This article explains the health risks smokers put themselves at when undergoing teeth replacement procedures using dental implants.

If you’re a smoker, you are probably very aware of the various health risks you put yourself at each time you light up. The last thing you need is yet another article finger-wagging at you and your vice, right? Well, we aren’t here today to admonish you… if quitting were easy you would have done it long ago. We are here to explain why it’s important for you to quit smoking if you are having teeth replaced with dental implants: now is as good a time as any to make a lifestyle change.

We spoke to an experienced Stratford dental implants and all on 4 implants specialist about why smokers don’t make ideal candidates for this type of teeth replacement procedure and what risks they expose themselves to. In light of this information, it is hoped that more patients will give the habit the kick, even if it is just temporary, thus allowing themselves a much better chance of healing and implant success.

Yup… Smoking Causes Implants to Fail

You read correctly: a much better chance of implant success. “Smoking thickens the blood, which hampers circulation in the mouth. Slowed blood circulation slows the rate of healing and your body’s ability to fight off infection,” explains the all on 4 implants specialist. “This is why it’s so important for smokers to kick the habit at least a few weeks prior to having surgery; any kind of surgery, really. They should also refrain from smoking until the implants have properly integrated with the underlying jawbone.”

Smoking leaves your mouth more vulnerable to bacteria and to infection. And the last thing you want when you’ve dropped a few thousand dollars on getting a new tooth or teeth placed is to lose it a few weeks later because it’s become infected due to your nasty little habit. Focus on the fact that you are not quitting permanently, but just for long enough to allow your implant to heal properly. All in all, you’re looking at a two to three month hiatus.

“The great thing is, after not smoking for the period required to give implant surgery its greatest chance of success, most patients decide to quit permanently,” says the Stratford dental implants specialist. “They realize just how much healthier they feel and, in conjunction with having a new and improved smile, begin to make all sorts of lifestyle improvements. It’s one of our greatest pleasures to see as doctors… patients improving their health on their own.”

Smoking and Oral Health

There’s little doubt as to how detrimental smoking is for the health of your mouth. We all know that smoking causes lung problems, but your mouth is the portal… it’s where smoke inhalation begins. “Quitting smoking is not only important for the success of dental surgery, it also markedly reduces your risk of terrible, potentially life-threatening diseases, like oral cancer,” says the All On 4 implants specialist. “You’re also spared from the resultant tooth discoloration, gum disease and chronic bad breath smoking is so strongly connected to.”

Find out what it is you need to do to quit. Everyone’s addiction can be cracked, so get to work figuring out your own psychological recipe for success is. You may not get it right the first time, but you will eventually if you persevere. Also, your dentist is there for your support; so don’t hesitate to speak to him or her for advice.

Learn some interesting facts about dental implants in this four-part article series, from their historical conception to their sophistication as a strong and durable tooth replacement technology.

Welcome back to our four-part article series on the historical development and amazing abilities of dental implants in Chicago. Over the course of our previous three article posts, we have looked at some of the incredible facts to be found on this indispensible technology, from the discovery of osseointegration in 1952 to the 98% success rate of modern dental implant procedures. In this article, the final installment of the series, we shall finish off by discussing how far implant surgery has come since the early 1990’s.

Interesting Fact # 7: Dental Implants Can Give Patients New Teeth in One Day

In the early 1990’s, European implantologist, Dr. Paulo Malo, developed a dental implant technique that would enable specially trained dentists to achieve the unprecedented in the fields of fixed oral rehabilitation and dental implantology. This innovation, termed “All on 4 Implants” was able to give patients a brand new set of teeth in a single day, with a single surgery. In order to fully appreciate this, let’s take a look at the route for teeth replacement using traditional dental implant procedures.

Let’s pretend that you’re edentulous (don’t have a single original adult tooth left) or are facing an immediate future of edentulism. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that this isn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination! Before the introduction of All on 4 Implants, the journey taken to get a complete set of fixed and non-removable teeth placed would require:

• As long as 18 months for you to get new teeth,
• As many as 6, 8 or even 10 dental implants per jaw,
• Multiple surgeries and recovery periods,
• Bone grafting surgery, which is painful and expensive
• Over a hundred thousand dollars to finance!
  

Dr. Malo was well aware of the limitations and challenges of traditional dental implant procedures, especially in the treatment of edentulous and near-edentulous patients. So, he dedicated much time and effort to the development of a surgical technique that would bypass these challenges and, in doing so, immensely cut down on the time and expense required to give patients new teeth. The fruits of his labor are “All on 4 Implants”. Let’s take a look at how they work.

The “All on 4” technique essentially consists of the very precise placement and angulation of only four dental implants in the upper and/or lower jaw. A customized prosthetic dental bridge, which looks like a full set of teeth, is then attached to the abutments of these dental implants. The positioning of the dental implants enables oral surgeons to reap maximum support from the jawbone for a set of replacement teeth, even in cases where patients have lost a lot of supporting bone tissue due to denture wearing.

This typically bypasses the need for bone grafting (a massive accomplishment in itself), and because only four dental implants are needed, the entire procedure can be done in a single day, with only a single surgery! This reduces the expense of fixed oral rehabilitation by tens of thousands of dollars, making it far more accessible to a greater number of patients in desperate need of a new set of teeth.

A Final Note on Dental Implants

As you can see from all the amazing facts discussed, dental implants really are a feat of modern dental and medical science. Their abilities are simply unparalleled and yet, with every passing year, implant hardware and surgical procedures continue to be refined and further developed. From the earliest replacement teeth carved out of seashell to modern All on 4 Implants: the science has come a very long way and continues proudly on its upward trajectory!

This two part article series presents compelling reasons why patients should consider dental implants as their tooth replacement solution instead of traditional removable dentures.

If edentulous (toothless) and near-edentulous people had any inkling of the trouble removable dentures can be, they’d very likely invest in having dental implants placed instead. This is an incredibly valuable lesson for all of us to learn before we make decisions that will harm our oral health and quality of life. When it comes to your oral health, no compromises should be made.

In this two-part series, we shall be discussing some very compelling reasons why you should choose All on 4 implants as your tooth replacement technology, and not removable dentures.

All on 4 Dental Implants and the Health of Your Jaw Bone

The roots of your teeth are essential to maintaining good jaw bone health because they transmit the forces associated with eating into the hard tissue that surrounds them. This keeps the bone ‘exercised’ and strong, thus preventing atrophication from claiming jaw bone volume. When teeth are lost, the underlying bone in the jaw undergoes a remodeling process due to the loss of this essential stimulation. Unfortunately, because dentures only replace the visible tooth structures (the crowns) and not the roots, they do nothing prevent atrophy. All on 4 dental implants, on the other hand, replace both the crowns and the roots of the teeth, keeping the jaw bone healthy.

The Consequences of Jaw Bone Loss

As the hard tissue in the jaw wastes away, patients will experience a weakened bite and the gradual aging and collapse of their natural youthful facial contours. The remodeling of the jaw bone is also what results in the need for patients to have their dentures refitted time and again, the costs of which add up in the long run. Eventually, the jaw will have become so weak and wasted away that it won’t even be able to support dentures.

At this juncture, dental implants in Houston will also be out of the question, thus leaving the patient without any tooth replacement options. This has a significant effect upon diet, which explains why one of the biggest problems faced by elderly denture wearers is malnutrition! In fact, wearing dentures can shorten your life expectancy by up to 10 years! If that’s not a good enough reason to opt for dental implants on the outset, I don’t know what is!

The Benefits of having Teeth that are Fixed and Non-removable

Never underestimate the quality of life you can enjoy when your teeth are fixed in your mouth and cannot be removed. Many of the challenges and repeat expenses that denture wearers are forced to contend with all stem from having teeth that are loose and can slip around in the mouth:

• Low confidence and poor self-esteem
• Unnatural smile aesthetics
• Difficulty eating and managing tougher foods
• Limited diet
• Repeat expenses, such as adhesives
• Having to take your teeth out at night
• Having to take your teeth out after meals to clean them
• Chronic bad breath as a consequence of dentures harboring food and bacteria
• Gums that are irritated and sore from being rubbed against

The All on 4 dental implant protocol can give patients a complete set of fixed and non-removable teeth that function, feel and look like natural teeth. This eliminates all of the typical above-mentioned problems, vastly improving a patient’s quality of life and self-confidence.

To read more about the benefits of All on 4 dental implants, stay tuned for the second half of this two-part series.

This three-part article series discusses the key differences between All on 4 dental implants and removable dentures and how these differences can really change a patient’s life and quality thereof.

In our previous article post, we described what All on 4 implants are and how they work to provide a fixed and non-removable tooth replacement solution to those patients that are either already wearing dentures, or are facing an immediate future of edentulism (not having a single original adult tooth left.) In this article, the second installment of a three-part series on the benefits of All on 4 implants, we shall begin to take a look at how this breakthrough surgical protocol could change your life if you’re in desperate need of new teeth.

Removable Dentures: Not Cutting it Anymore!

Prior to the innovation of dental implant protocols (such as All on 4 implants) designed to treat patients presenting with multiple and comprehensive tooth loss, the most popular approach to teeth replacement was dentures. Removable dentures look like a complete set of teeth and the plastic gums that they are mounting into are designed and shaped to fit neatly over the soft tissue-covered jaw bone ridge in the upper and lower jaw. Dentures rely on their bulkiness to prevent them from slipping around and falling out. But over the years, the steady loss of jaw bone tissue caused by the missing teeth result in dentures that fit less and less. Greater slipping causes trauma to the gums as well as general oral discomfort. There is a whole host of problems associated with removable dentures. Let’s explore these in a systematic way and then compare them to the solutions provided by All on 4 implants.

All on 4 Implants Vs. Removable Dentures: Bite Functionality

Dentures rest upon the jaw bone ridge and consequently transmit all the forces associated with eating directly to the underlying gums. This:

• Limits a patient’s bite force.

• Causes irritation and inflammation of the gums, as well as the development of sores that aren’t given a chance to heal.

• Restricts the kinds of foods patients can comfortably enjoy.

• Necessitates a repeated investment in anesthetic gels to numb the pain caused by eating with dentures.

• Can lead to malnutrition, especially in the elderly.

All on 4 implants are supported directly by the jaw bone, like natural teeth. As a result, they transmit all the forces associated with eating into this hard tissue and not to the delicate and vulnerable underlying gums. So:

• All on 4 implants enable patients to bite down with a much stronger force.

• They allow patients to comfortably eat all the foods they love without compromise.

• All on 4 implants do not apply any pressure to the underlying gums and therefore do not cause any irritation, inflammation or pain.

• They do not require patients to constantly buy anesthetic gels to numb the pain associated with eating.

• All on 4 implants enable patients to eat a much healthier and more balanced diet.

Stay Tuned for More on All on 4 Implants

To read more about how All on 4 implants can totally revolutionize your quality of life, stay tuned for the third and final installment of this informative article series.

This article describes the symptoms of gum disease so that patients, upon recognizing these signs, can seek prompt attention for this oral ailment in its infancy.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the vast majority of the American population presents with some form or stage of gum infection and disease. “As much as 80% of the population is walking around with an oral ailment that, if left without treatment, could eventually cause them to lose all of their teeth,” explains a specialist in the placement of dental implants in Houston; the dental technology used to replace teeth that have gone missing as a result of tooth decay and gum disease.

80% is a huge number! How is this possible and we don’t even know about it?

A Closer Look at Bacterial Gum Diseases

The problem with bacterial infections of the gums – known as ‘gingivitis’ in the beginning stages and advancing to periodontitis – is that they seldom cause much pain. Other than general sensitivity of the gums, the symptoms of this grave disease can quite easily be ignored for many years. It’s only when the more severe symptoms of tooth loss set in that people are forced to acknowledge that they have a serious health problem, by which stage they face the need for dental implants. This explains why few people, in the beginning stages, go for the prompt treatment they need in order to have a good standard of oral health and hygiene restored.

“Increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of gum disease is the best place to start if we’re to reduce the incidence of this ailment in our country,” explain dental implant specialists in Houston. “By abolishing ignorance surrounding these major oral health issues, more patients will come for treatment before the disease is allowed to progress to a stage where it can do permanent damage, leaving patients in dire need of rehabilitative techniques, such as All on 4 implants.”

So, what should we be on the lookout for?

Symptoms to look out for

In the initial stages of periodontitis (at which stage the disease is referred to as ‘gingivitis’), patients can present with one or more of the following symptoms:

• Red and inflamed gums,
• Gums that are swollen and have encroached upon the crowns of the teeth,
• Chronic bad breath,
• Gums that tend to tear and bleed easily when brushed.

In the advanced stages of periodontitis (gum disease), patients can present with both the above-mentioned symptoms and any number and combination of the following:

• Visible accumulations of plaque and tartar (calculus) on and between the teeth,
• Gums that have receded abnormally from the crowns of the teeth,
• Oral sores and lesions that take a long time to heal, if at all,
• Brown mottling on the teeth and gums, especially at their margins,
• Loose teeth,
• Ultimately, tooth loss, at which stage dental implants become necessary.

“The important thing to realize is that none of these symptoms are normal. If your gums bleed when you brush them, you could already be on your way to having a serious problem,” explain dental implant experts in Houston. “You should seek prompt professional attention, even if it is just to rule out the possibility that you might have an oral bacterial infection.”

A Final Note: Good Dental Health

The only way to prevent oral bacterial infections is to maintain a rigorous home oral hygiene routine and to seek regular professional attention from your dentist. If you have noticed any of the above-mentioned symptoms, immediately book yourself an appointment with your dentist or you may find yourself facing the immediate need for All on 4 implant surgery!

This four-part article series provides a comprehensive FAQ guide to dental implants, what they are, how they work and the various options available to patients who have lost one, several or most of their teeth.

Welcome back to our four-part article series in which all on 4 implants specialists address patients’ frequently asked questions. In our previous article, the first installment of the series, we began with a look at just how far dental implantology has come over the millennia for which our species has been trying to replace missing teeth. We then moved on to the various factors that played a role in the healing success of dental implants. In this article, we shall shift our focus to some additional factors that can control implant healing before taking a more direct look at just what dental implants are and how they work.

“What factors contribute to the long term success of my dental implants?”

In addition to good oral hygiene, regular professional attention and cleaning, avoiding smoking and other negative lifestyle habits, the following factors are quite important in determining the long-term success:

• The Skill and Experience of Your Oral Surgeon: When looking for a Stratford dental implants specialist, make sure you opt for one that has a good and solid reputation, as well as many years’ worth of experience. No amount of fancy technology can take the place of having a skilled and talented surgeon place your new teeth!

• The Amount and Quality of Jawbone Tissue: Ignoring missing teeth and oral ailments such as gingivitis and gum disease actually leads to jawbone loss and the loss of further teeth. Bone loss makes it tricky for All On 4 implant specialists to successfully place dental implants, because they operate much like natural tooth roots and require adequate bone volume to remain supported and freestanding. This is why it’s so important to seek professional attention for tooth loss in addition to regularly, scheduled appointments with your dentist and oral hygienist.

• Not Managing Illness: Whole body health is intimately linked with oral health, so when a patient presents will illnesses that have not been properly managed, it can compromise dental implant success. Conditions such as diabetes are especially important to manage because of its clear connection with gum disease, tooth loss and dental implant failure.

“How do dental implants work?”

Dental implants are tiny titanium screws used to support either a ceramic tooth crown (when single teeth are being replaced) or a fixed dental prosthetic bridge (when an entire arch of teeth is being replaced). In both cases, the titanium implant is gently inserted into the jawbone where, over the ensuing weeks, it undergoes “osseointegration”. This is the process whereby the surrounding bone tissue biologically bonds to the surface of the implant, integrating it into the jawbone structure.

Once healing has taken place, the dental implant mimics the function of a natural tooth root, while the restoration it supports – be it a ceramic crown or dental prosthesis – resumes the function of the missing tooth crown. Dental implants are used to restore proper articulation in speech and a patient’s ability to manage a varied and healthy diet. They also closely resemble natural teeth, which is great for a patient’s confidence and self-esteem!

Stay Tuned for Part 3!

To read more frequently asked questions about getting new teeth with Stratford dental implants stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series!

Having missing teeth can compel you to face a lot of discomfort while doing normal activities like eating, smiling, breathing and even talking. Consult your dentist for various teeth replacement options – one such option can be All on Four dental implants. For a better understanding the concept of All on 4 Implants, take a look at the following frequently asked questions.

All on Four Dental Implants: FAQ’s Answered

What is the All on 4 treatment concept?

The All on 4 procedure is the name given to an efficient and capable practice that entails the use of four dental implants in your lower or upper jaw to support a set of replacement teeth so they cannot slip or come out. Dental implants support a replacement tooth and also create replacement roots that will connect with your jaw bone. This can offer you a long term, enduring solution for replacing missing teeth. It will also promote strong, sturdy support and give you a more natural smile. This treatment eliminates the need for bone graft surgery thus delivering you a permanent and natural smile solution in the shortest time possible.

Does the Procedure Hurt?

The All on 4 procedure is designed and carried out in such a way that it minimizes pain and discomfort. Your dentist will use a local anesthetic or sedative in most cases. You will experience minimum swelling and soreness, but that can be taken care of with the prescribed medicines by the dentist. You will be surprised at how little pain that you might feel and how quickly you recover. You can return to your work and normal routine activities within 2-3 days.

How much time is required to recover from the procedure?

Post the treatment, it is suggested to take 2 – 3 days to relax. After that, you can return to your routine activities with a whole new beautiful smile and fully functioning teeth.

Is it correct to expect natural-looking results?

Yes, you can expect the results that will look natural. Wisely choose your dentist. He / she must be highly trained and experienced so that they are able to work on your case more effectively and give you teeth / tooth replacements that are natural-looking and fully functional. Your dentist will carefully take molds of your jaw in order to make sure that you get a perfect fit that will result in a winning smile.

Does age matter for undergoing the treatment?

Often, the dentists suggest that the All on Four dental implants treatment is a matter of concern for older patients with regards to them enjoying complete benefits of the implants. However, health is considered as the main determining factor more than age. If you’re healthy enough to have a tooth extracted, then you’re probably healthy enough to receive dental implants. Consult your dentist and ask about all your concerns related to the implants prior to going for the treatment.

Owing to the success rate of the All on 4 Implants, a number of people are turning toward this treatment to enjoy the many benefits of dental implants and continue to smile more confidently.