Dr. Richard Davidson -Your Teeth & Gum Disease

By far, most adult tooth loss (about 75%) is caused by periodontal disease, not tooth decay. As the bone is destroyed by bacterial infection and the body's response to it, there is less to hold the teeth. The teeth may become loose and need to be removed, or even fall out.

As the infection continues and the destruction advances, people tend to lose teeth one or two at a time. Losing teeth can decrease nutrition, which affects overall health. Lost teeth will need to be replaced with bridges, partial dentures,full dentures, or implants. These solutions are expensive and may not be as functional as real teeth. Full dentures have about 10% of the chewing efficiency of natural teeth. If practical and possible, it is frequently better to keep the natural teeth.

FIXED BRIDGES

Fixed bridges fill in the gaps left by missing teeth. They require strong support at each end of the gap, and are fairly expensive. Bridges are not removable. The teeth that the bridge are attached to must be shaped to hold it. This requires considerable grinding on the teeth that the bridge will be permanently cemented to. The result should be very strong and long-lived, but the teeth that the bridges are attached to can be susceptible to decay and periodontal disease. To avoid losing your teeth, treat your gum disease.

PARTIAL DENTURES

Partial dentures are usually less expensive than fixed bridge work and more stable than full dentures. Unlike fixed bridges that span and fill the gaps left by missing teeth, partial dentures are removable, and are also inherently less stable. They can be less attractive than fixed restorations, and can be damaging to the bone and supporting tissue of the teeth because of the micro movement permitted by their somewhat looser attachment to the teeth. To avoid partial dentures, treat your gum disease and other dental problems.

FULL DENTURES

Some patient find full dentures, in particular, to be difficult to use. Some of the problems with dentures include:

1. decreased texture and taste of foods, less pleasure in eating
2. difficulty or inability to eat certain foods
3. pain, discomfort or gagging
4. lisping, or clacking of dentures when talking
5. denture odor
6. artifical appearance of dentures
7. self consciousness, fear or embarrassment
8. change in appearance, premature aging
9. more chewing is needed to get food to a digestible consistency
10. to help avoid these problems, seek early treatment for your gum disease and other dental problems

IMPLANTS

implants are small metal posts that are placed in holes drilled into the jaw bone. The bone usually attaches firmly to the posts. Fixed bridgework is permanently attached to the posts. If done well, this is a very strong, attractive and long lasting restoration. It is also very very expensive. The posts and bridgework are not susceptible to decay, but posts require excellent hygiene to prevent gum disease. Bone support can also be lost around the posts from an uneven bite or from grinding. To avoid major dental procedures and tooth loss, have your gum disease and other dental problems treated early.