Fortunately, when it comes to tooth replacement, you can partner with your implant dentist to discuss your options and plan your treatment. A thorough clinical and medical evaluation will reveal whether dental implants are right for you. With proper planning, you can feel confident that your hard-earned dollars are spent on a restorative solution that is designed to last a lifetime. 

To appreciate the value of the dental implants, it’s important to understand the necessity of tooth replacement.

When a natural tooth is lost, a number of structural and functional changes take place within the entire mouth. Irreversible bone loss occurs, compromising the health of the neighboring teeth. The adjacent teeth will naturally drift towards the space created by the missing tooth. As the alignment of the remaining teeth changes, the efficiency of the jaw joint is decreased significantly. Finally, it is hard to ignore the esthetic impact of tooth loss. It is difficult to overcome the self-consciousness that comes from laughing or smiling with spaces and gaps.

Currently, dental implants are the only available permanent solution for tooth replacement that can address each of these concerns. Without relying on the neighboring teeth for stability, implants can perform all of the functions of a natural tooth. Other tooth replacement solutions may replace the lost biting surface or fill the space between the teeth, but none can prevent bone loss or exist independently.

Another determining factor when investing in your health is the value over time. Dental implants have a tremendous lifespan, requiring a minimal amount of maintenance each year. Other than routine dental exams, you should not anticipate costly or time-consuming repairs and adjustments. The upkeep related to dentures and partials simply does not apply to dental implants.

An investment in dental implants is an investment in your health. To learn more, call the office of Dr. Chris L. Tye, serving Bedford TX and the surrounding areas, for your consultation today.

If you’re having a crisis of confidence with your missing tooth, you might wonder what your options are with regards to a replacement and a consultation with an implant dentist will typically yield three options for the patient to consider for the replacement of a lost tooth. These options are:

• Dentures – a removal plate molded to fit the patient’s oral cavity, dentures are a cost-effective way to replace a missing tooth. However, as well as being relatively easy to damage, there are some other drawbacks to dentures, not least the amount of care they require over and above regular dental hygiene.
• Fixed Bridge – unlike dentures, a fixed bridge is a permanent solution for a missing tooth. The teeth on either side of the missing tooth must first be prepared to act as supports for the bridge. This involves removal of part of the tooth structure from the supporting teeth and bonding a dental crown to each tooth with the artificial replacement tooth in between.
• Dental Implants – the most advanced option for replacing a lost tooth, this involves the implant dentist placing a titanium screw directly into the patient’s jawbone in the vacant space. The dentist then places a dental crown atop the screw.

An implant dentist will discuss each of the available options with you to ensure you get the correct replacement for your needs, as one treatment may prove more beneficial to the patient than another depending on the patient’s needs and circumstances. The dentist will explain the benefits and flaws of each of the choices to make sure that the patient makes an informed decision.

Dentures, for example, can become loose and ill-fitting over time and may require additional trips to the dentist for alteration. For a single tooth, dentures represent a lot of artificial oral real estate and so may be better suited to instances where multiple teeth require replacement.

However, dental implants are fast becoming the popular choice for those looking to replace a missing tooth. Not only do they look just like the real thing, they provide stability and strength to the rest of your teeth – more than any other method – and with proper care they can last for several years, and possibly a lifetime.

To learn more about your options for tooth replacement in Colleyville, contact the office of Dr. Chris L. Tye at 817-552-3223 today.

The implant process should begin with an in-depth discussion with your implant dentist. This consultation can help to plan your treatment and identify any factors that could impact your chances for long-term success.

Your general health has a tremendous impact on the success of your dental implants. You should be healthy enough to tolerate one or more surgical procedures.

Once the surgical portion of the procedure has been completed, proper healing is critical. Titanium, the material used for the dental implant post, is highly compatible with the human body. Still, the body must be healthy enough to promote healing, and the bone must be allowed to integrate with the implant post. Be sure to notify your implant dentist of any underlying health conditions that could impair this process. 

Strong, dense bone is the healthiest environment for a dental implant. Without a firm relationship between the implant and the bone, the procedure could be doomed to failure. Your implant dentist will use advanced imaging equipment to evaluate the bone in the area planned for the implant. Irregularities, defects, and voids can be identified and corrected prior to or during the placement of the implant.

Proper homecare can prolong the life of your implant. Periodontal disease can destroy the bond between the implant and the bone. Thorough brushing and flossing, as well as routine dental examinations can prevent the onset or spread of this disease.

Bruxism, the clenching or grinding of the teeth can weaken your dental implant. If you suspect that you suffer from bruxism, it is important to speak with your implant dentist about preventative or protective solutions. These excessive occlusal forces can lead to irreversible damage to your natural teeth as well as your implant.

Your compliance with your dentist’s recommendations during and after the implant process is critical to a successful future. You should consider yourself to be an integral part of the dental team. Schedule a consultation today to help develop the game plan that leads to your future with dental implants. Call the office of Dr. Chris L. Tye, serving Bedford and the surrounding areas, today!

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are replacement teeth that include the entire tooth—both the root beneath the gumline and the visible chewing and biting surface above the gumline. By contrast, traditional dentures only provide a replacement for the visible portion of the tooth. There is no tooth root, and the dentures sit on top of the gums, often causing discomfort or embarrassment as they move in the mouth.

Dental implants do not move in the mouth, nor are they removable. They require the same care as your natural teeth. They do not have to be periodically refitted as dentures do, and after you have dental implants, your jawbone will continue to grow and regenerate tissue, rather than gradually receding in bone mass as it tends to do when you wear dentures for a long period of time.

What Is Secure Bite?

Most traditional dental implants require a two-step process. First, the root portion of the implant is placed. After a healing interval, the prosthetic teeth are added. This allows the implants to bond to the jawbone so they can stand up to normal chewing and biting stresses.

With Secure Bite, the implant dentist places the root portions of the implant in such a way that they can support the artificial teeth immediately. Secure Bite is also designed so that they can be used in many cases where a bone graft might be required for traditional implants. This provides additional flexibility and security for the patient, as well as eliminating the period of time during which the patient is without teeth.

For more information about dental implants, Secure Bite, and how we can restore your smile, please contact the office of Dr. Tye at 817.552.3223 to schedule your consultation.

There have been many advances in dental technology in recent years, but digital radiography has provided dentists with a tool in the diagnosis of problems that were not as readily detectable with traditional dental x-rays.

A dentist can now take a full set of x-rays and show the patient the images on a computer screen within a brief couple of minutes.  No longer does the dental assistant have to take the films to the dark room and wait for the x-rays to develop.  And if the x-ray needs to be retaken, digital x-rays provide much less radiation exposure for the patient than traditional x-rays.

Digital radiography allows the dentist and patient to determine how dental implants, for example, might provide the best option for the patient.  The dental provider can illustrate on a computer screen how the implant process would work using your actual radiograph.  The image can be enlarged, colorized and even copied for the patient.

The advantages of digital radiographs don’t stop there.  Using fewer chemicals for the development and maintenance of equipment makes digital radiography environmentally friendly.  In addition, the foil wrappers used in the storage of unexposed x-ray film as well as the chemicals needed with traditional   x-ray equipment are considered hazardous waste and must be handled accordingly.  Digital radiography reduces the need for many of these products.

The development of digital x-ray has also taken x-ray storage and the ability to send an x-ray image to an insurance company or to another dental office for a second opinion to a new level.  The bulky storage sleeves can become a thing of the past as the x-ray image is stored in the computer readily available at a moment’s notice in the event of a dental emergency.

Whether you are considering dental implants or one of many other procedures, digital radiography will allow you and your dental provider to view the image of your situation more clearly in less time and help clean up the environment at the same time.  This is the type of progress needed as we move forward to help our patients and our planet.

Contact the office of Dr. Chris L. Tye at 817.552.3223 for more information and to schedule your consultation.

Dr. Chris L. Tye, your implant dentist serving Colleyville, can use dental implants to fill in the spaces left behind by missing teeth to improve your smile, and those implants have virtually no impact on surrounding teeth. They essentially look, feel and work like biological teeth.

On the other hand, a different tooth replacement method known as a fixed permanent bridge requires crowns to be placed on the teeth that adjoin the empty space. Those crowns, which serve as anchors for the bridge’s artificial tooth or teeth, necessitate that a certain amount of enamel be removed from those teeth.

Dental implants placed by an implant dentist offer an additional tooth-saving benefit. The biocompatible titanium screws fuse with the jaw bone and replace the missing tooth’s root. This process, known as osseointegration, helps to stabilize the bone and prevent the erosion that occurs in the absence of a root.

This structural aspect of dental implants gives an assist to neighboring teeth, as well. Because the jaw bone stays in its place, there is a reduced risk that other teeth will be compromised by further bone loss. This is a particularly important consideration when the missing tooth is toward the rear of the mouth, where the bone recedes more quickly.

Additionally, a dental implant can be maintained in the same way as a natural tooth. While a fixed permanent bridge requires a special—and time-consuming—method of flossing that involves a floss threader, a patient can floss around the gumline near the implant without any accommodations. This helps patients cut down on disease-promoting bacteria that can wreak havoc on the gums and ultimately lead to the loss of additional teeth.

If you need to have a missing tooth replaced, talk with Dr. Tye about dental implants, which can help to save your remaining teeth as well.

In the years after dental implants were introduced, an implant dentist may have turned down a potential patient who presented with the advanced jaw bone erosion that is typical when teeth’s roots have been absent from the mouth for some time.

Sufficient bone must be available for the implant to fuse into the bone, a process that serves as the foundation for dental implant success. In some cases, bone graft surgery could be used to supplement the jaw bone, but this added months onto the treatment timeline.

With All-on-4 implants, the implant dentist places four dental implants to hold an entire arch of artificial teeth in place. The implants are located toward the front of the jaw to maximize available bone and to allow patients who have experienced some jawbone resorption to take advantage of this technique.

Because bone erodes more quickly near the rear of the jaw, where the bone is thinner to begin with, the four dental implants are inserted in the front of the jaw. The two outside implants are angled beneath the gumline to be sure that the jawbone can accommodate them.

Most edentulous, or toothless, patients qualify for the All-on-4 technique, even if they have significant bone loss associated with advanced periodontal disease. Patients with periodontal disease who are considering All-on-4 implants should work with a periodontist to be sure that the condition is controlled and reduce the likelihood of further bone loss, though.

Not only do All-on-4 implant patients avoid waiting for months to get their dental implants, these patients benefit from a streamlined process that allows them to leave the dentist’s office with a full set of replacement teeth after just a few hours in the chair.

If you are interested in getting a new set of teeth in a single day, visit the office of Dr. Chris L. Tye to learn more about the All-on-4 technique and begin planning for the procedure.

In light of the huge responsibilities of a tooth replacement, it is practical to choose a solution that bears the closest resemblance to a natural tooth. Fortunately, millions of patients across the country have found dental implants to be the most suitable alternative. Explore the option of dental implants in Colleyville, and you’ll discover what all the excitement is about.

A dental implant is essentially a uniquely designed titanium post, very similar in size and shape to a natural tooth root. When placed into the site of the missing tooth, the titanium post becomes firmly bonded to the bone. Due to the texture and design of the implant, the bone will grow in and around the post in a matter of months.

During the healing period (to be determined by your implant dentist), the implant will be covered and protected by the gum tissue. At the appropriate time, the implant will be uncovered and a small connecting unit called an abutment will be attached. At this stage, your implant dentist may recommend another brief healing period, allowing the gums to heal properly.

Once the final stage of healing has been achieved, the implant can be fitted with a crown, or similar restoration. The new, artificial tooth will be as strong as a natural tooth. The artificial root portion will maintain a permanent position in the jawbone, preserving the bone structure and stabilizing the chewing forces. The dental crown (or other appropriate restoration) will restore the chewing efficiency and provide support for the neighboring teeth.

With so much available information about tooth replacement, determining the best treatment can be challenging. Contact the office of Dr. Chris L. Tye at 817.552.3223 to learn if dental implants are right for you.