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3 Stages of a Dental Implant Tooth Replacement | Oxnard CA

Posted On June 18, 2019

A dental implant tooth replacement is a common treatment for replacing one or more missing teeth. Though it’s a fairly simple process, it involves a surgical procedure to place a titanium post implant in the position of a tooth root, so it connects the replacement tooth to the jawbone. The result is a strong and sturdy artificial tooth that feels and functions like your natural teeth.

There are three components of a dental implant:

The titanium implant – This titanium post is placed at the site of a missing tooth inside the upper or lower jawbone
The abutment – Usually made of porcelain, titanium, or gold, the abutment is attached to the implant with a screw, so it projects above the gum line to receive the crown.
The crown – The porcelain replacement tooth is cemented or screwed onto the abutment to fill the gap in your smile.

The Procedure

The standard treatment involves three stages:

During the first procedure, the oral surgeon makes a small cut in the gum where the tooth will be placed. Next, a hole will be drilled in the bone tissue and the implant placed, after which the incision will be stitched closed. You may wear temporary dentures or bridgework as the site heals.
After three to six months, within which time the implant will have bonded with the bone tissue, the second procedure will take place. This involves making another cut in the gum tissue to expose the top part of the titanium implant. A collar (healing cap) is screwed onto the top of the implant to facilitate healing of the surrounding tissue. The cap is removed after several weeks and the abutment screwed in its place.
At the same appointment as when the abutment is connected, the crown will also be attached to the abutment to finish the tooth replacement process.

Please keep in mind that there’s a faster way to get implants, where the mini-implants and crown are placed simultaneously in one appointment.

Final note

Dental implant procedures are very popular, with over 98% of patients getting satisfactory results. However, much of this success depends on the patient having enough bone tissue to bond firmly to the implant. If you don’t have enough bone tissue, perhaps due to bone resorption for staying with a gap for too long, then your dentist may recommend another procedure called bone grafting or bone augmentation to build up your bone tissue before implant placement. The health of the remaining teeth and gums is also important for a successful procedure.

Are Dental Implants Worth the Long Treatment Plan? | Oxnard CA

Posted On June 12, 2019

From the time of surgical implant placement to the time of placing the replacement tooth (crown, denture, or bridgework), dental implant treatment time can vary between four months and nine months, depending on the availability of good quality bone tissue. Patients with low bone density may require additional procedures like bone augmentation that increase the treatment time to six months or even more. Similarly, patients who require more implants to support dentures may need to have 3-4 implants placed at a time, which will increase treatment time to about nine months.

But are you willing to wait that long to receive your dental implants?

Dental implants are typically used to replace one tooth, or multiple teeth when combined with dentures or bridgework. If you’re missing one natural tooth, then a single implant will be sufficient. For larger spaces with two or more missing teeth, you don’t need one implant per tooth. Instead, the implants will be appropriately spaced depending on the volume and quality of bone tissue at each potential implant support, to support the replacement teeth.

If the teeth you want to replace are in a visible part of your smile, then it’s important that you have a temporary tooth to fill the gap during treatment. The common options are simple plastic dentures and removable bridges. These temporary restorations should not be put under heavy pressure (biting or chewing) as this could interfere with the healing of the underlying implants.

Temporary restorations are not as comfortable or aesthetically pleasing as your final restoration, but they should allow you to function better until your treatment is completed.

Verdict

Once an implant has been successfully placed and the surrounding soft tissues show signs of good health and the new replacement teeth are comfortable and well adjusted, then the diligence of your personal attention to oral hygiene and willingness to attend regular checkups and professional cleaning will have the greatest effect on their durability.

Plaque and calculus can also form on replacement teeth, increasing the risk of gum infection, soreness, discomfort, and even tooth loosening. Otherwise, with good care and maintenance and quality underlying bone tissue, implants will last as long as natural teeth. The same cannot be said for dentures or bridgework. They’re faster in terms of restoring your smile, but require more care and maintenance in the long run.

Choosing the Invisalign System | Oxnard, CA

Posted On May 15, 2019

When it comes to improving your smile, there’s no age limit. Crooked, protruding, or overcrowded teeth; malocclusion, wide gaps, or cross/under/overbites can cause you to feel conscious about your smile, making you feel less confident and conscious when dealing with other people.

Fortunately, these problems can be corrected using the new, innovative Invisalign system. While previously you may have been discouraged from straightening your teeth due to the unattractive, uncomfortable, and restrictive, traditional metal wires and brackets system, Invisalign uses clear, removable plastic trays to move your teeth to the right position.

Benefits of Invisalign

The use of removable orthodontic devices is not a new thing. However, the Invisalign system leverages 3D computer imaging technology and 3D printing manufacturing to treat a wider range of orthodontic issues with greater precision. Other advantages of Invisalign include:

Virtually unnoticeable by other people, so no one knows that you’re undergoing treatment
Removable, allowing you to continue enjoying your favorite foods and continue with your normal oral hygiene routine
Can be used to treat a broad range of mild to moderate orthodontic issues
Comfortable alternative to the unattractive, uncomfortable, and restrictive, traditional metal wires and brackets system

Who is the ideal candidate for Invisalign?

Invisalign is mostly recommended for adults or older teens, because the treatment can only be used for patient’s whose teeth and jaws have finished developing. As such, it cannot be used for children and young teenagers.

Keep in mind that the Invisalign system uses removable aligners that must be worn for about 22 hours a day, every day for the entire duration of the treatment, which could be more than one year. The patient must be responsible and motivated enough to follow these directions; changing the aligners every two weeks and wearing them all-day except when eating, cleaning the mouth, and perhaps participating in a sport. Failure to do so can reverse the changes and cause the treatment to take longer and cost more.

Please consult with your orthodontist in Oxnard, CA to determine whether Invisalign is right for you, as well as any other necessary treatments for your case.

Living With Removable Invisalign Aligners in Oxnard, CA

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Orthodontic treatments had remained unchanged for a long time, and people had to withstand the anxiety of having metal braces in your mouth to straighten your teeth and improve your smile. There was the constant risk of the wires popping and injuring your lips, tongue, or inner lips when eating, following some kind of impact, or loosening over time. Fortunately, Invisalign introduced a new way to correct orthodontic issues without nearly as much discomfort, pain, or anxiety.

Millions of patients across the globe have been treated with Invisalign to straighten their teeth, correct their bite, and solve a myriad of other orthodontic issues while improving their smile. The Invisalign system uses a combination of advanced 3D computer imaging technology and a series of clear aligners to gently and steadily move your teeth to the ideal position.

Although the end result is more or less the same for both regular metal braces and the Invisalign system, many people prefer the flexibility that comes with Invisalign aligners.

Since Invisalign aligners are removable, you can:

Maintain better oral hygiene with reduced risk of cavities, tooth damage, and gum disease. Simply remove the aligners to brush your teeth, clean them, and then replace them in your mouth.
Continue to eat your favorite dishes. Remove them when having meals. Once done, simply clean your teeth and mouth and place them back in.
Participate in sports. You simply remove your aligners and wear a mouth guard to protect your teeth or mouth. Depending on the sport, you can even choose to keep them in if there’s no risk of damage.
Continue playing your wind instrument while undergoing your Invisalign treatment.

Final note

Keep in mind that the aligners are made from clear plastic that is virtually invisible. This means that you can carry on with your normal routine while improving your smile, all without having to endure the embarrassment of wearing metal braces. This makes it easier to live with Invisalign than with braces.

What is the Invisalign System, and Is it Right for Me? | Oxnard, CA

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Invisalign is the clear, comfortable, hygienic, and discrete alternative to traditional metal braces for orthodontic treatment. The system uses a series of custom-made removable aligners to gradually move your teeth to the ideal position. These aligners must be worn every day for 20 to 22 hours, removing them only during meals and brushing/flossing.

Since the aligners are made from clear plastic, most people you interact with won’t even notice you wearing the nearly invisible aligners, so you can maintain your lifestyle during treatment.

How Invisalign works

During a consultation with your Invisalign specialist or other orthodontist, you will be able to determine whether Invisalign treatment is right for your case.

The typical steps include:

Step 1: Taking photos, digital scans, and X-rays, or dental impression to assist in formulating a treatment plan that can address your teeth straightening problem with precision.

Step 2: Developing a personalized treatment prescription that will be used together with the records – in the above step to create a customized 3D treatment plan for your specific problem. Using Align Technology, you and your specialist can view the expected final position of your teeth at the completion of the treatment. This custom-treatment plan will then be used to develop your series of personalized aligners, and will determine the duration of your treatment.

Step 3: Fabricating your customized aligners and delivering them to your orthodontist’s office to initiate the treatment

Step 4: Visiting your orthodontist so you can be provided with a series of your custom-made aligners (either 3 or 4 sets) that you can change yourself every 2 weeks.

Step 5: Visiting your orthodontist every 6-8 weeks to receive the next sets of aligners in the series. These visits are also important to monitor the progress of your treatment

Step 6: Wearing retainers after completing your Invisalign treatment to help maintain the new position of your teeth

Is Invisalign Right for me?

Generally, the treatment is recommended for most mild to moderate orthodontic issues, including closing spaces between teeth, straightening crooked or crowded teeth, fixing malocclusion, and addressing overbites/underbites/crossbites. Visit your orthodontist in Oxnard, CA today to discuss ways to improve your smile.

Requirements for Successful Invisalign treatment in Oxnard, CA

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When looking to fix orthodontic issues and improve your smile, most people prefer Invisalign because it uses clear aligners that make the treatment less noticeable; the aligners are removable, which makes it easier to maintain your normal diet and oral care routine; and the system is generally more comfortable because there’s no metal to irritate your gums, tongue, or lips

Invisalign aligners are made from medical grade, thermoplastic polymer that has high elasticity to allow for a more precise aligner fit and superior tooth movement, as well as to facilitate the delivery of a gentle and constant force during treatment with great comfort. Each set of aligners is custom-made to deliver a perfect fit over your teeth.

Beyond that, there are a few requirements for successful treatment, including:

Treatment for less severe orthodontic issues

If you are looking to straighten your teeth or improve your smile by correcting mild to moderate orthodontic issues such as overcrowded or protruding teeth, malocclusion or bad bite, or under/cross/overbites, then your orthodontist may recommend Invisalign.

Wear the aligners for the recommended duration

Unlike braces that are fixed to your teeth, which means that the treatment will continue without requiring your input, Invisalign aligners require active participation from the patient. You’re required to wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day, removing them only when eating and brushing/flossing your teeth. You need to follow the direction strictly to ensure that your treatment proceeds as required, and doesn’t take longer than intended as this will increase the cost of treatment as well.

Choose an age-appropriate Invisalign system

The standard Invisalign system is designed for use by adults of all ages because their teeth and jaws have finished growing and developing. Adults are also motivated and responsible enough to wear their aligners as directed by the Invisalign specialist. That said, there is an on option for teens known as Invisalign Teen that allows teenagers to enjoy the benefits of Invisalign when straightening their teeth. Some unique features of this option include:

Power ridges that facilitate the growth of tooth roots into the right places
Extra features to accommodate the developing teeth in teens
Tools to help ensure teens wear each set of aligners for the recommended time
Complimentary replacements in case the aligners are lost or damaged

Consult an orthodontist

Please consult your Invisalign specialist in Oxnard, CA to learn more about the Invisalign system and whether it’s right for your case.

Laser Dentistry for Oral Health

Posted On April 11, 2019

Lasers have revolutionized the healthcare sector, including the field of dentistry. Laser dentistry has been around since the 1990s, though only a few highly skilled and experienced dentists can apply it in common dental treatments.

Laser dentistry is used as an alternative to the traditional methods that use hand-held scalpels, drills, and other invasive tools. Different types of lasers work by directing a beam of energy at the the problem area to deliver treatment. They have been successfully used to treat a variety of dental and cosmetic concerns, such as gum disease, teeth whitening, and decay, in a gentle, minimally invasive way.

Applications of lasers in dentistry

We use different types of lasers depending on whether the treatment area is a soft tissue or hard tissue.

Soft tissue laser treatment

Lasers can be used to safely to improve periodontal health through:

Gum disease control by destroying bacteria hiding in the gum pockets and preventing infections, while eliminating or reducing the number of stitches needed
Gum contouring – where the lasers help to reshape the gums and deliver a more attractive configuration
Other soft tissue procedures, such as lesion removal, biopsies, or frenectomies

Hard tissue laser treatment

Hard tissue lasers can be used to repair damaged teeth and prepare them for restoration without the use of drills and other instruments that remove large chunks of tooth, causing pain, heat, and cracks that cause further damage. Hard tissue lasers can be used to:

Remove decayed tissue
Sterilize the tooth
Prepare teeth for restoration with root canal or bonding
Deliver in-office teeth whitening with Zoom!

Advantages of Laser Dentistry

Laser dentistry offers multiple benefits, including:

Reduced anxiety when receiving dental treatment – no drill noise or vibration
Needle-free treatment – eliminates the need for anesthesia in some procedures
Reduced risk of infection – laser treatment sterilizes the treatment area
Maximum preservation of original, healthy tool structure
Higher success rate of complex treatments such as root canal
Faster treatment and healing time

Looking for minimally invasive dental treatment?

Dental lasers are a modern dentistry approach that can be used to improve your personalized dental care. Visit Safe Dental Care for your personalized laser treatments today.

Common Emergency Dental Problems

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A dental emergency is any oral problem that needs urgent attention because of the severity of the symptoms or threat posed to your health and wellbeing. Most dental emergencies are due to trauma to the tooth or mouth, though they can also be caused by an infection.

In such situations, it makes sense to see your dentist as soon as possible for timely intervention before things get worse. Depending on the severity of your case, the dental team may try to get you to see the dentist on the same day or within 24 hours to help address the problem as soon as possible.

Some cases that may need immediate and/or urgent dental care include:

Toothache

As you wait to see the dentist, you can try to ease the pain by taking over-the-counter pain medicine, or holding a pack of ice against your face at the origin of the pain. Avoid any heat as it could make the pain worse.

Chipped or broken tooth

There are several treatments to restore broken teeth depending on the severity, including filling, crown, and root canal therapy for extensive tooth damage.

Knocked out tooth

A permanent tooth that has been knocked out can be successfully put back within 10 minutes. The longer it stays out, the lower the chances of saving it. If the tooth is clean, simply put it in its socket as you wait to see the dentist. If there’s a risk of swallowing it, put it in some cold milk and come to our office as soon as possible.

Badly bitten tongue or lip

If it’s bleeding, you can use a clean cloth to press down the injured part, and a pack of ice to relieve any swelling. If it doesn’t stop bleeding, you should seek emergency services at the nearest hospital.

Anyone can have a dental emergency, either due to a sudden and unexpected event that causes pain or tooth loss, or due to accumulated damage caused by poor lifestyle choices and improper oral care. Please visit your dentist regularly to help stop preventable

How A Cosmetic Dentist Can Improve your Smile

Posted On March 14, 2019

Cosmetic dentistry refers to any type of dental treatment that is done electively to enhance the appearance of your teeth, bite, gums, and smile. A bright and beautiful smile can boost your self-confidence, especially if you have been concerned about the state of your teeth or gums for a while.

If you’re unhappy with your smile and believe that it’s time to get a makeover, then your cosmetic dentist can help you come up with an appropriate treatment plan to transform your smile. Some of the common cosmetic treatments include:

Teeth whitening or bleaching
Straightening crooked teeth
Improving or correcting misaligned bites
Filling unattractive gaps between teeth
Replacing missing teeth with bridgework, dental implants, or dentures
Repair chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
Repair tooth infections and cavities
Change the shape and size of worn down teeth
Replace old, worn out dental appliances

Personalized Cosmetic Treatments

A smile is unique to each person. During your consultation, your dentist will create a digital smile preview of the likely results using special software. The process involves adding an image of your current smile and manipulating the data depending on the necessary procedures – like veneers, implants, Invisalign, or bonding. The system then produces a realistic full-color image of the likely results. Cosmetic imaging increases your chances of satisfaction with your custom treatment plan.

The most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures include:

Bleaching – Teeth whitening treatments, including in-office bleaching and at-home teeth whitening procedures can address the discoloration or teeth staining to give you a dazzling, white smile.
Teeth Bonding – This involves applying tooth-colored plastic putty to fill gaps between teeth, whiten them, and correct minor cases of decay.
Crowns – Crowns are placed over damaged teeth to create a normal appearance and repair misshapen, fractured, or discolored teeth.
Porcelain Veneers – These refer to thin layers of porcelain bonded over the front surface of teeth to improve uneven surfaces and correct unevenly spaced, crooked, chipped, discolored, or oddly shaped teeth.

Only a personal consultation with your cosmetic dentist in Oxnard, CA will help to determine the best cosmetic treatments to help you achieve your dream smile.

Options for Replacing Your Teeth With Dentures

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Dentures are mostly associated with senior citizens who have lost all or most of their natural teeth. However, any person who has experienced substantial tooth loss can benefit from dentures. Dentures are removable appliances, and can be custom-made to fit different teeth replacement needs.

One consideration before getting dentures is the extent of tooth loss and the condition of the remaining teeth – if any. There are different types of dentures to replace one or more missing teeth, including:

Full dentures – these are ideal for people who have lost all their teeth and have sufficient gum tissue to support dentures
Partial dentures – these are recommended for people with one or more missing teeth, but still have some healthy natural teeth

Traditionally, the ideal candidate should have a healthy amount of gum tissue and jawbone to help provide sufficient suction force to keep them in place. Conventional dentures are usually made after your teeth extraction and moderate recovery of the gum tissue. They are ready for placement between 8 and 12 weeks after teeth removal. Because full dentures are not permanently fitted in your mouth, the fit may get loose with time, requiring you to visit the dentist for adjustment.

But there are other options available, including:

Implant-supported dentures – these allow patients who have lost all their teeth and don’t have enough healthy gum tissue to benefit from full dentures. Implant-supported dentures are anchored by dental implants. This treatment may take longer as you need to wait until the implant site has healed before fitting the dentures, but your denture will fit more comfortably and make it easier for you to talk, eat, and laugh.
Immediate dentures – these are temporary dentures fitted the same day as the tooth extraction to help maintain proper oral function and aesthetics before the permanent dentures are ready for placement in a few weeks. These dentures are fabricated in advance, before teeth extraction, so they’re ready for placement immediately after the procedure. Their main advantage is that you won’t have to stay without teeth during the recovery period.

If you or a loved one think you might need full dentures, please visit your dentist for proper consultation.