Once the numbness wore off I could not open my mouth fully for days. It took a full week before I was out of severe pain. It honestly felt like she had broken my jaw. I decided to tough it out as I have a phobia of dentists. Once the severe pain was over my jaw was sore for the next two months. I'm fairly certain that isn't the norm for routine extractions.
I went to Affordable Dentures & Implants on 1/4/17 to get a full set of dentures. Before I went I, I had watched youtube videos to see the issues and complaints that people had about wearing dentures. I was surprised that Dr. Athari immediately addressed the same issues. The first thing he said to me was, " Dentures are not fun". I appreciated the honesty but still wanted them. So he suggested that I get dentures on the top and then wait and or save up to get implants on the bottom. This was to avoid the problem that most people have with the dentures on the bottom moving so much. I was curious about how much that would be so the administrative assistant typed up and printed out a detailed treatment plan. After she informed me that the total cost wasn't due up front, I realized that it was doable. I just got my upper dentures done today and I am really pleased. I can't wait to get my implants. Thank you Dr. Athari.
Can be made for either partial but mainly complete denture patients. These dentures require less visits to make and usually are made for older patients, patients who would have difficulty adjusting to new dentures, would like a spare pair of dentures or like the aesthetics of their dentures already. This requires taking an impression of the patients current denture and remaking them.[2]
Dental bridges, sometimes called fixed partial dentures, act as a restorative bridge across a gap made by missing teeth. They are made to be permanent by cementing or bonding an artificial tooth (called a pontic) to natural teeth, teeth prepared with crowns, or implants next to the space. The teeth prepared on either side will act as supports for the false teeth between them. Depending on what your dentist suggests, the artificial teeth can be created using gold, alloys, or porcelain.
If dentures are medically necessary, insurance might pay 15%-50% of the costs (up to the plan's annual limit, if there is one). A basic denture starts at about $300-$500 per plate, or $600-$1,000 for a full set of upper and lower teeth. These typically have limited warranties, don't last as long as more expensive models, tend to look artificial and may be adapted from a standard size instead of a customized fit.
It is extremely important to practice healthy dental hygiene when wearing dentures. There is an increased risk of developing a more serious medical condition should oral irritation result from improper dental hygiene. These conditions include, but are not limited to, periodontal disease, leukoplakia (thickened white, potentially precancerous patches on the mucous membranes, also called smoker’s tongue) and fungal (denture stomatitis) infections.
The fabrication of a set of complete dentures is a challenge for any dentist/denturist. There are many axioms in the production of dentures that must be understood; ignorance of one axiom can lead to failure of the denture. In the vast majority of cases, complete dentures should be comfortable soon after insertion, although almost always at least two adjustment visits are necessary to remove the cause of sore spots. One of the most critical aspects of dentures is that the impression of the denture must be perfectly made and used with perfect technique to make an accurate model of the patient's edentulous (toothless) gums. The dentist or denturist must use a process called border molding to ensure that the denture flanges are properly extended. An array of problems may occur if the final impression of the denture is not made properly. It takes considerable patience and experience for a dentist to know how to make a denture, and for this reason it may be in the patient's best interest to seek a specialist, either a prosthodontist or denturist, to make the denture. A denturist is a trained and licensed professional who sees patients in need of dentures, partials, relines or repairs. A denturist not only takes the impression, but makes the entire denture in his or her own laboratory. The denturist then schedules a date for the delivery of the finished dentures to the patient. A general dentist may do a good job making dentures, but only if he or she is meticulous and experienced. Many dentists no longer make dentures themselves. but instead take an impression of the patients' mouth and then either send the impressions to a dental laboratory, which could be anywhere in the world, or send the patient to a denturist. Once the laboratory receives dental impressions of the patient's mouth, the laboratory creates plaster molds from them. The laboratory uses the molds to create the wax rims used to register the patient's bite. These wax rims are returned to the dentist, who uses them to register the patient's bite. The dentist may assist the patient in choosing the correct size of teeth for the dentures, or simply make the selection himself. Once bite registration is completed and the teeth are selected for the dentures, the wax rim is usually returned to the dental laboratory in order to have the denture teeth set into the wax. Once the teeth are set into the wax rim, the result is a prefinished denture that looks almost like the finished product. This prefinished denture is usually returned to the dentist's office and the patient usually has a chance to approve the setup (for immediate or standard dentures) or to try the denture before it is finished. After approval by the patient, the dentist returns the pre-denture to the laboratory for final processing. The finished denture is then returned to the dentist's office for delivery to the patient.
Immediate Dentures: Immediate dentures, as the name implies, are placed as soon as the natural teeth are removed. With immediate dentures, the patient need not face the world without teeth, can eat normally much sooner than with conventional dentures, and does not have the speech problems associated with the normal denture process. However, since healing of the gums and jaw will change the fit of immediate dentures, the patient will typically need a new set in about six months.
Cosmetic Benefits: The cosmetic benefits of dentures are obvious. They fill in gaps left by missing teeth so patients feel more confident about their appearance. Dentures can replace missing teeth or teeth that were in poor condition, prevent further shifting of remaining teeth, support facial structure and integrity, and increase patients' self confidence.
Most patients need a few weeks to get used to the feel and use of their new dentures. Until the muscles of the cheeks and tongue adjust to the new dentures and learn to keep them in place, they may feel a little loose. It will also take time before you are comfortable putting your dentures in place and removing them. Since the mouth increases the amount of saliva produced in reaction to the new dentures, patients should expect to have mild sores and irritations in their mouth.
I had a really great experience with Affordable Dentures and Implants. My mom has always been afraid of dentists and didn't take care of her teeth. She also had a stroke a few years back which has created a few more barriers to treatment. It's difficult to explain to anyone who doesn't personally know a stroke survivor, but she gets antsy pretty quickly and can be a bit difficult to work with at times. She's also physically handicapped and can't use her left side, plus is having trouble transferring from her wheelchair to other seats, getting into a helpful position, and following directions, so it's a bit of a unique situation. She underwent major oral surgery in this office- multiple extractions and bone augmentation- in order to get dentures. This is something we've seen a couple different dentists for, but she has always refused treatment because she didn't like something about the office or wanted to be put to sleep in a hospital, which was out of our budget. Given her limitations and dental anxiety, I wasn't sure what to expect this time around, but I couldn't have been happier with how this office behaved. The front office has been great in terms of explaining processes, scheduling, and billing. I've also had to coordinate paratransit to get my mom to the office, and they've worked with me on times to make sure everything lines up right. Something you can probably only appreciate if you've been in a similar situation. They've also worked with us on fixing issues and missed appointments due to unforeseeable circumstances. Not only did they not scold us for missing an appointment, but they worked with me to resolve the problem that caused it- my mom's assisted living facility biffed it and didn't give her pain medicine after her surgery. :/ But, like I said, this office came through and helped- always making her care the top priority. As far as back office goes, Carlos the assistant has the patience of a saint. Seriously. We had to do a full series of x-rays because my mom couldn't stand up for the pano. My mom had trouble holding still and repeatedly failed to follow instructions. Carlos never stopped smiling and encouraging her. He had a lot of positive energy and kept joking with her throughout, which I know went a long way to making her feel good about the office. He did the same during the other visits, but the x-rays I'm sure were the biggest challenge. Jennifer assisted with the surgery. She was incredibly kind, gentle, and thoughtful. She was always doing what she could to keep my mom comfortable and looking out for her. She even went and grabbed my mom a pillow to make sure she was comfortable. Dr. Athari has an amazing sense of calm about him. He walked us through everything and talked to us throughout the procedure. My mom needed frequent breaks during the surgery and he always gave her the time she needed to regroup. He was very gentle and mindful with her throughout the procedure, and I'm certain that's what got my mom through it without issue. I cannot stress how difficult this process could have been considering the amount of care needed and the limitations of the patient. However, these folks rolled with everything we threw at them and never missed a beat. Always helpful, knowledgeable, kind, and gentle. 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. Before I close, I'd like to add a word on fees as well. I almost hesitate to call this an affordable dental office, simply because they obviously put care first. All dental offices should do what this office does and provide options, but few do. It's that commitment to patient care and letting you choose what's right for you that makes them more affordable, versus the offices that cut corners to save you a buck. That's a major difference worth noting. They also have an on-site lab, which saves costs as well. Anyway, again, sending a huge thank-you to Dr. Athari and his staff. You guys are beyond awesome.
Dentures are generally worn during the day and taken out at night to give the oral tissues time to relax. During the first few days after receiving the denture, however, it needs to remain in the mouth even when sleeping to best identify areas that need to be adjusted. This is especially important after receiving an immediate denture, for the gum tissues will swell after the teeth are extracted or lost and then may not permit the denture to be reinserted if taken out.
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.
My wife started her denture procedure at the Bethany Home office. On November 14th she had three implants installed. Had an appoint to get the stiches out in 3 weeks. Got a call the day before our appointment and they cancelled because they did not have doctor. Since starting in June we have been thru three doctors. There is currently no doctor at that office. When I called there corporate office they referred me to the Sun City Office. Sun City gave an appointment for Wednesday at 11 and called back within the hour to cancel and said they were not taking Bethany Home patients till after the 1st of the year. Adele at corporate worked hard to get us set up with the Mesa office. Said they would call within the hour and they did. Darb called (supper nice lady) and gave us an appoint for the very next day. When we got to the office all of the people were amazing. They made us feel very welcomed and we are excited about having them finish the procedure. I recommend Affordable Dentures. Save yourself the time and go right to the Mesa office.
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.
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.
The office people and assistants must be low wage workers. They have the typical low paid, high stress lack of concern for the patient. The person who did my form did not do it well. That was evidenced in the quality of the temporary denture. The Dentist who did the extractions was the absolute best dentist I have ever seen in my 55+ years. They give you a pill to take an hour before you get there and if needed, one when you arrive. It relaxes you and one was enough for me. I was ready to go to sleep. They took me straight in and the dentist took 20 minutes numbing every tooth with a local anesthetic. <<<<
