Dental Implants

When you think of dentures, you may picture thick, clunky, unnatural-looking teeth. But Dr. Steve Callan can create a set of dentures that will be both comfortable and natural looking. You don’t want people to know that you have false teeth, and he understands that. And if you thought you couldn’t manage to pay for good quality dentures, you’ll find we not only use first-rate materials and methods, we also strive to provide reasonable fees and affordable payment plans.

Natural, Comfortable Dentures

Materials matter in the creation of natural-looking dentures, so we use good quality materials that will provide you with years of comfortable service. And the philosophy of the dentist comes into play in with dentures as well. One philosophy says that dentures should not be too beautiful because they won’t look natural. But Dr. Callan doesn’t believe that. He will provide you with dentures that look the way you want them to look, and our dentures procedure will help you achieve a smile you’ll love.

Our Procedure

Dr. Callan will begin by discussing you how you want your dentures to look, the color and shapes of the teeth. Then he will begin with impressions designed to accurately reproduce the shapes of your jaws in plaster models. A wax rim will then be created that will comfortably fit over your gums, and he will use those to take measurements of your jaw, to establish the correct amount of mouth opening to give you a comfortable bite. Then teeth will be set in the wax. The illustration on the left shows how they will fit over the gums. The teeth used will be the actual teeth that will become part of your denture. You’ll be able to see exactly how they will look, and Dr. Callan will check the bite and the fit and calibrate the amount of opening of your jaw. He will obtain a bite registration. The teeth will then be set on an instrument called an articulator that reproduces the movements of your jaw and the denture teeth you have selected will then be set in wax. With them set in wax, Dr. Callan will try them in, testing the bite and also testing how the dentures affect your speech so that they are as natural as possible. Any adjustments that are needed will be made before the teeth are processed into the permanent base. The dental laboratory will then process the denture in a quality acrylic material.

Implant-Supported Dentures

Dr. Callan also provides implant-supported dentures, which provide improved stability and retention. But you will never be pressured to go with one solution or the other. An upper denture covers the upper palate and is held in place by suction. With the palate covered, some people find it a bit more difficult to speak clearly. Also, there are taste buds present in the palate, so covering it can reduce your eating enjoyment. On the lower, since there is no way to achieve suction there, the lower denture is held more loosely with gravity, and is controlled by the tongue and cheeks. It can take time to train the muscles to do this with consistency, and there are sometimes slips. In addition, chewing efficiency is much lower with removable dentures. While some people get along fine with this, others want a more advanced solution. Securing the dentures with dental implants effectively removes these problems for most people.

Give us a call or complete our online Request an Appointment form, and let us call you at a convenient time. We’ll answer your questions and help you find a time that works for your schedule.

Dental experiences in childhood will have a lasting effect on your children. Get them started early with good habits and healthy attitudes.

Above all, don’t wait until your child has a problem before taking them to the dentist. If those first visits are fun, low-key checkups, where nothing is wrong, that will help your child feel comfortable in the dentist’s office. Dr. Callan recommends that you bring your child in as soon as all their baby teeth have erupted—around age two or three. At that age, those early visits are easy and fun for the children.

Dental Tips for Parents with Younger Children

• Begin by letting your children see you brushing and flossing because they want to imitate you.
• As soon as their teeth start to come in, begin by wiping them with a soft cloth. As your child gets older, graduate to a small, soft brush, and start letting them do more and more of the brushing.
• Make this time fun. You can have a two-minute song for them to brush to, encouraging them to brush thoroughly. You could also play a brushing game or put a calendar in the bathroom with a sticker for each day.
• Use a very small amount of toothpaste, about the size of a pea, because children tend to swallow most of the paste they use, and it could be unhealthy to swallow larger amounts.
• Don’t try to instill oral hygiene habits with threats of needing dental work. Some parents make this mistake, and when those children end up needing even simple fillings, they can become very difficult to manage in our office. It can lead to a traumatic experience for the child which will end up having the opposite effect from what you intended.
• A motivator that works is to ask your child to let you smell their breath after they have brushed and then compliment them on how it smells. Parents who have done this report that their children come to enjoy brushing.
• Choose a dentist who really likes working with children. Studies have shown that nearly half of adults in America have some form of dental phobia, usually due to a bad early experience with a dentist that ignored their feelings or pain level.

Tips for Older Children

• Begin flossing your children’s teeth around the age of two or three, when the baby molars have come in, and gradually let them take over more of the responsibility.
• By the age of nine or ten, most children will be capable of getting between each tooth, so they can do their own flossing.
• Fluoride treatments can be very helpful for children once their adult teeth have come in because the treatment helps teeth resist decay.

When your child is ready for their first visit, give us a call to make an appointment, or you can complete our online request an appointment form.

If you have missing teeth, there are several ways to replace them.

• A fixed dental bridge can replace one to three missing teeth. It is anchored permanently onto the teeth adjacent to the space where your teeth are missing.
• Another option is dental implants. The implants are anchored in the bone, taking the place of the roots of the missing teeth, and then crowns or bridges are attached to the implants.
• A removable partial denture that clips onto your existing teeth is another option.

The main advantage of the removable partial denture is that many teeth can be replaced with one simple appliance. This makes it the most economical way to replace multiple missing teeth. Here is a picture of a removable partial with a plastic framework. It can also be made with a metal framework. A metal framework makes the appliance more durable, but it requires having metal clasps on your existing teeth which could show when you smile. A plastic framework can be made more esthetic. There are many variations of removable partials, from the very inexpensive dental flipper, to more sophisticated precision attachment partials with metal clasps that are hidden behind the teeth.

Disadvantages of Removable Partials

• While a removable partial denture is quick and inexpensive to make, it isn’t as stable as dental implants or bridgework.
• If there are a number of missing teeth, the clasps will put extra stress on your remaining natural teeth, possibly shortening their life.
• The presence of clasps complicates oral hygiene. Since they will trap food particles which can cause decay where the clasps attach, it is especially important to remove the partial after every time you eat anything and clean the teeth.
• There can also be some discomfort with wearing hardware in your mouth.

If you are interested in this service, Dr. Callan will be happy to explain the options you have for your circumstances. Give us a call to schedule an exam, or you can use our appointment request form and we will call you to set up a convenient time for you.

If you have a dental emergency, we’ll see you today whether or not you’re one of our regular patients. Our main concern is to relieve your pain as soon as possible. If your emergency can be resolved with a simple procedure, we’ll provide that today as well. And if you need more extensive treatment, we’ll make sure you understand exactly what is going on in your mouth and discuss a permanent solution with you.

Possible Emergency Situations

• You can get a toothache. This usually comes from decay getting deep into the tooth to where it begins to affect the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth). Once this pulp is infected, the tooth will need a root canal treatment to solve it. But pain can usually be relieved on an emergency basis with a quick palliative treatment.
• A crown can come off. While the tooth may not even hurt, having a crown come off requires prompt treatment or the adjacent teeth will move into the space and the crown won’t fit any more.
• A tooth can get knocked out. If that tooth can be replaced within half an hour, it may be savable. Do not touch the root and put it in a moist (not dripping wet) towel or into milk and come into the office as quickly as you can. Dr. Callan will replant it and hopefully we’ll be able to save it.
• A wisdom tooth can become infected. The infection usually needs to be brought under control before the wisdom tooth can be removed. Emergency treatment may involve just antibiotics and pain medication.
• A front tooth can break or chip. While this may not be painful, many people would consider this an esthetic emergency, and Dr. Callan can do a quick bonding treatment to restore your normal appearance.

Root Canal Treatment

A toothache will likely end up needing root canal treatment, which in the past was one of the most feared of all procedures. But you don’t need to worry. To begin with, we will not perform this treatment at an emergency appointment. In addition, new methods and technology have made it much more comfortable. You can expect to be largely pain free. Sometimes, the pulp inside the tooth is dead, which means that there is no feeling at all in your tooth.

Our goals in treating emergencies are to relieve your pain, help you have a good dental experience, and move you back into preventive care, which will always be easier and more affordable.

Emergency Dental Treatment and Fear

If you’re afraid or anxious about what is going to happen when you get here, rest assured. Dr. Callan has a gentle touch.

Some people who have had a dental ordeal very understandably don’t want to chance a repeat experience. This can lead to unintentional neglect and embarrassment. But we will never lecture or tease you. Instead, you’ll find the respect and help you need.

Just give us a call during office hours and we will see you today.

A missing tooth can be replaced with a dental implant or a dental bridge. But how do you know which option to choose? An overview of the pros and cons can help.

Dental Bridge

A dental bridge affects at least three teeth—the one or two that are missing and the adjacent teeth. A crown is placed over each adjacent tooth, and the replacement tooth is suspended between them.

Advantages

• The process is faster than getting a dental implant. It can be placed in just two appointments.
• It can be placed by most dentists because dental bridge training is provided in dental school.
• It’s slightly less expensive than a dental implant.

Disadvantages

• Teeth on either side of the missing one are used as anchors for the bridge. They have to be shaved down so the crowns in the bridge will fit over them. The bridge also puts stress on the anchor teeth.
• If anything happens to any of the teeth involved, such as recurrent decay on one of the abutment teeth, the whole bridge may need to be re-done.
• There can be some post-operative sensitivity to heat and cold for a few weeks.
• Diligent oral hygiene is required. A floss threader is required to fully clean under the bridge and the adjoining root surfaces to prevent decay in those places and gum disease.

Dental Implant

A dental implant has the structure of a natural tooth. A titanium root form is surgically implanted in the jawbone. After the jawbone heals around the root form, a replacement tooth, or dental crown, is secured to it.

Advantages

• Unlike a dental bridge, no work is required on adjacent teeth.
• The root form stimulates your jawbone and prevents jawbone shrinkage, which normally occurs when a tooth is missing.
• It’s surgically implanted, so it looks and feels like a natural tooth.
• It’s easier to take care of. You floss between it and brush it like a natural tooth.

Disadvantages

• The implant may need to be placed by a surgeon, which will require a referral, and then the crown will be placed on the implant by Dr. Callan.
• There is a healing period of two to four months before you receive the replacement tooth. If needed, you may receive a temporary crown while you wait.
• It’s more expensive than other options for tooth replacement.

Whether you prefer a dental bridge or a dental implant, you want it to look natural and to be properly placed. Dr. Steve Callan will make sure that happens.

If you would like to discuss your options, call our office for an appointment, or complete our online form and we will call you.

Dental implants are a permanent solution to replace a missing tooth or they can be used to replace several missing teeth. They look, function, and feel just like your normal teeth. Implants are gaining popularity and are becoming the standard of care to replace teeth.

What is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is an artificial tooth that is anchored directly into your jawbone. It is made up of two main parts, the root form and the porcelain crown, and an abutment connects the two. You can see this illustrated in the image shown to the right.

In the first part of this procedure, the titanium root form, is surgically implanted into the jawbone. Then, your natural bone grows in around it and fuses to the implant, a process which is called osseointegration.

After a healing period of several months, an abutment is placed on the root form, and crown is placed on the abutment. This restorative part of the procedure is the portion that is visible above the gumline. It will look so natural that no one will be able to tell you were missing a tooth.

If you are missing several teeth, more than one implant can be used instead of a dental bridge or partial denture. Implant patients feel that they are more cost effective in the long run and that their quality of life is better because they don’t have to worry about removable appliances that move around.

It is also important to realize that when you are missing teeth you are susceptible to a condition called facial collapse. Dental implants prevent the bone loss that occurs with this condition because they stimulate the bone so it is not resorbed.

There are some drawbacks in choosing implants. If budget is a major deciding factor, they are more expensive than some of your other options. Also, there is a healing period of several months between the placement of the root fixture and the crown.

Dr. Steve Callan will never pressure you into any kind of treatment. After an examination, he will present the pros and cons of implants and other treatment options, and help determine if you are a candidate. Please call our office for an appointment, or you may fill out our online appointment request form and we will call you.