This four-part series presents nine important facts about removable dentures (or false teeth) with the aim of exposing the flaws and inconveniences of this technology as a solution to edentulism and near-edentulism.

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of this article series on the key differences between removable dentures and Bridgeport dental implants. In our previous article post, we discussed another three facts you should know about dentures before choosing them as your tooth replacement technology, and they were:

• A study showed that 40% of the natural teeth used to support partial dentures were, after a period of eight years, either lost to fracture or decay. Because Bridgeport dental implants are supported entirely by the jaw bone, they typically do not damage the surrounding hard and soft tissues in the mouth.

• Patients lose 75% of their bite force by having dentures fitted. After a period of 15 years, this deteriorates to a staggering 97%, which explains why so many elderly denture-wearers suffer from malnutrition. Bridgeport dental implants support a healthy jaw bone and facilitate a strong natural bite, enabling patients to enjoy a balanced diet with the occasional guilty indulgence!

• A lower full denture shifts uncomfortably and awkwardly from side to side during eating and speaking; this is just something new denture-wearers need to grow accustomed to. Bridgeport dental implants are fixed and non-removable, very similar to natural teeth.

Bridgeport Dental Implants and Dentures: What You Need to Know # 7

Here’s some shocking statistics: denture wearers in general have a decreased nutritional intake and as a result (in addition to other associated problems) live ten years shorter than those with natural teeth or Bridgeport dental implants. 30% of all denture wearers can only manage soft and highly processed foods.

Bridgeport dental implants not only support a much stronger bite force than removable dentures, they promote a healthy jaw bone too. They also typically don’t cause any pain, inflammation and discomfort in the mouth like dentures tend to, thus enabling patients to eat all the foods they love and need to remain strong and healthy.

Bridgeport Dental Implants and Dentures: What You Need to Know # 8

The success rate of a single Bridgeport dental implant is a fantastic 98% and the benefits and advantages are unrivalled by any other tooth replacement technology on the market.

Bridgeport Dental Implants and Dentures: What You Need to Know # 9

For edentulous and near-edentulous patients who are more likely to opt for fixed oral rehabilitation with All-on-4 Bridgeport dental implants, the success rate is still incredibly high at 95% over a period of ten years. Furthermore, the use of dental implants to support a bridge or denture helps to maintain jaw bone volume by preventing atrophication from disuse.

A Final Note on Bridgeport Dental Implants

For all the reasons discussed in this four-part article series – from the strength and longevity of Bridgeport dental implants to the pain and discomfort caused by dentures – the former constitutes a much smarter investment for patients who are either already edentulous (toothless) or who are facing an immediate future of edentulism. Any oral surgeon or dental professional worth his or her salt would recommend Bridgeport dental implants over and above removable dentures. For the superior and long-lasting benefits of bite function, smile aesthetics, self-confidence and overall quality of life, your choice should always be Bridgeport dental implants.

This 8-part series provides an in-depth look at seven different habits, addictions and behaviors that are deadly to your oral health.

Welcome back to our 8-part article series on the different addictions, behaviors and habits that are deadly to the health of your teeth and gums. In our previous installment, Part 5, we discussed the dangers of a diet that is high in sugar and starch, which provides oral bacteria with the energy it needs to proliferate far faster. In this article, the sixth installment of the series, the Bronx dental implants specialist will be talking to us about deadly dental sin # 5: being rough with your teeth.

What Does it Mean to be Rough With Your Teeth?

Your teeth are made from the hardest substance in your body: dental enamel. Enamel comprises the very hard and protective outer layer of the tooth’s structure. This protection is necessary because your teeth are designed to withstand some pretty taxing wear-and-tear! They’re also meant to last you a lifetime. But, just because your pearly whites are strong enough to endure close to a lifetime’s worth of eating, doesn’t mean you can be rough with them!

Your teeth were not designed to go up against anything harder than food. The following habits are therefore exceptionally bad for them:

• Chewing ice
• Biting into hard candies
• Prying open containers
• Tearing packaging
• Opening bottles
• Playing sports without a mouth guard

The Consequences of Misuse

There’s always one of “those guys” at a party: the one who drops onto all fours and starts doing push-ups in the middle of the dance floor, or the one who tries to open a beer bottle with his teeth in an effort to show off. This behavior may cater for some deep impulsive need to demonstrate strength and manliness in front of a room full of mini-skirted damsels, but it certainly does not do your teeth any favors!

“You’d be surprised at the number of patients we see who have lost teeth due to accidental trauma sustained in this kind of environment,” says the Bridgeport dental implants specialist. “Whether it’s a bar brawl or something as trifling as a party trick gone wrong, this kind of behavior can have serious consequences. I once treated a man who had tried to pick up a table with his teeth because he had seen it on television. He cracked both of his front bottom incisors right down to the roots.”

Silly party tricks, using your teeth as tools or playing contact sports without the correct protection all constitute a misuse of your pearly whites and the consequences can be painful and expensive to repair. Chipped, cracked, fractured teeth, or even teeth that fall out all together, can be a result of the physical trauma done by being rough.

“Never use your teeth as tools, or for anything other than smiling and eating,” says the Bronx dental implants specialist. “Always wear a mouth guard if you play contact sports and don’t chew ice or any other hard, crunchy foods. Or else I’ll be seeing you in my office sooner rather than later!”

Stay Tuned for Part 7

Stay tuned for the seventh installment of this 8-part article series in which Bronx and Bridgeport dental implants specialists discuss the number six transgression against good oral health: teeth grinding and jaw clenching.

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.

The international dental healthcare community regards dental implants as the best and most sophisticated solution to missing teeth, whether a patient has lost one, several or all of their natural teeth. In this four-part article series, Bridgeport dental implants specialists shall be addressing all the questions patients typically have about these ingenious teeth replacement devices.

“How long have dental implants been around for?”

Answer: Dental implant (root form) technology as we know it today was developed shortly after the discovery of osseointegration in 1951: the ability of bone tissue to biologically bond with titanium metal. However, the concept of replacing missing teeth with some kind of implant or substitute has been around for millennia! Ancient Egyptian mummies with teeth held in place using gold wiring have been unearthed. These were either real teeth (perhaps the ones they had lost in the first place) or were fabricated from gold, silver, ivory, precious stone, bone or seashell, depending upon the financial means of the individual. Other evidence of early dental implants includes:

• Ancient Romans used dental implants made from iron metal,
• Pre-Columbian skeleton was discovered with implants of semi-precious stones,
• Mayan woman’s skull discovered at a Honduras archaeological dig with seashell implants,
• In the Middle East, ivory was the preferred teeth replacement material.

As it was explained, dental implantology as we know it today has been around since the discovery of titanium’s ability to osseointegrate. The popularity of dental implants really took off in the 1980’s as oral surgeons and specialists worked hard at researching and developing more sophisticated methods, surgical protocols and implant technology.

What has remained the same over these many millions of years is our desire, as a species, to address the aesthetic concerns caused by missing teeth!

“What can I do to help promote the long-term success of my dental implants?”

Answer: There are many factors that play a pivotal role in the longevity of Bridgeport dental implants. Most of them are, either directly or indirectly, under your control:

• Good Oral Hygiene: Looking after your teeth with regular and thorough brushing and flossing is crucial for the maintenance of good oral health. If you don’t care for your dental implants properly, your risk of losing them as well as additional natural teeth becomes increased.

• Following Your Surgeon’s Post-Operative Instructions: The specialist who places your dental implants will explain to you how you need to look after your new teeth, especially while they’re healing. If you don’t pay attention to these instructions, you may very well compromise the healing process. Follow his or her dietary recommendations and stay away from contact sports or rough, strenuous exercises in the weeks following your surgery.

• Kick the Habit: Smoking or any form of tobacco-use impedes your mouth’s healing ability. Continuing this habit after having dental implants placed puts you at a much greater risk of implant failure. It also perpetuates and exacerbates the oral conditions (gum disease, tooth decay) that probably led to you losing teeth in the first place!

• Don’t Indulge Bad Lifestyle Habits: Heavy drinking, drug abuse, not getting enough sleep, poor hydration and a bad diet all affect your body’s ability to cope with trauma and heal successfully. Look after yourself well!

Stay Tuned for Part 2!

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

This 8-part series provides an in-depth look at seven different habits, addictions and behaviors that are deadly to your oral health.

Welcome back to our 8-part article series on the different behaviors, addictions and habits that are deadly to the health of your teeth and gums. By indulging in these various “dental sins”, you could eventually find yourself sitting in a consultation with a Bridgeport dental implants specialist! In our previous installment, Part 4, we discussed the dangers of tobacco-use, most of which we are well acquainted with. In this article, the fifth installment of the series, the dental implant specialist will be talking to us about deadly dental sin # 4: a bad diet that’s high in sugar and low in nutrition.

Your Mouth Under the Microscope

Remember your childhood dentist telling you that candy is bad for your teeth? There’s a reason he or she said that! Your mouth is teeming with little organisms that are invisible to the human eye. There are at least 300 different species of bacteria living on your teeth, tongue and gums, most of which are harmless. It’s the other 10% that are disease causing. “The reason it’s so important for us to brush and floss regularly and thoroughly is to prevent bacterial populations from getting out of control,” explains a Bridgeport dental implants specialist. “Without these hygienic measures, we’d be far more susceptible to cavities, decay, infection and tooth loss.”

However, caring for your teeth and gums goes further than maintaining good oral hygiene. Bacteria have an insatiable “sweet-tooth” and foods that are high in starches and sugar provide them with the energy they need to multiply much faster. The higher your diet is in white breads, potato chips, candies, sugary beverages and other unhealthy foods, the more favorable an environment your mouth is going to be for bacterial growth. This is precisely why your dentist warned you away from candy.

What Goes In Must Come Out!

If it’s natural and even necessary to have bacteria swimming about in your mouth, then what harm can they do? As we said, most oral bacteria are harmless while a small percentage can actually make you ill. Avoiding a diet high in sugar and starches combined with proper oral hygiene will keep both kinds in check. However, all types of bacteria produce waste products. What goes in must come out! Bacteria feast upon the food debris left behind in your mouth after a meal. They then excrete waste products that are acidic and rich in smelly compounds, like hydrogen sulfide. The acid content of their wastes actually erodes away your dental enamel, forming cavities, while the smell of it translates into bad breath.

These cavities offer bacteria a little safe haven away from the bristles of your toothbrush and, after a time, deepen due to further acid erosion. Eventually, a cavity can form a direct pathway for bacteria into the very heart of the tooth, at which stage you’re in grave danger of losing it! Do you see the connection between diet, bacteria and dental health? It’s a very important one and should definitely be taken into account when surfing that dinner menu!

Stay Tuned for Part 6

Stay tuned for the sixth installment of this 8-part article series in which Stratford dental implants specialists discuss the number five transgression against good oral health: being rough with your teeth!