Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

I Need Affordable Help For My Mom, Fast!

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I went to visit my mother who lives in a different state. We’re trying to talk her into moving in with us. She’s 85 and her health is declining. While we were having dinner one of her teeth fell out, right there on the plate. She said she lost two others as well. I don’t know how much money she has. What is an affordable way to take care of this? I’m worried sick about her. I’ve heard both dental implants and bridges are good. What’s your opinion?

Elizabeth E.

Dear Elizabeth,

Tulsa Affordable Dentist

It’s lovely that you’re there to care for your mother. When we’re children we rely on them. As they age, it is sometimes hard for them to allow us to look after them. I hope she allows you to help.

If your mother has teeth just falling out, that means she has incredibly advanced gum disease. That needs to be treated right away. She’s going to continue losing teeth until it is under control. Because of the gum disease, neither dental implants or a bridge will work. She doesn’t have anything strong enough to maintain them.

Affordable Tooth Replacement Options

However, once her gum disease if dealt with, dental implants are the top of the line treatment. But, you asked for affordable and I would not call them that.

The most affordable dental treatment for her will be complete dentures. Generally, it wouldn’t be something I’d recommend because of the facial collapse which results from bone resorption, but your mother’s 85. I don’t think it will be an issue for her.

Cu-Sil denture Affordable dental treatmentIf there are teeth which can be saved, don’t switch her treatment to removable partial dentures. Her teeth have been through a lot and that particular treatment (along with a dental bridge) puts too much stress on the remaining teeth for her situation. Instead, you could get her a denture which makes room for her remaining teeth without putting stress on them. It’s called a Cu-Sil Denture. I’ve put a picture of it to the left.

Best of luck with your mother.
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Can an Orthodontic Disaster Be Fixed?

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My mom had me see an orthodontist while I was younger and the orthodontist had two of my teeth pulled because I didn’t have much space. I’m not quite sure why, but he went with the two nearest my two front teeth, which means that my pointier teeth are closer to the front than they should be, if that makes any sense. I’m 26 now and my teeth have shifted some, so now there’s a big gap between those teeth and my front teeth too. It looks so bad. I’ve been considering going in and seeing if an orthodontist will give me braces again to close the gap, but that’s not really what I want. If possible, I’d like the pointier teeth shaved down or moved or something instead. After all these years, is it still possible to correct what the first orthodontist did?

Thank you,

Tammy

Dear Tammy,

It sounds like you had your lateral incisors removed, which isn’t very common because people wind up with the problem you currently have- it never looks quite right. Plus, the canines play a crucial role in the side to side motion of chewing, protecting the back teeth from undue stress, so those are not usually moved much. With that said, what’s done is done and now you want to see about fixing it.

You’re probably right about not just having the gap closed again. Even if you see a really good cosmetic dentist, it would be difficult for him to make your canines look like lateral incisors. The teeth are built so differently. If there isn’t enough space to replace the lateral incisors that were taken, you may have to go that route anyway, though. If you do have a considerable amount of space, you may be able to go through another round of orthodontics to straighten things up and shift the gap, so you could have something like dental implants, a bridge, or partial denture made.

The bottom line with this one is you’ll want to see an orthodontist and a dentist who specializes in cosmetic dentistry to do an exam and x-rays. Every case is a little different and it’s difficult to know how much space you have to work with. With something this extensive, you’ll probably want to get a couple of opinions, so you can get a good feeling for what’s best and you’ll want to see someone who has preferably handled a case similar to yours before. You can fix it and make it look better than it did before, but it’ll never be quite the same as it would have if those teeth weren’t extracted.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.

Dentist Refuses to do any treatment except implants

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I need to replace several teeth, but my dentist says he only does dental implants. I can’t afford that procedure. Please tell me there are other viable options. And also tell me they’re more affordable.

Humphrey A.  – Maine

Humphrey,

While it is his practice, I will admit to getting a little frustrated when dentists are so inflexible, especially when there are other viable options.

There are affordable ways to get your teeth replaced. Just some of the options are removable partial dentures or a dental bridge.

You can even get certain types of more affordable implants, such as mini implants or implant supported dentures.

Another option, would be to find a dentist who is willing to work with you on payments for dental implants or another replacement option.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.

Snap on smile with a bridge

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Can I use snap on smile if I have a dental bridge? I have an eight tooth bridge and one of the teeth broke. My dentist said the whole unit will have to be replaced and I just can’t afford that.

Cecil T.- Missouri

Cecil,

Yes, Snap-on Smile can work with a dental bridge. To tell you if it can work with your particular bridge, I would have to examine you. However, the general answer is yes, it can fit right over your bridge work.  Even if it will work in your situation, you need to be aware that Snap-on Smile is only a temporary solution. The units only last about four years, so you’ll need to be prepared for a more permanent solution in the future.

One of the problems with a dental bridge with several units is that when part of it breaks the whole unit needs to be replaced. I hope your dentist warned you of that ahead of time. The ideal treatment for missing teeth would be dental implants. They work as individual units, just like your natural teeth. However, they are more expensive than a bridge. I know that won’t work in your current situation, but it is something you might try to save up for in the future, especially since the Snap-on Smile won’t last forever.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

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