A recent episode of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d featured an engaging 93-year-old strongman called The Mighty Atom Jr. The mature muscleman\u2019s stunt: moving a full-sized car (laden with his octogenarian \u201ckid brother,\u201d his brother\u2019s wife, plus Atom\u2019s \u201clady friend\u201d) using just his teeth. Grinning for host Howie Mandel, Atom proudly told the TV audience that his teeth were all his own; then he grasped a leather strap in his mouth, and successfully pulled the car from a standstill.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re pleased to see that the Atom has kept his natural teeth in good shape: He must have found time for brushing and flossing in between stunts. Needless to say, his \u201ctalent\u201d isn\u2019t one we\u2019d recommend trying at home. But aside from pulling vehicles, teeth can also be chipped or fractured by more mundane (yet still risky) activities \u2014 playing sports, nibbling on pencils, or biting too hard on ice. What can you do if that happens to your teeth?<\/p>\n
Fortunately, we have a number of ways to repair cracked or chipped teeth. One of the easiest and fastest is cosmetic bonding with tooth-colored resins. Bonding can be used to fill in small chips, cracks and discolorations in the teeth. The bonding material is a high-tech mixture of plastic and glass components that\u2019s extremely lifelike, and can last for several years. Plus, it\u2019s a procedure that can be done right in the office, with minimal preparation or discomfort. However, it may not be suitable for larger chips, and it isn\u2019t the longest-lasting type of restoration.<\/p>\n
When more of the tooth structure is missing, a crown (or cap) might be needed to restore the tooth\u2019s appearance and function. This involves creating a replacement for the entire visible part of the tooth in a dental lab \u2014 or in some cases, right in the office. It typically involves making a model of the damaged tooth and its neighbors, then fabricating a replica, which will fit perfectly into the bite. Finally, the replacement crown is permanently cemented to the damaged tooth. A crown replacement can last for many years if the tooth\u2019s roots are in good shape. But what if the roots have been dislodged?<\/p>\n
In some cases it\u2019s possible to re-implant a tooth that has been knocked out \u2014 especially if it has been carefully preserved, and receives immediate professional attention. But if a tooth can\u2019t be saved (due to a deeply fractured root, for example) a dental implant offers today\u2019s best option for tooth replacement. This procedure has a success rate of over 95 percent, and gives you a natural looking replacement tooth that can last for the rest of your life.<\/p>\n
So what have we learned? If you take care of your teeth, like strongman Atom, they can last a long time \u2014 but if you need to move your car, go get the keys.<\/p>\n
If you would like more information about tooth restoration, please contact us<\/a> or schedule an appointment<\/a> for a consultation. You can learn more by reading the Dear Doctor<\/em> magazine article \u201cCrowns & Bridgework<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A recent episode of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d featured an engaging 93-year-old strongman called The Mighty Atom Jr. The mature muscleman\u2019s stunt: moving a full-sized car (laden with his octogenarian \u201ckid brother,\u201d his brother\u2019s wife, plus Atom\u2019s \u201clady friend\u201d) using just his teeth. Grinning for host Howie Mandel, Atom proudly told the TV audience that his … Continue Reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":614,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[2,30],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":615,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions\/615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}