If you’ve been wearing dentures for some time, you might have experienced issues like poor fit, shifting, or clicking when talking or eating. Such problems can lead to discomfort, mouth sores, or food buildup under the dentures, contributing to bad breath.
If these issues sound familiar, there may be a solution for you. A new option is the combination of traditional dentures with dental implants, creating what’s known as hybrid dentures. This approach uses dental implants inserted directly into the jawbone to anchor the dentures, providing the stability and comfort previously only offered by natural teeth.
Advantages of Hybrid Dentures
- Improved Stability: Hybrid dentures are much more stable than traditional ones, allowing for better chewing capabilities and the ability to enjoy foods you might have had to avoid, like crisp vegetables or tough meats. This opens up a wider variety of foods, helping to maintain a balanced diet and avoid digestive issues.
- Smaller Dentures: With the increased stability from the implants, the dentures themselves can be smaller and more comfortable. Traditional dentures often cover the roof of the mouth, which can affect taste and feel, but implant-supported dentures allow for an open roof, enhancing your ability to enjoy food and providing a more natural feel for your tongue.
- Bone Preservation: Dental implants also help stimulate the jawbone, similar to natural tooth roots. This prevents bone shrinkage, which is common after tooth loss, and helps maintain the shape of your face and the fit of your dentures.
If you’re a denture wearer and want a more secure and comfortable experience, consider discussing with your dentist how hybrid dentures could improve your dental health and quality of life.
Are dental issues holding you back? Take control of your oral health by booking an appointment with our experienced team at our Ottawa dental office.
Do you have a single tooth that has darkened due to trauma? The first step in determining if a damaged tooth can be lightened is to visit your dentist for a thorough examination.
Your dentist will need to identify what is causing the dark staining. To do this, your dentist may perform x-rays or other tests to learn if the pulp of the tooth is “vital” or alive. If the tooth is deemed to be alive, external bleaching may yield the whitening results you are seeking. Your dentist can create a single-tooth bleaching tray to whiten the traumatized tooth effectively. This type of tray keeps the bleach away from other teeth, producing the best color match for your overall smile.
However, if it is determined that the nerves have died and it is no longer a living tooth, your dentist may need to perform a root canal. Darkening of a dead tooth can happen immediately or may develop over time after a root canal procedure has been performed. For this type of tooth trauma, your dentist or endodontist may recommend bleaching the tooth from the inside.
Stains from a non-vital tooth come from the inside, rather than outside, of the tooth. Therefore, your dentist needs to put the bleach inside the tooth. This type of teeth whitening is a routine procedure that involves making a small opening in the tooth through which to bleach the tooth. Once this procedure is complete, you can assess with your dentist whether the desired results have been achieved. If the whitening is not enough, the tooth can then be bleached externally as well. If the results are still not acceptable, you may want to consider a tooth-colored veneer or crown.
If you have a darkened tooth marring your smile, consult your dentist to determine the best teeth whitening treatment to return your smile to its bright, white best.
Take the first step towards optimal oral hygiene. Reserve your dental appointment at our Ottawa dental office now and experience personalized care.
Root canal therapy is a painless procedure performed when decay has caused enough damage to a tooth that it is either dying or has already died. During the procedure, your dentist or endodontist removes the diseased or damaged pulp from the tooth and refills the tooth cavity. To ensure a successful and pleasant treatment, here are some basic do’s and don’ts to follow:
Do’s:
- Do take any medication your dentist has prescribed for you before the root canal therapy.
- Do expect mild discomfort for 2-3 days following the procedure. Apply an ice pack and sleep with your head elevated to minimize swelling.
- Do continue brushing your teeth normally, even the root canal treated tooth.
- Do eat a soft diet for several days and avoid chewing on the treated tooth until a permanent restoration is placed.
- Do contact your dental professional immediately if you have any complications or questions during your recovery, and make sure to keep any follow-up appointments.
Don’ts:
- Don’t anticipate pain; stay calm and relaxed during the procedure.
- Don’t skip taking prescribed pain medications, even if you are not experiencing extreme pain.
- Don’t bite on hard foods or disturb the affected tooth during the course of treatment.
- Don’t drink excessively hot or cold beverages until the treatment is completed.
- Don’t smoke or drink alcohol within 24 hours of the root canal therapy.
- Don’t delay getting the treated tooth capped with a crown or other restoration to avoid fracture or additional damage, causing failure of your root canal therapy.
Root canal therapy has a 95% success rate. By following these simple guidelines, you can help ensure a positive result from your root canal therapy and enjoy many more years of a healthy smile.
Whitening your teeth to improve your smile is a popular cosmetic treatment, but you should understand that it does have some limitations to consider. If products are used correctly or if you seek the professional help from a qualified dentist, you can usually achieve a bright and appealing smile. Here are some things to think about when it comes to teeth whitening.
Methods:
You should not expect over-the-counter methods to whiten your teeth more than a couple of shades. The whitening ingredients available in products at your drugstore are not as strong as those used at your dentist’s office. Consistent and correct use of over-the-counter options can help whiten your teeth, but it may not be as much as some patients hope will occur. On the other hand, professional methods can produce dramatic and quick improvements to the color of your teeth.
Habits:
Certain habits contribute to stains on your teeth and if you don’t limit or stop activities prone to discoloring teeth, your newly whitened teeth may become discolored again. Foods like berries and curry, drinks such as coffee and red wine, and habits like smoking will all likely negatively affect your tooth color.
Restorations:
Bridges, crowns, and laminates might not respond in the same way to whitening agents as your natural teeth do. Ask your dentist about how your restorations might react to teeth whitening.
Side effects:
Tooth sensitivity is the most common side effect of whitening procedures, causing some patients to be unable to handle some methods of treatment. Gum sensitivity is another potential problem, but usually dissipates soon after the whitening procedure. Weakening of a restoration may also occur during whitening treatment, sometimes making it necessary to replace them.
Expectations:
Teeth whitening must be occasionally repeated if you want your bright smile to remain for a lifetime. The effects do not last indefinitely, because aging and activities can stain your teeth. Excessive bleaching may damage your teeth though, so be sure to discuss your whitening treatment with your dentist.
Do not let another day go by without taking care of your dental needs. Request an appointment now at our Ottawa dental office!
Life is moving faster than ever, especially for families with multiple children. Parents often feel like chauffeurs, shuttling one child to band practice, another to piano lessons, and yet another to a doctor’s appointment. Now, there’s a solution to one of the more challenging tasks: visiting the dentist.
In the past, parents would visit one dentist while their children saw another. As children grew older and outgrew their pediatric dentist, they would have to form a new relationship with an entirely different dentist. For young people just starting to take responsibility for their own dental care, this often leads to inconsistent dental visits, which can result in poor oral hygiene and the onset of adult dental issues.
A family dentist eliminates this hassle by providing care for the entire family, from infants cutting their first teeth to seniors seeking options for aging teeth. This long-term relationship is invaluable because the family dentist has access to the patient’s dental history over many years, enabling them to make the most informed decisions about care.
Convenient family appointments:
With a family dentist, you can schedule appointments in blocks, allowing you to bring the whole family in for checkups and cleanings on the same day—sometimes even at the same time. This convenience saves time and ensures that every member of your family receives the dental care they need.
If you’re looking to save time while ensuring the best possible dental care for you and your family, consider seeking out a skilled family dentist. You won’t regret it!
Are dental issues holding you back? Take control of your oral health by booking an appointment with our experienced team at our Ottawa dental office.
There are a number of reasons people choose to get dental veneers, which are able to hide all kinds of tooth problems. These thin porcelain shells are bonded to the front surfaces of your teeth and can transform an embarrassing smile into one to fill you with pride. One of the most common reasons that many patients opt for veneers is to hide discolored teeth.
No matter what the cause for it, teeth can lose their bright white shine over time. It can be from consuming foods and drinks that tend to stain teeth, such as red wine, coffee, berries, sodas, and other culprits. Or it can be side effects from medications, including the antibiotic tetracycline which can cause severe tooth discoloration if taken during a child’s formative years. Poor oral hygiene can also contribute to yellowed teeth, as well as tobacco use. Aging in general tends to discolor teeth too.
If your teeth show the effects of staining or yellowing, and you’d like to get that healthy youthful glow back, porcelain veneers are a good option. They provide a unique advantage of never staining, so they look like new the entire time you have them. With proper care, your veneers should last for decades or even a lifetime. That means a bright, white smile that won’t deteriorate!
Another great benefit about veneers is that they provide an instant improvement to your smile. As soon as they are placed, your smile will be transformed. If you have concerns about what they will look like, many dentists are able to use computerized photo imaging technology to give you an accurate idea of what to expect. This may alleviate any hesitations about veneers being the right solution to hide your discolored teeth. Ask your dentist today about the possibility of getting veneers to improve your smile.
Take the first step towards optimal oral hygiene. Reserve your dental appointment at our Ottawa dental office now and experience personalized care.
