Cosmetic Dentistry Changes More Than Smiles
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July 4, 2016
Once upon a time, a queen was playing with her children, when she fell and one of her teeth was knocked out.
“This won’t do,” she thought. “The ball is coming up … and there will be so many pictures take that night. Oh what can I do?”
The royal court gathered and discussed her options.
“You could get a dental bridge, your highness,” one of them said.
“Or you could get a dental implant with a dental crown,” another of her advisor’s interrupted.
“And where would I find such a combination?” the queen asked.
“At Sunrise Dental, your highness,” the advisor replied. “They have four offices in Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh in North Carolina.”
“Call them today!” the queen ordered. “My new tooth replacement awaits.”
The Royal Visit
When the queen arrived, she was impressed by the courtesy, the care, and the compassion displayed by the members of the staff at Sunrise Dental.
During her visit, the staff took a close look at the health of her teeth and her jaw. They took some X-rays, and they informed the queen that she was a good candidate for a dental implant.
“I must be honest about something, I don’t really know what a dental implant is,” the queen admitted.
The dentist took the time to explain that dental implants are cylinders made of titanium. Implants are meant to replace the roots of missing teeth, and they are placed directly into the patient’s jaw.
The dentist also explained that implants make tooth replacements more stable and they help patients maintain healthy jawbones.
The queen learned that the roots of her teeth stimulate her jaw whenever she bites or chews something. This stimulation sends a signal to the jawbone to make new bone tissue. That new tissue is constantly replacing old tissue to keep the bone strong.
However, if she didn’t have a root, the jawbone would not get the signals to create new tissue. As older tissue was resorbed, it could lose bone mass in that part of her mouth.
As a replacement for her root, the dental implant would continue to stimulate her jaw so she would continue to make new tissue as needed.
A New Crown For The Queen
The queen said one of her advisors had recommended a dental bridge as an alternative.
The dentist agreed that a dental bridge, could help, but the preferred option would be a the implant with a dental crown.
The queen’s teeth, like all our teeth, is divided into a root and a crown. The crown is the part that is visible when we open our mouths.
A traditional dental bridge could be used to replace the missing crown. This would involve reshaping the teeth on either side of the gap in her smile. Those teeth would provide the support for the dental bridge, which is made of dental crowns that have been joined together.
One drawback of this is that the queen would have to remove parts of otherwise healthy teeth to make room for her dental bridge. Another drawback is that she would not have anything below the crown in the center of her bridge.
With an implant, she could attach a dental crown. None of her other teeth would need to be reshaped, and her implant would be anchored inside her jawbone.
A Royal Smile
A few months after her accident, the queen was at the ball.
She posed for pictures with everyone who was there. Her dental crown looked so much like her remaining natural teeth that no one (except her royal advisors) knew that one of her “teeth” wasn’t real.
She also enjoyed the feast that was served during the ball. Her dental crowns was more than strong enough to bite and chew the many delicious foods that were served that evening.
She was so happy that she decided to visit Sunrise Dental. If she or her children have any dental needs in the future, she knows that is where she will go.
The Royal Treatment
We may not have served any real kings or queens, but we believe all our patients deserve the royal treatment when they visit any of our four locations.
We hope you are able to keep all your teeth for life, but if you should need to replace one or more of them, please visit us to find out if dental implants and crowns could help you like they helped the queen in our story.
To make your appointment, call the number or fill out the online form for the office closest to you.