400 School St, Waupaca, WI 54981 DIRECTIONS

  (715) 258-8200

Schedule Appointment
Menu

General & Family Dentistry

Explore our General & Family Dentistry category for comprehensive oral health tips and expert insights. Your family’s smiles matter to us!

The Skinny on Dental Implants

,

Dental Implants Dentist Waupaca

Dental Implants Dentist Waupaca: Everything You Need to Know

When it comes to reliable, long-term solutions for missing teeth, Crystal River Dental in Waupaca is a trusted provider. With advanced services for dental implants in Waupaca, this clinic offers patients a permanent, natural-looking option that can restore confidence and improve oral health. In this post, we’ll take a look at what dental implants are, how they’re placed, and why they might be the ideal choice for you or a loved one.

What Are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is a type of artificial tooth root that is surgically placed into the jawbone. Unlike traditional options like bridges or dentures, dental implants fuse directly with the bone, providing a secure foundation for a replacement tooth, typically a custom-made porcelain crown. The core component of a dental implant is a screw-like structure made from titanium, which integrates with the jawbone over time. This integration process, known as osseointegration, ensures that the implant is as stable as a natural tooth.

Each implant has three parts:

  1. The Implant: The titanium post inserted into the jawbone.
  2. The Abutment: A connector that supports and secures the dental crown.
  3. The Crown: The visible part that resembles a natural tooth.

At Crystal River Dental Waupaca, our experienced team ensures that each implant is customized to match the surrounding teeth in color, shape, and function.

How Are Dental Implants Placed?

The dental implant process at Crystal River Dental starts with a comprehensive consultation. Our dental implants dentist Waupaca will review your oral health, take necessary X-rays or 3D images, and evaluate the implant site. This initial appointment is crucial to confirm you have sufficient bone density to support an implant.

Step-by-Step Process:

  1. Initial Consultation: A thorough examination, often under an hour, during which your dentist will assess the area and discuss treatment options.
  2. Implant Placement: At the next appointment, the titanium implant is surgically placed into the jawbone, typically using local anesthesia. This procedure is generally quick, usually completed in about an hour.
  3. Healing and Integration: Over the next few months, the bone fuses with the titanium implant in a process called osseointegration. During this time, temporary teeth can be provided to maintain functionality and aesthetics.
  4. Abutment and Crown Placement: Once osseointegration is complete, a custom abutment is attached to the implant. Impressions are taken to create a crown that matches your other teeth perfectly, ensuring a seamless look and feel. The final crown placement requires just a brief appointment.

Why Choose Dental Implants Over Other Options?

Dental implants are a popular choice for tooth replacement due to several key benefits:

  • Durability and Longevity: Unlike bridges and dentures, which may need replacement after five to ten years, dental implants, with proper care, can last a lifetime. This makes them a cost-effective choice for long-term dental health.

  • Natural Look and Feel: Implants are custom-designed to blend with your natural teeth, ensuring a comfortable, stable fit that looks just like a real tooth. Dentures and bridges, on the other hand, may slip or cause discomfort over time.

  • Improved Functionality: Implants allow you to chew, speak, and smile with confidence. Unlike other devices, dental implants provide the stability needed to enjoy your favorite foods without worry.

  • Bone Health Benefits: One of the unique advantages of dental implants is that they stimulate bone growth. This prevents the bone loss that typically follows tooth loss, which can lead to a sunken facial appearance over time. By fusing with the bone, implants support a healthier, stronger jaw structure.

Who Can Benefit from Dental Implants?

Adults of almost all ages can be candidates for dental implants. Whether you’ve lost a tooth due to decay, injury, or other reasons, Crystal River Dental in Waupaca offers consultations to determine if implants are suitable for you. Generally, anyone with a fully developed jawbone and healthy oral tissues can consider implants. However, children or individuals with significant bone loss may need alternative treatments.

Breastfeeding & Dental Work

, ,

Breastfeeding and dental guide Waupaca dentist

If you’re a new mom or about to be one, you’re likely already used to putting your needs second to the needs of this beautiful new little person in your life – but maintaining good oral hygiene is still important for keeping you and your baby in tip-top shape. If something happens and you need dental work, it shouldn’t prevent you from breastfeeding regularly, or from seeking the dental treatment you need. Dr. Lisa Piontek is our experienced dentist at Crystal River Dental and can explain how prioritizing your own health needs is safe and important during this stage of a woman’s life.

Dental Procedures Safe for Breastfeeding

More

Dental Veneers: What You Need to Know

,

Dental Veneers

Dental Veneers Waupaca Dentist

 

What Are Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers are very thin shells of porcelain or composite resin that are permanently bonded to the front surface of teeth using dental cement to improve the appearance of one’s smile. These veneers are crafted in a dental laboratory using measurements and models provided to them by our dentist.

Who Can Benefit from Dental Veneers?

Many patients can benefit from dental veneers, including those who have chipped, stained, decayed, crooked, gapped, or otherwise blemished teeth. Sometimes, patients who elect other cosmetic or restorative procedures—such as Invisalign or full mouth rehabilitation—also opt for dental veneers to complete their smile transformations.

How Are Dental Veneers Applied?

The complete process for fitting dental veneers usually takes three or four visits to our office. The first appointment involves a consultation with our dentist, where the patient can explain his or her desires for the procedure, and our dentist will go over your medical and dental history, examine your teeth, and offer a full explanation of the procedure, including the benefits and drawbacks. The second appointment is where we take measurements and create models of the patient’s teeth that will be sent along to the dental lab that crafts the veneers. This visit will involve multiple X-rays, teeth impressions, and photographs of the teeth and smile. Temporary Veneers. Depending on several factors, the third appointment is usually to apply temporary veneers. After numbing the teeth, our dentist will remove a thin layer of the front of those teeth that will be receiving the veneers. Any transformation of the gums that needs to occur will likely be done at this visit. Once the temporary veneers are applied, tests will be done to ensure proper fit, bite, and comfort. At this point, additional impressions will likely be taken so that the permanent veneers are perfectly crafted. Normally, the temporary veneers are worn for about two weeks. During the final appointment, the temporary veneers are removed after the teeth have again been numbed. The patient’s natural teeth are then cleaned, dried, and prepared for the bonding of the permanent veneers. Once the permanent veneers are placed, they’ll be fitted, filed, and thoroughly tested for proper appearance and bite before the dentist permanently bonds them onto the natural teeth.

How Long Do Dental Veneers Last?

According to the American Dental Association, porcelain dental veneers can be expected to last at least ten years. They often last much longer: 20 years is not uncommon. This, of course, is dependent on patients’ behavior and care for their teeth. Composite resin veneers have an expected life of about five to seven years, again depending on care.

Why Choose Dental Veneers?

There are many reasons why patients choose dental veneers over crowns, dentures, or other dental services. Once of the biggest benefits of veneers is that they leave more of a patient’s natural tooth structure intact. Unlike crowns that involve significant filing away of the natural tooth to accept the crown or extraction with denture/bridge replacement, dental veneers usually only involve filing away a small layer at the front of the tooth. Veneers have the potential to be more aesthetically pleasing after time than other tooth replacement options, since there is less likelihood of veneers showing a gum margin. Additionally, teeth with veneers are less likely to experience movement or shifting than those repaired or replaced by other means. Finally, some patients choose dental veneers because of the savings in cost over other cosmetic or restorative services.

How Much Do Dental Veneers Cost?

The total cost of having dental veneers applied to one’s teeth is dependent on several factors, including how much work needs to be done to prepare the receiving teeth and gum tissue. The veneer material is also a factor, as porcelain is more expensive than compositive resin. Very generally speaking, porcelain dental veneers can range in cost from about $900 to about $2,500 per tooth. Composite resin veneers can range from about $500 to $1,500 per tooth. Our dentist will provide patients with a clear estimate of total cost at the consultation appointment.

Where Can I Find More Information on Dental Veneers?

Here are some helpful resources on dental veneers to help you make the most informed decision possible. You can also call our office at any time to discuss this treatment option with a member of our administrative team.

http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Publications/Files/ADA_PatientSmart_Veneers.pdf

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/v/veneers?_ga=2.92099802.1312205144.1570459716-1062438290.1565317005

https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/veneers/dental-veneers-pros-and-cons

https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-veneers

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/veneers

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dental-veneers#what-are-they

Dentistry for Kids: What the Tooth Fairy Won’t Tell You

,

Tooth Fairy Children’s Dentistry at Waupaca Dentist

Kids are constantly growing and changing, and their mouths are no exception! Throughout childhood, kids lose their baby teeth, gain adult teeth, and they begin to take ownership of their own oral health. From brushing to braces to practicing their smile, oral health is important for every kid at every stage.

We know you love to see your child smile! Crystal River Dental in Waupaca does too. Read our tips to learn how to help keep your kid smiling for life.

Caring for Kids Teeth

Your child’s first teeth, often called “baby teeth” make their momentous arrival and continue to serve many purposes until they fall out and are replaced by adult teeth. Baby teeth hold a place in the jaw and pave the way for the adult teeth to grow in properly.

Kids who develop cavities are more likely to develop them later as adults. Don’t dismiss the importance of oral health for kids, even though there’s so much transition in their mouth in these early days.

Basic oral health for kids includes brushing and flossing twice a day. Be sure your child is brushing long enough (and having some fun) by playing a favorite song that’s roughly two minutes long and brush the whole time.

More

Fun Dental Facts…Did You Know?

, ,

Waupaca Dental Fun Facts

Sure, dentistry is serious medicine, and daily dental hygiene is a top priority. But teeth can be pretty fun, too! And fascinating. For starters, have you ever seen the full sets of baby teeth and adult teeth present in a child’s head x-ray? Go ahead, look it up.

Crystal River Dental in Waupaca, Wisconsin, treats our patients professionally and joyfully because teeth are cool. Take Dr. Lisa Piontek’s word for it; there’s much to learn and admire about even the most average set of teeth.

More