Dr. Munira Lokhandwala, DDS, FAGD, FICOI

Location :

38350 Fremont Blvd #103, Fremont, CA 94536
Added by Dr. Munira Lokhandwala, at 20 July 2024

What is a dental implant?

Tooth replacement services have improved a great deal over the past few decades. Today, dental implants provide patients with the opportunity to replace missing teeth in a way that achieves permanent, fixed results. Implants themselves are not designed to replace missing tooth structure. These titanium posts, inserted into healthy jawbone by your experienced dentist, replace the missing root.

Advantage of Dental Implants
Dental implant illustration

The progression of dental techniques and materials has significantly improved the look and feel of dentures. However, only dental implants will replace missing roots. As such, dental implants most closely mimic the overall structure of natural teeth. When teeth are replaced with dental implants and crowns, a bridge, or full denture appliances, functionality and aesthetics are restored to such a degree that even implant patients forget their teeth are not completely natural.

What are dentures?

When some or all teeth are missing, priority is placed on replacing those teeth to restore full function. This is accomplished with dentures, a removal appliance custom made to the patient’s specifications. Because dentures are customized, they can be made to replace a few teeth, as a partial denture, or to replace all teeth, as a full denture. Although there are other options for tooth replacement today, dentures are still widely used with great success.
Conventional Dentures
Dentures model

Conventional dentures are crafted some time after the patient’s teeth extraction has taken place. After the natural teeth have been extracted, it takes time for the gum tissue to heal. So the dentist will wait till the accurate impression of the jaws can be taken. Thereafter, it may take one or two weeks to get the dentures ready in the laboratory. So, the patient may be provided with some kind of temporary dentures, until his or her custom made dentures are ready.
Immediate Dentures

In this case, the dentures are produced in advance, even before the teeth have been extracted. The advantage in this case is that the patient gets his new set of dentures almost immediately after the extraction. But the disadvantage in this case is that the fitting and adjustment of these dentures may not be perfect. The bone and gums may re-adjust their position after the extraction, causing the dentures to loosen. Therefore, conventional dentures are preferable over immediate dentures in the long run.
Adjustments Required with Dentures

Technological advancements have brought about several improvements in dentures. Compared to what they were a few years ago, today’s dentures are more natural in appearance, comfort and functionality. However, initially they may still feel like an alien contraption in the mouth. The dentist will need to maintain a close look for the first few days to determine whether the dentures are fitting properly and functioning as expected. Over a period of time, the contours of the mouth may undergo a change, causing the dentist to adjust the dentures slightly to adapt to the changed condition.

Dental implant technology has helped to improve the denture stability and retention in the mouth. A dental implant can be used as an anchor to keep the dentures in place firmly. The patient can use the dentures much more comfortably and without the risk of the dentures loosening or falling off while chewing or speaking.

Invisalign is a revolutionary technology that straightens teeth without compromising the aesthetics of patients. Unlike the metal braces that are awkward to use and reveal that the person is using braces, Invisalign works invisibly and produces the same results.

Invisalign is a series of clear, removable aligners that help to straighten crooked or uneven teeth without metallic wires or brackets. Invisalign has become a very popular alternative to metal braces because of its obvious advantage of invisibility. Its effectiveness has been proved in clinical research trials as well as at a practical level in orthodontic practices across the country.
How does Invisalign work?
How invisalign work
Simulation

A customized set of aligners for the patient are produced by the dentist and the Invisalign manufacturer. Once the aligners are ready, the patient wears them full-time for a period of two weeks. The aligners are to be removed only while eating, drinking, brushing, and cleaning the teeth.

The dentist may provide up to 12 retainers for the complete course of treatment. This depends on the nature of the problem, and the degree of teeth and bite improvement required. As the patient goes on replacing each aligner with the next in the series, the teeth will continue to move into the desired position, week after week. The process will be stopped when the teeth have come to their final desired position as per the orthodontist’s recommendation.

The orthodontist will monitor the patient’s progress every six weeks to ensure that the improvement is taking place as expected. The total treatment period may range between nine to fifteen months, depending on the severity of the patient’s condition.
Does insurance cover the cost of Invisalign treatment?

This depends on the kind of dental insurance plan the patient has taken. There are several dental insurance plans that provide coverage for adult orthodontics up to a specific limit. If the patient’s dental plan has a provision for this coverage, StarBrite Dental can assist the patient by pre-authorizing the treatment, in order to reduce the “out of pocket” expenses for the patient.
Is StarBrite Dental equipped for Invisalign treatment?

StarBrite Dental is fully authorized for providing Invisalign treatment in the United States. Dr. Lokhandwala has received an advanced certification for Invisalign orthodontics. There are less than 4.5 percent general dentists in the country who are certified for Invisalign treatment, and Dr. Lokhandwala ranks among them.

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