From Missing Tooth To Amazing Implant

It is a misconception that periodontists only take a look at the health of your gums and complete periodontal procedures. There is so much more that Dr. Rice and her team can do for your smile. If you are impacted by a missing tooth that you think cannot be fixed, take a look at your dental options.

Once one tooth is missing, it is more likely that other teeth will begin to shift into the position of the missing tooth causing jaw trouble and pain. You may also find that your other teeth begin to fall out as well. Gingivitis and periodontal disease impact the gums and can cause your teeth to become loose as the gum pocket is no longer healthy and begins to pull away from the tooth.

A dental implant can help to replace a missing tooth and you get all the benefits of your natural tooth. A dental implant looks and feels like a natural tooth. Prior to getting an implant it is important to discuss with Dr. Rice and her team not only your goals for your smile, but also to have a full evaluation on the health of your smile. Replacing one tooth can help restore your confidence, but if you are impacted with periodontal disease or gingivitis you will want to get the health of your entire smile back on track.

For more information, contact Dr. Denine Rice and her team today!

Reasons To Fix Missing Teeth

Are you missing one or more teeth? At Rice Laser Periodontics & Implant Surgery they can help restore your smile to a more natural look with an alternative to removable dentures. Dental implants offer a permanent solution to missing teeth, restoring your confidence behind a beautiful, functional smile. 

Implants can help you to rediscover the comfort of eating, speaking, laughing...  and simply enjoying life! You may think that having one missing tooth is not a big deal. Unfortunately, the risk is not worth the reward. Having a missing tooth could cost you the new job you have been waiting for, because research shows that the first thing an employer judges is your smile.

It may not stop with just losing one tooth. Most individuals who have lost one tooth are impacted by receding gums that pull away from the tooth. As this occurs, it is more likely that the problem will continue to worsen if not taken care of and eventually you may lose more than one tooth. Once your teeth begin to fall out, this can make eating your favorite foods more difficult.  

For more information on dental impacts contact Dr. Rice today and see if implants are right for you.

It’s Not Too Late

While the holidays are fast approaching it is not too late to visit periodontist Dr. Denine Rice and her team to get the right periodontal care you need. Do you have missing? Research shows that once you lose one tooth it is likely you are going to lose another. Don’t let your smile be hidden, in another holiday family photo, because you are embarrassed.

When the holidays end, many times so do your insurance benefits for the year, but there are procedures that can be completed to give you the smile you’ve always wanted.

 

Implants look and act like real teeth. They are placed into the jawbone in order to provide stability to the tooth. It is important, if you receive implants, to brush and floss daily in order to keep from developing problems again in the future.

A fixed bridge is an alternative option as long as the teeth, jawbone and gum tissue on either side of the missing tooth are strong enough to hold the bridge. Since this does require that the gums are healthy – you wouldn’t want to build a house on a poor foundaton – it is in your best interest to visit your periodontist and determine if your gums are healthy and the bone strong enough to support your bridge..

It is important to have a consultation in order to determine which option is the best option for you to replace your missing teeth, and either way, it’s a good idea to speak to a specialist. While there are several options available due to the health of your gums and other teeth, one option may work better than other.

Contact Dr. DenineRice & her team today for options.

Can Dental Implants Help You?

Dental implants can be a phenomenal opportunity for you to fix your smile if you have broken, cracked or missing teeth. By placing implants where you have missing teeth, your smile can look brand new.  Individuals report that their smile is one of the greatest attributes that impact them, positive or negative.

           

While implants are not the only option available to you if you have teeth that are broken, they may be the best option to replace teeth after extraction.  Implants can be fused into the jawbone, and once they are integrated, you are able to treat them as you would your real teeth.  Which means, you will need to continue to implement a brushing and flossing routine that will help keep your implants in tip top shape and provide you the smile you deserve.

If you are considering implants, Dr. Denine Rice can conduct a thorough examination in order to determine if there is any periodontal disease or other problems that need to be take care of first. It is important to clear up any periodontal disease prior to placing an implant as the disease can impact the foundation of your smile – your bone.

Your smile is the only curve that sets everything straight; don’t waste time with a smile you can’t show off to the world. Contact Dr. Rice today.

Full Restorative Smile

Implants allow you to have a full restorative smile that looks and feels like real teeth.  However, if you do have implants you will need to continue with your regular brushing, and flossing routine. Bacteria can build up around the implant and affect the gums. There are two types of peri-implant disease.

The first one is called peri-implant mucositis. This is where bacteria builds up around the soft tissue on the gums and causes them to become inflamed. There is no bone loss yet, and the impact can usually be decreased with a good cleaning from your periodontist or her hygienist. You will also need to implement regular brushing and flossing routines in order to keep the implant in good clean health after the cleaning has occurred.

The second type of periodontal disease with implants is called, “peri-implantitis.” This type of periodontal disease is more serious and can lead to more severe damage if it is not taken care of.   In order to clean out the bacteria, periodontal surgery is usually required. The concern with peri-implantitis is that when the bacteria build-up this severe it results in bone loss. In order for the implant to stay in place it must have enough bone to correctly attach to and stay secure. 

If you have implants and you notice that your gums appear to be swollen, puffy and red. "Or if they bleed when you floss, contact your periodontist right away for a professional recommendation," says Dr. Denine Rice.

Implants – a long term solution

According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, more than 30 million Americans are missing all of their teeth in one or both jaws. This news is staggering as many of those people may be eating a diet that is compromising to their health.

“The reason dentists get concerned about missing teeth is that natural teeth provide the ability to eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables, along with other nutrient rich foods. When teeth are missing, especially those in an entire upper or lower arch, the ability to chew effectively may be lost and suddenly an unhealthy diet is the result,” says Dr. Denine Rice, a Periodontal specialist in Riverside, California.

            Implants can provide a long-term solution to those missing teeth. “With proper placement and maintenance, we see a 99% success rate of implants over a five year period,” adds Dr. Rice. “And the first five years after treatment are generally when most implants will fail. Often, we see patients that have had their implants for more than 20 years.”

            To learn more about dental implants or to see if you are a candidate, schedule anappointment today.

What to Look for When Getting a 2nd opinion

“For many patients the road to dental health is confusing,” says Dr. Denine Rice, “there may be several options for treatment that all seem the same, but usually are not.”

In any second opinion there should be a few things you are looking for and ask about.

“When you arrive at your appointment for your second opinion, make sure that you have a detailed report of what your 1^st opinion is recommending – that way you will be sure to compare the two plans equally if the recommendation is the same,” adds Dr. Rice of Rice Periodontics. But many times, your 2^nd opinion will also give you a 2^nd option.

“Discuss thoroughly with your dentist your desires and fears regarding the recommended treatment,” says Dr. Rice, “including the types of materials and technology that will be used and why.”

For example: many dentists place implants, be sure to find one that is also recommending an ICAT and not just a regular x-ray to determine if there is sufficient bone. “Implants are an investment that can last and be highly successful, or not. When determining if you wish to proceed, make sure you are doing what you can to improve the outcome.”

Also when discussing treatment with your dentist, ask about the number of procedures that have been completed successfully. “This should always be part of the discussion,” adds Dr. Rice.

Use your second opinion to find someone you feel comfortable with, someone who is knowledgeable, uses proven technology and has completed the procedures a number of times before. Call Rice Periodontics today to schedule your 2^nd opinion.

How Can a Palate-less Denture Change Your Life?

The decision to extract teeth and wear a denture is not one easily made for most patients, but sometimes there is no other choice when teeth fail due to trauma, disease, or decay.

Wearing conventional dentures requires some getting used to. First they are removable so depending upon the level of bone remaining, especially with lower dentures, they will have a varying degree of stability. Also, a conventional upper denture covers the palate of the mouth. Which means speech may change initially and the sense of taste will be affected.

“The good news is Palate-less dentures that are implant-supported can create both the stability needed for the lower jaw along with the open palate that provides for more enjoyment of food,” says Dr. DenineRice from her Periodontal and Implant Surgery practice located in Riverside, California.

While most of a person’s taste buds are located on the tongue, a few are located on the roof of the mouth, which with a conventional denture, will be covered. “An implant supported denture is really more like one long bridge unit that restores all the teeth missing in an arch,” adds Dr.Rice.

If you are struggling with dentures that are unruly or if you are having difficulty speaking and enjoying food, perhaps you should consider an implant supported denture today.

Implant Supported Dentures

Once a patient begins to lose teeth due to damage, disease, decay or trauma the bone that once supported the teeth also begins to be lost. “This means that someone who initially was able to wear dentures pretty effectively, might find that years later there is just not enough ridge left to provide support,” says Dr. Denine Rice from her Riverside Periodontal and Implant Surgery practice.

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For patients who are finding it difficult to keep their dentures in place an implant supported denture is a great option.  “Many time with as few as four implants per arch a denture can effectively be placed,” adds Dr. Rice.

Implants have a great track record. According to the American Dental Association, with regular care between 98.1 and 99.2 percent of all implants are successful after five years. That’s why Dr. Rice feels comfortable standing behind the implants that she places. “I know that with regular hygiene visits, implants can be highly successful.”

And they change people’s lives. Having a smile you can count on builds confidence. If you are suffering with an ill-fitting denture, isn’t it time you consider implants? 

Denine Rice, DDS

All on Four

“All on Four” is the name for a procedure where a denture is placed on four implants. This procedure not only provides stability for a denture, but allows a patient to be effectively restored to full dentition in a short amount of time.

“Many patients report that wearing dentures is not at all as they expected,” says Dr. Denine Rice from her Riverside Periodontal and Implant Surgery practice. “They suffer from loose fitting dentures that move about creating embarrassing situations and/or speech difficulties.”

If you are someone who can identify with that statement, perhaps you are a candidate for “All on Four” implant supported dentures.

The first step in the process is sitting down with your dentist and/or periodontist to discuss treatment plan options.  Your dentist working in conjunction with a periodontist will put together a plan designed specifically for you. While most times four implants can be used to effectively support your new denture, your dentist will determine if that’s the case for you, then a denture will be created to fit to your newly placed implants.

 Rice Periodontics and Implant Surgery

Dedication to Patients

At the Periodontal and Implant practice of Dr. Denine Rice,  they know exactly how to impress patients. At a time where everyone is in such a hurry, Dr. Rice and her team believe in taking the time to do a job well. “We feel spending the time with our patients is critical for their periodontal success,” Dr. Rice says. For most patients this means they schedule a minimum of one hour for each hygiene visit. “We find that is the time that’s required,” Dr. Rice adds.

Their focus on what is best for patients doesn’t end there. As an implant surgeon, Dr. Rice often sees patients who are referred to her because they have failing implants. “That’s so disappointing for patients,” Dr. Rice says. “Many times the reason is as simple as cement that is left after the final crown or bridge was cemented or the placement of a final fixture before the implant was really secure,” she adds. To prevent failing implants, Dr. Rice uses Periotest to test all her implants to determine osteointegration. Her dedication to implant success doesn’t end there, she also sees her patients for 5 years after the implants are restored at no additional charge. Just one more way they show how much they care.

 Dr. Denine Rice at Rice Periodontics