Reasons for Extractions

Tooth extractions are a common procedure and usually go quickly and comfortably. But removing a tooth is not recommended lightly. At Enid Dental Care, now under the operation of Dr. Stephanie Herbst, we believe that patients should be fully informed about their health options, which is why we want them to know what kinds of issues would lead to an extraction.

In most cases, extractions are done in response to dental overcrowding. Modern peoples’ jaws do not usually grow large enough to accommodate the wisdom teeth (the backmost set of molars). As a result, the wisdom teeth commonly get stuck while erupting or force other teeth out of the way, ruining their alignment. Other teeth can be impacted, too, and although they wouldn’t usually be extracted, baby teeth might be removed if they don’t fall out and premolars are sometimes removed prior to orthodontic treatment.

There are a number of ways to save teeth that have been infected or injured, but sometimes they or the surrounding gum tissue are so compromised they need to be removed. This could happen if a tooth is cracked at the root. An implant that has become loose also needs to be removed, so patients with artificial teeth need to be especially vigilant about brushing.

Dr. Stephanie Herbst operates Enid Dental Care at 2411 Heritage Trail, Ste #4, Enid, Oklahoma, 73703. To schedule an appointment, call 580-237-2213 or visit Enid Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Types of Bridges

We’ve provided a lot of people with new teeth at Enid Dental Care. Thanks to advances in modern dentistry, there are now many options for tooth replacements. We wanted to take this opportunity to explain more about different kinds of bridges.

A bridge is a set of replacement crowns in one structure. A classical bridge was made up of two crowns which were placed over reshaped natural teeth, with a third crown suspended between them. Natural teeth tend to be more resilient than artificial ones so a dentist wouldn’t usually want to reshape them unless they need new crowns anyway. However, this method does have the advantage of leaving patients with their natural tooth roots.

It is also possible for dentures to be supported by implants. All-on-fours or all-on-sixes are bridges that are used to replace all the teeth in a jaw and are held permanently in place with normal-sized implants. Removable dentures can also be held in place with mini-implants. Partial implants have the advantage of allowing dentists to be more selective about which teeth a bridge replaces since they don’t require all the teeth in a row to be reshaped, but the denture itself will need to be replaced if the intervening teeth shift. Regardless of what kind of bridge a patient has, they will need to brush it on a daily basis.

Dr. Dennis Morehart, Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, operates Enid Dental Care at 2411 Heritage Trail, Ste #4, Enid, Oklahoma, 73703. To schedule an appointment, call 580-237-2213 or visit Enid Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Diabetes and Implants

As a Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, Enid’s Dr. Dennis Morehart is an expert in placing implants. Many people have benefited from jaw-stabilizing tooth replacements, but for a long time, implants were considered risky prospects for people with difficulty controlling their blood sugar. Now, new research is indicating that diabetes may not raise the probability of implant failure, after all.

There are two ways in which diabetes was thought to be relevant to implant placement: duration of healing and inflammation. Because diabetes restricts blood flow, diabetic people take longer to recover from wounds. In order to place an implant, an incision must be made into the gum tissue, which is then sutured and allowed to heal during the time it takes for an implant to integrate into the jaw bone. Another incision may be made when an abutment is placed on top. While it is true that the gums take longer to heal in diabetics, the integration process usually takes six months, giving them plenty of time. And while chronic inflammation is associated with the failure of implants to integrate, the new study found that people with uncontrolled blood sugar do not experience higher failure rates within the first year of placement. It is still beneficial to a patient’s health to control their blood sugar, but if they find this difficult, they may not necessarily be disqualified from getting fixed dental restorations.

Dr. Dennis Morehart, Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, operates Enid Dental Care at 2411 Heritage Trail, Ste #4, Enid, Oklahoma, 73703. To schedule an appointment, call 580-237-2213 or visit Enid Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Vertical Dimension Loss

As a Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, Dr. Dennis Morehart of Enid is has experience treating some of the most complicated oral health problems. In people who are missing several teeth, the loss of vertical dimension in the face poses a threat to their appearance, comfort, and overall quality of life. It can even lead to bite collapse, which is why we want our patients to know more about it.

The teeth help to stabilize the jaw bones. When tooth roots are removed, the tissue from the jaw bone dissolves, and the face shrinks. This causes wrinkles to develop in the skin in between the nose and the mouth and makes the lower part of their heads look disproportionately small. It can also trigger temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD), resulting in pain throughout the jaw, head, neck, and shoulders. If the back teeth are missing, patients may attempt to chew with their incisors, causing the front teeth to be pushed horizontal and causing misalignment problems as well as loss of vertical dimension.

There are a few options for preventing or repairing this. When a full set of dentures are fabricated, dentists take care to match the height of the artificial crowns to the patient’s needs. The temporary dentures worn as part of the treatment help to ensure the crown size is correct. If larger implants are being used to secure dental bridges, the patient may have additional jaw bone material grafted on by a surgeon.

Dr. Dennis Morehart, Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, operates Enid Dental Care at 2411 Heritage Trail, Ste #4, Enid, Oklahoma, 73703. To schedule an appointment, call 580-237-2213 or visit Enid Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.