The newest and frankly the most exciting aspect of adult dentistry these days is the dental implant. At Enamel Dental Studio, we are proud to offer the most complete dental implant services in the Chicago area. Of course there is one very important prerequisite aspect of implant dentistry that you must qualify for before the procedure can take place. You must have missing or broken teeth. Now while that may seem like an entirely unpleasant situation, take heart, implants are a way to get your smile back. Let’s look at some of the ways that you can lose a tooth and the steps Enamel Dental Studio can take to get you back to a full set of teeth.
Hockey Grin
One of the most common ways to lose a tooth is through physical trauma. This can be the most uncomfortable way to have a tooth knocked out and the most painful for sure. If you have ever witnessed one of your pearly whites bouncing away on the ice during a hockey game you know the pain that comes with having a tooth knocked out. The big problem with this is that the tooth may be broken below the gum line, this means dental surgery will be necessary in order to remove the broken roots of the tooth. An added worry when the tooth is knocked out is damage to the jaw bone. If the hit was hard enough the jaw bone could be affected and need to be repaired. X-rays will be necessary and in extreme case the jaw will need to be repaired before the tooth can be fixed with an implant. Unfortunately the tooth cannot be put back in after trauma and you may as well stick that sucker under your pillow and hope for the tooth fairy.
Gum Disease
The number one cause of tooth loss is poor dental hygiene and a poor diet. The most important aspect of dental hygiene is good brushing and flossing habits. As great as the fancy spinning toothbrushes are these days it is still very necessary to floss regularly. That means at least twice a day and maybe more if you are eating food that becomes stuck in your teeth. Like chia seeds, those things end up in all sorts of crazy spots in your mouth and can make your smile resemble a motorcyclist that does not close his mouth. Fortunately the simple act of flossing is usually enough to remove the little buggers. So rule number one should be floss whenever you eat organic chia seeds. Of course as painful as a chia seed in between your teeth can be the discomfort is nothing compared to a severely decayed tooth while eating ice cream.
Sugar
Speaking of ice cream, it contains as much sugar as a bucket of hummingbird nectar and sugar is not good for your teeth. The problem with ice cream is it tastes so good and that is a problem, particularly when you had a rough day. The last thing you want to do is eat a healthy meal and your only thought is ripping the cover off of the ice cream container and sticking your face in that rocky road goodness. Stay strong soldier, your teeth will thank you later. But if you emerge from the moment of weakness with smears of chocolate and marshmallow on your face, fear not now is the perfect time to brush. Not just any brushing, a solid two minutes of effective and complete brushing, and while you are cleaning the peanut chunks from your rear molars, your can think about what you did to that poor ice cream carton.
As important as diet and oral hygiene is to good dental health there are a few factors that can be even more destructive, those include tobacco products and grinding your teeth. Smoking and chewing tobacco can inflame your gums, causing your gums to recede which allows the stubborn bacteria to infiltrate the tooth at a level that can cause damage. Teeth grinding can loosen your teeth and cause the gums to pull away, making easy access for damaging bacteria to get into your gums.
Tooth Loss
These factors can lead to your teeth becoming loose and eventually falling out or decaying to the point where they must be removed. If your teeth are in bad enough shape that chewing becomes painful, you may be thinking that removing the tooth is better than suffering at every meal. That may be true but whenever you lose a tooth the pain may go away but more sinister issues arise. Bone loss. Bone loss is when your jaw bone begins to disintegrate due after your tooth is removed. That’s right, when a tooth is removed, regardless of the circumstances, the missing tooth actually causes your jaw to wear away, right in your head. The likelihood of severe bone loss occurring if your tooth is knocked out is not as good as if your tooth falls out due to gum disease. But whenever a tooth is removed bone loss is sure to occur.
Dental Implants
The cure for bone loss, as well as getting your smile back is the procedure known as dental implants. Remember when your teeth fell out when you were a child? How many times did you stick something in the gap that remained, pretending that you had a fake tooth? Well dental implants are basically the same thing but not as good tasting as cherry Pez. The difference with implants is that a base is implanted into your jaw in which the bone can graft itself to. This strengthens the jaw as well as provides a platform for expertly crafted teeth. Much like a trailer hitch on a Buick station wagon, the teeth are mounted to the implant in your jaw and cinched down. This is the most common method in use today and makes it easy to replace an implant in the case that one should go missing. Of course, the implants are just as effective as your natural teeth and are the best alternative to traditional dentures. Dentures are not anchored effectively and are susceptible to slipping. Implants are a permanent way to repair missing or damaged teeth. If you are missing teeth and are ready to make the step to implants, Enamel Dental Studio is a leader in the Chicago area. We assure you that the procedure is completely safe and you will not regret making the step to implants. And the best part? You can even eat ice cream again! But you should probably stick to chia seeds.
