Dentures Can Help Restore Teeth After a Sports Injury

If your teeth have been injured while playing sports, dentures are your first option in replacing them.  Whenever possible we try to save natural teeth by using modern dental procedures and restorative dentistry.  Saving a natural tooth is always better than having it fall out or needing to pull it out.  The challenge is that it is not always possible to save a tooth.  Sometimes it is so significantly injured that replacing it is the best option.

When this is the case, we offer several cosmetic dentistry solutions for permanently replacing teeth.  This can include creating a dental bridge where a crown is placed on the two teeth surrounding the missing one in order to hold a new tooth in place.  If that is not a preferable option, we also offer dental implants and in this procedure a new tooth and root system is created.

Even if a patient elects to have a bridge or implant, dentures will likely be needed while the procedure is being completed.  Permanently replacing a tooth is not an instantaneous process.  It takes time to prepare the gums and teeth and to have a new tooth created in a dental lab.  These types of procedures can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on which direction you go.  During that time, you can either walk around toothless or wear an immediate denture so that your smile can still look amazing.  This is especially important for people that have lost one of their front teeth since no one wants to walk around with a silly smile.

When giving patients an immediate denture we try to make the tooth match the surrounding ones as closely as possible but since it is a temporary solution, it may not look perfect.  It is typically worn like a retainer would be and held in place by a wire.  This is an easy way to get an immediate tooth, and most people appreciate having the ability to look normal while in the transition.

Some people actually prefer dentures to a replacement option like a dental bridge or dental implant.  This is because wearing dentures is non-invasive. For people that are uncomfortable with the idea of having oral surgery or any major dental work, dentures provide an option that can look amazing while being completely non-invasive.  If you come in for an immediate denture and decide that you want to keep them, we can have a permanent set created in the lab.

Modern dentistry has come a long way, and dentures look more natural than ever because they can be created in the lab using an impression of your teeth. Our technicians can make sure that every aspect of it looks and feels great. This is important because you need to be able to bite down comfortably and without discomfort, which is only possible when the new tooth or teeth are created in the perfect size and shape.  If you are an athlete that has damaged their teeth, speak with us about dentures to determine whether or not it is the best solution for you. 

A University of Boston Study that Kevin J Daily DDS as a Dentist is Excited About

Many people like coffee and as a dentist it can be difficult to say whether or not drinking a cup of java will help or hurt your teeth – until now.  Researchers at the University of Boston wanted to find out if there were any oral health benefits to drinking coffee or if it could lead to periodontal disease. Understanding that antioxidants fight gum disease and coffee contains antioxidants made the question even more intriguing.

In order to find the answer, researchers reviewed data that had been collected by the Department of Veteran Affairs over the course of thirty years.  During this time, they observed and documented the oral health of over 1,100 men in the Boston area.  The study included results from tests and exams along with information on food consumption.  Since coffee was included in the study, researchers were able to break the subjects into two groups – those that drank a cup of coffee or more every day and those that did not.   Based on dental exams, participants that drank coffee regularly had fewer teeth with bones loss than those who did not.  Since bone loss is a common sign of gum disease, researchers have concluded that drinking coffee is good for the health of your gums.

The logic behind this conclusion is that the caffeine and antioxidants in coffee may prevent gums from becoming swollen or reduce the swelling if they do.  As a dentist, swollen gums are typically the first sign of gum disease so addressing it at this phase is important. This information could also benefit diabetics since they are at an increased risk for gum disease due to restricted blood flow. Pregnant women, smokers, and those that use chewing tobacco are also at a greater risk for gum disease so coffee could be a way to help reduce their risk.

Researchers also wanted to know if drinking coffee had any negative effects on oral health.  “We found that coffee consumption did not have an adverse effect on periodontal health, and, instead, may have protective effects against periodontal disease,” said Nathan Ng, lead author of the study.  This is contrary to what popular belief has been that coffee can lead to gum disease.   Research shows no direct negative health consequences though as a dentist we do recommend that people brush and floss throughout the day since the sugar and cream in coffee could create a risk for cavities.  The only downfall of black coffee is that it will probably stain your teeth and make them appear yellow, something we can correct with a teeth whitening procedure.

This is the first study of its kind, and we are curious to know if drinking coffee has a similar impact on gum health in women and if drinking tea would have the same benefits as coffee.  Additional research needs to be done to find out but in the meantime we can safely recommend adding a cup of coffee to an existing oral health routine.