Lafayette Dentist Explains Dentures, Bridges, and Implants

lafayettedentist — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:25:27 +0000

About 74 percent of women and 57 percent of men would be embarrassed by a missing tooth. As an adult, you may lose teeth due to periodontal disease, injury, infection, or another tragic event. Missing teeth leave holes in your smile and create alignment problems and make it difficult to function properly. Fortunately, Dr. Young offers dentures, bridges, and implants to replace missing teeth and restore your smile.

What are Dentures?

If you’re missing several teeth and have a lot of bone loss, Dr. Young may recommend dentures. Dentures fit over or around remaining teeth and are usually removable. Traditional dentures involve adhesives, slipping, irritation, and frequent re-adjustments. However, your Lafayette dentist will take impressions of your mouth and create a set of dentures that fits securely and comfortably for your smile.

Do I Need Bridges?

Dental bridges are fixed appliances that replace one or more missing teeth in a row. A bridge is a prosthetic tooth constructed out of porcelain and designed to match your natural tooth structure. Your artificial tooth is attached to a crown that is placed over supporting teeth on either side of your missing tooth. Dental bridges are strong to restore your function and confidence.

What is an Implant?

Dr. Young uses ZIMMER dental implants to replace single missing teeth. Dental implants are inserted into your jawbone and act as the root of your missing tooth. After your bone grows around the titanium replacement post, your Lafayette cosmetic dentist will attach a natural-looking crown. Dental implants are comfortable, durable, and long-lasting. Dental implants can also help secure dentures or bridges.

If you’re only missing part of a tooth, Dr. Young may suggest dental crowns to restore function. Your Lafayette dentist will evaluate your gum tissue, adjacent teeth, amount of space available, bone structure, appearance of your smile, and budget considerations to determine whether dentures, bridges, or implants are best for you. Contact our dentist office in Lafayette, Louisiana at (337) 237-6453 to restore your smile.

Brighten your Smile with Help from your Lafayette Cosmetic Dentist

lafayettedentist — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:25:58 +0000

A recent survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry revealed that most people wish they could brighten their smiles. Dr. Michael Young offers many different techniques to improve the appearance of your smile. Your Lafayette cosmetic dentist will determine which method will best treat your discolorations and suit your needs.

Zoom! In-Office Whitening

The Zoom! Whitening procedure is performed in our Lafayette dentist office. Dr. Young will apply a strong whitening gel to the surface of your teeth. He will activate the gel with a special light to brighten your teeth six to ten shades—in just one hour! In-office whitening is considered the safest bleaching treatment because your Lafayette cosmetic dentist will monitor your progress and protect your lips and gums. After the procedure, Dr. Young will apply a fluoride treatment to strengthen your teeth, and provide take-home trays for maintenance. Zoom! is ideal for patients who want quick results and people with light or shallow surface blemishes.

Take-Home Whitening Trays

For take-home whitening, Dr. Young will take impressions of your mouth and a laboratory will create your custom-fitted trays. You will fill the trays with a prescription peroxide gel and wear the appliances overnight or for about three hours each day. Dr. Young offers three different strengths of gel to brighten your teeth, depending on the color and depth of your stains. Take-home whitening takes about three to four weeks to achieve your desired look, but will leave your smile bright in the end. Dr. Young recommends take-home whitening for patients who want to whiten at their own leisure and people with badly stained teeth.

Hiding Discolorations

Intrinsic stains—stains that occur on the inside of your tooth as a result of medication, fluorosis, infection, or injury—and extremely dark stains may not be completely erased with professional whitening. In these cases, Dr. Young suggests masking your imperfections with veneers or bonding. During bonding, your Lafayette cosmetic dentist will apply a composite resin on the outside of your tooth. He will harden the resin with a curing light, and sculpt and polish it into shape. For veneers, Dr. Young will cover the surface of your teeth with thin pieces of porcelain. Veneers are handcrafted by a skilled ceramist to ensure natural fit and beauty.

Dr. Young will analyze your smile to determine which whitening treatment will brighten your grin. Contact our dentist office in Lafayette, Louisiana at (337) 237-6453 to schedule a cosmetic consultation.

Keeping a Strong Sense of Taste in Lafayette

lafayettedentist — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:06:16 +0000

Taste is the weakest of the five senses, but it’s responsible for distinguishing between sour lemons, sweet chocolate, and salty popcorn. Keeping your mouth healthy will keep your sense of taste strong, but other conditions can impair your taste. Dr. Young can help clean your mouth so you can enjoy your favorite flavors.

How You Taste

When you look at your tongue, you’ll notice lots of tiny bumps on the surface. These bumps are called papillae, and they contain tiny nerve endings called your taste buds. Your taste buds have small hair-like structures called microvilli. When you eat, the microvilli send messages to your brain to help you detect the flavor. Your tongue has about 10,000 taste buds, but about 10 percent are also located inside your cheeks and along the roof of your mouth.

Loss of Taste

Heat, cold, smoking, spicy foods, and infections can damage your taste buds. When the nerve endings are damaged, they can’t properly detect flavors. Dry mouth, gum disease, and other dental problems can also contribute to a blocked sense of taste. Additionally, as you get older, your taste buds weaken and your sense of taste diminishes. Fortunately, taste buds are healed and replaced every two weeks to help restore a strong sensation of flavor.

The Role of Your Nose

You may think that your nose only helps you smell your favorite dishes, but it also helps you taste. You’ve probably noticed that when you’re sick, your sense of taste is dull and bland. You have olfactory receptors inside your nose that help you smell. These sensors send messages to your brain to help you combine the scent with the taste of the food. Well, when you’re congested, you can’t smell clearly, so your olfactory sensors can’t tell your brain how the food smells.

If you notice a prolonged bad taste in your mouth, or any unusual changes on your tongue, visit Dr. Young to assess your problem. Contact our dentist office in Lafayette, Louisiana at (337) 237-6453 to schedule an appointment.