Getting Ready for a Dental Implant or Not?

To Implant or Not

What is a dental implant?  Simply it is a way to replace a lost tooth while not affecting any of your other teeth.  It is one of the closest approximations we can produce to restore a lost tooth.  In the past when you lost a tooth it could only be replaced with a removable or fixed prosthesis.  The removable was a partial denture which was made of acrylic and metal which you placed in your mouth upon waking and removed before sleeping.  It was an approximation of what you lost.  Problem was it moved around and food could move around and under it.  It was a plastic tooth.

The alternative was a fixed bridge.  Think of the George Washington Bridge.  Here the adjacent teeth were reduced to have crowns placed on them.  Think of a thimble on your thumb, but here the teeth which are equivalent to a finger needed to be reduced – made smaller so that the crown of thimble was the same size as the original tooth.  The other problem is the adjacent teeth on both sides of the missing tooth needed to be changed in this way which could lead to complications with these teeth.

Flossing now became a nightmare since the three teeth are connected together meaning it is hard to floss.  In addition now the additional teeth have to hold themselves and the missing tooth.

Today the innovation of a root form dental implant exists.  The adjacent teeth do not need to be involved.  Instead a small piece of titanium which for most people is very biocompatible is placed within your upper or lower jaw and after a short time a crown which looks and feels just like your own tooth is fabricated and you’re good as new. 

For others who are missing multiple teeth and are wearing a denture; dental implants can be used to help secure the denture in your mouth.  For a person with no lower teeth and wearing a full or complete denture this can be a god send since now your denture will stay placed within your mouth and not move all around when talking and eating.

If you are missing a tooth or you need to have a tooth removed and want to learn more about your options give us a call at 212 517 9000.  At the dental practice of Dr. Glenn Reit in Yorkville we like people and we like taking care of you and your teeth.  Maybe a dental implant is in your future.  We will discuss the advantages, disadvantages, risks and alternatives so you can make an informed decision on what to do.  We will also discuss the price for these services before any treatment commences.

We are conveniently located at 1498 Third Avenue between 84th and 85th streets.  So if you are in the area come on by we are always happy to meet with you.

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Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you!

You Should Check Your Dental Bridge Before You Lose Teeth

London Bridges Falling Down

Here in New York we have the Whitestone, Verrazano Narrows, Brooklyn and on and on bridges.  What happens to those bridges is that over time they fall apart.  Some people also have bridges in their mouths.  Back in the day when someone lost a tooth and needed a replacement a dental bridge was constructed.  This entailed connecting the adjacent teeth to the missing tooth together.  Sort of like when the Beatles sang; All Together Now or maybe not?

The problem with bridges is that the adjacent teeth have to support themselves and the missing teeth.  Over time the supporting teeth can become tired, cracked or decayed.  It is more difficult for a patient to keep a bridge clean vs. cleaning individual teeth.  The patient may not even realize this is happening.  So if you have a bridge it’s a good idea to visit a dentist like us to make sure all is well.

Today, with the advent of implants dental bridges are becoming a thing of the past.  Still viable and sometimes necessary, the advantage of the implant is that the adjacent teeth next to the missing tooth are not involved.

It is also possible to convert a dental bridge into an implant situation if the supporting teeth are in trouble.  Once accomplished keeping the area clean is a whole lot easier.

Need a dentist and you’re located on the Upper East Side of New York City?  Give us a call today at 212 517 9000.  We’re conveniently located at 1498 Third Avenue between 84th and 85th streets.  The 4,5,6 and Q subway lines are one block away and there is plenty of bus service on Third Avenue.

Even if you all need a cleaning and checkup we are here for you.  We like people and the teeth connected to them.  No one likes going to the dentist but we will make it a much better experience for you.  Call today you and your teeth will be glad you did.

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Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you!

Why it’s Critical to Replace Missing Teeth

When you lose a tooth, do you miss it?  For some they do while for others they do not.  Hopefully you are attached to your teeth and they remain attached to you.  But, sometimes things just happen.

You’re in an accident, a large filling fractures and then fractures your tooth, you bite down hard on a piece of bone or an olive or cherry pit and suddenly a tooth departs.  If it is a front tooth you will need to act.  Most people do not want to be a gap tooth person when they smile.  If it’s a back tooth some may ponder do I really need to replace it?

The first and most paramount question is do you miss that tooth?  If so, there are several ways to replace it.  If you don’t miss it here are some of the consequences if a tooth is not replaced.  Think of your teeth as the pylons supporting a pier going out into the ocean.  If some of the pylons collapse eventually the pier will also collapse.

Your back teeth have three roots, your side teeth have two roots and your front teeth have one root.  When you lose a back tooth you lose three roots or three pylons.  However, you lose more.  Without the tooth the opposing tooth is no longer in function.  So instead of three roots you have lost six roots.  One tooth loss is not going to kill your bite but as you lose or remove more teeth the remaining teeth are not strong enough to hold your bite. 

Also when you lose a tooth the supporting bone starts to disappear without the tooth present.  The bone is there when the tooth is.  No tooth leads eventually to no bone giving you that gaunt look.  Might be good for trick or treating on Halloween but probably not anywhere else.

Nobody loses all their teeth at once unless in a terrible accident.  It’s a slow progression like the domino effect.  In addition to losing support when you lose a tooth, the tooth behind it now has the ability to move forward.  Unfortunately, the tooth does not move horizontally but generally begins to tip, like the leaning Tower of Pisa.

When you have fewer teeth in your mouth the remaining teeth are under more pressure causing dental restorations in these teeth to have a better chance of fracturing and needing to be replaced.  Today we have the ability to replace a missing tooth without involving the adjacent teeth.  When replaced the new tooth will look and feel like your original tooth.

If you’re missing a tooth and want to learn what alternatives are available to replace it give us a call at 212 517 9000.  At the dental practice of Glenn Reit DDS located at 1498 Third Avenue in Yorkville between 84th and 85th streets right here on the Upper East Side of Manhattan – We like people and we like people who like their teeth.

So call today, you  and your teeth will be glad you did

Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you!

You’ve Lost a Tooth, Now What?

Sometimes things just happen.  You bite a cherry pit one too many times.  You think you’re an ice crusher.  Your tooth gets tired and breaks in half and has to be removed.  The adjacent teeth are happy and do not want to get involved. So what to do?

In the past your choices were to just go without the tooth which is still a possibility today.  Most people want to replace the tooth.  You could involve the adjacent teeth with a bridge which is three teeth connected together.  However, with this option the adjacent teeth have to be cut down in order for crowns or caps to be placed.  Then the three teeth are connected making it harder to clean the area.

Another option is to make some plastic teeth that you place In your mouth in the morning and remove at night.  Problem here is they move around and do not feel like real teeth.  They're not wooden like George Washington’s teeth but they are not real either.

Today there is a better option, it's called a dental implant.  Here the adjacent teeth are not involved.  This is not a removable device but like a tooth stays in your jaw.  Just like a regular tooth it is easy to keep clean.  No matter what we do in dentistry we cannot recreate nature but this is a close second.

For an implant a piece of titanium is placed in your jaw resembling the root of your original tooth.  Then a crown is made which resembles what your tooth looked like in your jaw.  It’s not a real tooth but it functions and feels like the one you lost.

Dental insurance companies will generally cover half the cost of the procedure.  It takes a little while to complete and it does cost you some money but in the end most people are happier to have the missing tooth replaced.  At the dental practice of Glenn Reit DDS located on the upper east side of Manhattan we place and restore dental implants.  Consider us a one stop shop so all of the procedures are done in house.   

Getting to us is easy.  If living in the area; just walk to 1498 Third Avenue between 84th and 85th streets.  The Q, 4 ,5 ,6 subway lines and bus service is within one block of the practice.  We are always happy to meet with you and help solve your dental needs.  So, if you’re missing a tooth or are just in need of a cleaning give us a call at 212 517 9000.  You’ll be glad you did.

Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you

Dental Implants Make You Age Gracefully

Sometimes a tooth just has to go.  Maybe it got tired, maybe it fell apart or maybe it became infected.  Back in the day when a tooth was removed you either had a new space or you would replace it with false teeth that you placed in your mouth upon waking.

Later you could connect the missing tooth to its neighbors.  However this was generally not appreciated by the teeth concerned.    Even if they were cavity free they had to be ground down in order to support their missing buddy.

Today we can place a tooth that is almost an identical match to the tooth removed.  The process is called dental implanting where we implant a small piece of titanium into your jaw which resembles and functions like you original tooth’s root.  After we place a crown on the implant which resembles your former tooth and you’re good to go.

You now have replaced your missing tooth and not disturbed any of the remaining resident teeth in your mouth.  We like people and we like patients and performing needed dentistry on them.  If you are in need of a dentist even if just for a cleaning give us a call at 212 517 9000.

We are conveniently located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Third Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets at 1498 Third Avenue.  Give us a call and come on down.  We look forward to meeting you. 

Looking for a Dentist in the Upper East Side?

At the practice of Glenn Reit DDS; we provide quality care in a relaxed, comfortable, clean and safe environment. Please contact us today at 212 517 9000 for this or any other of your dental needs. We look forward to seeing and taking care of you