Loosing Teeth – Exciting For Kids, Terrifying For Adults

Like almost everything in life, losing your teeth is fun, scary, exciting and simple when you’re a kid. Go to mommy, tell her your tooth is loose, she gets some string, pulls it out and the tooth fairy pays you in exchange for it! Then you grow up, loose a tooth and you have to pay up to get your smile back, bye bye simple exciting fun.

In this case, people usually get Dentures.

Dentures are prosthetic devices made to replace missing teeth that are supported by soft and hard tissue in your mouth. There are complete dentures which people use if they are missing all their upper or lower teeth. Then there are removable partial dentures or fixed partial dentures for people who are missing only a few teeth. People with dentures however are not too happy.

Lower Dentures can become loose fitting because your gum tissue shrinks. This causes mouth irritation, sores and pain. It can also make eating and talking feel different and not in a good way. Upper Dentures fit better because of the suction in the upper palate, but that reduces the taste of food, and like lower dentures gum tissue shrinkage can cause sores and pain. Partial dentures need to anchor to your teeth using a metal clasp which can damage your teeth. These dentures last a lifetime but with age the fit will change and new ones will be needed.

What’s the alternative? Now, at GlamSmile, you can get Dental Crowns. Dental crowns are basically caps for teeth. A porcelain or metal (or combination) cap is made and cemented into place covering the portion of the tooth that lies above the gum line unlike fillings that fill and cover a part of the tooth. Crowns become the new outer surface of the tooth.

A Dental crown is normally placed when a tooth needs protection from breaking because of decay or a crack; to restore a broken or worn down tooth; to cover and support a tooth with a large filling where not much ‘tooth’ is left; it can also support or hold a dental bridge; cover teeth that are misshaped or discoloured or; cover a dental implant.

There are different crowns you choose from, at GlamSmile, as permanent crowns can be made from all metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, all resin, or all ceramic.

Metals: Mostly gold alloy, other alloys (for example, palladium) or a base-metal alloy (for example, nickel or chromium). This is a good pick for teeth that can’t be easily seen like molars because the metallic colour is not something you want in the front of your mouth. Aside from the colour drawback these crowns are better than others because less tooth structure needs to be removed; they withstand biting and chewing well and probably last the longest in terms of wear down.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal: Metal and porcelain combined so it has the strength of the metal but the colour matches your other teeth and not your jewellery. The wearing down however occurs faster than pure metal crowns and the porcelain part can chip or break off. They look like normal teeth except sometimes around the gum line (more so when the gum recedes) where the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line.

All-resin: These are cheaper crowns but they do wear down over time and are more prone to fractures.

All-ceramic or all-porcelain: These crowns provide the best natural colour match but are not as strong. They are good for people with metal allergies and are the preferred option for front teeth.

At GlamSmile you have a choice of getting temporary or permanent crowns, difference for the dentist is just where they are made, and difference for you is if you plan on changing them in the future or not.

What does this mean for you? Simply that the Movie Star smile you have always wanted is possible and all you need to do is take action.