People are living longer these days and a Cosmetic dentist in Arlington, TX can help them have healthy teeth throughout their life. This isn’t just so older people can look better. Dentures and dental implants can help the elderly eat more nutritious foods. This keeps them healthier and stronger and gives their immune system a boost. As people age, their immune system weakens. That makes them more susceptible to the bacteria that cause gum disease. If periodontal problems aren’t caught early, they can result in tooth loss and even weaken the jaw bone.
If an older person loses a single tooth, a dental implant is good solution to replace it. Sometimes older people have less bone mass and they can’t support a full implant. An oral surgeon can perform a bone augmentation that makes the jaw larger. Sometimes a mini dental implant can be used to replace one of the smaller teeth on the front bottom jaw without augmentation. A mini implant is about 50 percent smaller than a regular implant. It takes about six to eight weeks for a jaw to incorporate any implant. The Cosmetic dentist in Arlington, TX then places a porcelain crown over it. The result is very natural and no one will guess that it’s not the original tooth.
Filling the space in the teeth with an artificial root and crown will help keep the jaw bone strong. When a person loses a tooth, the jaw starts to loose size and density. That’s because it has no function to perform. Nearby teeth can shift as a result. The insertion of a dental implant will help keep the remaining teeth in their proper place.
Older people often have to have all of their teeth extracted. This can be a very upsetting procedure. The dentist can fit them with immediate dentures immediately following the procedure. That will help lessen the emotional trauma, because the patient doesn’t have to face the world without teeth. As the swelling decreases the immediate dentures will have to be modified to fit the changing mouth. Once the healing is complete, dental implants can be inserted into the jaw, to help hold dentures securely in place during the day. The implant has a small metal ball on the top that slides into a slot on the dentures. Click here for more information.
