Implants

Are you missing teeth? Have you postponed getting a bridge or a denture? Do you wear ill-fitting, loose dentures right now? If so, Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley want to improve your quality of life with dental implants.

As the prosthetic that most closely mimics nature’s design, dental implants serve as substitute tooth roots. Each implant is strategically placed in the jaw, where bone integrates with it to create a solid foundation for a crown, bridge, or denture. With proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime.

Benefits of dental implants:

• Promote bone retention
• Eliminate slipping, loose, and wobbly dentures
• Don’t require support from healthy teeth
• Can last a lifetime
• Look, feel, and function like natural teeth

Implant-supported Dentures

While typical dentures shift and require the use of denture adhesives to keep them in place, implants fit solidly, reducing the problems associated with traditional dentures, such as gum sores and difficulty speaking and chewing. Implant-supported dentures distribute your biting pressure more like natural teeth than traditional dentures, stimulating the supportive structures of your teeth and preventing the bone and soft tissues from shrinking away. You can replace an entire set of teeth with beautiful, natural-looking implants.

Dentures

A properly fitting denture is very important. A good fit ensures that your dentures will allow you to retain much of your mouth’s function, which is important for maintaining natural muscle tone in your face and jaw. Dentures will keep you looking and feeling healthy and will help you retain a natural lifestyle. A natural smile and the best possible fit – two of the primary goals Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley will achieve if you need dentures to restore your smile.

Partial Dentures

Partial dentures are used if you have several teeth missing that cannot be corrected with a bridge. A partial denture is created to replace those teeth. The partial denture is removable and is designed to fit comfortably and to blend in with any remaining teeth. This type of denture is made from a synthetic material supported with a lightweight metal. It mimics your gum tissue and teeth to create a natural-looking smile, while still remaining functional. The partial is important once the teeth have been removed in order to preserve the bone and to keep existing teeth from tilting and growing in towards the gaps.

Crowns

You can erase years of wear and tear with porcelain crowns. Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley use a tooth-like crown made of gold or porcelain to restore your tooth after the decay has been removed. Crowns are also used to restore chipped teeth, broken teeth, gaps in teeth, and other damage. Also called “caps,” porcelain crowns mimic natural-looking teeth in both shape and color.

Bridges

If you have lost a tooth, a large gap in your smile can create significant problems for your dental health if left uncorrected. Gradually, your bite pressure may shift to other parts of your mouth to compensate for an inability to chew efficiently in the area of the missing tooth. Neighboring teeth may begin to move into the gap, resulting in discomfort, pain, and more problems in the future. After some preparation of the two neighboring teeth, crowns are created for them. A prosthetic tooth (or pontic) is fused between the crowns. Fixed bridges literally “bridge the gap” in your smile. Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley create a functional, natural looking bridge to correct your smile, to restore your bite, and to alleviate your discomfort.

Neuromuscular Dentistry Do you experience pain in your head, shoulders, or neck area? There’s a chance this pain could be related to the muscles in your jaw. New developments in technology have revealed that a whole host of problems you may be experiencing, including temporomandibular joint disorders, can be treated by focusing on dentistry.

Neuromuscular dentistry refers to a dental approach that focuses more on the muscles and nerves of the face and jaw instead of on your teeth. By paying close attention to the way your muscles and nerves affect your jaw function, Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley can help alleviate the many painful effects of having a misaligned jaw. If you are experiencing pain of this kind, talk to The Dental Suite team today. With neuromuscular dentistry, Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley may be able to return your jaw to its form and function, leaving you pain-free!

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)

You may suffer from headaches, a popping jaw when you open or close your mouth, and pain in your jaw joints and muscles. This could signify problems with your temporomandibular joint. A healthy jaw joint does not make any noise. Clicking or popping in the joint may be an indication of strain or long-term injury. The joint problem may be a result of trauma, complications with your bite, grinding or clenching your teeth, or a combination of these factors. TMD or temporomandibular joint dysfunction, is a condition that affects many people, but the good news is it can often be treated. Based on the severity of your condition, we can recommend a course of treatment that will help alleviate your pain and make your day-to-day activities more pleasant. If you are experiencing or have experienced clicking, popping, or pain in your jaw joint, ask Dr. Nick and Dr. Ashley today if you might benefit from this treatment.