This two-part article series explains the innovation of dental implants, the benefits and advantages that come with dental implants and why they offer a far superior solution to missing teeth than traditional dentures.

For whatever reason, the need for Colorado Springs dental implants is something that most people will face at some point in their lifetime. Whether it is due to tooth decay, periodontal disease or dental carries, all of which are mostly the result of poor oral hygiene and a lack of professional care. Whatever your specific case, dental implants have emerged as the best solution modern dentistry has to offer patients presenting with missing teeth.

Traditional dentures are fast becoming a technology of the past, while, as a dentist in Colorado Springs explains, dental implants offer a far more efficient and beneficial solution to outdated traditional removable dentures. In this two-part article series, we will be looking at the details and facts about dental implants and exactly why they are considered to be better than dentures.

What Exactly are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are in essence self-supporting synthetic ‘tooth roots’ made from the extraordinarily tough, lightweight, non-corrosive metal titanium. Titanium has the incredible ability and unique quality of being able to form a biological bond with bone tissue. This bonding process is known as ‘osseointegration’ and was discovered in the 1950’s by Swedish professor, Per-Ingvar Brånemark along with his clinical research team. This breakthrough made titanium the perfect solution to creating an artificial tooth root that could remain permanently rooted in the jaw.

What Makes Dental Implants a Superior Solution to Missing Teeth?

According to dental healthcare professionals, dental implants are better in function, appearance, comfort, health and lifespan as compared to traditional dentures. Dentures have a bad reputation for many reasons and rightly so! Other than being artificial-looking, they are extremely uncomfortable to wear, they cause embarrassment and can end up being painful to wear and eat with. Over time, the wearing of dentures can cause damage to your gums, which can lead to all kinds of oral and general health problems.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, using dental implants to replace missing, irreparably cracked, decayed and broken down teeth will lead to a great number of benefits. Dentists in Pueblo CO explain their benefits:

Total Restoration of Oral Functionality: Your new teeth will function and feel like natural healthy teeth, meaning that you’ll be able to enjoy your normal lifestyle and diet as soon as the they have properly ‘osseointegrated’ with the jaw.

Minimal Discomfort: By using sophisticated computer software and 3D virtual imaging, implant dentists can insert dental implants using very few incisions and sutures. As a result, post-operative pain is kept to an absolute minimum, which means a shorter and sweeter recovery period.

Free-Standing Answer: Since Dental implants are rooted in the bone of the jaw via a titanium metal screw; they do not require support from the surrounding teeth and gums, as removable dentures and conventional bridges do. Therefore, dental implants don’t typically cause irritability or inflammation of the gums, nor do they inflict any damage on the surrounding teeth.

Aesthetic Confidence: Dental implants fill the gaps left by missing teeth and your restorations will be modeled to fit perfectly and comfortably, giving you the freedom to eat and smile with confidence.

Speech: Since our teeth play a vital role in our articulation and speech, a single missing tooth can compromise this ability. Dental implants assist in restoring accurate interaction of the teeth, tongue and lips during speech.

Need More Reasons Why Dental Implants are Better than Dentures?

Stay connected for part two of this article series, in which Colorado Springs dentists provide us with more information on the benefits and advantages of dental implants and why you should consider this solution above any other option available to counter missing teeth!

This two-part article explains the innovation of dental implants, the benefits and advantages that come with dental implants and why dental implants offer a far superior solution to missing teeth than traditional dentures.

Welcome back to Part 2 of this article series. In our previous article, we discussed the innovation of dental implants, what benefits they offer and how traditional dentures can create a host of problems varying from physical pain and oral health risks to personal embarrassment and inconvenience.

The benefits and advantages offered by dental implants have resulted in these wonderful devices being regarded as one of the most important breakthroughs in the field of dental science in recent decades. Besides the very important fact that they are pretty much indistinguishable from natural healthy teeth, the biological bond formed between the jawbone and the titanium screw constituting the dental implant allows for the entire tooth replacement structure to stay firmly ‘rooted’ in the jaw and function like a natural tooth! Dentists in pueblo CO provide long term comprehensive solutions to single and multiple missing teeth and they do this using dental implants.

In addition to the facts we discussed in Part 1 of this article series, dental implants achieve crucial functions that aid in sustaining an excellent standard of oral health:

Dental Stability: When you lose a tooth and leave it without replacement, the neighboring teeth become loose and start shifting in order to fill in the gap left behind. This becomes problematic since this instability travels from one tooth to the next, ultimately causing the whole dental arch to weaken. Dental implants support the adjacent teeth, keeping them stable and healthy.

Functional Stimulation: Dental implants replace the complete missing tooth, from the root to the crown. This not only provides an aesthetically pleasing and functional answer to a missing tooth, it also restores the essential foundation of ‘functional stimulation’ (associated with eating and chewing) that the missing root formerly supplied the underlying jawbone. This ‘functional stimulation” helps to preserve good bone volume, preventing the atrophy and remodeling process that leads to premature aging and further tooth loss.

Preservation of Your Beautiful Smile: When we lose a tooth or multiple teeth, the gum tissue and bone in the area start to waste away due to a remodeling process caused by atrophy. Allowing this condition to worsen by leaving it untreated can often create a difficult-to-fix aesthetic problem when smiling. Inserting a dental implant in place of the missing tooth as quickly as possible will ensure that the shape of your bone and gum tissue remain healthy, and in this way will protect the excellence of your stunning smile!

Dental Implants: Lasting a Lifetime

The incredible expertise and skill that goes into the manufacturing of dental implants and advanced techniques allows oral surgeons in Colorado Springs to provide patients with replacement teeth that can last a lifetime if looked after properly. The placement of dental implants not only leaves you with a completely restored and functional bite, but dazzling oral aesthetics that will make you smile while you continue your life as if you never lost a tooth in the first place. There really is no better option out there. So when the time comes to consider your options for dealing with a missing tooth or multiple missing teeth, ask your local dentist/oral surgeon about dental implants!

This four-part article series discusses the problems, challenges and repeat expenses associated with denture wearing, some of them as serious and potentially fatal as malnutrition.

Welcome back to our four-part article series on the real cost of removable dentures. So far, we have looked at the inability of dentures to promote a healthy jawbone and the resultant aesthetic and functional problems. In this article, the third installment of the series, qualified and experienced dentists in Colorado Springs will discuss some of the daily challenges and repeat expenses involved in wearing removable dentures.

Removable Dentures and Daily Costs

Most patients choose dentures because they’d rather pay a few hundred dollars to have their teeth replaced than a few thousand. While dental implants are initially the more expensive option, dentures – in the long run – end up costing far more! Dental implants typically offer a one-time solution to edentulism and near-edentulism; one that can last several decades without the need for any additional restorative work or expense. Dentures, on the other hand, require refitting every few years or so, which costs money every single time. This is not even to mention the amount of money patients will spend on related products, such as:

• Anesthetic gels, to alleviate the pain caused by dentures rubbing against the gums and palate.
• Soaking solutions, to store dentures in overnight.
• Specialized cleaning pastes to wash dentures with after meals and at nighttime.
• Adhesive strips to prevent slippage and help keep dentures stabilized in the mouth.

These expenses are daily and all of the costs add up in the long term. But perhaps the greatest cost of all is the fact that, ultimately, a denture wearer will have lost such a significant volume of their jawbone that dentures no longer offer a viable teeth replacement solution. Ironically, the only option left to them then is to have dental implants placed after they’ve undergone jawbone grafting surgery, which is expensive and invasive.

It makes far more sense to choose a teeth replacement solution that will serve you – and serve you well – in the long run; one that doesn’t require repeated costs to be covered and a substantial compromise on quality of life. Just look at the following statistics provided by dentists in Pueblo CO:

• The success rate of single tooth replacement using dental implants is an incredible 98% and can last 20, 30 years and longer if cared for properly.

• An entire upper and/or lower arch of replacement teeth supported by dental implants has a 95% success rate with little evidence of bone loss in the jaw over a period of 10 years.

Removable Dentures and the Daily Grind

If you think that having a set of dentures placed will solve all of your oral problems, think again! Here are just a few of the daily challenges involved in wearing false teeth:

• Dentures harbor food debris and bacteria, which is not only incredibly unhygienic; it can also cause chronic bad breath. Denture wearers need to be good about removing their teeth after meals and giving them a thorough clean.

• Dentures are very bulky and because they cover the soft palate, they can actually trigger the gag reflex of more sensitive patients.

• Dentures impede one’s ability to taste their food properly. They also compromise temperature and texture sensation, which makes mealtimes rather bland and uninteresting.

There’s more, but you’ll have to wait for Part 4 to find out!

Stay Tuned for Part 4

To read more about what dentists in Colorado Springs have to say about the real price of removable dentures, stay tuned for the fourth and final installment of this four-part article series.

This two-part article series discusses the impact a highly stressed lifestyle can have upon one’s oral health and hygiene. It also provides healthcare advice.

In our previous article post, we began discussing the various oral health-related maladies that a highly stressed lifestyle can cause patients to suffer from. The dentists in Pueblo CO began by talking about mouth sores, both contagious (cold sores or fever blisters) and non-contagious (canker sores.) The dangers of teeth grinding (Bruxism) and jaw clenching, which can cause temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), were also discussed. In this article, the second installment of the two-part series, dentists in Pueblo CO shall investigate how stress can gravely affect and compromise your good oral health through the following:

• Poor oral hygiene
• A bad diet and eating habits
• The increased risk of periodontal (gum) disease

Dentists in Pueblo CO: How Stress Affects Your Oral Health

• Poor Oral Hygiene Habits

When you’re stressed and lead an incredibly busy and hectic life, maintaining a rigorous home oral hygiene routine can take a back seat, say dentists in Pueblo CO. Instead of brushing for the recommended two minutes, three times a day, you give your teeth a quick go-over before collapsing exhausted into bed. Stressed people also tend to skip flossing or even brushing altogether! What about those bi-annual visits with dentists in Pueblo CO? Well they can quite easily be forgotten about. The overall result is that your oral health begins to suffer. If you had healthy teeth and gums before, you may develop gingivitis. If you had oral problems before, they could worsen and develop into periodontal (gum) disease, warn dentists in Pueblo CO. No matter how stressed and busy you are, you should allocate ten minutes of the day in total to take care of your teeth and gums. Nothing deters business like bad breath and a decayed smile!

• A Poor Diet and Eating Habits

A stressed and busy lifestyle also leads to the development of unhealthy eating habits, say dentists in Pueblo CO. Instead of eating three square balanced meals a day, you’ll find yourself snacking on what you can, when you can, followed by gallons of coffee! Since potato chips, chocolates and sugary snacks come in convenient packaging at just about every tiny street store, they’re most frequently on the menu, say dentists in Pueblo CO. You’ll find yourself eating a diet that is high in sugar and carbohydrates, which are also a bacterium’s favorite indulgences! This, unfortunately, increases your risk of cavities, tooth decay and bacterial infection. No matter how stressed and busy your lifestyle is, make time for a proper sit-down lunch. Give yourself 30 minutes to relax with a healthy and nourishing meal and nip off to the bathroom afterwards to brush your teeth or rinse with an anti-bacterial mouthwash. You’ll feel refreshed and refueled to face the rest of the working day, say dentists in Pueblo CO.

• Periodontal (Gum) Disease

All of the habits discussed above and in the first installment of this two-part article series greatly increase your risk of developing an acute and chronic oral bacterial infection of the gums. Poor oral hygiene habits, an unhealthy diet, a lack of exercise, teeth grinding and habit such as smoking and drinking (which the stressed-out may see as ‘unwinding’), all increase the production of plaque in the mouth. In the long-term and left without the professional attention of dentists in Pueblo CO, you are looking at severe oral health risks.

A Final Note from Dentists in Pueblo CO

No matter how busy and chaotic your life may be, take the time necessary to look after your teeth and gums. They’re the only ones you’ve got, say dentists in Pueblo CO, and a beautiful and healthy-looking smile is one of your most important personal and business assets!

This two-part article series provides a brief guide for parents on what to do should they ever find their child in a dental emergency.

Kids are mischievous, energetic and excitable. And when you combine this unbridled energy with their general lack of self-awareness, the result can be – and frequently is – injury and tears. Lots of tears! Dentists in Pueblo CO frequently tend to children who have slipped, fallen or walked straight into something that is just that little bit harder than the enamel of their teeth. “Having a tooth chipped, cracked or even knocked out entirely is incredibly painful. Your gums also tend to bleed a lot from any kind of physical trauma, which can be quite upsetting for a young child,” explain dentists in Pueblo CO. “As a parent, this kind of facial and/or oral trauma can also be very frightening. There are things you should know and there are things you can do for your kid in a dental emergency.”

In this two-part article series, we shall provide you – as a parent or guardian – with some advice from dentists in Pueblo CO on what to do in a dental emergency.

Ask the Colorado Springs Dentist: What is a Dental Emergency?

“A dental emergency is any oral-related problem that requires immediate attention,” explain dentists in Pueblo CO. “Being an emergency, this problem is generally unforeseen and can be caused by an accident involving trauma to the face or mouth.” So, examples of dental trauma include soft tissue injuries, broken or chipped teeth, a knocked-out tooth or a dislodged restoration.

Toothaches, abscesses or damaged orthodontic braces are also considered dental emergencies; however, the kinds the Colorado Springs dentist will be discussing today are those caused by playground accidents. You know: the ones that happen while your back is turned for – you swear – a single second and are then heralded by a piercing shriek, followed by much crying and hiccupping.

Ask the Colorado Springs Dentist: What do I do?

• A Broken or Chipped Tooth or Teeth

If your child has fallen, slipped or been hit in the face and had one of more of their teeth chipped or cracked, try to rescue any tooth fragments you can find. Dentists in Pueblo CO advise that you rinse their mouth out with warm and preferably salty water to wash out any blood and prevent them from swallowing broken bits of enamel. “If your child’s mouth is bleeding, which it probably will be, apply a folded square of gauze or even a teabag to the wound and get them to bite down gently on it,” say dentists in Pueblo CO. “This should staunch the bleeding. You should also apply a cold compress to the cheek directly outside the injury to quell the pain and keep the swelling down.”

According to dentists in Pueblo CO, you can use many different things as a cold compress: a bag of frozen peas or a few ice cubes wrapped in a soft towel should do the trick. You could even use a cold cola tin if you have nothing else at hand. Once you have performed these actions, get your Colorado Springs dentist on the phone and book an immediate appointment with them.

“And remember to stay calm! Alerting all panic stations is only going to make your child more upset and less likely to comply with your demands. This could exacerbate their injury,” warn dentists in Pueblo CO.

Colorado Springs Dentist: Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for the next installment of this two-part article series to read more advice from dentists in Pueblo CO on what to do in dental emergencies.