She Needs a Different Dentist

Posted by writeradmin

Can you help me with options? I do take care of my teeth, but they are constantly falling apart anyway. My dentist doesn’t seem to want to do anything except take them out and give me partial dentures, but I’m only in my late 20s. I shouldn’t be missing teeth! I thought there were modern developments to help people keep teeth. Help!

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

The first thing I am going to do is be blunt and tell you to find a different dentist. Every dentist varies in the effort they are willing to put into saving teeth. Yours does not seem to want to bother. Even if there were no hope for the teeth you have, there are much better solutions to replace the missing teeth than removable partial dentures. I’ve shown two of them in the image above.

The ideal replacement is a dental implant (pictured top right). It is like having a healthy natural tooth in your mouth again. It does cost a bit though. Your other option is to get a dental bridge (pictured top left). This suspends a false tooth between two dental crowns. This option makes more sense if the two adjacent teeth need work anyway. It’s like getting a three for one.

However, I’ve heard nothing from you about fluoride treatments, dental fillings, or dental crowns. Has this dentist made any effort? Find a different dentist and have your teeth evaluated. I’m certain more of your teeth can be saved than he or she is letting on.

There is a step you can take in the meantime that may make a huge difference in the health of your teeth. Your saliva is an important weapon in the battle against decay. It contains tons of bacteria-fighting minerals. It needs time to work, though. If you are a frequent snacker or drinker, you could be sabatoguing your saliva’s efforts. Try limiting your snacks to one or two a day, and drink water instead of sugary or acidic drinks. I promise you’ll see improvement.

This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Stillman.