Understanding Peri-Implantitis in Parker, CO

 

Implants are one of the most reliable means of replacing missing or failing teeth. Not only are they sturdy prosthetics that can last for as long as a decade, they also stimulate the production of new jaw bone tissue, which will stabilize the other teeth and prevent changes in the patient’s face. But implants do need to be cared for, and when they aren’t, they may fail. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, we dearly hope that all our implant patients will be successful, so we thought we would remind them of how to avoid falling prey to peri-implantitis.

An implant is a metal post that is inserted into the jawbone. The implant supports an abutment, which a prosthetic tooth crown is cemented to. Osseointegration is the process by which jaw bone tissue grows around the implant. When it goes right, which is nearly always, it results in the implant being immovable. However, if osseointegration is failing, the gum pocket around the implant and its crown may become inflamed. This may be due to excess cement from under the crown irritating the gum, but if inflammation develops long after the implant was placed, it is more likely due to infectious disease.

Gum disease is caused by bacteria under the gum line secreting acid. Implant posts are not immune from acid, and like natural tooth roots, they can be eroded. If an implant becomes mobile, it will have to be removed. However, there is usually a period in between when peri-implantitis, as we call this pattern of inflammation, develops, and when an implant has lost too much integrated bone tissue to remain stable. We urge anyone experiencing peri-implantitis to schedule a deep cleaning with us as soon as possible. For all other patients, we encourage brushing and flossing twice a day as well as twice-annual teeth cleanings in order to minimize the risk of gum disease.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420.

Cleaning Your Implants 101

 

Implants are a permanent solution to replace crooked or missing teeth. Instead of altering any teeth, implants replicate the root of the natural tooth and bond to your jawbone. Unlike dentures, implants feel like natural teeth and are meant to be cared for like natural teeth. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, CO, Dr. Roopi Kattaura provides effective dental implants to transform your smile. But first, let’s take a look at how to properly clean your implants.

Proper Hygiene Routine

When it comes to oral health, it should be a no-brainer to practice good hygiene habits. But if you have dental implants, it’s even more important to brush your teeth, floss, and use a good antimicrobial mouthwash daily. Implants need to be handled gently, so you may have to adjust your oral hygiene routine slightly. Consider opting for a low-abrasive toothbrush or floss threaders to carefully floss between implants.

Avoid Harmful Foods and Practices

Dental implants are meant to be taken care of like your natural teeth. This means maintaining a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and non-processed foods. Your Parker, CO dentist also advises patients with dental implants to avoid tobacco because it increases your susceptibility to gum disease. Stay away from any foods that could stain your implants as well. 

Visit Your Dentist

If you’re struggling with taking care of your dental implants or just want to stay healthy, Ardas Family Dental in Parker, CO is here for you. Regular visits to the dentist for cleanings and check-ups are a great way to preserve your implants and your smile for the long-run. Contact our office today!

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

Treating Cracked Teeth at Ardas Family Dental

Tooth sensitivity is unfortunately common, but don’t think that means you have to live with it, or that it’s not a big deal. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado, we provide patients with all sorts of restorations, including implants. When a tooth is especially sensitive, or when the gum is inflamed around it, the tooth may be cracked. In those cases, we’d have several treatment options available, but patients need to be aware of the importance of getting treated as soon as possible.

Cracks can develop for all sorts of reasons, including biting down on something too hard, loss of structural integrity to tooth decay, and teeth clenching or grinding. (The last has gotten more common during the pandemic.) Sometimes, small cracks called craze lines can develop simply due to age. A craze line could be covered with a veneer, but a crack in the crown may necessitate the placement of a partial crown, or for the entire natural crown to be filed down and replaced with a prosthetic. If the crack is deep enough to reach the dental pulp, we would also do a root canal to ensure the patient is not suffering from an infection that could progress into an abscess or blood poisoning.

If a tooth is cracked below the gum line, it would likely have to be replaced entirely. If so, it may be possible for us to replace it with either an implant-supported crown or a partial denture. An implant would have the advantages of preserving the patient’s jaw bone structure, allowing them to continue their regular oral hygiene routine, and wouldn’t need to be refitted, but would also have to be replaced if the implant were to fracture. Regardless, a cracked tooth won’t heal on its own, and is likely to continue to cause the patient pain and may become an avenue for infection until it is treated.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

Recovering From Implants

Dental implants is a procedure that replaces missing teeth with artificial ones. It’s a great and reasonable way to achieve a perfect smile. At Ardas Family Dental, Dr. Roopi Kattaura offers dental implants to her patients. If you want the surgery to be successful, you must follow all post-operative instructions after the implant process. That’s why your Parker, CO, dentist has put together this brief implant recovery guide.

 

The recovery period is unique for every patient at our Parker, CO, office. There are a few factors that come into play, including how many implants were placed, if you required a bone graft and your current health. You should expect the following two days to be uncomfortable as your body begins adjusting. Patients report feeling normal within a week, once the inflammation starts to go down.

 

Bleeding is normal for up to 72 hours after the implant process. Keep the gauze over the implant site for at least an hour after your surgery. Bite down on the gauze if the bleeding gets heavy. Replace the gauze whenever they become too saturated. You can also use a moistened tea bag wrapped in gauze.

 

Do not be alarmed at any swelling that occurs. This is a natural step in the healing process. It should start to go down after seven days. The best thing to do is to wear an ice pack for the first day after surgery.

 

Implants require stitches to help your mouth heal. Your Parker, CO, dentist will most likely use dissolvable stitches that go away after a few days.

 

It’s important that you follow all post-operative care instructions for a healthy recovery period. Your health is the most important thing to Dr. Roopi Kattaura of Ardas Family Dental. To schedule an appointment at our Parker, CO, office, call 720-459-8420. You can also visit her website at https://www.ardasfamilydental.com/.

Panorex Machine at Ardas Family Dental

Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado is a provider of comprehensive dental services. As providers of prosthetic teeth and endodontic care, we utilize the latest technology to ensure that our patients are treated appropriately. Among the devices our patients may have noticed is the Panorex, and we thought people might be curious about it.

A Panorex is an x-ray machine that provides a panoramic view of the patient’s mouth. It does not require any special effort from the patient. They only need to remove metal objects from their person, wear a lead apron and bite down on a piece of plastic. It will take about twenty seconds for the Panorex’s panels to rotate around their head. The Panorex subjects a patient to fewer x-rays than a traditional machine and can be adjusted for people of different heights.

As an x-ray machine, the Panorex cannot provide us with a detailed view of the patient’s soft tissues. But it does provide crucial information about how well a patient’s implants are integrating with their jaw bone. It also allows us to strategize where to place new implants, determine whether unerupted teeth will need to be extracted, and plan how to remove them with minimal inconvenience to the patient. We can also use its highly detailed images to more accurately determine whether a patient is developing an infection or jaw tumor.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Diabetes and Dental Implants in at Ardas Family Dental

If you have missing or damaged teeth, you’ve probably been told that implants are a great way of restoring your smile. But if you have diabetes, you may also have wondered whether that advice was really meant for you. It’s true that dentists have historically questioned whether people with diabetes were good candidates for implant-supported crowns, and a lot of research was done in this area. We at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado are pleased to pass along a review showing that when blood sugar is well-controlled, people with diabetes greatly benefit from implants.

The way the implant process works is that a single-crown implant is placed into an incision in the gum, which is then sutured closed while the implant integrates with the surrounding bone tissue. This process takes about three to six months, and the review found that in people with diabetes, it usually took closer to six months. However, people with  diabetes did achieve integration at comparable rates to those without it despite people with poorly-controlled blood sugar being more prone toward initial instability.

People with diabetes  are also especially vulnerable to gum inflammation, which in implant patients is called peri-implantitis. Gum disease poses a serious risk to implants, since the acid that is usually causing it could erode the implant or  its supportive tissue. But the review found that people with diabetes do not suffer higher rates of implant failure within the first six years of receiving one, and although their risk is higher after that, it can be managed with good oral hygiene and regular dental cleanings.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

Cracked Teeth in Parker, CO

Enamel cracks run the gamut from agonizing health concerns to cosmetic annoyances. But at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado, we’re prepared to restore a patient’s teeth no matter their condition. Prosthetics come in all shapes and sizes, so to encourage patients to seek treatment sooner, we wanted to describe when different kinds are necessary.

Craze lines are tiny, shallow cracks that develop in the surfaces of crowns. They typically don’t present a health concern or cause a patient any pain, so they can be covered with bonding or a veneer. But if a crack is deep enough for a patient to be in pain or at risk of infection, it will likely need to be filled in with a partial crown. Extensive damage to the tooth could necessitate the replacement of an entire crown and we might also want to remove the pulp through root canal therapy, but the tooth would probably still be salvageable unless the crack went down to the root. In that case it would have to be removed and replaced with an implant, bridge, or partial denture.

When a tooth is merely chipped, bonding or a partial crown is often enough to reshape it. However, it’s worth examining how a tooth came to be cracked. If a patient grinds their teeth in their sleep, they may need a night guard to protect their enamel and reduce stress on their jaw. People should also wear mouthguards during sports and avoid biting down on hard surfaces, especially with their front teeth.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

Inflammation and Implants in Parker, CO

Ardas Family Dental has provided many patients with tooth restorations, giving them a second chance at oral health. Dental implants bring several benefits, including increased jaw stability and vertical dimension. But implant-supported teeth need to be taken care of, or patients may fall prey to peri-implantitis.

Peri-implantitis is the name we give to inflammation of gum tissue surrounding an implant. When gum tissue is inflamed, it will be sore, red, puffy, and may bleed. It is possible that inflammation is being caused by a foreign object, such as leaking dental cement, or by an autoimmune condition, such as rheumatism. But in most cases, gum inflammation is due to a bacterial infection in the gum pocket. Bacteria excrete acid, which harms the gums, and if gingivitis turns into periodontal disease, gum tissue, jaw bone tissue, and the implant may all lose material.

Natural teeth might be salvageable if they become loose, but implants are not. If a patient’s jaw bone loses twenty percent of its mass surrounding an implant, the implant needs to be removed. The good news is that it is rare for peri-implantitis to progress this far. If a patient comes to see us as soon as they notice inflammation, we can provide them with a deep cleaning.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.