New Options for Denturewearers & People Missing Teeth
One-size-fits-all Approach Not Always the Best
On a day to day basis, denture wearers and people missing teeth live with the embarrassment and frustration of a compromised smile. They’re often forced to cope with significant pain while eating. They cover their mouths when they laugh. Many people are seeking seemingly quick and easy solutions to these problems from implant factories, which only offer “all-on-4” and snapon dentures. In many cases, however, these are not the best solutions for restoring your dental health and the smile of your dreams.
In reality, when it comes to solving complex dental problems, every situation is different. Denture wearers are usually unhappy with their denture for one of these reasons: the way they look, the way they fit or the inability to chew and eat the foods they love. People without dentures, but that are missing teeth, may be unhappy because they also can’t chew properly and are embarrassed by their smile.
When people seek their care at facilities that only offer “allon-4,” that’s what they will get. In talking with Dr. Charles S. Barotz, who has been placing implants for over 25 years, he relates that “when it comes to the ‘all-on-4’ facilities, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” While this approach is correct for some patients, it is not appropriate for many others. Dr. Barotz continues, “when it comes to implant tooth replacement and anchored dentures, there is no clear choice. If you wish to renewyour smile, “all-on-4” and anchored dentures are among many solutions to accomplish that, and there are many others as well.”
For anyone considering implants to either lock in their dentures or replace missing teeth, it would be smart to visit a dentist with a full tool belt of solutions, so to speak. Dr. Barotz, who has been practicing in Denver for nearly 40 years, is one of the fewdentists with the skills to offer a variety of solutions to complex problems, including “all-on-4” and anchored dentures. According to Dr. Barotz, complex dentistry done excellently is “not as simple as pulling every tooth and replacing with anchored dentures. All-on-4 is a good solution for some patients, but many people do not want all their teeth pulled.” He continued, “most patients want to keep their natural teeth when possible. They may need some of their teeth extracted and replaced with implants, but they also may want to save the teeth they can. This is entirely possibly in many situations.”
Furthermore, because implant factories see such a large volume of patients, they do not have the time to craft a custom, natural-looking smile that is unique to every individual, and many cosmetic aspects of smile restoration end up being ignored. It is a one-smile-fits-all approach. Dr. Barotz states, “when you go to a dentist who is a true artist, they’ll take into consideration your ethnicity, the color of your eyes, the color of your hair, your complexion and your facial features.”
If you are frustrated with your dentures or have missing teeth and are considering dental implant therapy, Dr. Barotz’ office in downtown Denver offers complimentary consultations where you can learn about the different solutions available to you. If you have visited an “all-on-4” facility already, you can meet with Dr. Barotz for a complimentary second opinion consultation to review your treatment plan and discuss alternatives. To learn more about these options, call 720-259-9959 or visit Denverdentist.com.