Dentures

Often time patients will visit our office and request to have a set of dentures made because they believe they are the only answer to their problem. Some believe their teeth are so broken or decayed that they are beyond repair. Others have noticed loose teeth due to untreated gum disease. Many patients are in pain and have chosen extraction rather than dental restoration.

Dentures are not inevitable! First and foremost, it is essential to commit to taking great care of your remaining teeth. Schedule an appointment with a caring, gentle dentist who can assess your situation and share the options you have for creating a beautiful and healthy smile.

Dentures may look real but they are like having artificial hands. False teeth are just that – FALSE. Having false teeth make it very difficult to chew and enjoy certain foods. Natural suction in your mouth keeps a full upper denture in place against the hard palate or roof of your mouth. But you can only apply 15% of the normal pressure used to chew food before suction is lost and the denture slips.  Denture pastes and creams are messy and do not add security in most cases. Because the palate is now covered by a denture, many complain that food no longer smells, feels or even tastes the same. Some say that their bottom dentures are so uncomfortable that they only wear them when they go out in public.

Collapse of bite due to bone resorption

Did you know that as soon as your natural teeth are removed, your face begins to rapidly age? The teeth are vital to keeping the jaw bone intact. When teeth are lost, the jaw bone begins to disappear. This process of bone resorption begins just as soon as your original teeth are extracted and never stops throughout life. As the bone that once held your natural teeth in place begins to disappear, your facial appearance begins to collapse and change. Your jaw bone will continue to shrink away, more and more each year.

What can you do to keep your teeth for life? Maintain good oral hygiene. Treat periodontal disease. See your dentist for regular dental check-ups and repair cavities before the tooth is lost to decay.  Replacing a few missing teeth can maintain a correct bite.  If you have lost your teeth and are troubled by wearing standard dentures, there are a number of options including dental implants, which look and feel like your natural teeth,, and implant-retained dentures.  Age is not a barrier to obtaining dental implants or implant-retained dentures. 

If you are considering dentures and would like to consult with a highly trained dentist to discuss all your options, please call our office so we may assist you – (610) 565-2868.

Your dental care is important to me.

Dr. L. Z. Bodak-G
Media PA Dentist

Screening for oral cancer should be a regular part of your dental care. Your dentist is the best member of your health team to detect oral cancer at an early stage, before there are any symptoms. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat.  Fortunately, specialized tools such as the oral camera and magnification glasses can lead to early detection of oral cancer and improve the likelihood of cure. It is important to choose a dentist who has the skills and experience needed to recognize cancer and pre-cancerous conditions. Routine dental check-ups may save more than your teeth; they may save your life!

There are several known risk factors for oral cancer.  Most patients are 40 years of age or older.  Many have a history of tobacco use in all its forms, especially when combined with excess alcohol intake.  Tobacco and alcohol are well-known and long-established risk factors.  Yet another good reason to quit smoking and use alcohol in moderation!

More recently, we have learned that exposure to the human papilloma virus version 16 or HPV-16 is another important cause of oral cancer. This recent finding may explain many cases among non-smokers and non-drinkers.  HPV-16 is the same virus that causes most cases of cervical cancers in women.  The cancer may appear years or decades after the HPV-16 exposure.

Oral cancer screening is a routine part of my comprehensive dental examination. During the examination, I carefully examine the lips, inside of your mouth, palate, tongue and gums. I may be able to detect white or red spots or sores that the patients cannot see themselves. Sometimes the patient may overlook the spot at first because it is not painful.  If I find anything of concern, I perform a small biopsy immediately and send the tissue to the laboratory for microscopic examination by a pathologist.

If you have not been screened for oral cancer, please call our office at (610) 565-2868 so we may assist you.  I am committed to proper screening and helping patients fight and win the battle against oral cancer.

Your dental care is important to me.

Dr. L. Z. Bodak-G
Media PA Dentist

• Start by gently cleaning your infant’s gums and tongue daily.  Use a clean wet washcloth to remove excess bacteria and formula or food residue.  This daily regimen will become comfortable for your baby and prepare him for dental exams later on.
• As you see the first teeth erupt, move on to a child’s extra soft toothbrush. Replace with a new toothbrush every few months. 
• Use water (no toothpaste) on the toothbrush in the beginning.  Children should not swallow toothpaste.  Add toothpaste, pressed firmly into the bristles of the toothbrush, once they have mastered the “art of spitting.”
• As more teeth appear, the spaces between teeth will close and it is time to begin flossing.  Make a game of it, moving the floss up and down between the teeth (not back and forth, like shining your shoes).
• Don’t send your child to bed or a nap with a bottle or sippy cup.  Sugars, found naturally in formula, milk, and juice can coat the teeth and lead to decay. 
• Once children can assist with dressing, it is time to learn how to brush their own teeth.  Make sure you know the right way to brush, and show her.  Tell him about good oral health and why we want to take care of our teeth.  Be a good role model – Make sure you brush daily after eating and floss!  Children should be supervised until they can master the job themselves, usually about age 7.
• Emphasize healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables. Your child’s developing body, including their teeth and gums, requires a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Limit sweets to mealtimes; try diluting fruit juices, and avoid sticky foods. Sugary foods, especially when eaten as snacks between meals, can lead to tooth decay.  Sugar increases the growth of mouth bacteria.  These bacteria produce acid that can damage the teeth and lead to cavities.
• Don’t forget about the tongue and gums!  Check for signs of gingivitis such as swollen, red or bleeding gums, or bad breath.  Healthy teeth and gums require a diet rich in calcium and Vitamins C and D.  If your children are not getting enough in their diet, talk with your health care provider about vitamin supplements.
• Schedule you child’s first preventive dental visit once the teeth have appeared, usually at about one year of age.  Children’s dental care can be comfortable when they are familiar with the dentist and the dental examination. 
• Please don’t wait for a toothache before visiting the dentist.  Delaying dental treatment until there is pain may lead to lifelong dental avoidance and distress.  Many adults with dental anxiety report unpleasant experiences at the dentist when they were young. You can avoid dental anxiety later on if you seek regular preventive care from a dentist who is calm, friendly, gentle and produces excellent results. 
• Should your child see a pediatric dentist (pedodontist) or a family dentist?  That depends on the dentist!  It is the skill and manner of the dentist, as well as their experience and expertise, that will help shape your child’s attitude for years to come.  If you have a good relationship with your family dentist, and he or she is comfortable with children and experienced in all aspects of children’s dentistry, your family dentist may be an ideal choice.  Seek out reviews and recommendations if you are insure, and make the first visit to the dentist a positive one.
• If you and your dentist are comfortable with this suggestion, consider bringing your young child with you to your next preventive dental visit.  You are their best role model.  When your toddler sees that your dental visits are pain-free, your child’s dental check-ups will be much less stressful.  And if your own visits are not comfortable, consider changing dentists!
• If you and your child both feel relaxed, the experience will be a positive one.  Your children will enjoy visiting their dentist and you will LOVE their smile!

Next Chapter:  Dental Health for the School Age Child

Missing Teeth

Many adults have missing permanent teeth that have been lost due to injury, disease or decay. Not only do missing teeth make you look older than you are, they can also be detrimental to both your health and well-being. If you have teeth that are missing, replacing them can dramatically improve your appearance by improving your smile. This will also improve how you feel about yourself.

Collapse of bite due to bone resorption

In our grandparents’ day, there was often little opportunity for quality dental care. As a result, people expected to lose at least some of their teeth by their mid-adult years. As they began to lose teeth, their faces started to age prematurely. Losing a permanent tooth is similar to losing other parts of your body. Would you be content to lose a finger, even though you had nine others? Of course not. You could still use your hand, but you know that your hand works best when no parts are missing. Your mouth and jaw also function best when you have all 28 permanent adult teeth. Many people have lost all four wisdom teeth without any loss of function, but the other 28 adult teeth are a different story.

Each tooth functions both individually and also as part of your bite. When you lose a tooth, there is an empty space or gap left behind that affects each of the opposing teeth. If one or more missing permanent adult teeth are not replaced, the spaces or gaps will cause your remaining teeth to shift to a new spot. As these teeth shift, your bite will be disturbed and you may develop TMJ (temporomandibular joint) symptoms with jaw clicking or soreness. The gaps also become the perfect place for food to become trapped, which increases your risk of gum disease and tooth decay. If you lose enough teeth, you will also be unable to chew your food effectively.

Avoid future TMJ problems and collapse of your bite. Replacing missing teeth promptly can help prevent movement of your remaining teeth and can help preserve your bite. When a tooth is lost, the supporting bone in the jaw begins to dissolve. This is known as bone resorption. Bone resorption is an ongoing, continual and permanent process; it never stops throughout your lifetime until you replace the missing tooth. The longer the tooth is missing, the more bone is lost to resorption. This makes it more difficult to do dental restoration to replace the missing teeth.

If you have dentures, you are already experiencing ongoing bone loss and premature facial aging, as you lose more and more of your bone from your  jaw . Your profile and facial appearance starts to age more rapidly.  Loose dentures accelerate the rate of bone loss even more. Even if one or more teeth were lost long ago, replacing them with dental implants now can stabilize your bite and bone tissue, reduce TMJ stress, improve your ability to eat a variety of foods and enhance your smile and facial appaearance.

So replacing a tooth as soon as possible after it is lost is key to maintaining proper oral health and maintaining your facial proportions. Restoring missing teeth will reduce the shifting of teeth due to gaps and will also help prevent bone loss.

Your oral health and dental care is important to me.

Dr. L. Z. Bodak-G
Media PA Dentist

Missing Molar Tooth

Do you have a missing tooth? Are you looking for an expert Delaware County dentist? Dental implants are a permanent solution for your missing teeth.

After Dental Implants

Missing teeth cause movement of your remaining teeth and bone loss, giving your face a prematurely aged appearance. Many patients develop jaw pain, headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfuntion and misalignment of their teeth and jaw. With a dental implant, I can replace a missing tooth, restoring the youthful contour of your mouth. AND I can do this for the same fee as a porcelain bridge. The implant is placed under local anesthesia. And with an implant, I do not have to cap or crown the neighboring teeth to attach a bridge. My implant tooth looks, feels and functions like your natural tooth, except … it will never decay!

I use the Bicon coated-titanium bacterially-sealed implant, which comes in a wide range of sizes,to replace the natural tooth root. For properly selected patients, Bicon implants have a 98% success rate. The Bicon sloping shoulder design and availability of short or narrow implant sizes may prevent the need for bone replacement, sinus lift and other costly procedures that may be required with other implant systems.

Call Media PA Dentist at 610 565-2868 for your COMPLIMENTARY APPOINTMENT to learn whether you may be a candidate for Bicon Dental Implants.

Broken Tooth

We all try to be careful, but accidents happen! Breaking a tooth can seem like a disaster, but we were able to repair this tooth painlessly. With cosmetic bonding, I can create a restored tooth the very same day, in just one hour.

Broken Tooth Repaired

The remaining tooth is prepared, and the bonding material is sculpted, color matched and artfully blended with the natural tooth,completing the final restoration.

If you have a dental emergency, call us at 610 565-2868. Our phones are answered every day. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

Many adult dental patients with misaligned teeth would like a more pleasing smile, but traditional orthodontic treatment, including braces with brackets, wires, springs and rubber bands, is not practical or socially acceptable for most of us.

Reason #1 Misalligned Teeth Can Cause Health Problems
Misaligned teeth can cause more than a self-conscious smile. Crooked teeth may be associated with difficulty chewing and problems such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. TMJ disorder, which can cause a clicking sensation when the jaw opens or closes, can lead to jaw pain, headaches, or tinnitus, a noisy sensation in the ear.

Reason #2 Misalligned Teeth Can Lead to Gum (Periodontal) Disease
Proper brushing of the teeth removes biofilm (plaque), the sticky layer of bacteria on the teeth that leads to tooth decay, toothache, tartar buildup, gum disease and bad breath. With misaligned teeth, brushing is less efficient in removing biofilm, so it is easier for periodontal gum disease to develop. And it is gum disease, not tooth decay, that is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults.

Reason #3 Clear Braces Are Convenient and Affordable
Clear plastic aligners are nearly invisible orthodontic appliances that can be worn at work or out in public. The wearer is able to speak on the telephone clearly, and can easily remove them to eat or brush their teeth. The cost is often much less than traditional braces; many patients are surprised to learn how truly affordable this treatment can be.

Reason #4 Clear Braces Are Customized Just For You
The treatment is completely customized, and proceeds at the patient’s own pace. Each aligner is worn for several weeks while one or more teeth are moved a fraction of a millimeter. Over time, the teeth gradually move into their optimal position.

Reason #5 Clear Braces Improve Your Smile and Facial Proportions
Successful treatment with clear plastic aligners for adults can correct crowded misaligned teeth, and eliminate gaps between teeth. The gradual movement of your teeth to their optimal position will enhance your smile, improve the function and health of your gums, teeth and jaw, and achieve a more pleasing balance of facial proportion. And who would not want that?

Patient “E” Before, Age 57 years

Patient “E” After clear braces & whitening