Dentures & Partial Dentures at Gordon Dental Kansas City, Overland Park, and Leawood Kansas

Dentures & Partial Dentures

A smile just isn't a smile if it's incomplete. Missing teeth cause a host of problems, from difficulty speaking and eating to low self-confidence to jawbone deterioration. Don't give up on your smile. Advances in dental materials and technology have made full and partial dentures more lifelike and comfortable than ever.
Depending on how many natural teeth you have lost, your doctor may recommend a complete (full) or partial denture.

• Partial dentures are used to fill in the space created by missing teeth to fill out your smile.
• Complete dentures are used to completely replace all teeth.

If you prefer a secure full or partial denture and do not want clips or adhesive, then consider implant-supported dentures. In a brief surgery, an implant dentist can secure a few dental implant posts to hold your dentures in place. With implant-supported dentures, you won't have to worry about slippage, and your prosthetic will feel safe and sound.

Now that I have dentures, do I still need to visit a dentist?
Regular appointments with the dentist are as important for denture-wearers as for people with natural teeth. The mouth tissue, bony ridges and gums that support dentures are constantly undergoing changes and may impair the denture’s proper function. Even such general health ailments as vitamin deficiencies, extended illness, drug therapy, weight loss, diabetes or high blood pressure can change the way dentures fit.

Ill-fitting dentures can seriously damage the mouth, causing abrasions, bruises, inflammation and rapid destruction of the supporting bone.  It is important to have a dental checkup at least once a year to insure that your dentures are properly adjusted and that your mouth is in good health.

Call Gordon Dental for a free consult 913-649-5017

www.kcgordondental.com

My Teeth are Shifting, But I Don't Want to Wear Braces? Gordon Dental Kansas City

My Teeth are Shifting, But I Don't Want to Wear Braces

If your teeth have shifted since your teenage years, and you're starting to think you might need to wear braces as an adult – perhaps for the second time - fear not. You'll be happy to know one of the most common methods for re-aligning slightly crooked teeth isn't braces at all - it's a cosmetically unobtrusive spring retainer.

Why You Might Need Braces

Whether or not you've worn braces previously, most people are familiar with what a retainer is, and the purpose behind wearing one. After all, it’s fairly safe to assume that at one point in our teenage lives, we all knew someone who wore a retainer – and likely tossed it into the lunchroom trashcan a few times as well. What many incorrectly assume, though, is that retainers only come into play after having worn braces for a few years. Thankfully, for adults with a few teeth to straighten, that's not the case. A spring retainer is a pretty simple device. Its role is simply to apply force to your teeth so they can be aligned correctly. As a result, they can be worn by anyone with a need to straighten their teeth. Wearing braces is not a prerequisite.

Spring retainers are made from a variety of materials, and can be purchased with the traditional support wire that straddles the front of one's teeth, or with a clear plastic front-piece for a more cosmetic effect.  For a retainer to produce the results you desire, however, the same rules apply as they did when you were a kid – you've got to wear it, and you've got to listen to your dentist. Correcting misaligned teeth, and keeping them straight, requires vigilance and a good routine, and it's the only way to get sustained results. In fact, for many people, not wearing a retainer the right way in the past is likely to be the reason they need to wear one again as an adult!

Mildly crooked teeth are something many of us deal with in the decades following our teen years – even if we didn't wear braces when younger. Rest assured, there are plenty of solutions these days that can correct misalignment, and help get your smile back to straight again. 

Gordon Dental 913-649-5017

www.kcgordondental.com

Porcelain Veneers: Gordon Dental Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood Kansas

Porcelain Veneers

Veneers are thin shells of ceramic that bond directly to the front surfaces of your teeth. They are an ideal choice for improving your smile and have become increasingly popular due to their simplicity and versatility.

Placing custom veneers requires a high degree of technical skill as well as attention to cosmetic detail. Practices uses veneers routinely, and design each case individually to match and enhance characteristics already present in each patient's teeth. Dental veneers may solve most or even all of your cosmetic dental issues, including:

• Teeth that are discolored or stained
• Teeth that are worn down
• Teeth that are chipped or broken
• Teeth that are misaligned, uneven or irregularly shaped
• Teeth with gaps between them

In some cases, veneers can even be a viable alternative to orthodontic treatment.


Will they look like normal teeth?
When bonded to the teeth, the ultra-thin veneers are virtually undetectable and highly resistant to coffee, tea and even cigarette stains. For strength and appearance, their resemblance to healthy, white tooth enamel is unsurpassed by other restorative options.

How durable are they?
With proper care, your veneers will brighten your smile for well over a decade.

Refraining from using your veneer-covered teeth as tools to open and cut things will prolong their life, and if accidental breakage or damage occurs, it is usually possible to replace only the veneer involved.

Call Gordon Dental at 913-649-5017 

Or visit www.kcgordondental.com to learn more

Zoom! Chairside Teeth Whitening

The Zoom Chairside Whitening System is safe, effective and fast, very fast. In just 45 minutes your teeth will become dramatically whiter. Zoom Chairside Whitening is ideal for anyone looking for immediate results. The convenience of Zoom, in comparison to days of wearing trays or strips, makes it the perfect choice for the busy individual.

Choose the safest and easiest cosmetic dental procedure to get that dazzling celebrity smile!

How does Zoom! work?
You are first gently fitted with a mouth brace, in order to keep your mouth open and comfortable. Your lips and gums are covered, exposing only your teeth to the magic about to unfold. Then, the unique Zoom! Whitening gel is applied on to the surface of your teeth. Next, the special Zoom! light is focused on to the gel. This process is repeated twice over 15 minute intervals. The two components work together, gently penetrating your teeth and actively breaking up stains and discoloration while you listen to music, watch TV or take a short nap.

The procedure is over before you know it. At the end of 45 minutes, you get to walk away with a smile that's on everage eight shades whiter. What's more, the results last for a long time, resisting stains and retaining that dazzling quality.

Call 913-649-5017 or visit www.kcgordondental.com

White Fillings, Composite Tooth Colored Fillings: Gordon Dental

White Fillings (Composite)

If you're embarrassed about your smile because of decay or dark fillings in your teeth, you may be a good candidate for composite resins.

Because composite resins are not made of metal, your doctor can blend and mix shades to find the perfect color to match your natural teeth. This means only you and your dentist will know you have fillings. Another benefit is that the tooth/composite bond actually supports the remaining tooth structure, deterring breakage and insulating against temperature changes. Medium and small composites can last seven to ten years: as long as the best of metal amalgam fillings. Best of all, composite resins allow more of your natural tooth structure to remain intact than when using amalgam fillings.  Some patients experience mild and temporary post-placement sensitivity from composite resin fillings.

Call 913-649-5017 or visit www.kcgordondental for more information

Make those Resolutions Stick! Gordon Dental Kansas City

Make those Resolutions Stick!

It's that time of year again. The time to prepare our New Year's resolutions so we can set them to sail in the coming year. Feverish list making will ensue, promises to loved ones will add up, and hopefully, some of those resolutions will make it past January 7^th. If you'd like to fare better this year, you might want to consider this little bit of mind trickery successful planners use to achieve their goals. The secret is in the time machine …

The Amazing Power of Visualization

The time machine? You already know that to achieve a goal it needs to be realistic and measurable, right? But that's only part of it. What savvy achievers do is add an additional step to the mix. Our time machine, if you will. They take a second to visualize the positive results of their plan, and the negative consequences of NOT following through with it. And, they do so as if those consequences were taking place right now. This shift in mindset forces them to avoid making excuses, and allows them to see the consequences of not following through in the immediate sense.

Here's how it works with dental resolutions – you know, the familiar and unimaginative kind ... brush regularly, floss more, visit the dentist more frequently. Of the three, only brushing is done at the recommended frequency. Why? Certainly not because of a concern for future health. It's likely done because we know that if we don't brush our teeth before work, we can envision an immediate consequence we will suffer today: bad breath. And we definitely don't want to be the co-worker with bad breath, so we brush. We're not thinking about tomorrow or next year, we're thinking only about today. Yet in thinking about the short term, we end up helping ourselves in the future as well. That's the key.

The time machine principle, then, is all about using your imagination to bring the consequences of your actions closer to home. For example, if your habit of never flossing meant you would lose your teeth this year … would you change your habit? This sort of thinking forces us to be real about our choices. Is losing those few extra minutes of sleep, or dealing with the boredom of the task worth the risk of having to wear dentures for the rest of your life? Which is worse? Always ask yourself which consequence is worse. Bring it to today, and you'll inevitably come to the correct conclusion. Try it; it works.

So, embrace your goals. Make them realistic and measurable, set rewards for when you're successful in achieving them, and imagine the results are near! You can do it. Good luck, and may you have a blessed New Year!

Gordon Dental 913-649-5017

www.kcgordondental.com