People know that partnering with one of the dentists in Kettering will help keep their teeth and gums healthy for their entire life span. This will enable them to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods throughout their elder years. Doctors believe that this is one of the keys to staying healthy and strong as people age. Visiting a dentist every six months will identify any signs of tooth decay or gum disease. As people age their immune system weakens. This makes them more likely to have gum disease, even if they care for their gums properly.
If one of the Dentists in Kettering identifies gum disease in its earliest stages, he can usually treat it without sending the patient to an expensive specialist. The first step is a thorough cleaning that can often alleviate the bacteria. The dentist can also place medicated strips at the patient’s gumline. These strips contain antibiotics that kill the bacteria that cause gum disease. They are very effective and can quickly end an infection.
Sometimes older people do have to have all of their teeth removed. This can be a traumatic experience. The older person may have seen other people with badly fitting dentures that keep slipping whenever people try and talk or eat. They fear that they will have the same experience.
Today Dentists in Kettering have learned that dental implants can make dentures much more reliable. Once the teeth have been removed and the gums have healed, the dentist inserts mini dental implants at intervals in both the upper an lower jaw. There are small metal balls on the end of each. These fit into grooves on the bottom of dentures. Each morning after the dentures have been cleaned, the denture wearer just pops them on the balls. This ensures that they have a secure fit for the entire day.
If the patient is nervous about not having teeth while their gums heal from having their teeth pulled out, the dentists in Kettering can provide them with immediate dentures. They are called immediate dentures, because they are used immediately after the tooth extractions. As the gums heal these dentures will have to be refitted because gums change size as their heal.