dental restoration

Why Does Tooth Loss Happen?

By on March 12, 2016

There are two reactions you can have when you lose a tooth, and they’re both separated by a number of years and a lot of growing up. First, you might get excited about a visit from the tooth fairy, or that you’re growing up. Second, you might react with horror and panic – those aren’t supposed to fall out!

Tooth loss can strike your permanent teeth, and when it does it’s terrifying. If you’re worried about the potential of tooth loss, or have already lost teeth, you might be wondering what could happen and how to stop it. Today we’re going to talk about some of the most common causes of tooth loss that we see at our Carmel dentist office. With the knowledge you find here you may very well be able to stop your own teeth from falling out one by one!

Gum Disease

When tooth loss happens to adults the safe bet is that it had to do with gum disease. This horrible condition strikes nearly 60 percent of adults, and is responsible for most of the tooth loss that happens around the world.

Gum disease is serious stuff, and it’s easy to develop it as well. When oral bacteria gets beneath your gums it causes an infection that is accompanied by red, inflamed gums, bleeding when brushing, sensitivity, and even gum recession. And those are just the opening round of problems: it keeps getting worse!

As gum disease develops is causes serious infections around your teeth that start to eat away that the bones that support them – a sure fire way to end up with tooth loss. It doesn’t just stop with a single tooth either. Gum disease causes bone loss that will start a chain reaction of lost teeth until there isn’t a single one left.

Tooth Decay

Cavities start out small, and they move slow, but without treatment they will completely destroy a tooth. Caused by the same oral bacteria that is responsible for gum disease, tooth decay is the result of plaque acids eroding enamel and giving bacteria a place to hide: inside your teeth.

Tooth decay will keep going deeper and deeper into your teeth until it hits the dental pulp at the center. The pulp contains all the blood vessels and nerves that feed your teeth, and when a cavity reaches that level you’ll end up with a serious infection that’s typically treated with a root canal.

Root canals are able to resolve most serious cases of infection, but there are incidents when it’s impossible to repair a tooth due to how much of it has been destroyed. In those circumstances one of two things will happen: either we’ll extract the tooth at Really Smile Dentistry or it will eventually be destroyed and fall out on its own.

If a tooth is decayed to the point that it naturally falls out you’re in serious danger. There’s a good possibility the infection in the tooth has spread beyond it, forming an abscess that can cause serious illness.

Trauma

Accidents happen, and your teeth aren’t exempt from the trauma of a sports injury, a car accident, or even just a fall while bringing the groceries inside. Traumatic injuries can do a lot of damage to your teeth, even knocking them out in some cases.

If a tooth is knocked out due to an accident there’s a good chance that we can save it, especially if we see you right away. The other possibility is that a tooth is fractured so badly that there’s no possibility of leaving in place, forcing us to extract the remaining pieces.

There’s only so much you can do to prevent traumatic injury to your teeth, especially in day-to-day living. If you are an athlete, though, you need to be sure you’re protecting your teeth with a proper mouthguard!

Lost Teeth Can Be Restored

When you lose a tooth you may find yourself wondering what to do. Thankfully you don’t have to look too far for a solution. Our Carmel dental team can offer both bridges and dental implants as solutions to lost teeth. It’s up to you to decide which one will be best for you.

If you’re worried about gum disease or tooth decay that could put you at risk for tooth loss it’s never too late to have a comprehensive exam to be sure you’re safe. Call Really Smile Dentistry today at 317-597-8748 to schedule an appointment, or simply fill out our online form! We look forward to keeping your smile safe!

Are You At Risk For Bite Collapse?

By on August 21, 2015

As you age it’s undoubtedly true that your bite will change. Your teeth can shift, wear down, and even fall out, all which change how your jaw sits and how your face is shaped. In extreme cases of wear or loss your can suffer from a condition called bite collapse.

Bite collapse is a change in your jaw and face shape due to lost or worn down teeth. Depending on which teeth are lost bite collapse can appear differently, so it’s important to have us take a look at your teeth in our Carmel dentist office.

If you’ve lost even a single tooth you’re at risk for bite collapse! One tooth often leads to the loss of others, and even the small space of one missing tooth begins shifting and loosening that will eventually take its toll!

How Does Bite Collapse Happen?

Think of your face as divided into thirds: the top is from your hairline to your eyebrows, the middle from there to the bottom of your nose, and the last third from there to your chin. For most people those are roughly even, but when bite collapse begins that last third starts to shrink!

When you lose teeth there’s nothing for the neighboring teeth to be supported against! This causes them to want to shift into a nice, stable position because other teeth are still putting force on them. Shifting means that your smile changes, and with it you also lose some bone mass in your jaw!

Bite collapse can also occur due to severe bruxism, or teeth grinding. Over time grinding will wear out your teeth, usually years before they would be otherwise! If your teeth don’t meet properly because they are worn down you’re looking at another reason for bite collapse to begin!

What Can Be Done To Prevent Bite Collapse?

Just like most dental conditions, the results are due to letting a problem go for too long. If you had a pain in your arm that wouldn’t go away would you neglect to go to the doctor? No! So why ignore a problem with your teeth? At Really Smile Dentistry we believe in educating our patients to take appropriate steps toward a healthy smile, which is just one more reason to have regular exams and cleanings at our Carmel office!

Along with proper brushing, flossing, and professional care routines, dental restoration is very important. For many patients suffering from bite collapse there was a first tooth that started the whole chain reaction. If that tooth was restored with a bridge or dental implant the entire situation could have been avoided!

Preventing bite collapse is often a routine and simple process that just involves identifying and treating problems before they become severe. That’s why it’s so important to see the dentist on a regular basis!

How Can A Collapsed Bite Be Repaired?

If you’re already noticing the effects of a collapsed bite, don’t worry! We can still repair and restore your smile! Using a series of techniques that combine into a non-surgical facelift we can regenerate your smile, give you a new youthful look, and remove wrinkles caused by a collapsed bite!

A non-surgical facelift at Really Smile Dentistry involves any number of techniques needed to restore the space between your nose and your chin. Depending on the state of your other teeth and the amount of collapse treatment can be as simple as a bridge or as complicated as a multiple implant series.

Using state-of-the-art scanning and modeling technology we can perfectly model your facial structure. Armed with this knowledge we can also determine what treatments are needed to get your smile back and we can plan them with efficiency never dreamed of before! By better modeling we can better plan, allowing you great treatment without worrying about the outcome!

If you’re curious about a non-surgical facelift or simply want to find out if you’re suffering from a collapsed bite, our Carmel dentist office is ready to see you! You can make an appointment on the phone by calling 317-597-8748 or by requesting an appointment right here online! We look forward to restoring your smile and confidence!

Understand the Benefit of a Dental Implant

By on February 21, 2015

You have probably heard of one of the top trends in dental restoration right now: the dental implant. You might not be a big believe in popular trends, but there is a very really reason why dental implants are making so much noise: they are awesome!

Dental implants are one of a kind dental restoration. There is nothing else like a dental implant on the market. It is the only truly permanent restoration out there. Not only that, but a dental implant actually restores the missing tooth root in addition to the tooth crown!

The entire tooth is replaced, and the patient has a restoration (with a 96+% success rate) that will feel and function so much like a natural tooth that the patient might even forget about it!

What is a Dental Implant?

Have we got your attention? We hope so because now we are going to talk about what a dental implant actually is. It is a small titanium post that is inserted directly into your jawbone. Titanium is one of the only materials that is very strong and compatible with the body. Your bone will actually fuse with the implant and hold it securely in place.

Once the implant is in and healed, we will attach a crown to the top of the implant, which will restore the gap in your smile as well as your ability to chew and speak correctly!

How is it Placed?

An implant is placed through an oral surgery. You will be sedated and numbed, so there is absolutely nothing to fear. We use special instruments and precision to place the implant below the gumline and into the bone. Once the implant is in, it will need three-four months to complete the process of fusion with the bone.

The Important Role of Planning

Planning is an extremely important part of the placement process. We’ll begin by taking images of your jaw and teeth. We use these images to plan your entire implant procedure.

We are looking at the thickness of your bone and any signs of weakness. We want that implant to be secure, so we will place it in the best possible position to ensure that you are one of the 96% of people who never have a problem with their implant!

Cone Beam Scanner

Most dental offices would have to send you to a specialist or the hospital to have such high tech images taken, but we are able to take the images right here in the office by using our cone beam CT scanner (CBCT).

Most CT scans are taking in a huge whirring machine at the hospital where you have to lie still and feel claustrophobic before it’s all over. We are able to take the same quality images while you rest comfortably right here in the office!

The CBCT is compact so it can move around you without making you feel like you’re stuck in a tunnel. Patients tell us it’s the easiest CT scan they’ve ever experienced!

Living With a Dental Implant

Once your implant is in place with a crown on top, you are left with the responsibility of keeping that implant safe and healthy. Living with an implant is just as easy as living with all of the rest of your teeth! You run some floss around your new tooth, you brush your teeth well twice each day, you consider using a great antiseptic rinse, and you are good to go!

When you come in for routine cleanings, the implant will be cleaned at the same time to ensure that your entire mouth stays healthy.

Dental implants have so much to offer patients! We hope that you will consider this restoration if you ever need to fill a gap in the future. You won’t be disappointed, and we can make the procedure as easy as pie right here at Really Smile!

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