Your smile today may not be as brilliant as it once was. Years of wear and tear, injury, or poor care can cripple the appearance and comfort of your teeth and smile. Dr. Arms and his team change lives every day through restorative dentistry. Discover how to rejuvenate your smile today!
Implants
If Dr. Arms discovers that you need to restore a single tooth or several teeth, a dental implant is one of the most stable forms of restorative dentistry and can be used for your comfort in such cases. While 10-percent of Americans who need dentures can’t wear them, 40-percent of partial-denture patients don’t wear them. Missing teeth cause loss of bone and muscle in the face, which dramatically reduces your ability to chew. Lost bone and facial muscle tone not only affect function but also make you look and feel older. Dental implants to the rescue! Dental implants involve the placement of a medical grade tooth root shaped titanium post directly in the place of the missing tooth. As the bone bonds to the post, it forms a secure foundation for the attachment of a crown or a prosthetic tooth that is custom created for you. Implants are sometimes used instead of bridges to maintain the integrity of your teeth on either side of the gap.
Implant Supported Denture
While typical dentures shift and require the use of denture adhesives to keep them in place, implants fit solidly and securely. This reduces the problems associated with traditional dentures such as gum sores, difficulty speaking and chewing struggles. 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 and Partial Dentures
A denture is a removable dental appliance replacement for missing teeth and surrounding tissue. They are made to closely resemble your natural teeth and may even enhance your smile. Complete dentures are used when all of the teeth are missing, while partial dentures are used when some natural teeth remain. A partial denture not only fills in the spaces created by missing teeth, but prevents other teeth from shifting.
A conventional denture is made after the teeth have been removed and the gum tissue has healed, which usually takes four to six weeks. During this time, the patient will go without teeth. Immediate dentures are made in advance and placed immediately after the teeth are removed, thus preventing the patient from having to be without teeth during the healing process. Once the tissues shrink and heal, adjustments will have to be made.
Dentures are very durable appliances and will last many years, but may have to be remade, repaired or readjusted due to normal wear. The process of getting dentures requires several appointments, usually over several weeks.
Crowns
Erase years of wear and tear with porcelain crowns. Sometimes called “caps,” porcelain crowns are customized just for your mouth’s broken, cracked or discolored teeth. Crowns are a durable, strong, long lasting method of enhancing both the look and function of your smile. After some preparation of the tooth or teeth that will receive the crown(s), Dr. Arms will position a custom designed, life-like porcelain crown over your damaged tooth, restoring and rejuvenating your oral health.
Bridges
Once you have missing teeth, other changes happen within your mouth. Other teeth may begin shifting, gums are exposed differently, a change in bite or chewing habits takes place, etc. Ultimately this may cause mouth pain, gaps and spaces that make you less healthy and less confident. A porcelain bridge, custom designed by Dr. Arms, keeps your smile aligned and your bite functional. Bridges are anchored to existing teeth or crowns on either side of the missing tooth. They are semi-permanent, meaning they can only be affixed or removed by a dentist and are a long-term restorative solution to your damaged smile.
Inlays/Onlays
Removing tooth decay effectively requires the removal of a portion of your tooth. The removed portion is replaced with a porcelain inlay or onlay. Dr. Arms customizes an inlay or onlay to fill the space left behind when the part of your tooth is removed. Traditionally, inlays and onlays were made out of metal, much like traditional filings. Now, porcelain designed inlays and onlays are virtually indistinguishable from natural teeth and provide relief from chewing pain, cavity pain and tooth degeneration.
TMJ
The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is in front of the ear where the upper jaw meets the lower. When the joint doesn't work properly, or becomes inflamed, it leads to headaches, locked jaws and other issues. In some cases, the symptoms of a TMJ disorder persist and Dr. Arms must recommend one or more conservative, non-surgical treatments or behavioral interventions to alleviate pain, to correct dental problems that contribute to the disorder or to change habits that amplify the severity or frequency of the symptoms.
Treatment may include the use of a plastic biteplate or splint worn over your teeth to help align your upper and lower jaws. A biteplate may also reduce pressure in the joint structure. Some may benefit from the use of a night guard appliance. If you grind your teeth in your sleep, a night guard appliance, which is a soft or firm device inserted over your teeth, can help prevent grinding and excessive wear of your teeth. If the other approaches don't work, your doctor or dentist may refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Surgery to repair or remove the disk between your mandible and temporal bone may be beneficial.
