Tooth loss is an aesthetic and functional oral health problem. What are patients who are suffering from tooth loss to do?

There are a variety of tooth replacement options available to patients today. There are treatments for patients who have lost one tooth as well as treatments for people with empty jaw lines (and treatments for everyone in between!).

Today we are going to be talking about restorative option for patients who have lost many successive teeth. This treatment option is the denture. Let’s learn more about how dentures work.

Every denture has a base, which is molded to fit the patient’s gum tissue. On top of this base are replacement teeth. The teeth are permanently bonded to the base. In our Saint Louis dentist office we craft the denture to reflect your natural smile, and complement your appearance.

One type of denture is the removable denture. This prosthetic sits on top of your gum tissue, and is held firmly in place with dental adhesive. Because the denture base is designed to fit your gum tissue, the denture will feel natural during the day. You will take the denture out at night and to clean it.

Another restorative option is the fixed denture. This type of denture is actually permanently held in place along the patient’s gum line by small dental implant roots. After our dental team places a few implant roots in certain spots along your jaw, we will attach your denture to these roots. Fixed dentures—as the name implies—stay in place all the time.

No matter what your treatment preference, please seek some sort of restorative, tooth-replacement treatment in a timely manner. It is crucial to both the appearance and the health of your smile that you see a dentist promptly.

As always, our Saint Louis dentures dentists are here to walk you through this process—give us a call!

Here’s the thing about cosmetic dentistry: it’s useless unless you pair it with a healthy smile. It just doesn’t make sense to use cosmetic tools to achieve an aesthetic result, while leaving underlying oral health issues untreated.

That is why our Saint Louis cosmetic dentists help our patients achieve and maintain healthy teeth. First of all, your smile will simply look better when it is healthy. Second of all, once your smile is healthy, you can benefit from all types of cosmetic treatments!

So what can you do to protect your teeth?

1. Follow all of your dentist’s oral hygiene recommendations

This means keeping up your schedule of professional dental cleanings (most people should undergo professional cleanings every six months). It also means brushing, flossing, and using mouth rinse in accordance with your dentist’s directions.

2. Look out for bruxism, and seek treatment ASAP

Bruxism is the name we use to describe chronic dental grinding and clenching. One of the problems with bruxism is that the pressure exerted on your teeth due to dental grinding can wear down your teeth and cause micro-chips in your dental enamel. If you think that you may be suffering from bruxism, please seek treatment from your dentist—they can help you avoid this damage!

3. Use protective mouth gear when necessary

This is such an easy step to implement! If you are going to engage in a contact our extreme sport, please wear the appropriate protective mouth gear. Many dental traumas are easily preventable, thanks to modern protective mouth guards.

Our Saint Louis cosmetic dentists are here to give you all of the information and dental tips that you need in order to achieve oral health success. So give us a call to schedule your personal consultation with our dental team—we look forward to meeting with you!

Fear of the dentist keeps way too many pediatric and adult patients from seeking the health-boosting dental treatments that they need. Our Saint Louis dentists are devoted to helping people of all ages receive the comfortable and calm dental treatments that they need. That’s why we are so happy to provide sedation and relaxation dental solutions!

The purpose of sedation treatments is to put the patient at ease during treatment, to prevent him or her from experiencing pain in the dentist’s chair. The exact type of pain-management or sedation treatment that you, specifically, use is going to depend on your preferences as well as the treatments you are undergoing.

Oral conscious sedation is the go-to relaxation treatment for many people. This is because:

1. It is easy implement—all the patient has to do is to swallow a small pill prior to treatment. Once the patient consumes this pill he or she will begin to feel relaxed and calm.

2. The effects wear off gently—once treatment is complete, the effects of the pill will gradually (over the course of a few hours) wear off. For this reason you will need someone to drive you home.

3. Oral conscious sedation has an amnesiac effect—with oral conscious sedation you get the best of both worlds. During treatment you will remain conscious, which means you’ll be able to communicate with our dental team. However, post-treatment you likely won’t remember anything that happened, because of the pill’s amnesiac (or memory blocking) effects!

If you have been avoiding dental treatment, please consider sedation dentistry as a viable solution to treating your dental-related anxiety. The first step is to contact our dental team with any questions that you may have, and to schedule a consultation with our Saint Louis dentists. We’ll walk you through the process step by step.