Are You Afraid to Go to the Dentist?

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Are You Afraid to Go to the Dentist?

Welcome to my website. My name’s Linda, and I’m going to share about my phobia for dental procedures. I didn’t fear the dentist when I was a child. My parents started taking me to the dentist when I was a toddler. I visited the dentist diligently until about ten years ago. I was in my early forties when my dental work became more than fillings. I had to have two root canals, and while the procedures went smoothly, I panicked. There was something about being in the chair and having my mouth open for that long that sent me into a panic attack. Since then, I have struggled with going to the dentist. Until recently that is. I found a wonderful dentist who uses mild sedation and is extremely gentle and understanding. I’m excited to share more about this in the hope that my story will help you.

 

Do You Need Some Botox With Your New Dentures?

29 December 2021
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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Would you like some cosmetic injections with your new teeth? This might seem like an odd question, but it's one that some people who are about to receive their first set of dentures may need to consider. Your dentist may in fact need to use cosmetic injections in order to make your new dentures fit. How can a cosmetic injection have any effect on a set of prosthetic teeth?

Your Facial Structure

To understand the relationship between Botox and dentures, you need to consider how teeth support your overall face. When teeth are missing, the bone that previously anchored the dental socket undergoes a change. This is known as bone resorption and is simply your body registering the absence of the teeth. Since the bone no longer needs to support the tooth, calcium and other nutrients are diverted, leading to a loss of bone density in the jaw. This can begin to change the structure of your face.

Vertical Dimension

Your cheeks, lips, and overall face will slowly begin to sag. Although your new dentures will help to remedy this situation, the loss of vertical dimension in your mouth must be addressed. As more and more teeth have been lost, the vertical dimensions of your jaw are altered. A jaw has a natural height, which is determined by the height of your upper and lower sets of teeth when your jaw is closed. Missing teeth reduces this height, causing various muscles to change their natural set.

Your Lips

This reduced vertical dimension can affect the muscles in your lips. These muscles will begin to sag as they reposition themselves. Sagging lip muscles makes it difficult to fit new dentures. This is where Botox can be useful and even essential. A cosmetic injection into your lips can force these tissues back to their previous configuration, allowing the optimal fit of your new dentures.

A Temporary Measure

It's not as though you will need to expect ongoing Botox injections in your lips throughout the coming years. It's only a temporary measure, allowing your lip muscles to support your new dentures. The presence of the dentures will force these muscles to retrain themselves, so regular, ongoing injections won't be needed. You may need to have the Botox applied a second time, but a single application should be sufficient for most patients who receive dentures.  

Even though Botox is a cosmetic injectable, it has numerous clinical applications, and this is certainly the case when Botox is needed to support a new set of dentures.