Your dentist has finally delivered the recommendation you've been expecting and dreading—that you investigate the option of false teeth. If you feel apprehensive at the notion, you should know that adults of all ages wear various types of dental prosthetics without any issues at all. In fact, modern innovations such as dental implants can take the place of your original teeth to an astonishing degree. Here are some good reasons to get over your "false teeth phobia."
False Teeth Beat Diseased Teeth Any Day
Maintaining a mouthful of healthy teeth for life is obviously the ideal scenario for anyone who wants to enjoy an optimal smile, but ideal scenarios aren't all that common in the real world. Many people have underlying conditions that make their teeth unusually prone to problems. These include:
- Bruxism—Years of untreated tooth grinding or clenching can result in worn, cracked or broken teeth that have trouble resisting bacteria.
- Sjogren's syndrome—This chronic disease dries out your mouth and thus robs your teeth of the antibacterial protection they receive from saliva.
- Diabetes—Diabetes can contribute to dry mouth, gum disease and tooth decay, which in turn can actually boost blood sugar levels.
Whatever the cause, hanging on to chronically diseased teeth isn't always the smartest move. That's because the bacteria infiltrating those teeth can spread throughout your body via your blood supply, ending up in the heart valves or even the brain to create potentially fatal situations. By contrast, dentures can never fall prey to bacterial decay or infection. Imagine never having to worry about a cavity or toothache again—not to mention a systemic infection—and you may begin to see the advantages of making this transition.
Dentures Don't (or Shouldn't) Hurt
If you have upsetting childhood memories of your grandmother or great-grandfather suffering from constant denture pain, rest assured that you don't have to experience the same fate as a denture wearer. The simple fact may be that your ancestor didn't take the expected, necessary steps to make sure that those dentures continued to fit properly, or the dentures themselves may have been substandard in some way.
Properly designed, fabricated and fitted false teeth don't normally hurt after the initial adjustment period. Initially your mouth may be sore and swollen from extractions, which isn't the dentures' fault. Any temporary dentures you received will no longer fit after the gum swelling goes down, which may result in more discomfort until the dentist perfects the final result. But once your mouth has settled down, your new "teeth" should feel fine until they need to be relined. Your jawbones will continue to change shape subtly over the years, and this will affect the fit of your dentures. But relining them is a simple matter that can provide you with comfortable chewing and talking once again.
You Can Have Artificial Teeth Permanently Implanted
Maybe your main objection to dentures is the potential insecurity of having them slip during a conversation or meal. Perhaps you just don't feel like adopting a whole new routine for cleansing and caring for a set of false teeth, or you don't want to have to deal with bridgework just because you're missing a single tooth. The good new is that, thanks to modern dental technology, you can have one or more artificial teeth permanently implanted in your jawbone.
Dental implants are the next best thing to keeping your own teeth—and like other forms of false teeth, they'll never experience decay. Your dentist will surgically implant threaded metal posts to act as "roots." During the healing process (which may take several months), a process called osseointegration enables the surrounding bone to fuse with the threads on the posts, securing them tightly in the jaw. Permanent crowns can then be attached to the posts, giving you strong, beautiful, undetectable false teeth that let you eat, talk, brush and floss normally. You can even have an entire upper or lower plate attached to a set of dental implants.
As you can see, the prospect of false teeth doesn't have to prompt depression, anger or fear. You can live a normal, healthy, happy life with the right set of dental prosthetics, so visit resources like http://www.joerosenbergddspa.net to learn more about your options with a dentist.
