Dental Implants Cheaper Than Dentures? Colorado Springs Cosmetic Dentists Explain How! PART 3

In this three-part article series,experienced dentists explain how the once-off cost of dental implants works out to be less expensive than the accrued cost of wearing dentures for many years.

Welcome to the final installment of this three-part article series on how the cost of dentures compare with that of dental implants. Previously, in Part 2, a Colorado Springs cosmetic dentist revealed that wearing dentures comes hand-in-hand with a variety of repeat costs that include:

• Anesthetic gels and ointments: Dentures can cause the gums to become terribly sore and uncomfortable.
• Adhesives strips: To help stabilize dentures and prevent them from slipping around or even falling out.
• Overnight soaking solutions: To keep dentures safe and hygienic overnight while you’re asleep.

But perhaps the greatest of these repeated costs is the need to have removable dentures refitted every few years or so. This becomes necessary as the jawbone atrophies, wastes away and physically changes in shape. So, dentures that may previously have fitted really well become increasingly loose and uncomfortable and eventually, patients will need to see the dentist to have a new set of dentures made.

This initially only happens every few years or so, but the rate of bone loss increases until eventually…The Point of No Return

“At some stage, your jawbone will become so deteriorated and atrophied and your mouth so sore-ridden and uncomfortable that dentures will no longer be able to provide you with a workable teeth replacement solution. And unfortunately, it is also at this stage that the jawbone will be too thin and weak to support dental implants,” say dentists in Colorado Springs.

This is the terrible irony faced by so many denture wearers: through a fundamental lack of stimulation of the jawbone, dentures will eventually leave you completely toothless and with no viable tooth replacement option!

How Are Dental Implants Different?

The procedures required to have dental implants placed may cost more than having removable dentures fitted – even significantly so – but the outcomes make it entirely worth it. Dental implants function, feel and look like natural teeth and, most importantly, they support a healthy,strong jawbone.

With one surgical appointment, Colorado Springs residents can get a beautiful set of new, non-removable teeth that can last them a lifetime without any additional expense other than the routine professional maintenance needed by anyone. If you look after your new teeth, you’ll never need to spend another cent on replacing teeth – forget costly refittings.

“Where removable dentures simply cannot compete with implants is in the quality of life implants make possible. When you’re able to eat, speak and smile confidently and without any discomfort, your life changes in a way you can never imagine possible,” say Colorado Springs cosmetic dentists. “We routinely see denture patients getting new teeth with implants and it’s one of the most satisfying parts of the job seeing their lives transform.”

A Final Note on Dental Implants

Without a doubt, dental implants are the most sophisticated and – in the long run – cost effective solution there is to the kind of edentulism caused by untreated gum disease. Dentures may initially offer Colorado Springs residents a workable solution, but it really is only a matter of time before discomfort, pain and repeated costs end up chipping away at your quality of life and confidence.

A Colorado Springs Cosmetic Dentist’s Comprehensive Patient Guide to Sedation Dentistry, PART 2

This four-part article series provides an in-depth overview of sedation dentistry, what it is, how it works, the benefits it offers and what patients can expect from its different methods of administration.

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series on sedation dentistry and everything patients need to know about this essential branch of dental healthcare. Previously, in Part 1, an experienced Colorado Springs cosmetic dentist explained what sedation is and what the three primary modes for administration are (oral pills, nitrous oxide gas and intravenous) before going on to describe what it actually feels like for patients.

Now, let’s take a look at the many benefits of sedation dentistry…

The Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

• Anxiety-free Treatment: Sedation dentistry eliminates fear and anxiety, which encourages patients to receive the routine preventative or restorative treatment they need to keep their teeth healthy.

• No More Sweaty Palms and Racing Hearts: It also eliminates many of the physical symptoms associated with fear and anxiety, which includes sweating, trembling, fainting, nausea and panic attacks.

• Pain-free Treatment: You don’t need to be terrified of the dentist to benefit from sedation dentistry.

  “Sedation is often administered to patients about to undergo complex and invasive procedures for which it eliminates pain, stress and discomfort,” explains the Colorado Springs dental implant dentist. It’s also good for patients who suffer with extremely sensitive or painful teeth.”

• Single Visit Treatment: Sedation dentistry enables dentists to perform longer and more involved procedures, such as dental implant surgery, in a single appointment instead of breaking it down into shorter phases or stages. With more work being achieved in a single appointment, patients are saved the time, inconvenience and expense of multiple procedures.

• A Good Dental Catch Up: Oftentimes, Colorado Springs dental implant dentists only see patients after many years of abandon, probably because fear and embarrassment has kept them away. Sedation dentistry enables the dentist to provide several years’ worth of treatment in only a few appointments. This isn’t the recommended way to go about receiving professional dental care, but it’s better than total neglect!

• Eliminates Gagging: Sedation can also be prescribed to those patients who have a strong gag reflex and who struggle to keep their lunch down, even when undergoing a straightforward check-up or cleaning.

• Benefits Dentist and Patient: Sedation dentistry is as beneficial to the patient as it is to the dentist. Any decent cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs is wholly concerned about the comfort and wellbeing of their patients and if a patient is seen to be struggling with panic and fear, it’s going to be hard for the dentist to dispense the quality of care they are truly capable of. By sedating the patient, both parties are put at ease and, as such, the dentist can provide the best quality care under much better and more relaxed circumstances. Patients are also calmer and more cooperative under the effects of sedation.

• Safe and Easy: Sedation medications are easily metabolized by the body, so they won’t deliver an unpleasant hangover afterwards. They also take effect really quickly and the dentist can easily control the dosage.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?

Image courtesy of Free Digital Photos

The ideal candidate for sedation dentistry is someone who suffers from any of the above-mentioned conditions: anxiety, fear, nervousness, strong gag reflex, painful or sensitive teeth or advanced neglect.

“If you have any kind of anxiety about undergoing dental treatment, whether it’s a routine examination or advanced surgery, sedation can really help you,” explains a cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs. “It can also help you overcome your fear, making it easier for you to seek professional dental care in future, even if you’ve had a bad experience in the past.”

Stay Tuned for Part 3

To read more about sedation dentistry and what the different modes of administration entail (pills, nitrous oxide gas and IV), stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series.

Colorado Springs Cosmetic Dentists Explain 10 Smile-Preserving Changes You Could Make Today, PART 4

This four-part article series explains 10 changes anyone can make to their daily routine, lifestyle and habits that can help to extend the life and beautiful appearance of their teeth and gums.

Welcome to the final installment of this four-part article series on the 10 simple changes you could make today to ensure that you keep your teeth healthier and your smile beautiful for decades to come. Over the course of the past three articles of this series, Colorado Springs cosmetic dentists have explained the following eight beneficial changes to one’s routine and lifestyle:

1. Brush your teeth for just a little bit longer each day. 
2. Brush your tongue or make use of a tongue-scraper after brushing your teeth.
3. See your oral hygienist for a professional teeth cleaning at least once per year.
4. Chew sugar-free gum after meals and when you want to freshen your breath.
5. Eat chocolate instead of hard, sticky or very brittle candy.
6. Drink water rather than fruit juice, energy drinks or soda.
7. Floss your teeth every day, especially before you go to bed at night.
8. Don’t chew ice: it’s a terrible habit that destroys teeth.

If you would like to keep your teeth beautiful and healthy – moreover, if you’d like to keep your teeth for life or as close to that as possible – then adhering to these tips and the following two is a great start!

 

 

Small Changes for Bigger Smiles # 9: Avoid Frequent Snacking

“Every time you eat, the pH level of your mouth drops, which is to say that it becomes more acidic. This is not only because most foods contain acid, but also because sugar and carbohydrates fuel bacterial growth. The byproducts these microorganisms produce are acidic,” says a dentist in Colorado Springs. “So, every time you eat, your dental enamel softens and becomes more vulnerable to cavities and acid erosion, which is why you should try to limit the amount of snacking you do throughout the day.”

Try to have three square meals a day with perhaps one afternoon snack to keep you going. Avoid energy drinks and limit the amount of coffee and sugar you consume between meals. Drink plenty of water instead and chew sugar-free gum to stimulate the production of saliva, which will wash away food debris and curtail bacterial growth. All of this can help prevent the need for new teeth.

Small Changes for Bigger Smiles # 10: Book an Appointment with Your Dentist

 

 

Avoiding the need for new teeth begins with the right lifestyle habits and good oral hygiene and ends with frequent professional care received from your oral hygienist and dentist. Routine dental appointments are crucial. You may be wholly unaware of any oral problems, such as cavities, decay or even gum disease and this is because they don’t typically present with any pain; especially in the beginning stages.

 

Your dentist will recognize the early signs of a wide variety of oral ailments and will provide treatment before they have a chance to progress to the point of doing permanent damage. Just because you don’t have a toothache doesn’t mean you don’t have decay that could eventually cause you to need new teeth! So frequent professional attention is crucial for good lifelong oral health and a beautiful smile.

Lost a Tooth? Now What? Colorado Springs Cosmetic Dentists Walk Us Through the Process, PART 2

This four-part article series explains what you should do in the event that you lose one or more of your adult teeth, whether it is the result of an accident or tooth decay.

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series in which we speak to a panel of experienced Colorado Springs cosmetic dentists on tooth loss and the virtues of dental implants. Previously, we began by discussing the various causes of tooth loss – tooth decay, gum disease and accidental trauma. We then asked what should be done in the event that a tooth needs to be extracted and it was briefly explained that most experienced dentists will first discuss a patient’s options with them in detail. Let’s pick up where we left off…

So, if I need a tooth pulled because of, for example, decay, my dentist will talk to me about my options, right?

 

 

“They should! If they don’t consult with you first, you may want to consider looking for a new dental healthcare professional. Your dentist should explain to you what technologies are available for the replacement of missing teeth and the advantages, disadvantages and costs of each. Any dentist in Colorado Springs would want you to make as informed a decision as possible and so he or she will discuss all your possible options and address all your concerns before proceeding. What’s important, however, is that you do make a decision and act swiftly, because teeth that are left without replacement tend to cause all sorts of problems.”

Okay, so my decision is to have a missing tooth replaced with a dental implant. Can it be done on the same day as my extraction?

 “In some cases it’s possible to place the implant the day of the extraction, but in many cases a separate appointment will be scheduled for dental implant surgery, especially if a tooth has considerable bone loss around it, which may need to be grafted prior to implant placement. Dental implant surgery, as with any surgery, requires detailed planning. It typically requires X-rays and in advanced cases of gum disease and the loss of many teeth, it can even require CBCT scans. So, most dentists in Colorado Springs will require you to return to their practice on a scheduled day for your procedure.”

Is there anything I need to do in preparation for my surgery?

 

“Typically, no. You just need to show up on time, but if you have been diagnosed with tooth decay, you may want to assess your lifestyle and daily habits and try to improve upon them. Tooth decay can happen to anyone; even to those who do brush and floss regularly, but it certainly happens more frequently to those who don’t and to those who smoke, eat unhealthy foods and who haven’t seen a dentist in years.”

“If you are a smoker, it is advised that you cease tobacco-use as soon as you decide to have dental implants placed because it increases your risk of implant failure quite considerably. Smoking also retards the healing process and can render post-operative infection more likely. Lastly, if you’re having many or all of your teeth replaced, your surgeon may recommend a general anesthetic in which case you may be required to come in for surgery with an empty stomach. Your dental implant surgeon will explain all of this in detail to you prior to treatment,” explain the Colorado Springs cosmetic dentists.”

Stay Tuned for Part 3

 To find out more about the journey involved in getting teeth replaced with dental implants, stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series.

How a Cosmetic Dentist Can Help You

What does a cosmetic dentist do exactly? Learn how a cosmetic dentist can help you improve your smile.

Oftentimes, when people think of going to the dentist, they conjure up images of getting their teeth cleaned or having cavities filled. However, a cosmetic dentist does much more than help you with your basic dental hygiene. A cosmetic dentist can improve the aesthetics of your smile.

Boost Your Confidence

Simply changing the way your smile looks can dramatically change your appearance and your self-image. If you aren’t entirely happy with the way your teeth look when you speak, smile, and laugh, a cosmetic dentist can transform your smile with a variety of different techniques. Cosmetic dentists in Colorado Springs can also perform general dental procedures, so you can continue to see your cosmetic dentist after any procedures to ensure proper cleaning and care.

 

Are your teeth damaged, stained, misaligned, too small, chipped, discolored, or even missing? A skilled cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs can transform even the “worst” case of bad teeth into a movie star smile that looks natural. Services can include smile rejuvenation, porcelain veneers, crowns, lumineers, gum lift and recontouring, gum bleaching, snap-on smile, dental bridges, teeth whitening, and tooth-colored fillings to help you achieve the look you’ve always dreamed of having.

Fix Crooked Teeth

Misaligned and crowded teeth can place unnecessary stress on your jaw, or even make it difficult to eat or properly keep your teeth clean. They also don’t portray a professional or attractive appearance. A simple procedure such as Invisalign or porcelain veneers can straighten your teeth and dramatically improve the way you are perceived by others when you show your teeth.

If your teeth are discolored from tobacco, tea, coffee, soda, juice, poor oral hygiene, medications, or illness, this can simply be corrected with teeth whitening. Porcelain veneers and crowns may also be an option if your teeth are damaged.

Help For a Gummy Smile

Do your gums show when you smile? This is often referred to as a gummy smile, and it can make your teeth look too small. Upon first glance, it may even appear as if you have no teeth when you’re smiling really big and lots of gum tissue is visible. The great news is that this problem can be corrected. Gum recontouring, gum lift, lip surgery, botox, veneers, crowns, and sometimes even braces are used to correct this embarrassing condition. A cosmetic dentist can help you decide the right option for you.

Are your teeth worn down? This can actually lead to health problems if nothing is done to fix this. Thinning enamel can cause you to become susceptible to tooth decay. Crowns and veneers can correct worn teeth and prevent future health problems.

Do you have large spaces between your teeth that are unattractive and make it difficult to chew your food? Braces and Invisalign are smart options for spaced teeth. Sometimes crowns and veneers are also used.

No More Missing Teeth

Are you missing one or more teeth? This can often be one of the most confidence-lowering cosmetic concerns, but it also presents a health issue. Missing teeth expose your gums to bacteria and plaque, and can actually promote loss of bone tissue in your jaw. Fortunately, dental implants can permanently correct this problem. A dental implant looks and feels just like a natural tooth, and it preserves and protects the health of the surrounding teeth and gum tissue. A cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs can fix your missing teeth problem.

Professional Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is of course one of the most common cosmetic dental procedures. It can be done much more safely inside a cosmetic dentist’s office than with over-the-counter whitening kits. Teeth whitening is also fairly inexpensive, and when done professionally, the results can last for a long time.

 

The benefits of professional teeth whitening from a cosmetic dentist.

This article explains why professional teeth whitening is safer and more effective than at-home teeth whitening systems.

There is a growing demand for a wide variety of cosmetic dentistry procedures, and thanks to technology this area of dentistry continues to advance with better strategies for creating perfect smiles. Even if you have healthy teeth with no obvious chips, cracks, or cavities, you probably suffer from a bit of staining or yellowing of your teeth. Coffee lovers, tea drinkers, and closet soda addicts will most definitely have some staining. If you’re a health nut with a penchant for drinking green smoothies for breakfast and munching on kale chips at snack time, you might even develop a little bit of a mossy green tint to your teeth. Even your Instagram filter will not be able to make your teeth the sparkly white teeth color you need for your social media profile photos!

Boost your confidence, as well as your following on Instagram and Twitter, with some professional teeth whitening. The difference between professional whitening and an at-home whitening kit is striking. Let’s go over the top four benefits of using a cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs to make your teeth a sparkly movie star

1. Fast and Easy

There are distinct benefits to a professional teeth whitening. You’ll feel relaxed in the dental chair, knowing that an expert cosmetic dentist is helping you attain the perfect shade of white. There is no guesswork involved. There are many whitening agents on the market over-the-counter, but leaving them on too long or choosing too high of a strength of whitener could lead to tooth sensitivity that may be permanent. Obviously, that’s not pleasant. One simple visit to your cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs can whiten your teeth with long-lasting, safe results that won’t damage the enamel on your teeth. If your teeth are unusually dark, you may require two to six visits for optimal results.

2. Control and Guaranteed Safety

A cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs will ask you questions regarding the sensitivity of your teeth, and he or she will examine your teeth and the strength of your enamel. This will help your dentist determine the optimal strength of the solution to use on your teeth, and how long it should be applied (and whether you will require more than one treatment application). With an over-the-counter whitening system, you are largely shooting in shooting in the dark and guessing.

 

3. Movie Star White Guaranteed

If you want your teeth to be the beautiful color of a movie star’s pearly whites, a professional can get you there. With an over-the-counter solution, you probably get what you pay for. Do you think the movie stars whiten their teeth with products from a discount store?

4. No worries about tooth sensitivity and side effects

You may be wary of having your teeth whitened because you may have friends, family, or co-workers who used an at-home tooth whitening system, and now they can’t eat ice cream or drink hot mocha lattes. Many of the homes whitening systems contain a high amount of hydrogen peroxide, which can damage tooth enamel and cause your teeth to become sensitive to hot and cold. Professional cosmetic dentists in Colorado Springs don’t use teeth whitening solutions that can damage your enamel.

 

The Benefits of Professional Teeth Whitening from a Cosmetic Dentist

There is a growing demand for a wide variety of cosmetic dentistry procedures, and thanks to technology this area of dentistry continues to advance with better strategies for creating perfect smiles. Even if you have healthy teeth with no obvious chips, cracks, or cavities, you probably suffer from a bit of staining or yellowing of your teeth. Coffee lovers, tea drinkers, and closet soda addicts will most definitely have some staining. If you’re a health nut with a penchant for drinking green smoothies for breakfast and munching on kale chips at snack time, you might even develop a little bit of a mossy green tint to your teeth. Even your Instagram filter will not be able to make your teeth the sparkly white teeth color you need for your social media profile photos!

Boost your confidence, as well as your following on Instagram and Twitter, with some professional teeth whitening. The difference between professional whitening and an at-home whitening kit is striking. Let’s go over the top four benefits of using a cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs to make your teeth a sparkly movie star

1. Fast and Easy

There are distinct benefits to a professional teeth whitening. You’ll feel relaxed in the dental chair, knowing that an expert cosmetic dentist is helping you attain the perfect shade of white. There is no guesswork involved. There are many whitening agents on the market over-the-counter, but leaving them on too long or choosing too high of a strength of whitener could lead to tooth sensitivity that may be permanent. Obviously, that’s not pleasant. One simple visit to your cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs can whiten your teeth with long-lasting, safe results that won’t damage the enamel on your teeth. If your teeth are unusually dark, you may require two to six visits for optimal results.

2. Control and Guaranteed Safety

A cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs will ask you questions regarding the sensitivity of your teeth, and he or she will examine your teeth and the strength of your enamel. This will help your dentist determine the optimal strength of the solution to use on your teeth, and how long it should be applied (and whether you will require more than one treatment application). With an over-the-counter whitening system, you are largely shooting in shooting in the dark and guessing.

3. Movie Star White Guaranteed

If you want your teeth to be the beautiful color of a movie star’s pearly whites, a professional can get you there. With an over-the-counter solution, you probably get what you pay for. Do you think the movie stars whiten their teeth with products from a discount store?

4. No worries about tooth sensitivity and side effects

You may be wary of having your teeth whitened because you may have friends, family, or co-workers who used an at-home tooth whitening system, and now they can’t eat ice cream or drink hot mocha lattes. Many of the homes whitening systems contain a high amount of hydrogen peroxide, which can damage tooth enamel and cause your teeth to become sensitive to hot and cold. Professional cosmetic dentists in Colorado Springs don’t use teeth whitening solutions that can damage your enamel.

Cosmetic Dentist in Pueblo CO Discusses Removable Dentures and Alternatives, PART 1

This two-part article series addresses traditional removable dentures as a solution to multiple missing teeth and edentulism. It then goes on to explore the alternative – dental implants – and why they are regarded as more beneficial to patients.

One way or another – whether through personal experience or having seen a loved one wear them – we all have an idea of what removable dentures or “false teeth” are. Prior to the innovation of dental implant techniques capable of replacing a patient’s entire set of teeth, dentures were really the only solution cosmetic dentists in Pueblo CO had available. If you had lost most or all of your original adult teeth, then a future of denture wearing was what you had to look forward to.

Technology has advanced considerably since these days and thank goodness it has because the teeth replacement techniques available today are far more comfortable and offer patients improved functionality and smile aesthetics. In spite of this, removable dentures are still the most popular method of teeth replacement, so let’s take a look at this technology.

What Are Dentures?

Removable dentures are artificial teeth that consist of an upper or lower set of ceramic teeth mounted into pink plastic or acrylic gums. Dentures are typically custom made for the Colorado Springs resident, although they are available in a range of standard sizes. Needless to say, custom-made dentures are likely to fit better and more comfortably.

How Do Dentures Work?

Dentures are essentially placed in the mouth over the gums where they rely on their bulk to remain stable. Other than this, there is nothing holding them in place, which is why they tend to shift around when eating and during conversation. It’s for this reason – for the discomfort associated with traditional dentures – that many dentists in Pueblo CO recommend dental implants instead, or at least dentures that are secured in the mouth using dental implants.

Challenges To Be Aware Of

Many of the challenges associated with wearing dentures arise from the fact that they are loose in the mouth. There is nothing really preventing them from moving around, which can cause the following problems:

• Oral discomfort,
• Constant self-consciousness,
• Difficulty eating,
• A low self-esteem,
• Unwillingness to smile openly.

Additionally, Colorado Springs cosmetic dentists warn patients that removable dentures do tend to press down on and rub against the gums during eating and conversation, which can cause them to become quite sore and inflamed. As a result many patients have to keep a tube of anesthetic gel handy to help relieve some of the discomfort associated with wearing dentures.

Other problems associated with the bulkiness and looseness of dentures include:

• Impediment of taste ability (bulkiness covers the soft palate),
• Lesser ability to experience the texture and temperature of one’s food,
• The triggering of the gag reflex,
• The repeated cost of anesthetic gels and adhesive strips to help secure dentures,
• Thin, stretched lips and aged smile aesthetics.

What Are The Alternatives?

Thankfully, as it was mentioned, Colorado Springs residents do have an alternative to dentures. Dental implants have been around for many decades, but it’s only recently – with the advent of newer, more sophisticated and less expensive techniques – that they’ve become accessible to the “average” person in need of a complete set of new teeth. The benefits they offer aren’t only aesthetic and functional in nature; dental implants also promote much better jawbone health…

Stay Tuned For Part 2

In the second half of this article series, cosmetic dentists shall explain the virtues and benefits of dental implants as an alternative teeth replacement solution to traditional removable dentures.