Reliable Restorative Dentistry in Sun City West, AZ
Comprehensive dental examinations include a periodontal exam, oral cancer screening, and diagnostic x-rays. Your dental evaluation helps our dentists decide which kind of restoration is best for you. Our dentists gather information about your dental and medical history, examine your teeth, and performs diagnostic tests. They will then discuss the results of the evaluation, the best treatment options for you, and the costs of treatment to help you decide the type of restoration that is best for you.
A bridge is a dental treatment that is used to replace one or more missing teeth. They are designed to be cosmetically appealing and to restore proper occlusion. Like crowns, bridges are fully customizable and made of various materials, including porcelain and metals.
Dental bridges are a prosthesis (replacement part) that relies on support from the neighboring healthy teeth surrounding the gap left by a missing tooth or teeth. The healthy adjacent teeth, called abutments, provide support on either side.
This existing bridge required replacement. There is wear on the biting surfaces and the tissue has shifted, exposing the metal around the edges of the bridge.
Once the old bridge is removed, the teeth are prepared for a new bridge. The outer layer of the teeth must be removed to accommodate the metal and porcelain used to fabricate the bridge.
The bridge is made in a laboratory using molds made of the prepared teeth. The bridge has a metal substructure over which porcelain is bonded. The color of porcelain is chosen to match the existing teeth.
The bridge is adjusted and fitted over the teeth. It is then cemented into place.
In many cases, teeth that have had a root canal treatment will require a crown. When teeth have large fillings within them, (generally more than 50% of the tooth), they commonly fracture.
An artificial crown is recommended to protect and reinforce the remaining tooth structure, and restore its natural appearance. Replacing an existing crown is required when the crown and/or tooth starts to deteriorate.
Why Crown (Cap) a Tooth
In many cases, teeth that have had a root canal treatment will require a crown. This discolored front tooth has very little internal tooth structure remaining and requires a crown to reinforce it.
This lower molar tooth has a large fracture. Teeth such as this will require a crown to prevent further fracture and breakdown, and may require a root canal and a post and core.
When teeth have large fillings within them, (generally more than 50% of the tooth), they commonly fracture. An artificial crown is recommended to protect and reinforce the remaining tooth structure, and restore its natural appearance.
Replacing an existing crown is required when the crown and/or tooth starts to deteriorate. In this example, there are bacteria around the edge of the crown, causing the tooth to decay and discolor. A new crown is required.
Sometimes, false teeth (dentures) are needed to replace badly damaged teeth. Partial dentures may be used to fill in one or more missing teeth. Dentures may feel strange at first. In the beginning, your dentist may want to see you often to make sure the dentures fit. Over time, your gums will change shape and your dentures may need to be adjusted or replaced. Be sure to let your dentist handle these adjustments.
When you are learning to eat with dentures, it may be easier if you:
- Start with soft, non-sticky food.
- Cut your food into small pieces.
- Chew slowly using both sides of your mouth.
Be careful when wearing dentures because it may be harder for you to feel hot foods and drinks or notice bones in your mouth from your food.
Keep your dentures clean and free from food that can cause stains, bad breath, or swollen gums. Brush them every day with a denture care product. Take your dentures out of your mouth at night and put them in water or a denture-cleansing liquid.
Full Dentures
Dentures come with huge benefits for patients and can greatly improve your quality of life. With today’s technology, dentures are created to look natural in appearance and give the impression of a beautiful smile. Additionally, dentures provide support for your facial muscles as well as assist with your ability to chew and eat food, and they also assist with your ability to speak clearly.
If your teeth have reached the point where you are considering dentures, we invite you to come in for a complimentary consultation. We will do an assessment of your condition and provide you with a list of options tailored to your individual needs. With the advances in dental implants and other techniques in the last twenty years, dentures can often be used in conjunction with implants for enhanced function and comfort. However, for many people dentures alone are a very cost effective solution to the problem of aging teeth and gum disease.
Partial Dentures
A partial denture is a removable appliance that replaces missing teeth. It is supported by your existing teeth and fills in those unwanted gaps. It will help to regain the aesthetics and chewing and speaking functions that you require.
Full mouth denture treatments will involve the extraction of any remaining teeth, making impressions to give that perfect, snug fit, and a final fitting appointment. Partial dentures consist of appointments made to examine the health of remaining teeth, taking impressions, and custom fitting the partial appliance.
Dental Implants – Smile Again With Confidence
Dental implants are a revolutionary treatment for patients who wish to replace missing teeth. Implants provide a very real and cosmetic solution when a tooth is missing or is beyond saving. Instead of dentures, you can have teeth you won’t have to take out at night, can chew all foods with, and are absolutely natural looking.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants act as artificial roots for teeth (made of titanium) that are surgically placed into the upper or lower jaw bone. The porcelain crowns attached to implants are very natural looking and often enhance or restore a patient’s smile.
Dental implants are very strong, stable, and durable and will last many years. On occasion, they will have to be tightened or replaced due to normal wear or oral habits such as smoking or teeth grinding that can shorten the longevity of a dental implant.
Implants are used to replace the roots of missing teeth. They are a fixed solution to a single missing tooth or an entire jaw of missing teeth.
After an implant is placed into the jaw bone. It may either be restored almost immediately or it is allowed to heal for several months to become integrated within the bone. After healing, a post is attached to the implant using a screw.
A crown is then made to attach to the post. The crown is made using metal and/or porcelain and is made to closely replicate the shape and color of the natural tooth. This diagram shows how the crown fits over the post
The crown is screwed or cemented onto the post. Implant therapy usually takes a few months and several appointments to complete; however, the final restoration can be almost like having your own teeth.
Single Esthetic Implant
This young individual was in an accident which resulted in the loss of his front tooth. A single tooth implant is the best choice to replace this missing tooth. A bridge is not the best choice. The teeth on either side of the space do not have any fillings in them. Shaving these teeth down for the placement of a bridge would permanently damage them, and these teeth may require other treatment.
This x-ray shows the implant positioned in the jaw bone. A post will be attached to the implant, upon which the final crown will be placed to replace the missing tooth.
The final crown (cap) has been fabricated and cemented onto the post which is attached to the implant. A small bonded restoration was also placed on the other front tooth to provide a balanced esthetic result. This implant supported crown provided a beautiful esthetic replacement for the missing tooth.
Restoring a Fractured Tooth with an Implant
Teeth can fracture for various reasons. Most commonly, they fracture if they have been traumatized, or if they have been weakened by dental decay or large restorations. If teeth fracture above the gum line, they can usually be restored, In this example, the fracture on this front tooth appears very small and easy to restore. However, in this case, there was a vertical fracture in the root of the tooth, making the tooth non-restorable.
An implant restoration was chosen to replace the fractured tooth once it was extracted, since the teeth on either side were in healthy, pristine condition. Here we are looking at the final result, and it is indeed very difficult to tell the difference between the implant supported crown from the natural tooth beside it.
How can a tooth-colored filling help? A composite (tooth colored) filling is used to repair a tooth that is affected by decay, cracks, fractures, etc. The decayed or affected portion of the tooth will be removed and then filled with a composite material that matches your tooth color. There are many types of filling materials available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Composite fillings are the most widely used today. Because composite fillings are tooth-colored, they can be closely matched to the color of existing teeth, they are conservative and are bonded directly to your own natural tooth structure. Tooth-colored fillings are more aesthetically suited for use in front teeth or the more visible areas of the teeth.
As with most dental restorations, composite fillings are not permanent and may someday have to be replaced. Yet they are very durable, and will last many years, giving you a long lasting, beautiful smile.
Over time, fillings in teeth start to deteriorate and require replacement. This individual had tooth colored fillings placed in the two front teeth several years ago. These types of fillings can become stained and discolor over time, creating an esthetic concern. They can be replaced with new fillings to match the existing tooth color, helping them to blend into the teeth once again!
Fillings may also require replacement if decay exists around them. These tooth colored fillings are discolored around the edges by decay of the tooth structure around them. Once decay starts around a filing, the bacteria spreads rapidly, getting underneath the filling and destroying tooth structure. These failing restorations must be replaced quickly to prevent further destruction of the tooth and to help prevent additional treatment.