If you wear a partial denture or are considering filling the gaps in your mouth where teeth have been extracted, a bridge is a good option in very specific cases.
A bridge is merely a number of crowns that are fixed together with a prosthetic (false) tooth placed in the space to replace one or more teeth. Because it is cemented on, it is not removable and eliminates the need for partial dentures.
The procedure usually involves 2 - 3 visits; the first involves the preparation of the teeth on either side of the gap and impressions are taken of your mouth. The colour and fit of the bridge usually require another 1-2 appointments if we're to insure good function and cosmetics.
If required, we often ask our lab to do an in-office visit or have you go to their nearby location to aid in matching the porcelain to the neighbouring teeth so that the crown looks more natural.
Between appointments, we insure that the tooth is covered with a temporary crown while our laboratory is preparing your final restoration.
If your tooth has a large filling that is failing, chips and cracks and/or has had root canal therapy that has left is succeptable to fracture, we may suggest that you have a crown placed. A crown covers the tooth and helps restore it to it's original shape and function. Once cemented on, it helps prevent the tooth from further deterioration and subsequent loss.
The procedure usually involves 2 visits; the first involves the preparation of the tooth and the second the cementation of the final crown approx 1-2 weeks following the first.
If required, we often ask our lab to do an in-office visit or have you go to their nearby location to aid in matching the porcelain to the neighbouring teeth so that the crown looks more natural.
Between appointments, we insure that the tooth is covered with a temporary crown while our laboratory is preparing your final restoration.
There are two types of dentures: partial and full dentures. A partial denture is also called a "removable partial denture" or a "partial." It is made up of one or more false teeth, and held in place by clasps that fit onto nearby teeth. You can take the partial denture out yourself, for cleaning and at night. A partial denture may be used when nearby teeth are not strong enough to hold a bridge, or when more than just a few teeth are missing.
A full denture is also called a "complete denture" or "false teeth." It can be used when all your natural teeth are missing. Remember, you need to care for a denture as carefully as you would look after your own because plaque builds up on the denture as it does on your own teeth. General care is as follows;
Gum disease is one of the most common dental problems adults face, but gum disease can begin at just about any age and most often develops slowly and without causing any pain. Sometimes you may not notice any signs until the disease is serious and you are in danger of losing teeth.
We pride ourselves on our aggressive and proactive treatment of gum disease believing that your periodontium (gum and supporting bone surrounding your teeth) is the foundation of great oral health. If left unchecked, advanced gum disease - also known as periodontitis - can lead to bad breath, bleeding, swelling, pain, loose teeth and, ultimately, tooth loss. Since this disease affects most people, to varying degrees, we treat every individual with the level of care they require. For a helpful explanation, Please go click here>
Tooth coloured fillings (composite resin) offer a number of advantages over the older silver amalgam fillings that have been in use for around 200 years. In our experience, they are not only more cosmetic but can allow the dentist to bond the material to thinned out weak tooth structure and help prevent the tooth from further breakage. As well, we find that we tend to get less post operative sensitivity with our technique. In certain cases, porcelain inlays or onlays - or even gold - may be recommended instead of this resin for further strength and wear resistance.
The technique is as follows; decay is removed from the tooth, a lining material is placed to protect the deepest part of the cavity preparation, a bonding agent (or adhesive) is placed in the tooth and then the soft filling material is placed in and shaped to replicate the missing tooth. All this is hardened using a blue spectrum light and then the tooth and filling are further shaped and polished.
At Dentistry on Wilson we only use composite resin fillings. Despite this, our philosophy towards silver amalgam filling is straight forward; it is a good, strong and long lasting material that has served people well over the years but may have questionable health effects on very a small segment of the population. We do not offer this material to our patients when placing new fillings and we will not remove them from teeth unless they have been structurally damaged or have decay under them. If you have any concerns about our philosophy, we welcome any discussion on this topic before we begin your treatment.
As health care practitioners, we advocate prevention of disease and maintenance of systemic health. However, there are times that this simply necessitates the removal of teeth that have a hopeless prognosis and cannot be saved. In many instances all of the remaining teeth have to be removed because of advanced gum problems, decay, dental problems worsened by systemic disease, cancer treatment, illicit drug use etc. Often we are able to place a full denture (upper, lower or both) immediately following the extractions so that you never have to be without teeth. For many this will be the first time in years they are able to smile without being embarrassed.
It is important to understand that although we are eliminating disease, there are other long term problems associated with full denture wear. We will certainly discuss the pros and cons of denture wear and whether implant placement following extractions would be an option for you.
We have to remind our patients that full dentures are not real teeth. This seems obvious but when someone comes in stating that their denture has movement to it when they're speaking or eating, they must be told that there is a certain amount of "give", even to a well fitting denture. For some, full dentures are enough but there are those who do not adapt well to them. Over time the underlying bone can atrophy (shrink) making it difficult to wear dentures and prematurely aging ones face, eating can be difficult and gaggers can have obvious problems keeping them in. One way of avoiding these difficulties is to have an implant supported denture. Click here to reach our Patient Education page, select the Implant tab and the "Denture supported by 4 implants" option for a video of this treatment option.
Fairly recently, advances in implant treatment have introduced the "all on four" technique that allows a full denture to be placed in each arch to support a permanently placed denture the same day of surgery. Please ask us how we can help you explore the different options available.
Click here and select the Implant Tab. Then select "Implant vs. Bridge"
Orthodontics is often the first choice of treatment when correcting cosmetic, functional (bite) and/or TM joint problems. There are many people who avoid it because of the stigma they feel is associated with wearing brackets and wires on their teeth – at almost any age. With Invisalign, we can eliminate the use of the unsightly metal hardware on your teeth with this orthodontic system.
Invisalign treatment consists of a series of plastic aligners that are custom made to fit only your mouth. Using precise impressions of your teeth, these virtually invisible aligners snap on and gradually shift them over a predictable period of time. A new one is placed approxamitely every two weeks during the course of treatment and continues until we achieve the smile you've always wanted. Please ask us for a demonstration or video presentation that shows this amazing procedure.
For a full explanation of this procedure, click here and select General tab. Then select "Root Canal Treatment".
For a full explanation of this procedure, click here and select the Surgery tab (to the right). Then select "Wisdom Tooth Removal".