Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Dentures/Partials

What are Dentures and Partials?
             
             Dentures and Partials are a detachable, prosthetic substitute for a person's missing natural teeth and bone. Dentures and Partials are made by your dentist to replace any or all of your missing teeth are well as adjoining tissue. Don't expect dentures or partials to function like your natural teeth.

Conventional Dentures:
            
             Conventional Dentures are made after all of the remaining teeth are taken out and the mouth and gum tissue has fully healed. This healing process can take up to three months.

Immediate Dentures:

           Immediate Dentures can be placed in the mouth right away and do not require a healing process. You will require laboratory relines or new dentures after 6 months.

Removable Partial Denture:

           A partial denture is made up of a plastic base that is colored to match the shade of your gums. Replacement teeth are then attached to the base.

 
 

Monday, April 14, 2014

XRAYS

During a regular dental exam, it can sometimes be difficult to detect damage and disease without the use of X-rays. The frequency of getting X-rays depends on your oral health, age, and risk for disease. Most often, children require X-rays more often than adults because they are still developing and their teeth are more likely to be affected by decay than adults.



If you are a new patient, most times Dr. Hubbs will request X-rays to determine the present status of your oral health and have a baseline to help identify changes that may occur in the future. New sets of X-rays may be needed to determine any new cavities, determine the status of current gum health, or evaluate the growth and development of your teeth.



It is important to remember that Dental X-rays are safe, but they do require very low levels of radiation exposure, which makes the risk of potentially harmful effects extremely small. There are tools that are used to limit the body's exposure to radiation and every precaution is taken to ensure that radiation exposure is As Low As Reasonable Achievable (the ALARA principle). We will provide you with a leaded apron prior to any X-ray's to minimize exposure to the abdomen and should be used when any dental radiograph is taken. If you are pregnant, tell your dentist and precautions will be taken.