Hybrid Dentures: How to Clean & Care for these Unique Dental Implants

May 11th, 2014 by Dr. Patel

Whether you’ve just received your new hybrid dentures or you’ve had them for a few years now, regular care and maintenance are critical steps in ensuring that your oral health remains strong. Let’s take a look at a few pointers for how you can care for your hybrid dentures.

First and foremost, you’ll want to adhere to a proper oral hygiene regimen which includes brushing, flossing, using mouthwash as directed and seeing your dentist regularly. While dental implants are secure inside of your mouth, if they and the areas around them are not properly cleaned you may end up with gum disease or other complications which can actually lead to the implants needing to be removed. Be sure to see your dental hygienist regularly for proper teeth cleanings, and don’t forget to brush at least twice a day or as directed.

The best possible thing you can do for your oral health is quit smoking and/or chewing tobacco if those are among your habits. Cigarette smoking can lead to all sorts of issues within your mouth, and if you have hybrid dentures the inflammation, gum disease and other complications can cause very serious dental issues over time. Other risk factors for gum disease include poor nutrition, obesity and stress, all of which are within your control. Avoid foods that contain a large amount of refined sugar as these can cause havoc with your remaining natural teeth and lead to bacterial infections in your gums. But if there is only one step you will take: quit smoking!

It’s important to note that most individuals who opt for hybrid dentures do so because the bone density or volume in their jaw bone has been significantly reduced. If you have hybrid dentures, you’ll want to ensure that you are working to maintain your bone health and density, especially if you’re over the age of 65 or are a female. Aim for a minimum of 1200 mg of calcium each day – this can be obtained through food or through supplementation, but tablets are going to be easier – and for around 800-1000 IU of vitamin D. Be sure to let your oral and maxillofacial surgeon know if you’re taking any medications that can affect your bone health and density, such as Fosamax (alendronate).

One final note: be sure to come back to see the Lorton Oral Surgery team for any necessary checkups, and don’t miss those that are scheduled with your regular dentist. At times your hybrid dentures may need to be removed for a full cleaning, or adjusted to ensure a proper fit. Avoiding maintenance checkups may seem like a time-saver now, but can lead to some serious issues later. If you’re ever unsure about what you need to do, give our team a call and we will be happy to assist. Thanks for visiting!

Blog Lorton VA, Lorton Springfield Dental Implant & Oral Surgery

A Brief History on Hybrid Dentures, and why they're an excellant option for those in need

May 14th, 2014 by Dr. Patel

If you’ve lost or are at risk of losing a number of teeth in your mouth, your dentist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon might have explained that you will be in need of dentures in the near future. There are a number of different options, from classic removable dentures to hybrid dentures, bridges and more. Let’s explore hybrid dentures a bit further and you’ll quickly see why they are a fantastic option if you’re in need of partial or replacement teeth.

Also known as ‘fixed-detachable’ dentures, hybrid dentures are essentially prosthetic teeth that are secured to your jaw via implants. If there is a significant amount of bone loss in your jaw area – and you don’t want to deal with the hassle of removable dentures – your oral and maxillofacial surgeon may recommend having hybrid dentures implanted.

The most obvious difference is that hybrid dentures are implanted into your jaw bone as opposed to being removable. You’ll also quickly notice that there is a pink acrylic below the teeth that looks like natural gingival or ‘gum’ tissue, which ensures that your false teeth have a far more natural appearance. Hybrid dentures also have a small gap between the jaw bone and the denture itself in order to allow for cleaning. Regardless, it’s still recommended to visit the office a couple of times each year to have the dental implant removed so that a full cleaning can be performed.

When it comes to maintenance and care, removable dentures can be a high-maintenance nightmare. For many patients, some form of adhesive is required to ensure that the dentures ‘stick’ inside of the mouth and aren’t moving around all day. At night, they need to be removed and soaked in some sort of solution. When you take into account the number of times a year and multiply this over the rest of your life, you’ll quickly see that you will be gluing and cleaning removable dentures many thousands of times. Hybrid dentures are incredibly low maintenance; once the final denture is installed, it is fixed and will only be removed by a dentist on rare occasions.

While you might imagine that a surgical procedure to install dental implants is painful, nothing could be further from the truth. At Lorton Oral Surgery we employ a variety of analgesic, anesthetic and sedation dentistry techniques to ensure that your comfort level is exactly where you would like it. After your treatment is complete you will be supplied with a short run of medications that will ensure that the healing and recovery process is also as pain-free as possible.

Hybrid dentures are just one of the options you have for replacing missing teeth. Contact the Lorton Oral Surgery team at your convenience to get an appointment booked so you can discuss your choices and find the one that best suits your needs. We look forward to meeting you!

Blog Lorton VA, Lorton Springfield Dental Implant & Oral Surgery

What are the best options when you have lost a tooth?

April 7th, 2014 by Dr. Patel

There are generally only two ways you will lose a tooth: Either from a professional extraction, or from an accident. If you encounter the latter, did you know that it’s possible to have the tooth put back in? Always make sure to save the tooth, either by placing it gently back into your mouth or in a tissue covered with whole milk or a saline solution. It’s recommended that you don’t clean it off or disinfect it but rather take it quickly to a dentist. As long as the vital tissue is preserved and the nerves are protected, you may be able to have it reinserted. If you lose a single tooth completely, there still are a number of options that can help deal with the space that’s left over. Depending on your unique situation, you may be a suitable candidate for one of the following options.

If the teeth on either side of the gap are of adequate health and strength, you may be a candidate for a fixed bridge. In order to create the structure, the teeth on either side are reduced in size to remove the enamel and to make a secure post from which the bridge can attach. The benefit to this procedure is that the effect appears seamless and is semi-permanent in nature, lasting up to 12 years. There is, however, some risk to the reshaped teeth, as they have to be altered for this procedure. Weakened teeth are susceptible to dental disease and nerve trauma that can lead to root canal treatments. Another option may be a removable partial or full denture system.

Implants are essentially a replacement for your tooth that imitate the original in terms of root stability and support for the jawbone. The surrounding teeth hardly need to be altered in any way, which means that the impact of a “false” tooth is greatly reduced to adjacent teeth. An artificial root is created out of titanium metal and inserted into the root end of the missing tooth. This acts as an anchor for the replacement. The benefits to this system are that implants act like natural teeth in that you can clean and floss them in exactly the same way you would with a normal tooth. Despite their larger initial cost, you may not require any further maintenance, thereby reducing long-term costs that occur with other systems.

The reasons for ensuring that a lost tooth is dealt with quickly are more than cosmetic. When a space is created, a number of things start happening almost immediately to your mouth. Without the stimulation of the tooth on the jaw, the bones that once supported that tooth begin to shrink in a process called “resorption.” Over time, the bone will lose both height and width, which can affect the surrounding area. Neighboring teeth can drift and migrate when an adjacent tooth is lost; their natural tendency is to drift toward the opposing jaw and toward the front of the mouth unless they are blocked. All in all, it can become extremely costly to deal with a lost tooth and the space that it has created.

For more information contact us at our dental implant Fort Belvoir office to set up an appointment. And to receive ongoing advice and information direct to your inbox, sign up for our company newsletter. If you’re interested in dental implants, know that, generally, if you’re in good health, have healthy gums and have enough bone in your jaw to hold an implant, you can be a suitable candidate. Remember that regardless of the method you choose, it’s extremely important to have the procedure taken care of quickly before bone loss or drifting occurs leading to far more devastating dental issues down the road.

Blog Lorton VA, Lorton Springfield Dental Implant & Oral Surgery