Children's Sports and Dental Injuries

Children's Sports and Dental Injuries

Must-Know Facts About Complete Dentures

by Lillian Dixon

Teeth loss, whether due to age, an injury or a disease, can significantly change life as you know it. For example, you suddenly must change your diet and smile less. Besides, social gatherings become a nuisance, and your jaws feel generally weak over time. Fortunately, complete dentures are ideal for severe tooth loss because they can replace an entire arc of missing teeth. That said, many people don't understand full dentures, which often leads to misuse and poor care. This article highlights critical facts about complete dentures.

Restores Youthful Appearance

When you lose multiple teeth, your facial muscles begin to sag, particularly on the cheeks and lips. The reason is that teeth give structure to the face; hence, any missing pearly whites remove the necessary support. Over time, facial muscles elongate and sag, making you look older. A complete denture is a perfect solution for restoring the youthful look in toothless patients. It might explain why denturists generally recommend full dentures for edentulous patients. However, installing complete dentures on patients who have been toothless for a long time can be challenging because their facial muscles are too weak. In such cases, denturists use Botox injections with complete dentures to ensure a perfect fit.

Requires Only Four Implants

Complete dentures resemble natural teeth, and it can be impossible for an untrained eye to tell the difference. Therefore, it is easy to believe that denturists use one implant for each artificial tooth. However, nothing could be further from the truth because installing an implant for every missing tooth in an entire arc is impractical. Ideally, a complete denture arc requires only four implants to stay in place. They are enough to support an entire arch of 16 teeth because the implants are made from titanium — a strong material — and are purposefully implanted into the jawbone. Moreover, the implants are allowed enough time to fuse with the bone tissue, helping achieve a strong anchor.

It Is One-Day Procedure

Replacing an entire arc of teeth with complete dentures might seem like a lot of work, and while it is, most denturists can complete the procedure in one day. In fact, most patients prepare to remain toothless for a couple of weeks before they can get their complete set of dentures. However, it is not because installing denture implants takes one day, but a denturist uses temporary teeth so that dental implants can heal properly. Once the implants have healed and fused with the jawbone, a denturist replaces them with a permanent complete denture.


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About Me

Children's Sports and Dental Injuries

As a mum, I know how essential sport can be to children's development. Through team sports like soccer, kids learn persistence, sportsmanship and the value of supporting their team members. However, all that learning carries some risk as well, and a stray elbow or a ball to the face can result in oral injuries. I have been the mum rushing to the emergency room with a precious permanent tooth sitting in a cup of milk. Admittedly, at the time, I wasn't even sure if the cup of milk was the right solution. As a parent, you will face those situations, and I'm here to make sure you know what to do when they pop up. With this blog, let's explore children's dentistry and sports injuries together... I want you to have the info you need to stay cool, calm and collected, regardless of how many teeth are on the pitch.