How Dentures Change People's Lives

 I had this patient come in and his mouth was falling apart.  He did not smile anymore.  He was very thin because he could not eat without pain in his teeth.  He was a mess.

The treatment was not quite so simple.  He needed all his teeth out and on the bottom he had extra bone, tori, growing on the tongue side of his ridge.  He needed to have this bone removed or else a denture would not fit properly.  So he needed surgery  for the removal of his teeth and surgery for the removal of the extra bone.  He then had to wait for healing.  This lengthened the process but we went ahead and did all this work.  He waited 4 months for healing, then we went ahead and made him new dentures.  This with the understanding that he would need relines down the road as the ridges further receded.

Long story short, we made him new dentures and his life changed over night.  He could smile to his grandchildren and he could eat.  He put on 20 pounds over night ( and he still looked thin).

When we delivered his new dentures, he literally cried in the chair.

I have been doing this a long time but every so often you get a moment when you know you have changed someone's world and  it is quite an amazing feeling.

Regards and all the best

Enjoying Dentistry in Hamilton Ontario

Dr. Ron Barzilay

www.rondentist.com

thehamiltondentist.com

https://thehamiltondentist.com/sleep-apnea-dentist-hamilton.html

MY SMILE LOOKS TERRIBLE BUT I CAN'T AFFORD THE DENTISTRY - WHAT CAN I DO?

My smile looks terrible, so I don't smile any more.  I can't afford the dentistry.  What can I do?

How many times do I get asked this question!  Usually it is from a new patient who I have never seen before and they have come in to see what we can do about their smile.
So many people assume that it is just to expensive so they never come in and even ask the question.  That is the worst situation because for many people the fix really isn't that bad or that expensive.  You really need to ask the question so that you can get an answer.
Many people assume that things are terrible when the solutions are often small and simple.
There are of course cases that are more complicated and more expensive but let's go over some cases and see some solutions.  Of course I can in no way cover all the possible scenarios but here are just a few easy ones.
"My teeth are yellow and they embarrass me".  The solution is teeth whitening!  From in office to buying whited strips at Walmart.  Both work well and you can keep your cost low.
"Crooked teeth".  I always wanted straight teeth but couldn't afford it.  I refer to the orthodontist.  The typical case is $6-7,000 dollars (CDN).  The people I work with ask for a deposit then they put you on a payment plan for about 2 years so it works out to about $200 dollars a month after the deposit.  Sometimes, if patients are hard up for the deposit then I will speak to the Orthodontist and sometimes I can get the deposit  waved and get them more payments.
Now comes the tricky stuff where it is more difficult to give you an idea of cost without seeing the case.
Sometimes a patient needs all their teeth out and new dentures made.  The cost of the extractions will depend on how many teeth are left and how difficult the extractions.  Then the cost of new dentures.  There are some extra costs, not really hidden as your dentist will discuss these with you before you start.  No dentist likes to get into a situation of  "I didn't know" or " you didn't tell me".  These costs include things such as immediate denture cost (denture going in at time of extraction) and reline costs (to make the denture fit the gums after a few months).  Also a possible remake of the denture if it still doesn't fit well because the gums need time to settle to their final shape after the extractions.  If you can wait two to three months after the extraction to make the dentures you can save yourself a lot of these costs.

These are before and after dentures. Not bad!

Of course not everyone needs dentures. Some people just need to replace there existing fillings and make them look good.

Here we just cleaned the gums and so you can see the red line around the gums disappear and now look pink. We replaced the fillings in her four front teeth and just did a better job.  The result was great.  The cost including the cleaning was about $1200.
   Of course I am cherry picking here.  There are cases which are a lot more expensive but if you don't ask you won't know.  Perhaps your solution is not as complicated as you thought it would be.

All the best
Dr. Ron Barzilay
www.rondentist.com

enjoying dentistry in Hamilton Ontario

If you have any questions, just send them as a comment to the blog and I will reply.

Should Teeth Always be so White?

I received an anonymous letter in the mail this week with an advertising which we posted.
The person who sent us the advertising  made the comment that in one area of the advertising the person's teeth were white, in another area of the advertising the person's teeth were not as white and we should get our money back from the printer as they did a bad job with our print.  This was very interesting to me and I am only sorry that the person sent this anonymously.  What I would have told him is this.  Not everyone has white teeth and believe it or not, as a dentist, I strive to give people what they want and to make people look natural.  We have all seen those cosmetic surgery cases that go wrong because the surgeon just needed to say to the patient that it will not look good and I am not going to do it.  We have seen those people that have had dental work and  the second they smile you are almost blinded by the "light".  In this particular case we had a gentleman who had terrible teeth and they all needed to come out.  We gave him new dentures which were appropriate for his age and complexion.  He also did not want his smile to be overwhelming to those who knew him as until now he hardly smiled and he wanted his smile to look natural.  I was very proud of the job we did and how we helped change this gentlemans' life.
Today, in general, we actually do go for slightly whiter teeth since everyone is whitening their teeth and have whiter smiles. But!! I will always do what is appropriate for my patient and tell him or her if this is what is right for them or maybe we have to go for a color that is less conspicuous.
As to the advertising, I guess we could have posted a case that had a whiter end product but I am really proud of this case and it is a truly realistic case and result.
The marketing people and this particular person may not like it that much but I really like honesty in my marketing.
All the best
Dr. Ron Barzilay
Having fun in Hamilton Ontario
www.rondentist.com

Is It Time for New Dentures Yet?

"Doctor, I had these dentures made 30 years ago, do you think it is time for new dentures?"
" I mean, they still feel pretty good!"


Well, my response to the patient is "let me have a look!"


My gut feeling tells me what I am going to find but never be so arrogant as to assume that you are correct without even investigating.


The patient takes out their denture and the biting surface is completely flat and worn down.  No wander their chin looks like it is approaching their nose, the teeth are so worn that the vertical dimension of their face has decreased.  When I look at the dentures the inside is full of plaque and food.  A signal that the denture is not fitting properly.  I put the dentures back into the mouth to see how much movement there is in the denture especially the upper and yes the denture moves all over her upper jaw.  Another sign the denture is not fitting properly.  I ask the patient to smile to check the aesthetics and you can hardly see the teeth as they are so worn down.


I address the patient, "yes Mrs. Jones, I think it is time for a new denture!"


New dentures every 5 years or so is a good rule of thumb.  You can go a little longer but they have to still fit well and not be worn on the surfaces.  Have your dentist advise you.


All the best


Dr. Ron Barzilay
www.rondentist.com

Is it time to have all my teeth out?

How many times has a patient come in and said, "Dr. I want all my teeth out!"
So many times I have said, YES you are right it is time to have them out and so many times I have said, NO it is not time.

How does a dentist decide whether  this patient needs or should have all their teeth out?
There are a number of issues we must look at before arriving at the decision.  Remember, once you take them out, you can't put them back.  Afterwards the patient may have to deal with other issues such as retention of a denture, gaginess and general discomfort.  And of course, even though a patient wants all his teeth out that doesn't mean that we have to do it.

The simpler cases are when the patients teeth are hopeless.  When, the teeth are so rotten or the teeth are moving so much that there is really no choice but to extract all of the patients teeth and make them dentures.  It starts to get complicated when those rotten teeth can be fixed and those receded gums can also be stabilized.  Then what?
A partial denture is better than a full denture because it is more stable in the mouth since it can use solid teeth as aids for stabilization.  Of course, no denture is the best, if we can just fix your teeth or create a fixed bridge.  Nothing to take out and of course the feel is the most natural.

So here we move into the grey area.  A patient comes into the practise and he has a fair number of teeth that are decayed and moving.  He has not brushed his teeth in a number of years.  When I ask him if we can fix his teeth will he start brushing them?  He answers NO.  Then the teeth are going to be lost no matter what and there is no point in wasting time trying to save these teeth because no matter what they will develop new problems again after we have done all the work to fix them.

A patient comes in with decay in his teeth, we fix all the teeth and then 6 months later the patient returns with large amounts of decay just as he had entered on the first day.  He now tells us that he has 5-6 Tim Horton's triple triples every day.  (That is triple sugar with the coffee)  He says he refuses to stop this as it is his one vice.  In this case we would also take the teeth out since the battle is lost before we even fired the first shot.

Sometimes a patient will come in who hasen't seen the dentist in 15 years, she may have 1-2 cavities and a lot of cleaning to do, but she is adamant that she needs all her teeth out.  Well of course we won't take her teeth out because she doesn't need it.  We will try to make the patient understand that their situation doesn't need such drastic measures and that they would be a lot happier with their own teeth.

All of these situations have happened to me and were dealt with as I have described.  Every case is different and requires a different response.  On the whole, keeping your teeth is better than extracting them, even keeping a few teeth is better than extracting them all but in some situations extracting all the teeth is the treatment of choice.   The black and white cases are easy to decide.  But through years of experience, through discussions with our patients of their needs and wants, we learn to make the proper and informed choices in the gray zone.

All the best

Don't forget to come visit us at  www.rondentist.com