Dental Implants

Archive for May, 2010

FDA Approved Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA)

During dental procedures, the STA system releases an exact quantity of anesthesia so that you do not feel pain from the injection or anything that your dentist is doing. Numbness occurs only in the area being worked on!

The appearance of the STA needle is not even similar to that of a syringe! The needle is much tinier that the usual dental needles, resembling a wand or pen with a tiny needle on the end. It puts an end to the numbness and drooling that people often experience after a dental procedure.

What are the advantages? Because your face is not totally numbed, you don’t have to wait for hours for the effects of the anesthetic to wear off after your dental visit. You will be able to drink and speak normally, and your face will not look disfigured.

Negative experiences with dental injections are a thing of the past, since the STA system uses a computer controlled, automatic system to release anesthesia and avoid that pinching effect. Without using a syringe, these doses of anesthesia are administered below your threshold of pain.

First a little spray numbs the gum, which is followed by a computer-controlled, slow release of small doses of anesthesia. You will feel absolutely nothing.

Read more http://bonitadelreydental.com/Pain_Free_Anesthesia.html

Taking care of false teeth using a do-it-yourself approach and homemade cleaning solutions can be quite effective. If you’re interested, here’s how it can be done.

1) You need to brush your denture first.

The exact same type of debris (bacteria, dental plaque, staining and tartar) that accumulates on natural teeth and oral tissues will accumulate on false teeth too. Effective denture cleaning always starts with a thorough brushing, both inside and out, in the presence of water. (This is true whether you plan to use a homemade or commercial cleaning product as your next step.)

Most any type of brush that you feel might be suitable will probably be fine. As a guide, you might look at the denture brushes that are sold in the dental health section of your local store. Denture brushes have a bristle stiffness and shape that has been specially designed for used with dentures. Usually these brushes are relatively inexpensive and make a good choice. But if you already have a brush that is similar in nature and you think that it can navigate over the contours of your denture and give it a good scrubbing then that’s fine. Many people use a toothbrush, nailbrush or other small brush when cleaning their false teeth.

You don’t have to apply any special cleaner when you brush your denture. If you want to use a denture cleansing powder or paste that’s fine. A mild dishwashing soap is perfectly suitable too. Don’t feel that you have to use anything. It is the action of the brush scrubbing against the denture that produces the results. The type of cleaner used, if any, is secondary.

It is important that neither the stiffness of the chosen brush or the abrasiveness of the cleaner chosen will scratch or abrade your denture. This is especially true when the long term is considered. For this reason, toothpaste (which typically does contain abrasives) is usually not a good choice for denture cleaning. Additionally, your denture brush should be dedicated to that use only. A shared-function brush may retain residual amounts of other cleaners (such as toothpaste) on it and scratch up the surface of your denture.

2) Chemical denture cleaning and disinfecting is needed after brushing.

Denture brushing alone will not be effective in keeping your dentures fresh and your mouth health. This is because at a microscopic level the surface of a denture is very porous. This means that there are an abundant number of locations in which microorganisms can find safe harbor, even after the most diligent brushing efforts. Because of this some sort of chemical cleansing and disinfecting is required for effective denture cleaning.

Homemade denture cleaning solutions.

Very suitable homemade denture cleaners can be made from common household products. Two of them are bleach and also vinegar. The following explains how to prepare and use them.

A) Bleach-based denture cleaning solution.

A dilution of household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, Chlorox) can be used to clean false teeth. It is typically used as a mixture of one part bleach to ten parts tap water. Dentures are usually soaked in this solution for about twenty to thirty minutes.

Diluted beach cleaning solution has been shown to effectively kill those microorganisms that remain harbored on false teeth even after a thorough scrubbing has been performed. And as you might expect, it will also remove some types of denture staining.

A bleach-based cleaner on its own will not be effective in removing tartar accumulation. This deficiency can be remedied by adding one teaspoon of Calgon water softener (Calgon the calcium-chelating agent, not Calgon the soap or bath oil) per glassful of one to ten bleach to tap water solution.

Precautions to consider when using a bleach-based denture cleaning solution.

While bleach solution is the most commonly used type of homemade denture cleaner, if you do choose to use it there are a few considerations you should keep in mind.

a) After soaking, you must thoroughly rinse your denture off with water. Any residual cleaner that does remain might cause gum irritation.

b) Long-term, regular use of a bleach-based denture soak may lighten the color of a denture’s tissue-colored plastic. For most people this will either be a non-issue or else a change that is not readily apparent. But a change, especially when the long term is considered, is possible.

c) Bleach-based denture cleaners may tarnish the metal component of partial dentures. This is especially likely when the soak duration is greater than ten minutes per day.

d) Unless your dentist states otherwise, bleach-based denture cleaners typically are not considered to be appropriate for use with dentures that have a soft plastic liner.

B) Vinegar-based denture cleaners.

Vinegar (acetic acid solution) can be used as a denture cleaner. The usual recommendation is a soak created by mixing vinegar with an equal amount of water. This solution has been reported to be effective at killing the types of microorganisms that reside on the surface of dentures, however, less so than the bleach-based solution described above.

Vinegar-based denture cleaner is an effective way to remove tartar that has accumulated on false teeth. The acidic nature of the vinegar will soften and digest the tartar. A soaking may remove all or just some of it. That which remains may have become soft enough to brush off. If not, repeated soakings over time can be expected to do the trick.

Precautions to consider when using a vinegar-based denture cleaning solution.

Just as with bleach-based denture cleansers, there are precautions to take when using a vinegar-based one.

a) Vinegar-based denture cleaning solutions may tarnish the metal component of partial dentures.

b) Unless your dentist states otherwise, vinegar-based denture cleaners are not usually considered to be appropriate for use with false teeth that have a soft plastic liner.

Why use just one kind of denture cleaner?

It’s not a bad idea to consider the use of more than one type of denture soaking solution. Bleach-based cleaner tends to excel in denture sterilization. Vinegar-based solution will be better at removing tartar and may (due to its acidity) be effective against some microorganisms than bleach. While you may not choose to use both types of soaks on the same day, you should consider switching off between the two on a daily (preferably) or weekly basis.

Phil Peters is a staff writer for Animated-Teeth.com. You can find out more information about this subject on Animated-Teeth.com’s topic: Denture Cleaning & Care.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Peters

When the photographer prompts you with, “Say Cheese” how would you do it if you have some missing teeth upfront? This is embarrassing and could really lower one’s self-confidence in interacting with people especially since people judge based on looks.

In the past, the solution for missing teeth is the use of dentures. These days, the best option is dental implant surgery. This is much better than dentures (and a toothless smile, of course!) because the final result appears real and natural. It also is stronger to allow you to bite and chew food properly. It also eliminates the worry of dropping your dentures, which could be socially disastrous.

Dental implant refers to a metallic replacement for missing teeth. It is made of titanium, which poses no threat to the human body system since it is popularly used in hip transplantation as well. This titanium metal is buried into the vacant section of the jawbone to serve as the root of the tooth. The crown is made of ceramic material.

People should not ignore their missing teeth because this can affect the facial structure over time. Since teeth will adjust to the vacant space along the jaw, a person’s facial structure will be changed. Besides, missing teeth will harm the overall dental health of a person as well as rid him of a great-looking smile. An implant to fill the space left by the lost tooth will prevent the other teeth from moving. This will also help stimulate the bone along the jaw line as wells as prevent the skin on the cheeks to sag.

Here are the advantages of dental implants over dentures:

- Smile is improved
- More comfortable to use
- Stronger, healthier jawbones
- Won’t slip like dentures
- More durable
- Can last a lifetime is properly maintained
- Appears more natural

So what is the process in smile replacement surgery? First there are some considerations prior to recommendation of dental implants. The dentist will take comprehensive X-rays and examine the patient to identify the following, which can tell if a dental implant is safe to do, or not:

” Healthy gums and tissues
” Mature bones in the jaw to handle the implants
” Sufficient space in the jawbone (strong and thick base)
” Overall health - without any conditions that can hinder the healing process

Once the patient has qualified, the dentist will schedule the surgery. The patient will be placed under anesthesia for pain management since an incision will be made into the gum to expose the bone. A hole will be drilled and the dental implant will be placed there. Gum will be stitched again to cover the implant. It will take a few months for the bone to attach to the implant.
After the period allotted to have the bone attached to the metal, the second phase involves another incision on the implant. An abutment will replace the screw previously placed there. This will need to heal for a few weeks, after which the ceramic crown or bridge will be installed as a final touch.

Stokebishop-dentalcentre.co.uk is a professional Bristol dental practice that offers more information and resources about dental implants and Bristol. Visit our web site to get more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Melkonyan