please reach out and schedule an appointment.For the rest of this article, we’re going to look at the research connecting gum disease to heart disease. We are also going to talk about some symptoms and preventive measures you can take.
Gum Disease and Heart Disease: Are They Related?
Did you ever think about how strange it is to have a different doctor for your mouth than you do for the rest of your body? All of these systems are connected in one way or another, and we are beginning to learn more about those connections.Recent research has suggested a stronger link between gum disease and heart disease. We’ve discovered the same type of bacteria in diseased hearts as we find in infected gums. There are also correlations between gum inflammation and some types of cardiovascular inflammation.The theory is that bacteria could enter the bloodstream through the gums. From there, it ends up forming reservoirs in other parts of the body.What does that mean for your heart health? The general consensus is that people at risk of heart disease, especially those with artificial valves, should make every effort possible to maintain good oral health.
Catching Gum Disease Early
To keep up with your oral health, you’ll want to pay close attention to any changes involving your teeth, gums, or mouth. Here are some symptoms to watch out for:
Bad breath (not just after food or drink)
Bleeding when you floss
Changes in the appearance of your gums (different colors or puffy-looking gums)
Longer-looking teeth (receding gums)
Swollen or reddened gums
Bleeding or pain, especially without flossing
Loose teeth or teeth falling out
There’s no such thing as a minor symptom of gum disease, but some of these are obviously more serious than others. Please contact us if you have any of them — and preferably reach out before you start feeling pain or serious discomfort.
Preventing and Treating Gum Disease
Gum disease is typically a progressive problem that we control early through focused changes in habits. Sometimes, we recommend professional intervention. There are also some things that could prevent it (or prevent it from getting worse):
Brushing and flossing regularly
Quitting smoking
Getting professional cleanings
Having regular preventive dentist appointments
Getting deep cleanings
Taking certain types of antibiotics
Treatment really depends on your exact condition — we’ll have to take a look to see what we can do. Also, if you already come in a couple of times a year, you can be confident that your dentist is already keeping an eye out for any signs of gum disease.Hopefully, that provides a good summary of what we currently know about the link between gum disease and heart disease. For more questions or to make an appointment, feel free to reach out to our experiencedfamily dentists in Joliet at any time by calling 815-782-6243.
Mon to Thur 9am- 6pm and Friday 9am- 8pm; Saturday 9am-3pm.
smileleaguedental@gmail.com
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