The loss of a tooth, for whatever reason, can have a significant effect on your self-esteem, confidence and facial appearance not to mention the rest of your mouth.

Within our dental practice, we understand that losing a tooth can be a traumatizing experience. Our teeth play an essential role in our lives and a missing tooth can interrupt your dietary and oral hygiene habits. Dentures can help recapture your oral health after tooth loss as well as heighten the aesthetic appearance of your smile.

One of the most popular replacement products available to date; Dentures can help you capture the essence of your smile. A Denture is essentially a removable fake tooth, custom made to your individual oral situation. Dentures heighten support and stability within the mouth as well as increasing biting pressure.

Dentures require the same amount of love and care as natural teeth. If you properly maintain your Dentures, they may last for up to twenty years. It is essential that you remove your Denture each day and brush thoroughly with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Utilize toothpaste recommended for Dentures (avoiding harsh abrasive cleaners). Other Denture care steps we recommend include:

• Avoiding sterilizing your Denture in boiling water
• When cleaning your natural teeth remove your Denture
• Once your Denture is removed keep it away from children. Allow your Denture to soak in a cleansing solution or water
• Visit us on a six monthly basis for a routine examination and clean

Did you know smiling and laughing are actually healthy for you? It’s true! As well as being attractive; smiling and laughing are beneficial to your entire well-being!

The psychological value of smiling and laughing is just as impressive. These activities release inner tension and repressed tendencies. When a person is tired or unhappy, it is better to relax through smiling and / or laughing than any other non-active means.

If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, a Smile Makeover may be beneficial to you.

∙ Do you dislike the appearance of your smile?
∙ Are you embarrassed to smile?
∙ Do you cover your mouth when your smile or laugh?
∙ Do you feel that you show too many or too few teeth when you smile or laugh?
∙ Do you show too much gum when you smile or laugh?
∙ Do you feel that your teeth are too long or too short?
∙ Do you feel that your teeth are too wide or too narrow?
∙ Do you feel that your teeth are too square or too round?
∙ Do you feel that your smile holds you back in your personal or professional life?
∙ When you look in the mirror are you conscious of any defects to your teeth or gums?
∙ Do you wish your teeth were whiter?
∙ Are your teeth crooked or uneven, chipped or broken? Are you missing teeth or have unsightly gaps between your teeth?
∙ Do you require extensive dental restorations or treatment?

A Smile Makeover can transform the way you look and feel – heightening your confidence, self-esteem and facial appearance. A Smile Makeover can change your life. Contact us today for your Smile Consultation.

A dental implant is a metal fixture (usually a screw) that is surgically placed into the jaw bone. It takes on the role of an anchor within the mouth, for a false tooth or a set of false teeth. Then when dental work such as a crown, fixed bridge or a full set of dentures is added, one or more missing teeth can be replaced.

Mini dental implants or a standard dental implant are fabricated from a very strong, biocompatible material. After an initial healing period, during which the implant fuses itself to the bone. Small metal posts are then secured in place to support the artificial tooth.

Dental implant treatment has the power to change your life. Missing teeth can significantly affect your self-esteem, confidence and facial appearance. Just a few of the benefits Dental Implants surgery offers patients:

• Dental Tooth Implants look and feel so natural that you may forget you ever lost a tooth.

• After your dental implants procedure many patients find they can eat and speak as they did previously – foods that were forbidden are now back on the menu.

• Increased preservation of bone and decreased gum tissue shrinkage.

• Titanium Dental Implants don’t sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth (i.e. this can occur in bridge treatment) does because neighbouring teeth are not altered to support the implant.

Dental Implants Dentures will give additional support, security and freedom from the clicks and wobbles of traditional dentures. You can say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.

Whether you have one missing tooth and require one dental implant or you require full dental implants for all of your missing teeth – a dental implants dentist can help you.

Some of the benefits teeth dentures can offer patients:

• Enhanced facial appearance

Facial muscles may begin to sag without support from a denture. This can make a person look much older than they actually are. Cosmetic Dentures will also dramatically improve the appearance if your smile.

• Improved eating and speaking ability

Teeth dentures may improve your eating and speaking ability - things that people often take for granted until they have lost their natural teeth.

• Maintain Dental Health

Without support from a denture, remaining teeth can begin to shift and move out of alignment – impacting your bite, dental hygiene and

Immediate dentures may feel awkward or even uncomfortable for a few weeks until you become accustomed to them. A denture can feel loose until the muscles of your cheek and face, learn how to hold them in place. Should your discomfort continue, contact your dentures Dentist as adjustments may need to be made.

If you are looking for a permanent option with more stability, Implant dentures may be an option for you.

For many people dental implant treatment has been a permanent solution to missing teeth. Despite the nature of the problem related with tooth loss, dental implant treatment can provide a simple solution with proven results. Although there are a number of restorative alternatives for missing teeth, none have proven to be as functional and effective as dental implants. For high compatibility, dental implant procedures are customises to each patient, offering a full dental implant and now with procedural advancements a mini dental implant.

Dental implants are an artificial tooth root made of biocompatible materials that are placed on artificial tooth roots in the jawbone and take the place of your missing tooth root. Dental implant procedures are customised to each individual offering a range of implants options from root form implant to artificial bone substitute. Dental tooth implants are designed to replicate and feel completely natural, whilst being fully functional and preventing further tooth decay.

Titanium dental implants biocompatible materials offer durability and strength for long lasing functionality. The durability and the strength of the dental implant will mean that you have long lasting effects and once again eat and speak with comfort. If you are considering restorative dentistry then it is worth taking to dental implant specialists about an appropriate treatment plan for you.

Prevention is always better than cure and it is advisable to be educated on dental health by your dentist through regular dental checkups and treatments.

Dental care can sometimes be the forgotten part of a healthy lifestyle, and while its importance is often underestimated, the need for regular dental care cannot be overstated. Our teeth can last us a lifetime with the proper preventative dental care.

Preventive Dentistry aims to reduce the required dental restorations throughout your lifetime. This process allows you to keep your beautiful, vibrant smile whilst still maintaining the healthy structure of your teeth and gums and also saving a large amount on future dentistry bills which can prove expensive when intensive remedies become necessary.

Poor oral and dental health can result in serious infections of the mouth, the teeth, and the entire body. Preventive care minimises your risk of developing tooth decay and periodontal disease (gum disease).

Poor oral health has been linked to heart and lung disease, diabetes, stroke, low-birth weight, and premature births. Often, diseases give their first warning signs in the form of oral problems.

• There are four basic steps to maintain good oral health:
• Brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste
• Floss everyday
• Limit the number of times you snack
• Visit the dentist regularly

To prevent poor oral health, visit your family dentist and always ensure that your children are seen to by their dentist from a young age.

There are a number of options available for overall family dentist treatment, if required but always remember the importance of looking after your teeth by general everyday brushing, flossing and eating healthy!

An effective and popular solution to this problem can be found in the use of dentures – either in full or partial format.

A full denture is placed in the mouth after any remaining teeth have been removed and tissues have healed. Healing can take several months, during which time you are without teeth. The complete full denture replaces all the teeth in the mouth.

An immediate full denture is inserted immediately after the remaining teeth have been removed or all teeth lost, allowing the surrounding area of gum and tissue to heal whilst the denture is in place.

After tissue and gums have healed, the denture may need to be reshaped or relined as it becomes loose during the healing process.

Partial Dentures fill in the spaces where there are missing teeth and prevent other teeth from changing position. Partial Dentures rest on a metal framework that is attached to your natural remaining teeth. Crowns can sometimes be placed on some of you natural teeth and serve as anchors for the denture. Partial Dentures offer a removable alternative to bridges.

A new denture will not last forever as the mouth and face change shape and the denture will either have to be replaced or realigned.

There are different types of dentures depending on the individual need and variations on the structure are made in accordance to your specific requirements.

Here treatment to find the best type of denture for you, and we can advise on every aspect of your dental treatment, in the quest to find the most elegant solution to your problem. Full or partial dentures, upper or lower dentures, conventional or immediate dentures, we have the answer to your needs.

Dentists hate to do them and patients today don’t want to wear them. But when the fixed prosthodontic work that’s been in their mouths for 10 to 15 years begins to fail, aging patients run out of options and it’s time to consider removable solutions. And it’s not just the older generation that may be choosing less expensive dental treatment today. The current economic environment has eaten away at expendable income and made patients much more cautious about selecting expensive treatment options.

The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the high patient demand and expectation for treatment solutions that provide natural-looking esthetics and function. That’s why Dr. Steven Little, whose practice is located in Portland, Ore., is back in class, educating himself on the latest techniques in removable prosthodontics.

“The dental profession as a whole needs to shift its mindset away from cosmetic dentistry,” said Dr. Little. “Not only am I experiencing an aging patient base now left with limited treatment options, but patients considering less expensive alternatives. After the economic meltdown this past year, patients are tending to be more pragmatic. I’m seeing a huge shift in my practice away from cosmetic dentistry. I think patients are rethinking what’s most important and looking around at other treatment options. The cosmetic option is not the only one on the table being considered anymore.”

What Dr. Little is experiencing in his practice will most certainly be an important driving force in the dental market for the next several decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 12.4% of the 306 million people currently living in the U.S. are over the age of 65. That percentage is projected to increase to 18% of Americans by 2025 and to 20% by 2050. Couple this data with consumers’ shaken confidence in an economic recovery any time soon, and a new opportunity exists for general dentists to take advantage of an emerging market.

Projections published in 2009 by iData Research indicate the total market value for dentures will increase from $2.3M in 2009 to $3.1M by 2015 with an annual growth rate of 5.0% to 6.0% per year. For general dentists who surgically place implants for implant retained overdentures, the future is even brighter with growth in this market projected in the double digits for the foreseeable future.

Educational challenge

The problem and challenge for dentists who want to offer removable prosthetic treatment and improve their skill set are the limited educational opportunities. The fixation of the last 30 years on crown and bridge and esthetics has driven removable CE courses nearly off the map. To make matters worse, dentists graduating dental school today or even in the last 10+ years have limited clinical training in removable prosthetics.

“One of the biggest problems I see in the dental schools is that students graduate with absolutely no respect for the dental technician,” said Dr. Little. “This is due to the fact that dental students are not required to do their own lab work. If you are not trimming your own dies or don’t know how to trim a die, then you don’t know if you are sending your laboratory something they can make fit and function properly. The same holds true for removable prosthetics.”

Burney Croll, New York City prosthodontist and active member in a number of prosthodontic societies, associations, and champion of dental technology, commented that most dental students today graduate without ever having completed a partial denture case and have limited exposure to full denture protocols. As a result, the information these general dentists are providing their dental laboratories is inadequate and the quality of the resulting full and partial removable work is less than satisfactory for the patient.

For general dentists, who want to keep removable dollars in-house rather than refer and who recognize their clinical limitations when patients require complex removable solutions, there are educational opportunities through manufacturers, associations, and educational centers designed to hone existing knowledge and skill sets (see Education sidebar).

“Right now this is an untapped market. But, if dentists gain the knowledge and skill set to extract teeth, surgically place implants, and properly prescribe an implant retained denture, or provide an esthetic removable solution, they are set,” said Dr. Little. “We’ll be seeing a lot of these cases in the future.”

Dental fear can be an issue that some people find not only restrictive but also embarrassing. It is, however, something that thousands of people suffer from on a global scale and solutions exist to overcome the problem.

Overcoming your fear of the dentist can be a seemingly impossible task, but with today’s modern methods in sedation dentistry offering a sensitive and compassionate approach from your dental phobia dentist, you can now receive the necessary and desired treatments to achieve an award winning smile in maximum comfort and relaxation.

A controlled and regulated approach to your chosen level of sedation allows your dentist to monitor your comfort throughout the duration of your treatment and post procedure experience is one which leaves you feeling refreshed and renewed from your treatment, safe in the knowledge that a visit to the dentist needn’t be one laced with the fear and anxiety synonymous with your past experiences. Under the watchful eye of your dentist, your sedatory dental treatment can equip you with the dazzling smile needed to project the health and vibrancy you feel from your renewed experiences in dental treatment