Issue 45.09

Recently a neurologist was on Good Morning America to discuss his patient that had developed balance problems from swallowing too much denture cream that contained Zinc—a beneficial mineral found in ordinary multivitamins, but in large amounts can lead to serious illnesses.  It was reported that his patient used massive amounts of the cream in her dentures that she wore at night for 10 years trying to compensate for the poor fit of her dentures.

First of all, if excessive denture cream oozes out of the denture after you bite on it, then you have used too much. 

Secondly, even well fitting dentures should be removed at night.  Dentures that require adhesive should never be worn overnight with denture adhesive in use.  The mouth tissues must be allowed to rest and nighttime denture wear may result in tissue irritation, inflammation, and fungus infection. 

Thirdly, the vast majority of dentures that fit well do not require the regular use of denture adhesive at all.  It is important that a prosthodontist evaluate your dentures on a regular basis because your bone and gums may shrink in time and your dentures will need to be remade or relined when they become too lose.  Don’t think that you can correct the fit of your dentures by using more and more denture adhesive.  Keep in mind that once your teeth are removed, the changes to your jawbones are constant and ongoing.  The fit of your dentures will change with time, and they will need to be relined and/or remade periodically to accommodate these changes.  The lifespan of a set of removable dentures with continuous use is approximately 5 years.  After 5 years, the changes in bone structure or the wearing away of the materials in the denture usually results in the need for new dentures or relining them for a more comfortable fit.

Finally, if you are suffering with ill fitting dentures and desire more specialized, modern, natural, and permanent solutions to missing teeth such as dental implants, you should seek the care of a prosthodontist—a dental specialist with three additional years of training beyond dental school who is an expert in fabricating teeth replacements of all types.

Rodney L Andrus, is a Prosthodontist and owns Andrus Prosthodontics which Specializes in Modern Solutions For Missing Teeth.  www.stgeorgedentalimplants.com.

Issue 40.09

Soon St George will once again welcome senior athletes to the Huntsman World Senior Games.  Those athletes participating in the following contact sports may wish to consider an athletic mouthguard to protect against injury—Basketball, Cycling, Mountain Biking, Racquetball, Softball, and Basketball.  Of course other sports such as bridge, chess, archery, bowling, cowboy action shoot, golf, shooting, and horseshoes pose low risk.  Athletes involved in couple’s racquet sports are advised to pick partners that are careful and develop good communication with them to avoid hitting each other in the mouth. 

Andrus Prosthodontics would like to welcome the participating athletes and announce The First Annual Mouthguards for Senior Athletes Program.  Those senior athletes with good oral health that are involved in the high risk sports listed above may, by appointment, bring this article and a copy of their registration to Andrus Prosthodontics up to three weeks before the opening ceremony and up to the beginning of the last event to receive a complementary custom athletic mouthguard while supplies last.  A variety of colors are available, so come early to get your favorite.

Andrus Prosthodontics is located at 640 E. 700 S. Ste. #104 in St George, UT and can be reached at (435) 674-3100.

Issue 30.09

Anyone who has been though a home construction project knows that things turn out better when you begin with the end in mind.  Obviously, pouring the foundation of a house in the right location has everything to do with where the building will ultimately stand and putting in the plumbing has everything to do with where the walls will be located.  Indeed, the best way to plan a project like this is to work backwards and decide first things first—where the building should stand and where the walls should go before pouring the foundation and putting in plumbing and electrical. 

It should come as no surprise that planning for dental implants is similar—it’s best to start with a simulation of the final tooth replacement in hand to guide where to put the implanted supports during the surgery.  This is best made by a specialist trained in restoring teeth that understands how teeth are supposed to fit together.  This is the first step.  The second step involves realizing that the mouth is a three dimensional object that needs to be studied in all three dimensions to completely understand where all the nerves and sinuses are located. 

For this reason, CT scans are commonly used in hospitals when planning reconstructive procedures such as in artificial joint replacements, but now the same level of care is available for those seeking permanent solutions for missing teeth in an environment that is much more open and less claustrophobic, takes about only 10 seconds at a fraction of the radiation and cost of a conventional hospital based CAT scan. Andrus Prosthodontics in St George, UT is the only implant teeth specialty center in southern Utah and routinely provides this level of care for their clients. 

Rodney L. Andrus, D.D.S, M.S., is a Prosthodontist, a specialist in the restoration and replacement of teeth.  He is located at 640 E. 700 S., Suite 104, St. George, and can be contacted by calling 435-674-3100.

Issue 25 & 26

The Journal of Dental Research has now confirmed that Snap-On Implant Teeth are not only better for chewing, but may actually be more cost-effective than regular dentures.  It is common in healthcare for quality of life experts to assign dollar amounts to certain handicaps.  These experts agree that a person missing teeth has a handicap and that although the dollar amount of Snap-On Implant Teeth is usually more, the alternative can actually cost significantly more when you adjust for the “handicap factor.”

In general people are at least 36% more satisfied with Snap-On Implant Teeth over regular dentures and even more for Zero-Movement Implant Teeth.  This is particularly true when it comes to the social impact: avoiding conversation, refusing social invitations, avoiding sports, and unease when kissing and in sexual relationships.  Furthermore, regular dentures can erode your jaw bone and actually become more intolerable over time requiring them to need replacement more frequently at additional cost.  Implant Teeth, on the other hand, preserve the jaw bone and can give a more permanent result which translates into lower cost in the long term.

Rodney L. Andrus, D.D.S, M.S., is a Prosthodontist, a specialist in the restoration and replacement of teeth.  He is located at 640 E. 700 S., Suite 104, St. George, and can be contacted by calling 435-674-3100.

Issue 21.09

Missing all of your upper or lower teeth can cause complex problems.  Traditional dentures, although better than nothing, are not a very natural solution for missing teeth and have inherent problems of their own.  Dental implants, on the other hand, are strong and provide both esthetics and function that mimic your natural teeth.  Dental implants can provide you with permanent teeth again!  They can restore the feeling of confidence, well being, security, as well as improving chewing efficiency, nutritional status, and emotional health.  Dental implants can stop premature aging. 

A list of problems that are solved with dental implants are- 

They can stop premature aging and make you look younger.

Dental implants preserve bone and stop continued bone loss.

They help maintain facial structure integrity.

They keep your teeth from moving around. Say goodbye to dentures!

They eliminate the need for messy denture adhesives.

They restore your ability to eat what you want and not only what you can.

They can improve speech

They get rid of the covering of the roof of your mouth.  You can taste your food again

They significantly reduce or eliminate altogether the pain and sore spots that occur from ill fitting dentures

A healthy jawbone supports our lips and face attractively, but when teeth are removed the bone begins to dissolve and continues gradually throughout life.  This is one reason why even good dentures slowly become loose with time-the jawbone that once supported the denture shrinks, but denture stays the same shape it was before.  This poor fitting denture only accelerates the process and makes the jawbone shrink faster.  This cycle, especially when not corrected, can continue to the point that it is quite difficult and sometimes impossible to tolerate wearing dentures.  Although relining or remaking dentures can slow this process, it can never stop it.  Dental implants are the only solution that can stimulate the jawbone and stop this process.  Unlike dentures, modern prosthodontics that include implants are anchored to the bone like natural teeth and do not slip so you can eat and speak comfortably and confidently.

Rodney L. Andrus, D.D.S, M.S., is a Prosthodontist, a specialist in the restoration and replacement of teeth.  He is located at 640 E. 700 S., Suite 104, St. George, and can be contacted by calling 435-674-3100.

PROSTHODONTIST: ADA recognized specialist in the restoration and replacement of teeth

www.prosthodontics.org