What caused the problem?

All the catastrophic things that happen in the mouth start between the teeth! That is where Bacteria finds safe harbor and creates the decay and/or gum disease that kills whole sets of teeth. Other contributing factors can be:

Neglect, trauma, smoking, diabetes, immune disease, dry mouth, acid reflux, sleep apnea and other medical conditions.

Things to think about.

Whether you like it or not, medicine, technology and your family are going to keep you alive to age 100! So your goal should be to get to age 100 with healthy, functional and presentable teeth. Today's dentistry can make this possible but not without personal disciplined change ... it's not just about your teeth!

Personal Solutions

It takes disciplined change - there are no magic pills!

• Disciplined attention and follow-through on medical conditions.
• Disciplined dental hygiene and home care.
• Disciplined dental maintenance visits.
• Daily exercise.
• Good diet.
• A purpose in life!

These last three items are highlighted in Dr. Henry Lodge's book, Younger Next Year!

Dr. Henry Lodge makes a powerful presentation of the fact that everyone is living longer and that the last half of our lives can go predictably well or can be predictable challenging if we don't make disciplined changes. For you, one of those challenges is your dental health. The long-term success of any dental solution will require not only life style changes but also changes in your dental home care and dental maintenance routines.

Dental Solutions

Implants (Titanium Roots): a predictable solution for replacing missing roots.

• Titanium root replacements that support chewing teeth and a new smile.
• Fuse to bone like metal fence posts in solid concrete.
• Serve as foundation for one tooth or a whole set of teeth.
• Very strong and don't decay.
• Major problem: no nerves, no sensation, muscles don't know when to stop.
• New forces of mastication can be a challenge and destructive.

Tooth Replacements: come in two forms, Plastic and Zirconia.

• Dentures, Partials, Hybrids, and Snap-ons are predominantly plastic. You don't wear plastic shoes on your feet to support the weight of your body and you shouldn't use plastic in your mouth to support the forces of mastication.
• Plastic is weak and can only be made stronger by making it thicker.
• Thicker plastic does not feel natural.
• Thicker plastic does not look natural.
• Plastic is porous and gets colonized by bacteria and fungus, creating persistent odors and dark stains.
• Plastic wears quickly under an aggressive bite and needs replacement in 5-7 years.
• Plastic breaks and needs repair and maintenance more often than you would like.
• You don't want to babysit plastic to age 100!

Zirconia is the strongest cosmetic dental material ever developed. It is monolithic (one solid material), strong enough to stand-alone. Older Porcelains were not strong enough to stand alone and needed a metal foundation for support. With time porcelain chipped, cracked and wore down the opposing natural teeth.

Zirconia stands alone as one tooth or as a bridge replacing an entire arch of teeth.

Strongest material ever developed for dental use.

• Does not chip or break, even when pounded by an 8-pound sledgehammer.
• Extremely dense, bacteria cannot penetrate or colonize the material.
• Does not need bulk for strength.
• Feels natural.
• Looks natural.
• Does not wear down or need replacement.
• Does not wear down opposing natural teeth.
• Well worth the added investment.