While dentures have long served as the primary replacement for lost teeth, dental implants are rapidly becoming the preferred choice for tooth replacement and restoring oral function and confident smiles. Not only are dental implants more comfortable and natural feeling than dentures, but also represent a more permanent solution that more effectively boosts overall oral health, then dentures. Unlike dentures, implants transfer chewing force to the jawbone, and help maintain the jawbone’s shape and density that would otherwise degrade over time due to the missing root(s).
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If not for the temporomandibular joint, more commonly referred to as the “TMJ,” you would not be able to speak, laugh, yawn, or chew food effectively. The joint consists of interconnected muscles, ligaments, and discs that connect the upper and lower jaw bones and allows you to move them from side to side, up and down, and forward and backward. As a crucial component of a workable mouth and overall oral health, dentists generally check its function during the course of an oral examination.
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The start of a new year is always a good time to consider what actions you can take to improve your health. As we get into gear with 2019, the dental-care experts at southwest Florida’s Island Tower Dentistry suggest that you may want to consider getting a grip on periodontal disease, the most prevalent oral health disorder in America. Not only do about half of all Americans have some form of the disorder, also commonly referred to as “gum disease,” but it is also the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Its prevalence is even more pronounced in older Americans, with about 70 percent of those older than 65 estimated to have the disease.
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Wisdom teeth tend to be an “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” topic of dentistry in that while most people get them, few people ever talk about them. Many people don’t have a clear understanding of what wisdom teeth are or why most people end up having them removed.
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