Prosthodontics Services – Omaha, NE
Prosthodontics is a dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance, and health of patients with missing or deficient teeth. Paul Krause Dental in Omaha has training and education in the prosthodontics services. If you are in need of a complete dentures set, partial dentures, tooth implant or tooth replacement, give us a call.
Complete Dentures
Removable dentures (sometimes referred to as false teeth or plates) are a common treatment alternative for missing teeth (edentulism). Paul Krause Dental can help you with removable dentures that are versatile in their ability to replace any number of missing teeth and to fill out the contours of the face and lips, which shrink inward when multiple teeth are lost. Typically the denture base is made of acrylic plastic that can be tinted to match the patient’s natural gum tissues. Dentures are made from either acrylic or ceramic. Complete dentures are held in place by some combination of denture adhesive (best if used very minimally), “suction cup effect”, and the patient’s controlled use of their tongue and facial muscles.
Partial Dentures
Partial removable dentures (partials) are an option for the partially edentulous, while complete removable dentures are an option for the completely edentulous patient. Partial removable dentures are held in place in the mouth by wire clasps and/or other means of attachment to the remaining natural teeth. Partial dentures can be a temporary means of treating Omaha patients who are expecting to lose the remaining teeth. As more teeth are lost, they can be added to the partial. At some point, as the natural teeth being used to anchor the partial denture (abutments) are lost, it becomes necessary to completely remake the denture, or explore other treatment options, like bridges or dental implants—both of which are usually good solutions for the replacement of single teeth as well.
Retained Dentures with Implants
Dentures attached to mini dental implants are a viable alternative to traditional dentures. Some patients have difficulty with removable dentures for a number of reasons. They may find that their dentures are uncomfortable or painful, or they may cause difficulties with speech. Paul Krause Dental offers mini implants which are a feasible option for patients to secure their dentures, alleviating movement which often leads to these issues. Some patients may have to change their eating habits to accommodate their new dentures, and over time other problems with dental occlusion (bite) may develop if they become loose or ill-fitting.
Tooth Implants/ Tooth Replacement
Dental implants may be thought of as replacement tooth roots. Although they are available in many shapes and sizes, depending on the specific problem to be solved, by far the most common type in use today is the “root-form” implant. Dental implants are among the most significant advancements in the history of dentistry for their versatility at replacing one tooth, several teeth—even all of the teeth. Mini implants are constructed from the same titanium alloys as conventional implants, and are available in varying lengths. They differ from traditional implants as they have a much smaller diameter – less than 3mm rather than 4-5mm. This means the procedure for insertion of a mini dental implant is much less painful and less invasive than conventional dental implants.