If you are missing teeth, you are in the company of 35 million Americans who lack any teeth in either one or both jaws, according to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Millions of Americans of all social and economic backgrounds suffer from a history of tooth loss and, in many instances, have limitations or complete debilitation when it comes to normal function. As a dentist who provides patients with full and partial mouth reconstruction services, I work with people who are “edentulous,” meaning they are “lacking teeth or toothless,” every day, at our offices, Jason C Campbell, DDS, Cosmetic & Family Dentistry and the Advanced Prosthetics Institute (API). Having treated edentulous people on a daily basis for over 13 years, I believe they have an oral disability. For some, classifying tooth loss as a disability seems to be a far reach, unless, you are the person living with or providing treatment.
Our teeth play many important roles: chewing, digestion, speech, a critical link to emotional happiness and self-confidence, facial feature support and neuromuscular function. When teeth are lost or missing, a person is at risk for many side effects, including:
- Poor nutrition
- Difficulty in eating
- Increasing physical illnesses
- Drooling
- Impaired speech
- Collapse of facial features due to unsupported musculature
- Migraine and TMJ pain due to muscular inflammation and fatigue
- Nerve pain
- Future dental issues with other teeth
- An environment for issues with remaining teeth due to shifting of teeth, consequential bone loss, and expansion and drooping of maxillary sinuses
Prosthetics are the replacement of missing body parts with artificial structures. Their design is to decrease or negate an impairment or debilitation so individuals can more fully participate in every day actions. When teeth are damaged or lost, dentists use artificial materials to restore them back to normal function. Dental fillings, crowns, bridges and removable devices, such as dentures and partials are examples of such prosthetic materials. Sometimes, the fix has a simple solution that every day dentistry can easily resolve.
However, what about the person who has serious dental issues, with many involved teeth or a loss of teeth all together? In some instances, teeth cannot be saved, or a person has not only lost teeth but the bone that supported them, as well. In this situation, the individual may struggle to wear a prosthetic denture due to a poor fit and/or pain, and may struggle to keep dentures in place while eating and speaking. Like artificial limb replacements, not all prosthetic tooth replacements are the same. I would venture that if Captain Hook and Steve Austin, the “Bionic Man,” compared notes on the satisfaction of their artificial arm replacements, the results would yield vastly different levels of satisfaction on how well their artificial limbs served to overcome their impairment! Unfortunately, in dentistry, there are many people with complex dental issues wearing poorly fitting and possibly poorly constructed artificial tooth replacements, such as dentures that feel similarly to what poor Captain Hook would have felt about his hand replacement.
The upside is that no matter what a person’s current situation, technology in the field of dentistry has come a long way, with various solutions available to improve whatever debilitating oral condition exists. At the offices of Jason C Campbell Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, and the Advanced Prosthetics Institute (API), we have the technology, education and practice focus to assist individuals with complex dental issues or difficult denture issues. We work with patients to develop customized and affordable solutions to restore their mouths back to normal, functional dental health.
If you would like to improve your poorly fitting and/or painful dentures, call 928-776-1208 to schedule your appointment. Be sure to bring in our QCBN ad for your FREE Denture Evaluation. If you are considering a more permanent solution offered with dental implants, request appointments for both a FREE 3D CT Scan and an Implant Assessment. Learn more at www.MyPrescottDentist.com and www.APIDentalRehab.com. QCBN
By Jason C Campbell, DDS
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