Olalekan Okunuga, DDS, FICOI, FAAIP, is a general dentist and the practice owner of this South Hill location. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at University of Pacific in San Francisco and completed his post-graduate residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Based on many years of valuable dental experience, Dr. Okunuga and his staff are proud to offer professional, compassionate care to patients that visit this practice.
I've had the immediate dentures for a year now and the office has been great the whole time. I've had a number of relines as my gums healed. I'm excited to get my permanent set. To be honest, when I first got the immediates placed, I didn't like them. Something seemed “off” and I couldn't put my finger on it. Looking back, it was just odd seeing myself with different teeth. I soon loved them. They look great and function like they should.
There are three main ways to replace missing teeth. The first is with a removable false tooth (or teeth) - called a partial denture. The second is with a fixed bridge. A bridge is usually used when there are fewer teeth to replace, or when the missing teeth are only on one side of the mouth. The third way is by the use of dental ‘implants'. This is where an artificial root is placed into the bone of the jaw and a crown or bridge placed on top of this. See our leaflet ‘Tell me about: dental implants'.
"Terrel Myers is without doubt one of the best dentists - anywhere! He is friendly and compassionate but most of all he is extremely knowledgeable and experienced as a dentist. He doesn't automatically take the easiest (sometimes more convenient and expensive route) that others tend to do (in my experience elsewhere) but instead - if at all possible, will give you suggestions and options on remedying a problem. This guy knows what he's doing and does it well. I highly recommend him for anything from the simplest problem to the most complex."
A full arch denture is a removable tooth replacement option for those who need all their teeth replaced. They can be crafted to provide the characteristics (tooth shape and color) the patient desires. Advances have been made in the materials used for dentures and in the way they are designed. If you already have dentures (partial or full arch) you may be experiencing a loose fit or denture slipping. This can lead to gum sores, can affect your chewing and your speech and decrease your confidence when speaking and/or laughing with others. We can help restore your dentures to the correct fit.
Dentures do not function like natural teeth. It takes time to learn how to properly use dentures. Food must be cut up into small pieces and be placed on the back teeth on both sides to balance chewing. Denture chewing occurs up and down bilaterally, not on one side. One sided chewing will cause the dentures to dislodge. Biting with the front denture teeth will cause the back of the dentures to dislodge. Dentures only function properly when force is applied evenly over the entire chewing surface of the back teeth.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA -- I had a great experience there, and I'd recommend them to anyone. I had 22 teeth extracted and immediate dentures placed all in the same day. The dentist there is a fireball and I really liked her. I liked all the staff really. In the morning they took the impressions and then sent me out to lunch with prescriptions to fill. A mild sedative, pain pills, and antibiotics. They told me to come back at 2 pm, take the sedative in the waiting room, and wait to be called. When I went back there, they had me take the first pain pill and then numbed me up and began the process. Wow.
A film of saliva typically helps hold dentures in place. Denture adhesives may be used if the salivary glands do not produce a sufficient amount of saliva. Denture adhesives are not, however, a remedy for ill-fitting dentures. A denture that fits poorly (i.e., feels loose or causes discomfort) may need to be relined or replaced as it can contribute to the development of mouth sores.
Complete Dentures: Complete dentures are made of a plastic base that is colored in order to replicate gum tissue and supports a full set of plastic or porcelain teeth. The traditional full denture is held in the mouth by forming a seal with the gums. They can also be held in place by attaching to dental implants that are surgically placed in the bone of the jaws. This treatment is much more expensive than the traditional complete denture.
For most cases, this office is well equipped and able to be of great benefit. If you have a difficult case, you may need someone with a greater level of ability. I am unfortunately unable to rate this practice very high, while mine is a delicate and difficult case, I was left to find another professional to help me complete my implant process that was started with this office.
The EconomyPlus Denture is made with more expensive teeth for a more natural-looking denture. The denture teeth are set in a wax base so you may try them in to see how the denture will look before it is completed. You may make changes to suit you, consistent with your dental needs. After you have approved the look of your EconomyPlus Denture, the lab will custom finish your denture in the permanent acrylic base material. It's like designing your own smile!
It is common for patients with traditional dentures to mumble, slur their speech, or make clicking noises when speaking. This is caused by tense facial muscles that are struggling to keep poorly fitting dentures in their proper position. With implant-supported dentures, these problems can be a thing of the past. When the dentures are secured to dental implants that have become fully integrated with your jaw bone, they will not move around or become displaced. This greatly improves a patient's ability to speak clearly.
Patients should combine the brushing of their dentures with soaking them in an immersion cleaner from time to time as this combined cleaning strategy has been shown to control denture plaque.[33] Due to microbial invasion, the lack of use of immersion cleaners and inadequate denture plaque control will cause rapid deterioration of the soft linings of the denture.[34]
Problems with dentures may arise because patients are not used to having something in their mouth that is not food. The brain senses the appliance and interprets it as 'food', sending messages to the salivary glands to produce more saliva and to secrete it at a higher rate. This usually only happens in the first 12 to 24 hours, after which the salivary glands return to their normal output. New dentures can also be the cause of sore spots as they compress the denture-bearing soft tissues (mucosa). A few denture adjustments in the days following insertion of the dentures can take care of this problem. Gagging is another problem encountered by a minority of patients. At times, this may be due to a denture that is too loose, too thick or extended too far posteriorly onto the soft palate. At times, gagging may also be attributed to psychological denial of the denture. Psychological gagging is the most difficult to treat since it is out of the dentist's control. In such cases, an implant-supported palateless denture may have to be constructed. Sometimes there could be a gingivitis infection under the completed dentures, caused by the accumulation of dental plaque. One of the most common problems for wearers of new upper complete denture is a loss of taste sensations.
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After implant-supported dentures are in place, patients should properly care for their teeth and gums. The dentures, gums, and tongue should be brushed twice a day. Patients should also floss daily to remove debris between the teeth; though false teeth won't become damaged by decay, plaque build-up can still cause gum disease and bad breath. Patients with dentures should also schedule dental visits every six months so their dentists can check the fit of the dentures and look for signs of dental problems.
Patients can become entirely edentulous (without teeth) for many reasons, the most prevalent being removal due to dental disease typically relating to oral flora control, i.e., periodontal disease and tooth decay. Other reasons include pregnancy, tooth developmental defects caused by severe malnutrition, genetic defects such as dentinogenesis imperfecta, trauma, or drug use.
Implants: An implant is a metal post that is inserted into the bone of the upper or lower jaw. This post is then used to replace a single tooth by attaching a crown to it, or multiple teeth by attaching a bridge to multiple implants. Implants are the most expensive option for tooth replacement, but implants simulate natural teeth better than any of the other options.
Throughout the years, a key driver of our expansion (now more than 230 affiliated practice locations...and counting!) has been Affordable Care, a dental support organization that equips affiliated practice owners to meet their ever-growing patient needs. Affordable Care provides lab and business services through a nationwide network of on-site Affordable Dentures Dental Laboratories (ADDL) and extensive nonclinical support.
Dental Implants: Implants are similar to dentures, in that they are prosthetic restorations used to replace natural teeth. However, dental implants are actually attached to the jaw. Six months before the implant restoration (false tooth) can be placed in the patient's mouth, a metal anchor is permanently implanted into the jawbone. After the jawbone has grown around the anchor (a period known as osseointegration), the implant restoration can be attached to it.
It takes practice to put in and take out a removable partial denture. It may feel a bit odd or tight for the first few weeks. But in time, you should get used to it. Never force the denture into place by biting down. This could bend or break the clasps or damage your teeth. If you have a problem with your new partial denture, talk with your dentist.
Although dental implant success rates are high, there are cases in which the implant will fail. Most cases of implant failure can be prevented if the patient maintains his or her oral health and chooses a qualified implant dentist to plan and perform the procedure. Dental implants are more likely to fail in the maxilla (upper jaw) than in the mandible (lower jaw). Possible reasons for implant failure include:
Removable dentures may be used in patients who are waiting for their permanent dental implants to be made or patients who choose removable dentures over dental implants. Removable dentures can replace as many missing teeth as needed, from all to just a few. Removal dentures tend to cost less, but they look less natural than dental implants and require special cleaning. Dr. Swift or Dr. Myers will discuss your options and help you make your best choice.
Our practice owner is Cameron Blair, DDS, MICOI, MAAIP, a general dentist and member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the Dallas Dental Society, the American Dental Association, and the Texas Dental Association. He�s a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry and a Master in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Using industry-leading technology in his practice, he�s able to provide patients with a wide range of denture and implant solutions.
If I had to find one negative about the office, it would be the wait times. On our first visit, one woman in the waiting room said she'd been waiting 30+ minutes. It took a day to get a call back to schedule. We waited a little while in the office too. However, when you consider that they're working with people like the person I brought in, and that it's totally impossible to predict the needs and behaviors of some of the patients who go in there, it's totally understandable. I have no doubt they took a little longer because they were treating someone else exactly as they treated us- with patience and understanding. That's worth waiting for. So, if you do go, be prepared for some short delays, but also know why those delays happen. Overall, they work like a well-oiled machine. We got to meet the whole team, including their on-site lab techs. Every single person met us with a smile and kind words. I cannot thank Dr. Athari enough for creating an environment like this.
The dentist let the receptionist girl put the goo in the ID that's sets to a clear rubber to cushion between the ID & my newly extracted teeth. It had too much on one side, was crooked in my mouth & at the top on the other side had no cushion lining which caused a bad sore to form almost immediately. After 5 days I couldn't take it anymore. I drove there (55 miles) to get them to redo the lining. The first time it took her all of 5 minutes to do it. I walked in, they were all there... but was informed that they were ‘about' to leave & told I had to come back the next day! No compassion or good customer care for their patients. DO NOT GO HERE!
So I wound up with my partial getting a tooth put in it as I thought they would pull my tooth but when the doctor's fax came, it still was not good enough for them. I believe that he just did not want to service me by pulling my tooth. I have a partial I cannot wear because the tooth put in there it will not fit in my mouth. I have to say that never in my life and I'm 59 now, have I ever been treated so badly by a doctor. The way he spoke to me in front of everyone in the office and people in the waiting room. I was so taken off guard by that.
Occasionally, denture wearers may use adhesives. Adhesives come in many forms: creams, powders, pads/wafers, strips or liquids. If you use one of these products, read the instructions, and use them exactly as directed. Your dentist can recommend appropriate cleansers and adhesives; look for products with the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Products with the ADA Seal have been evaluated for safety and effectiveness.
