Most understand the importance of a healthy smile, however a healthy smile doesn’t always equal a white smile. Unfortunately, keeping our smiles white takes more than brushing and regular dental exams. While these are extremely helpful, most of us need a little help along the way.
(more…)
Many people underestimate the value of establishing good oral health. From oral care practices at home to making regular visits to a dentist, maintaining good oral health is essential for helping promote total health and wellness.
(more…)
The word “prosthodontics” is definitely a mouthful! Prosthodontics (pronounced prahs – tho – dawn – ticks) is a specialty field under the umbrella of dentistry. Another way to describe prosthodontics is prosthetic dentistry.
(more…)
If you have missing teeth that were lost as a result of decay or trauma, enjoying your favorite foods can be a challenge, and it can also take a toll on your self-confidence. While a dental bridge or implants may be a better alternative, especially for those interested in permanent dental restoration, these options may be cost-prohibitive for some people. Partial dentures make it possible to fill the gap in your smile, enjoy a variety of foods, and improve your self-esteem for a fraction of the cost associated with permanent dental restoration procedures. Despite these benefits, however, there are some drawbacks in that partial dentures can alter the taste of some foods and may take a while before eating with them feels natural.
(more…)
Bone grafting is a procedure where your body is stimulated to produce bone in a certain area. It sounds daunting, but dental bone grafting is an outpatient procedure. It helps the bone in your jaw become strong enough to support a dental implant or another prosthesis or replaces the bone that was lost through gum disease.
Doctors may give a patient a bone graft if they have a bone anywhere in their body that’s been broken so badly that it can’t heal on its own. Doctors may also recommend a bone graft for a fracture that hasn’t healed properly or if the bone is diseased. Some people have a bone graft if they undergo spinal surgery or to support a prosthetic such as a knee or hip replacement.
The procedure depends on where the bone graft is needed. During a bone graft for a dental procedure, the bone material is either harvested from you to remove the risk of rejection or it is taken from a cadaver or an animal and purified. Some dentists use material made of calcium and other minerals. This is called an alloplastic. Nowadays, most dental bone graft material doesn’t come from you. The material comes in the form of powder, gel, putty, or another material that is easy to inject through a needle.
Most patients only need local anesthesia for a dental bone graft, though if you’re are sensitive or nervous about the operation, you can choose IV sedation. During the procedure, the dentist opens the gum, removes debris, cleans the area then inserts the graft material. They add mesh filters or proteins that further stimulate the production of bone and other tissue. Sometimes the dentist places a mesh between your gum and your jawbone to keep the gum from growing where it shouldn’t.
If the graft is used for spinal surgery or to repair a fracture, the patient is treated in the operating room under general anesthesia. The surgeon makes incisions in the area that’s to be treated and in the pace where the bone is to be harvested. Bone grafts usually come from the pelvic bone, a leg bone or one of the ribs. The surgeon takes away a small bit of bone from one of these areas.
During this surgery, the graft serves as a bridge between two bones that need to fuse. It is secured with screws, cages, plates or rods. Then, both incisions are closed.
As with surgery, the recovery period for a dental graft and another kind of graft varies. Some patients who get bone grafts stay in the hospital for a night or two while others go home soon after the surgery. A person who has had a graft to help a broken bone heal may need to keep the area immobile for a long time. The doctor prescribes painkillers and anticoagulants to keep the blood from clotting. Some patients may need drains to take away excess fluid from the surgical site, and they’ll need to return to their doctor to remove sutures or staples and make sure that they are healing properly.
With a dental bone graft, you can go home the same day. The dentist prescribes pain medicine, but the pain goes away after a few days. You may also need to have a soft diet for a few days. As with a larger bone graft, it will take some time for your body to replace the bone that was lost. In the case of a dental graft, the replacement can take weeks or months. You’ll need to visit your dentist regularly to make sure that the surgery is healing well and that the bone in your jaw is being replaced. The dentist does this by taking X-rays of your mouth.
At some point, the dentists will decide that there’s enough bone in your jaw for dental implants or dentures.
If you live in Phoenix or Gilbert area and are wondering if you need a bone graft for a dental procedure, don’t hesitate to call Dental Specialty Associates for a consultation. Our Gilbert number is 480 633-9977 and our Phoenix number is 602 795-5995.
The jaw is a pair of bones that create the framework behind the mouth of animals and humans, which usually comprises of the teeth, a movable lower jaw (known as the mandible) and a fixed upper jaw (known as the maxilla). The jaw functions by moving in opposite directions in order to help organisms bite, chew and handle food. Sometimes, however, the jaw may come across irregularities that can only be fixated through surgical interventions.
Jaw surgery, known as orthognathic surgery, corrects some of these irregularities so that the bones of the jaw and the teeth will improve the way they will work. Corrections can also have a cosmetic effect by improving one’s facial appearance.
In terms of what it is used for, there are a variety of reasons. Primarily, surgery will make biting and chewing an easier experience. For those who may have trouble speaking or swallowing, surgery can help with these issues as well. Other reasons that one may want to consider surgery are to repair congenital defects, provide relief for sleep apnea, improve the ability for the lips to close and to correct facial asymmetry. As you can see, the reasons range from improving activities of daily living to the cosmetic effects.
There are a few different kinds of surgery because it depends on which part of the jaw requires correction.
If you are fixing the upper jaw, then you will be getting a maxillary osteotomy. This kind of surgery corrects an upper jaw that recedes, cross bites or if there are too many teeth showing. It can also help an open bite.
If you need to correct the lower jaw, you will be getting a mandibular osteotomy. This will fix a receded lower jaw, and the surgeon will move the jawbone backward or forwards, depending on what the best bite alignment or adjustment is determined to be.
Surgery of the chin is known as a genioplasty. This typically accompanies a receded lower jaw. In this kind of surgery, surgeons are capable of altering the jaw and restructure the chin during surgery.
Once the jaw is aligned to the surgeon’s liking, plates and screws will hold the bone into proper position. In medical terms, they are osseo integrated and are formulated in a way where it is compatible with your body. Over time, they will gradually integrate with your bone and will not have to be taken out. If there is an insufficient amount of bone material in your jaw, surgeons can add that as well by grafting reserves from your hip, rib or leg.
In order to prepare for jaw surgery, an orthodontist typically places braces on your teeth prior to surgery. Braces are typically left in the mouth for about 12-18 months prior to surgery so that your teeth can be properly aligned for surgery. The orthodontist and your surgeon will work in conjunction to develop a comprehensive treatment plan which will involve CT scans, X-rays and potential crowns that will be needed to complete the correction.
Prior to the procedure, surgery under anesthesia is done in the hospital and requires around a 2-4 day stay. During the procedure, the surgeon typically makes cuts in the jaw bones and moves them into the proper position. Once jaw movement is completed, tiny plates, screws, and wires could be used to secure the bones to secure them in a new position.
Post-procedure, your doctor will provide you instructions in terms of what activities you may need to refrain from. This treatment plan will involve what your diet should be, proper oral hygiene, tobacco and strenuous activity avoidance and medications to take in order to control pain. Complete healing from surgery can take up to 12 weeks, but relief has shown to be found in about as little as six.
The benefits from proper jaw alignment include balanced face appearance, health benefits in the form of improved sleep, breathing and eating, and improvement in speech. Secondary benefits may include improvement of appearance and self-esteem. The psychological benefits tend to be some that are often overlooked during surgery.
As you can see, surgery of the jaw is a comprehensive procedure with many steps involved and lifestyle changes that must be implemented afterwards. While the initial process might be frustrating to some, the positive effects have the capacity to last a lifetime. Consider surgery at Dental Specialty Associates if you had some of the listed precipitating issues.
2730 S Val Vista Dr
BLDG 11, # 164
Gilbert, AZ 85295
4216 N 44th St
Phoenix, AZ 85018