Dental Implants
When it come to the fit, durability, comfort and look, outside of your actual teeth, no option compares to dental implants. With advancements being made, the only area that implants have not reached is the area of decay. Older choices like bridges and dentures, simply do not measure up.
A dental implant is made up of three parts. A titanium decay resistant post, the abutment (middle connector) and the crown which is visible. Implants mimic the root of a real tooth; they attach to the bone for a snug fit and provide confidence in your bite and promote jaw wellness.
What Are The Advantages of Dental Implants?
- Look real
- Versatility
- No dietary restrictions
- No difficulty speaking
- Stimulate jaw and prevent bone loss
- Dependable and permanent
- Most comfortable option
- Real tooth function
- Improves smile and overall confidence
- No slippage
- No more gaps between teeth
- No further care for removable appliances
Let Dr. Crawford show you why Dental Implants turn the screws on the competition, with a bite as good as the real thing.
Gum Recession Treatment
According to research from the Center for Disease Control, 47% of U.S. adults over age thirty live with some varying degree of gum disease. Let Dr. Crawford put you back on the positive side of that split. Gum recession has at its core roughly ten causes working alone or in combination with one another.
What Causes Gum recession?
- Genetics- 30% of the population has the potential for gum disease despite their oral care
- Periodontal disease- erodes soft tissue, damages bone – without treatment- possible tooth loss
- Excessive brushing – technique- with a medium to hard bristled brush
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)- along with clenching can damage the gum over time
- Misaligned teeth and or bite- can place additional stress on your gums
- Poor oral hygiene- inadequate oral care can lead to problems
- Hormones
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Tongue and lip piercings
Dr. Crawford’s options and expertise will bring about the positive aspects associated with a healthy mouth. Imagine hot and cold foods no longer being a trigger. Root decay and damage will be greatly reduced as the changes to your gums and teeth take hold.
Crawford Dental offers multiple options for treating gum recession to reclaim your smile and the health of your teeth and gums.
Gum grafting is the traditional path taken with gum recession. Healthy tissue form other regions of your mouth are harvested or from a tissue bank to the gum line in need. Traditional grafts are often performed in batches, depending on how much treatment is required, as they usually involve at least two surgical sites.
Pinhole Gum Grafting
The Pinhole Surgical Technique™ is a new, revolutionary treatment for receding gums that can make your smile healthy and beautiful in one day with minimal discomfort and a fast recovery.
• Faster results and minimal pain compared to tissue grafting
• Only a small, pinhole opening is needed (no incisions or sutures required)
• Reduced bleeding and swelling
• Shorter healing period
Dr Crawford’s go to method for bringing comfort back is the Pinhole Surgical Technique. This technique is minimally invasive tissue treatment of the highest order. The pinhole strategy with the tiniest prick and advanced tools works with the localized gum already available. The gum is merely plied down over the tooth, bypassing stitches and painful grafting found in traditional gum therapy. You could have your treatment that day in under two hours and be eating supper that night. Dr. Crawford will guide you down the path that will bring about your best outcome.
LANAP (Laser Gum Therapy)
Why do so many millions of people a year avoid having their gum disease treated. Gum disease which left unchecked could lead to a number of complications down the road. Well historically it has not been one of the most pleasant of procedures. Dr. Crawford again gives you options, and one of those is Laser surgery known as LANAP.
A 90% reduction in inflammation, and a non-invasive, comfortable experience while the technology targets and eliminates bacteria on contact. In contrast to the old scalpel this laser technology leaves the healthy tissue untouched. On top of this the laser approach promotes jaw bone growth, giving teeth ready to go under the pillow or to be extracted a second chance to function.
What are Some Benefits of Laser Dentistry?
- accuracy increase
- more predictable outcome
- minimal discomfort- no incisions or sutures
- 90% reduction of inflammation
- fastest recovery time available – 24 hours
- low risk of infection
Dr. Crawford with the trailblazing LANAP method is bringing patients to a safer future with as painless an option that has ever been offered. If Crawford Dental can be that difference, please contact us today.
Teeth In A Day
Are you tired of wearing dentures that slip and click but do not have enough bone density to switch to dental implants? Teeth in a Day dental implants in St. Petersburg, FL with Dr. Bruce Crawford are designed for traditional denture wearing patients just like you.
Teeth In A Day Implant Supported Dentures
• Work with low bone density (no bone grafting)
• Immediate use
• Make dentures permanent and more functional
• Fast recovery
• High success rate
Many patients can now enjoy the benefits of dental implants with Teeth in a Day implant supported dentures from Dr. Crawford. This implant technology was specifically engineered to maximize the bone that is present. With the use of just four dental implants and a customized denture, patients can enjoy a more stable, more functional, and permanent dental appliance. Teeth in a Day has a 98.5 percent success rate at the four year follow up, making this technique a winner for almost anyone who wants more freedom and choice.
Unlike standard implant surgery, in which implants are installed at each missing tooth site and sometimes requires bone grafting beforehand, the Teeth in a Day technique allows Dr. Crawford to place four implants wherever there is still enough bone left to accommodate them. Once those regions are identified and populated, Dr. Crawford will order a customized denture designed to work in tandem with the implants for a permanent and highly successful result.
During your initial office visit, a temporary denture, or your existing one, will be fixed for immediate use while the implants integrate with your jaw, which usually requires three to six months. After that, Dr. Crawford will replace the temporary with the Teeth in a Day dental implants and your smile will be complete! No more slips, no clicks, and no food restrictions. Plus, your new implants, which function like real tooth roots, will help to prevent further bone loss.
Occlusal Adjustments
So what if your bite doesn’t line up properly and your jaw doesn’t close like it was designed to. What you have is a constant tension on the neck and jaw which leads to jaw pain, as severe as T.M.J., intense headaches, tooth pain and neck aches. Bruxism or teeth grinding can lead you to loss of tooth structure and enamel and receding gums. These hitches which prevent a proper bite and jaw closure often are the result of injury or wear during a developmental stage for the teeth. Past dental work can also create obstacles when it comes to closing the mouth in to the desired position.
Occlusal or bite adjustment seeks to do away with discomfort now and in the future. Dr Crawford will have you bite down on a thin piece of Mylar paper recording the impressions with respect to your entire mouth. Using the colored marks made Dr Crawford will smooth down carefully any edges necessary. The aim is to have the upper and lower jaw meet at the ideal points and let the mouth close properly.
Dr Crawford and his staff are waiting to open and close this issue with you as soon as possible.
Tooth Extractions
Tooth extractions are a procedure performed at all dental practices and the last option considered. At Crawford Dental we will look at all other options before that is considered. Dr. Crawford and his staff assess each situation considering the tooth, the area of the mouth and the patient. In each situation however, we will use anesthesia to numb the area and see to it that your experience is the most comfortable one possible.
Teeth are removed for a number of reasons most commonly infection, breakage, decay and crowding. The two forms of extraction are simple and surgical.
Reasons for extractions
- severe infection or tooth decay
- Severe gum disease
- Supernumerary- teeth are crowding and blocking
- Non-restorable teeth
- teeth that are fractured
- orthodontic treatment
- Cosmetic reasons
Tips for a Speedy Recovery
- follow prescription direction with painkillers as prescribed by your dentist or oral surgeon. Apply an ice or cold pack to the outside of your mouth to help relieve pain and swelling.
- After 24 hours, rinse your mouth gently with warm salt water several times a day to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
- Change gauze pads regularly
- Relax after surgery
- Avoid smoking or smoke products
- Eat soft foods, such as gelatin, broth or thin soup. Slowly add solid foods back in to your diet as healing progresses.
- Prop your head up with pillows
- Avoid rubbing the area with your tongue.
- Avoid straws and sucking motion carefully brush your teeth and tongue.
Remember, at Crawford Dental, we aim to preserve your teeth by considering all possibilities before extraction. Your care and comfort are something we will never remove.
Sedation
While discomfort in the mouth should always be seen as a warning sign and a call to action, fear keeps people from seeking attention. This concern can stem from childhood, a past experience or an expectation no matter how realistic. With Oral Sedation dentistry here at Crawford Dental needles and intravenous tubes are a thing of the past. Our sedation therapy brings a calm for patients who have a fear or trouble getting numb. Minimal, moderate and deep are the three levels of sedation offered depending on the patients comfort level.
Crawford Dental also offers the old standbys nitrous oxide and local anesthetic. With nitrous oxide five minutes is all it takes before the patient is completely relaxed. We can alter the level of sedation throughout the procedure. Local anesthetic is necessary to numb a particular area while still having you conscious to respond to certain requests or cues. Numbing medications are sometimes used in conjunction with one another to bring about the maximum amount of comfort.