Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Snoring and sleep apnea are conditions that affect millions of Americans on a daily basis. While you may not be affected by them personally, chances are there is someone in your family that is affected by snoring. The causes are not limited to obesity and age. Dr. Matthew P. Cline from Cline Dental Group recommends scheduling a consultation to diagnose and treat the problem.

If you have sleep apnea, one common attempt is to adjust your sleeping habits by elevating your head by using a different pillow. If the problem is more than a pillow can fix, traditionally patients would consider investing in a continuous positive air pressure machine or CPAP. This device allows air through the nasal passages to open when sleeping. An alternative to the CPAP is an oral device kept in your mouth at night to hold your jaw in a more ideal position. This nightime positioning device will help ensure your airway is open, and reduces or eliminates snoring as well. The last option is surgery; and while not uncommon, is a procedure where the surgeon takes out excessive tissue in the upper mouth or throat that may cause the snoring.

If you have sleep apnea and want to seek treatment or have questions about dental health or oral care, please give us a call. To learn about services we provide at our practice, visit www.clinedentalgroup.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Matthew P. Cline at Cline Dental Group in Ballwin, MO call (636) 230-8081.

Dental Implants

At the time Dr. Cline was earning awards in college for studying periodontics and prosthodontics in the mid-1990s, innovations in tooth restoration were rapidly going mainstream in dentistry. Among the most exciting of these developments was the widespread adaptation of endosteal implants. Prosthodontics, the manufacturing of artificial teeth, had previously focused on dentures and bridgework, but implants allowed dentists to construct full replacements for individual teeth.

The crown of the tooth is the part above the gum line, which is what people see and use for chewing. Prosthodontics originated as a way of providing patients with new crowns after teeth had to be extracted due to decay or were destroyed by injuries. Many patients benefited from this approach and still do, but the root of a tooth serves a function beyond holding the crown in place. Roots help to provide the jawbone’s structure, and in their absence, the jawbone dissolves, potentially weakening other teeth.

Implants are posts or screws made of titanium, or occasionally ceramic, which are inserted into a patient’s jaw so that they may fuse with the bone tissue. This requires some healthy bone tissue to already be present, and if there isn’t, Dr. Cline may consider a bone graft to provide some. It will take three to six months for the implant to integrate fully into the jaw bone, but after it does, Dr. Cline will screw an abutment on top, which will link the implant to a new crown.

Implants not only look and bite like normal teeth, they also stabilize the jaw bone, which, in turn, provides the shape of the patient’s face. It is possible to install more than one implant at once, and there are other implant variations which can be used to stabilize dentures. Implants are cared for with the same brushing and flossing as normal teeth and are a long-term solution.

Matthew P. Cline, DDS practices at Cline Dental Group at 14560 Manchester Road, Suite 25, Ballwin, Missouri, 63011. To schedule an appointment, call 636-230-8081 or visit ClineDentalGroup.com and fill out a contact form.

Veneers

Veneers: Are They Right for You?

One of the newest advancements in cosmetic dentistry is veneers. Veneers are shells that are wafer-thin and tooth-colored. They are placed on the front of the teeth to change their appearance. Veneers can fix a variety of dental issues and look great. Ballwin dentist Dr. Matthew Cline has 20 years of experience in the dental field and can help perfect your smile with options such as veneers.

Types of Problems Veneers Can Fix

Veneers can help with the following problems:

• Discolored teeth
• Broken or chipped teeth
• Worn teeth
• Uneven or misaligned teeth
• Large gaps between teeth

Advantages of Veneers

Veneers offer these benefits:

• They look natural.
• You can easily change color.
• They are stain resistant.

Disadvantages of Veneers

Here are some downsides of veneers:

• The process involves removing enamel from your teeth, and this is not reversible.
• Veneers are delicate and can fall off.
• You can't change the color once in place.
• They are costly.
• They cannot be repaired if they chip or crack.
• Sensitivity is a common issue.

What Else Should You Know?

Veneers are not a permanent solution. They can last up to 10 years with proper care, so be prepared to replace them in about a decade. The good news is that they are easy to care for. You brush and floss them just like regular teeth. See your dentist twice a year for checkups.

Call for a Consultation

If you desire a nicer-looking smile free of chips and stains, Dr. Matthew Cline is a Ballwin dentist who can determine if veneers are right for your mouth. Call his office at (636) 230-8081 or visit www.clinedentalgroup.com

Invisalign

Invisalign is a proven successful procedure that is used to straighten crowded or gapped teeth in a private way. A Ballwin Missouri dentist such as Matthew Cline, DDS can examine one’s teeth and determine whether or not they are a good candidate for Invisalign.

About Invisalign

After someone decides to use Invisalign to straighten their teeth, many clear plastic aligners are placed in the mouth to inspire tooth movement. The method of moving teeth with these removable aligners isn’t new just the technology used to create these aligners for each dental patients. Invisalign works just like traditional metal braces do; it just doesn’t require brackets, elastics or bands.

Invisalign is perfect in orthodontic situations with moderate or mild spacing or crowding issues. These aligners are undetectable in the mouth and are comfortable to wear. This makes them easy to use. The process of straightening the teeth with Invisalign can take anywhere from one to two years. Many patients enjoy Invisalign because they are removable and less noticeable. This makes them appropriate for patients of all ages, even professionals.

What Invisalign Can Successfully Treat

Invisalign have been proven to successfully treat gapped teeth, open bites, cross bites, overbites, underbites and severely crowded teeth. Many of these conditions can cause serious chewing and biting problems that worsen over time. This is why using Invisalign to gently shift the teeth to their proper position is so important. To learn more about the procedure and whether or not your dental situation is ideal for this treatment, schedule an appointment with Dr. Matthew Cline, DDS today by calling 636-230-8081.

www.clinedentalgroup.com