Benefits of Implants

If you need to get teeth replaced, you’ve come to the right place at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach. Our family practice offers several options for dental restorations, allowing us to treat patients in a wide variety of circumstances. But for long-lasting stability, one of the best treatments is a dental implant. These devices not only replace teeth, they also help restore the jaw bone, and can prevent a lot of other oral health problems.

An implant is like an artificial tooth root. It inserts in the jaw bone and supports an artificial crown. This differs from traditional dentures, which only replace the visible parts of teeth, in that the implant is immobile and spurs the growth of new bone tissue. When a tooth is lost, the jaw bone that used to surround its root recedes, causing the patient’s face to shorten. This can lead to temporomandibular joint pain and cause a person to grind their remaining teeth, further destabilizing them. But when an implant is inserted, new bone grows to surround it, in a process called osseointegration that takes a few months. When osseointegration is complete, a ceramic crown can be cemented onto the implant head and cared for like a normal tooth.

A patient will need to have some remaining jaw bone tissue to be a good candidate for an implant, and we’ll monitor the osseointegration process to ensure it’s working. But even if they lack bone tissue, it may be possible for a patient to get additive treatment. Implanted artificial teeth are still vulnerable to decay, and if the area around an implant becomes inflamed, the implant may have to be replaced. But most people can prevent this through regular brushing and flossing, and implants often last for over ten years.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

How are Gap Teeth Treated?

People commonly seek treatment for gaps between their upper front teeth. Often, the gap is closed with orthodontics during childhood, sparing the patient from having to whistle while they speak. But sometimes gaps, or diastema, can recur or there may be situations in which orthodontic work is not ideal. We at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach want our patients to know we can help them with cosmetic and bite problems, but the treatment strategy will depend on the gap’s cause.

Orthodontic work is done in late childhood after most of the patient’s adult teeth have erupted, but before their skull bones completely solidify. That means it is easier to guide teeth into different positions if the patient incurred a gap by sucking their thumb or pushing their teeth with their togue. It may not be too late for adults to get orthodontics, but they will need to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist if they are involuntarily thrusting their tongue forward when they swallow. Children who suck their thumbs can also sometimes benefit from psychological counseling to find healthier ways to self-soothe.

Occasionally, a gap might be caused by a person having a high labial frenulum. This means that the vertical strip of flesh connecting the inside of their upper lip to their upper jaw is interfering with the teeth coming together. If that’s the case, the frenulum might be surgically reduced when orthodontic work is nearly finished. It’s also possible for the teeth to shift positions somewhat after orthodontic work, particularly if other teeth have been removed. This is why it’s important to wear a retainer, and why our office will work with patients to replace missing teeth as quickly as possible.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

The Importance of Replacing Teeth

Usually, people don’t need much persuading to get missing front teeth replaced. The improvements in appearance, speaking, and bite function are obvious, and the implant is easy to place. However, people may struggle to understand why it is also critical to their oral health to replace missing molars. At All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, we’re experienced providers of dental implants and general dental care, and we want to make sure our patients understand the relation between teeth and head shape.

Molars are held in place by ligaments and, depending on whether they are in the lower or upper jaw, two or three roots. They are well-secured, but the jaw depends on the teeth to stimulate its growth of new tissue. When a tooth is missing, the nearby jaw bone will recede, often losing as much as twenty-five percent of its width within just the first year. As the jaw continues to lose tissue, the patient’s face will lose height. This could put excessive force on the temporomandibular joints, which connect the lower jaw to the skull, and can result in bite collapse. If a person attempts to use their front teeth for chewing, they risk pushing their front teeth outwards and causing further jaw pain.

The good news is that an implant can prevent further bone loss. The implant post stimulates the growth of new bone tissue through a process called osseointegration, and it can last for over ten years. Patients who have already lost a large amount of bone tissue may require a bone graft before they can receive an implant, but the completed prosthetic will allow them to chew normally.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Can People with Diabetes get Implants?

This National Diabetes Awareness Month, we at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach wanted to address the impact diabetes has on oral health. People with diabetes have a more difficult time fighting off infections, which puts them at greater risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay. Consequently, their risk of losing a tooth is elevated. However, recent assessments of scientific research have shown that many diabetic patients can be good candidates for endosteal dental implants, allowing them to regain their bite function.

There are a few important reasons why patients with diabetes need extra attention when getting implants. Placing an implant requires that an incision be made in the gum tissue. People with diabetes take longer to recover from incisions than people without, but the evidence shows that they nearly always recover fully. Another issue is that an implant’s stability can be adversely affected by the gum tissue surrounding it becoming inflamed, and people with diabetes get gum inflammation at higher rates. But the same study found that when their blood sugar is well-controlled, diabetic people’s implants survive at the same rate as those in other people for the first six years.

People with diabetes are at slightly greater risk for implant failure over multiple decades, but this risk can be mitigated through proper oral hygiene. We encourage everybody, but especially people with diabetes, to be attentive to signs of gum disease such as redness and bleeding, and to schedule a cleaning with us right away if they see something troubling. With care, diabetic people can enjoy good oral health throughout life.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Panorex Imaging

As a dental office that provides patients with a full range of care options, we at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach use the latest technology. Monitoring the eruption of wisdom teeth, the integration of an implant, and the health of the jaw bone all require rigorous x-rays. We use the Panorex, a device that provides a panoramic view of the patient’s mouth, allowing us to provide a superior quality of service.

A patient does not need to prepare for examination with a Panorex anymore than they would for a traditional x-ray. They will simply remove jewelry and other objects and then bite down on the plastic bite stopper on the Panorex machine. (The device may be lowered or raised to match a patient’s height.) Panels will then descend and rotate around the patient’s head while the x-rays are emitted. The whole process takes less than twenty seconds.

Images produced by the Panorex are highly detailed. Although they do not show soft tissues well, they allow us to more accurately predict tooth migration and detect changes in the vertical dimension of a patient’s jaw bone. They are commonly used for planning complex extractions and implant placement. They also subject the patient to fewer x-rays than traditional x-ray photographs and don’t require patients to hold film in their mouths.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit All Coast Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Implants Replace Teeth

The doctors and staff of All Coast Dental have seen many smiles saved by single-tooth dental implants.  Implants are a permanent restorative option for teeth that are missing or have been extracted.  They look and feel like natural teeth, and are the most permanent and efficient means of replacing lost teeth.

An implant is placed over a series of appointments because of the healing time required.  Implants are titanium screws inserted through an incision in the gum. Over a period of 3-6 months, the jaw bone heals around the implant to become a solid, stable base for the new tooth. During this time a patient is fitted with a temporary crown, and a custom crown is created to match their smile perfectly.

After the jaw bone and gums have healed appropriately, the custom crown is placed in a second minor procedure.  The doctor may need to expose the head of the implant by removing some gum tissue, and the crown is screwed to the top of the implant.  When this is complete the tooth looks like part of the natural smile, and with proper care will last for decades!

To learn more about single-tooth implants and all the services we provide, visit www.allcoastdental.net for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach, CA, call 858-270-4904.  

Diabetes and Implants

We at All Coast Dental in Pacific Beach understand that our patients may have conditions which complicate their oral health. One of the most common of these is diabetes, which puts patients at higher risk for developing gingivitis and periodontitis. Many of our diabetic patients worry that they need or may need prosthetic teeth, but are uncertain whether they can receive implants.

This question has been subject to many studies, but a consensus is emerging that diabetic patients are often good implant candidates. It is true that placement of implants requires surgical incisions and people with uncontrolled diabetes take longer to recover from wounds. Another complicating factor is that people with diabetes often suffer from chronic inflammation, and inflammation is thought to be a warning sign of a failing implant. However, reviews of the medical literature undertaken by the American Dental Association found people with uncontrolled diabetes have comparable rates of implant failure to non-diabetic and patients with controlled diabetes, and that the failure rates are very low. Patients receiving implants do require more careful monitoring while recovering from the incisions, which is a factor to consider, but diabetic patients need not worry that fixed prosthetic teeth are off-limits to them.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit AllCoastDental.net and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Orthodontics before Implants

At All Coast Dental, we’re proud to be able to offer patients a number of services for their dental needs, including implants and the ClearCorrect invisible aligners. However, when patients have multiple dental problems, they may not know which to address first. In most cases, orthodontic corrections should be made prior to placement of implants.

In the first place, until tooth alignment is corrected, there may not even be room for an implant, let alone another crown. But even when there is, it is important that the teeth be in as good alignment as possible before the implant is placed, because once it’s in, it’s (hopefully) not going to move. An implant is a titanium screw which the jaw bone tissue has fused with. It’s not going to be pushed around like natural teeth, and ClearCorrect is for mild cases of misalignment.

None of this is to say that a person who already has an implant has no hope of receiving orthodontics. It will depend on the position of the teeth and whether the implant-supported crown is in the front or back of the mouth. Sometimes implants can even be useful anchors for corrected dental arches.

Drs. Julie and Joseph Boulos operate All Coast Dental at 2180 Garnet Ave, Suite 1-K, Pacific Beach, California, 92109. To schedule an appointment, call 858-270-4904 or visit AllCoastDental.net and fill out a contact sheet.