Dentures and Dental Implants Seattle

Choosing the right dentist for your needs is one way to give you the best chance of maximizing your oral health. If you don’t already have a dentist – or want to find one better suited to your needs – here are a few points to consider. – Get recommendations from family, friends, neighbors or co-workers – Ask your physician or a local pharmacist – If you are moving to a different area, ask your current dentist for recommendations in your new location – Contact the local or state dental society You can also use Yellow Pages or the American Dental Association directory at www.ADA.org. Effective dental care depends on a great relationship between the dentist and the patient so you may want to visit more than one before making your decision. To help decide if a dentist is right for you, consider: Is the office easy to get to from your home or job? Are the staff helpful and friendly? Does the office appear to be clean, tidy and well organized? Is the appointment sche...

Although thousands of Americans die every year from oral cancer, there is a high chance it can be cured if it is caught early enough. Each year, more than 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer and only half of those diagnosed survive more than five years. But nowadays, dentists have the skills and tools to ensure that early signs of cancer and pre-cancerous conditions are identified. If it is caught early, there is a much higher chance that, with your dentists help, you could win a battle against oral cancer. The key is to know the early signs and see your dentist regularly. Oral cancer often starts as a tiny, unnoticed white or red spot or sore anywhere in the mouth. It can affect any area of the oral cavity including the lips, gum tissue, cheek lining, tongue or the palate. Other signs include: – A sore that bleeds easily or does not heal – A change in the color of the oral tissues – A lump, thickening, rough spot, crust or small eroded area – Pain, tendernes...

If you’re missing one or more teeth, it probably affects your smile and you may also notice a difference in chewing and speaking. But there are options available to help you restore your smile and limit other problems. For example, a bridge – sometimes called a fixed partial denture – replaces missing teeth with artificial teeth. Bridges help maintain the shape of your face, as well as reducing the stress in your bite by replacing missing teeth. They literally bridge the gap where one or more teeth may have been previously. The restoration can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials and it is bonded onto surrounding teeth for support. Bridges can be removable so that you can take them out and clean them or fixed and so can only be removed by a dentist. An implant bridge attaches artificial teeth directly to the jaw or under the gum tissue. Your dentist will recommend which approach is best for you. Whatever type of bridge you choose, ...

Orthodontic treatment is the process of straightening out crooked and crowded teeth, often using appliances such as braces. Most dentists are trained to treat some minor orthodontic problems but, if they feel a patient needs specialist treatment, they will provide a referral to an orthodontist. An orthodontist is a dentist who specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. One of the main aims of orthodontics is to straighten teeth and correct jaw alignment through braces, corrective procedures and other appliances. Braces are the most common appliance and there are two types: – Fixed, which are worn all the time and can only be removed by the dentist – Removable, which the patient can take out of the mouth Most patients wear braces for between one and three years, depending on what conditions need correcting. This is followed by a period of wearing a retainer that holds teeth in their new positions. There may be a little dis...