Cosmetic Dentistry

Denver and Lakewood, Colorado

Best Preventive Dental Care

You do not need to lose any teeth if you follow the guidelines on Ten Things to Know For Cutting Your Dental Costs.

If you ignore small dental problems by putting off treatment or by only doing what your insurance covers, a big problem will erupt and you will be at a crossroad. The easy route might then appear to be removing the tooth. But the better way is to properly restore it, even if it needs major rebuilding.

The same forces that worked on that problem tooth are also working on other teeth. Soon you're faced with fixing another tooth or having it removed.

The Missing Tooth Situation

With missing teeth, you have reduced chewing force, more pressure on the remaining teeth, and unbalanced chewing. You should have a replacement made for the missing tooth, which could require dental implants, a dental bridge or a partial denture.

Great replacements for one tooth or a few teeth are straightforward and can look very natural. But when you are missing many teeth, treatment becomes more expensive and time consuming. Don't let yourself get to this point!

• In his 17 years of practice, Dr. Greenhalgh has found that only 10 percent of denture or partial denture patients are happy with their prosthetic teeth – nothing hurts and they can eat whatever they want.
• The other 90 percent can't chew well, their prosthetics can be loose, and they're embarrassed to eat in public. Their hated prosthetic teeth wind up in a drawer.

Using prosthetics can change your personality, diet and social life. People don't realize how awful this can be until it actually happens.

The same problems that cause you to lose one tooth cause you to lose others. If you start down this path, you will probably end up with partial dentures replacing multiple missing teeth, or even full mouth reconstruction.

So What Should You Do?

You need to make sure that your dentist discusses your general health with you. That should include checking for:

• Oral cancer
• Signs of TMJ problems
• Early gum disease

Your dentist should review your X-rays thoroughly and provide clear information about what is happening in your mouth.

Dr. Greenhalgh’s Preventive Approach

Dr. Greenhalgh will review your medical history and any medications you are taking and discuss how both may affect the health of your mouth. You can talk about any discomfort you have when visiting a dentist and he will suggest options to ensure your comfort. He will ask you how you like your smile, and how you might like it to be improved.

As part of his complete examination, he will:

• Do a thorough head, neck and oral cancer examination
• Examine your jaw joints, jaw muscles and bite
• Examine all your teeth carefully to check for cavities
• Take photos and X-rays of your teeth and show them to you to illustrate any particular problems that you have

Dr. Greenhalgh will give you a summary of any problems he found and explain them in a way that makes sense to you. He will suggest options and explain which would be best for your unique situation, and why.

Before starting on any dental work, he will give you an estimate of the cost and offer you a number of different payment options. He will take time to describe how he will fix your problems in a way that will keep you confident, pain-free and healthy.

Dr. Greenhalgh provides information and answers that most people have not heard before. Many of our patients say, "I wish somebody had told me this a long time ago!"

If you would like to schedule a cosmetic dentistry consultation, please call or email our cosmetic dentist, Dr. Greenhalgh today. We serve the Denver and Lakewood areas in Colorado.