- 166 Monmouth Rd, Oakhurst, NJ
- Tel: 732.531.1232
- Fax: 732.531.1236
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Our Oakhurst dental implant practice, the office of Dr. Vincent M. Foring, offers advanced dental implant procedures that can replace your missing teeth in ways that look and feel completely natural. We understand the importance of affordability; we know that no one likes financial surprises at the end of their procedure. At our office, you will see one doctor, in one office – and all for one fee.
At times a tooth can fail, leaving you with an unsightly space. However, this space can also lead to teeth shifting, problems with your bite, and bone loss in the jaw. These factors can cause alterations in facial structure through bone loss, accelerated wear or damage to the remaining teeth, and often it can even cause additional teeth to be lost.
If you have suffered multiple tooth loss over the years, your ability to chew or speak may be severely impaired. Sometimes a removable partial is given as a treatment, but that is often bulky, intrusive and unstable.
In other instances, the entire dentition may be failing, or has already failed – leaving you with a total loss of function in chewing, smiling and talking. Dentures are typically made to correct this, but they still only return 10-20% of the function of your natural teeth. You might also lack taste due to the bulky acrylic.
Whether you have lost one tooth or multiple teeth, this can create anxiety and affect your self-confidence. All of these unfortunate situations can be solved with dental implants. Dental implants are a restorative dental technique that helps countless number of patients improve the form and function of their teeth while eliminating the many drawbacks associated with traditional dentures.
Dr. Vincent M. Foring is a general dentist, and a member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. He is also the team dentist for Monmouth University sports teams, treating mouth related sports injuries for the University. Dr. Foring is able to perform both the surgical and restorative dental implant procedures for single tooth replacements, multiple missing teeth, and full mouth rehabilitation (all-on-four).
When a tooth is lost, we have several options to restore the missing space. Usually the best treatment plan will involve a dental implant. If the tooth needs to be extracted because it cannot be saved, and you would like an implant at some point in the near future or longer term, we will recommend a bone graft to prevent the bone from collapsing after the tooth is extracted. Before an implant can be placed, we always do a 3D scan to make sure there are no surprises during the procedure and that the implant will be placed exactly where we plan it.
Dental Implant
Your best option is a dental implant. A dental implant will replace the root of your missing tooth and will not affect the adjacent teeth. The implant also stimulates the bone around it preserving your bone and preventing bone loss. The tooth can be flossed normally and brushed as if it was your own. Check out more information at What is an Implant?
Below are three other options after a tooth is lost:
Do Nothing…
One of the options is to do nothing and leave the space. This may add character for some people but more often creates insecurities in most. There are several disadvantages to not replacing a tooth beyond appearance. When a tooth is lost and the area does not recieve a bone graft, teeth will begin to shift. As these teeth shift, pressure is also shifted onto other teeth in a detrimental way. The tooth opposing the missing tooth will begin to extrude into the space as well. This creates an uneven bite, it creates food traps which cause cavities or accelerated bone loss, and since the teeth are now tilting into the mising space it also causes areas that can no longer be cleansed leading to periodontal disease. A single tooth that has been lost can cause an ill fated cascading effect that could potentially lead to jaw pain, periodontal disease, cavities, or even further tooth loss.
Removable Partial Denture
The second option you have is to replace the missing tooth with a partial denture. While this is an affordable and economical option we find that patients have these partials made but very seldom wear them for a single tooth. The discomfort associated with having a bulky prosthetic in your mouth for a single tooth is often not worth it to many people.
3-Unit Fixed Bridge
A third option is a conventional 3-unit bridge. If done correctly a 3-unit bridge can be a great option to replace a tooth. It checks all the boxes of looking and feeling natural, and is a fixed solution, that does not come out of the mouth. However, there are several disadvantages. One is that your dentist will need to prepare or grind down the healthy adjacent teeth to create the necessary room for the porcelain. You will also continue to lose bone under the fake tooth in the bridge leaving a visible space over time. This area may trap food and cause decay on the adjacent teeth holding the bridge. Because of this a bridge requires a special flossing aid to help floss under the bridge to properly care for it. Also if there is a problem with one of the teeth under the bridge the entire bridge may have to be redone. A bridge average life span is 7-9 years. While an implant has a success rate of 93% at 25 years.
When you have lost larger areas of your dentition and chewing, speaking, and self-esteem are affected multiple implants can be used to restore your mouth. By using implants we can secure large areas of dentition without compromising the remaining teeth, and should those remaining natural teeth ever fail, these implants will be essential in restoring your mouth.
Implant Bridge
The best and most natural option for restoring your mouth will utilize implants. The goal of using implants will be to avoid a partial denture or long span bridges. Partial dentures are bulky and long span bridges may not have the longevity you are looking for. You can read more below about these options. An implant bridge will avoid damage to the rest of your natural teeth, provide you with unwavering support, and are a fixed permanent solution for large areas of missing teeth.
Do Nothing…
One of the options is to do nothing and leave the spaces. This may add character for some people but more often creates insecurities in most. There are several disadvantages to not replacing large areas of dentition beyond appearance. The larger the area missing the more shifting teeth will do. As these teeth shift, pressure is also shifted onto other teeth in a detrimental way. Opposing teeth (teeth from below or above) will migrated into the empty space. Teeth in the same arch will tilt forward or backward causing food traps and potentially decay on otherwise healthy teeth. The forces of the mouth are not balanced properly causing other teeth to take more of a beating as they absorb more force than they were originally intended to. Think about the foundation to your home. If you start to remove supports floors will begin to dip and sink and other supports will begin to break down faster as they take on more pressure.
Removable Partial Denture
Another option is a removable partial denture. While this is an affordable and economical option to replace multiple teeth we find that the discomfort associated with having a bulky prosthetic in your mouth is not for everyone. Speech and taste can be affected, and getting used to a partial can take a strong mental and physical commitment.
Long Span Fixed Bridge
Another option is to utilize a long span fixed bridge. Long span fixed bridges can be utilized in certain cases but are usually not the best option for everyone. While it replaces teeth, it does not preserve bone in the jaw bone. We also must grind or prepare the healthy teeth supporting the bridge in order to place a fixed bridge. Also with long span fixed bridges we are using two or more healthy teeth to support the area of 4 or 5 teeth. This puts tremendous pressure on the remaining teeth being used to support the bridge. Care must be taken to assess if these teeth can support the load. Finally the longer the span the less longevity and the more risk or complications involved in the prosthetic. Bridges have the potential for decay, fracture, or periodontal issues as cleaning them properly can take extra care at home.
Sometimes unfortunate circumstances leave us with few or no teeth. We are given dentures and told here are your new beautiful teeth. While they are beautiful most of the time a mouth full of acrylic and plastic just seems so foreign to our mouths we have a hard time physically and emotionally. While dentures provide us with a smile they do not give us the function of natural teeth. Chewing is often limited to certain foods, usually softer ones. The dentures can slide hurt the gums or come loose and fall out completely. Taste is diminished by the plastic, and temperatures can sometimes be masked leading us to burn our mouths. Speech is altered, and sometimes we have to re-learn how to pronounce certain words.
What is an Implant Supported Fixed Full Arch Prosthetic?
An Implant Supported Fixed Full Arch Prosthetic is a way to replace your dentition or failing dentition in a permanent way! Implants are placed into the jaw bone. These serve as anchors for your future teeth. On the day of surgery Dr. Foring will place implants into the jaw that will be used to support your new teeth. On the same day of surgery you will be fitted with a set of temporary teeth that will start to utilize your implants right away. The final prosthetic will be fabricated a few months later. This is a fixed treatment which means the teeth are only removable by your dentist. There are many versions of this type of concept. Some call it All-on-four or a hybrid denture. These methods utilize titanium and denture material to create your prosthetic. We utilize a material called Bruxir which is a solid Zirconia material much stronger than acrylic and does not wear as easily. This gives you much more longevity.
How Much Does It Cost?
We utilize the latest techniques and only the best American made materials. This therapy is a unique way to give you your life back. Your smile, your confidence, your ability to chew comfortable and converse normally. While this therapy is not cheap, it can be very affordable. We utilize several lenders that can often get you into a very affordable monthly payment. Check out our Financial Page
If you have been living with a denture for a couple months or several years, then you already know the problems associated with them. You may have experienced a feeling of insecure dentures moving while you eat or talk, and pain in the gums resulting from that movement. You may notice a change in your speech as you attempt to keep the denture stable. Managing this can become a difficult balancing act every time you utilize your denture. What you may not know is that the bone in your jaw slowly wears away when the teeth are lost, and the longer you are in a denture the faster this wear will occur. Dental implants can help to stop this loss as they have a stimulating effect on the bone.
If you are not looking or able to replace your denture with a Full Arch Fixed Solution then we can help you stabilize your denture using dental implants. We use two different methods for denture stabilization based upon the bone available and your individual needs.
Dental Implants For Denture Stabilization
In our office we can utilize either conventional implants to stabilize your denture or we can utilize mini-implants (a small diameter implant) to accomplish the same goal. After the implants are placed we can either convert your existing denture to clip onto the implants, or we can make you a new denture that is uniquely designed to work best with your new implants.
What About Denture Adhesive?
Denture adhesives exist to help stabilize your denture. These adhesives can be messy and annoying to remove at the end of the day. People often use them with a loose or ill-fitted denture, which can help them feel more secure, but is actually not a good idea. Before using dental adhesive, ask your dentist if you denture fits properly first.
