The way you feel about your appearance reflects the way you smile and greet those you meet every day.
Porcelain veneers are a minimally invasive and painless way to transform your teeth from discoloration, misshapen, and malalignment to a beautiful, bright and friendly smile. For over 20 years, Dr. A. J. Boyajian has been creating cosmetic masterpieces for his patients in Los Angeles, CA.

Dental Zirconium Implants

The great thing about zirconium dental implants is that they can be installed in one single stage. If you’ve ever had the stomach to watch videos or clips of traditional dental implants being installed, you’ll see that there are many steps involved in putting the implant puzzles together; the installation process alone can take several hours, after a likely several weeks’ worth of appointments and analyses performed on the operation area and the teeth themselves. Not to mention, the fact that they are made with titanium, a metal, is degenerative to our health.

Zirconium implants, however, are made of zirconium, a ceramic material with a chemical compound structure similar to our own bone, and are installed as a single piece in a single stage. The crown or bridge is the only other piece, designed to be snugly fitted on top and join the “party of 32” in your mouth… or 28, or somewhere around that number, if you had wisdom teeth removed.

But anyway, the procedure is far simpler with better results. The single piece of zirconium provides fewer surfaces, cracks, and crannies for bacteria and, therefore, infections to grow. There is smoother osseointegration, or blending in with your facial bones like a natural tooth’s root, than the metal implants, which frequently give infection trouble and a difficulty establishing a sturdy root.

This is partly why holistic, metal-free dentistry is the way to go; metal in these proportions and the human body just cannot meld and work together.

Dr. Boyajian, Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Why Dental Zirconium Implants

So, why are these metal-free implants such a big deal? Why not just stick with what’s been handed out to us for years and years? It worked for everyone we know, right? Why not just go with the convenience of your community/family general dentist down the street who can take care of you in with a whip and a snap (not literally — the whip, I mean) and send you out with an entertaining bag of goodies? Why not see this dentist who may be your “regular” merely because of his/her friendly staff or toothpaste that doesn’t taste bad?

Well, there’s one reason, and it seems kind of obvious: you only have one set of teeth in one mouth in one head sitting on one neck, and you are entrusting it to this person in a white suit. The human body is a very delicate mechanism, and delicate care must be taken in turn. Most dentists aren’t giving that “delicate” care that works with the body’s chemistry, even though we may have quite the display of perfectly straight, white teeth. Very often what we don’t know CAN, in fact hurt us. It just may not be right away.

Where am I going with this? Well, most dentists use materials and chemicals that are not biocompatible (i.e. working with the body’s natural chemistry) or can be harmful if overused. Even when something claims to be “safe in small amounts,” those small amounts used multiple times throughout your life build up, and the resulting degeneration of your health is the same. This slower degeneration is difficult to reverse, and takes an extremely long time to recover from — a problem that those in their later years of age may never get to solve. Metals, chemicals, cleaners, sterilizers, plastic, drugs, commercially-produced oral care products, etc., can all wreak havoc on your oral health and, therefore, your overall health.

Holistic dentistry, in essence, is always seeking out ways to achieve the highest equilibrium of health, beauty, and functionality of your mouth through the most natural, biocompatible, health-promoting ways possible. Being a holistic dentist myself, keeping up on the latest science and technology and filtering out false or inaccurate information concerning oral health is crucial for bringing genuinely effective and health-sustaining care to my patients.

More and more of the population is suffering from poor tooth health nowadays. Gum disease, injury to the mouth, poor diet, oral infections, and countless other causes are affecting millions around the world, providing a steadily growing need for strong implants. Dental implants are for replacing teeth that have fallen out or been removed due to trauma or disease. Zirconium, as mentioned in this post here, is a ceramic material with similar chemical and structural build as a human tooth, making it a superb substitute. Zirconium has been shown to integrate into surrounding facial bones very well, unlike previously tested ceramics and other materials, especially metals. Zirconium implants also share a similar appearance to human teeth, providing a naturally beautiful smile. Generic dental implants are made with metal, and, like amalgam fillings, sometimes it shows through and doesn’t match your other teeth.

So here you have it — zirconium dental implants are strong, biocompatible, and pretty-looking. It seems we have reached that equilibrium, eh?

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Zirconium Dental Implants Overview

In years past, and actually still most commonly today, dental implants were composed of several different pieces to fit together in the restoration area, and they were made out of titanium. Titanium is a metal, and, therefore, BAD (in a holistic sense, of course) inside a human body. The titanium implants also presented other drawbacks, such as aesthetics (metallic coloring would show through the crown) and complications with assimilation into the maxilla or mandible — the facial bones that shape your mouth/jaw and anchor your teeth down.

Zirconium implants are made entirely from a special ceramic that has a chemistry similar to our bones and, specifically, teeth. Not unlike what the CEREC machine spits out, this material is entirely biocompatible and ideal for its similar strength, durability, and beauty of a natural tooth. There has been great success with its conforming to surrounding facial bones as well. Because of its biocompatibility, our bones do not reject its chemical makeup, therefore preventing infection and weak implants.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Zirconium Dental Implants

So we’re going to switch up topics here today.

I’d like to introduce zirconium dental implants to you. They are one-piece implants made of a special ceramic that is biocompatible and extremely hardy.

Details are coming in future posts. Keep your eyes peeled!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Aesthetics of Occlusal Correction

I figured I’d end the series on correcting malocclusions with “pretty” thoughts… thoughts about the visible benefits of occlusal correction.

What makes your smile natural also makes it beautiful. A correct bite will show in a smile that looks exactly how it was designed to look, not only displayed by straight teeth, but by the rest of your face as well. Your jaw moves in a way that is no longer detrimental to the surrounding muscles and joints in your face; your teeth no longer inhibit that movement or acquire further wear-and-tear; and you’ll be feeling better overall, because unusual tightness or tiredness in your mouth area will be gone. Add to all of that the confidence of a pretty smile!

A different kind of analysis, called a functional and aesthetic analysis, may be performed during the therapy in order to ensure the longterm health and beauty of your teeth.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Occlusal Splint Therapy for Occlusal Correction

This type of therapy for occlusal correction is temporary, but does a lot of good things over a period of time to protect your bite and its bad effects on your whole chewing system — even your whole head, down to your shoulders.

I’ve mentioned the MAGO way back when, and how I use it to treat TMJ cases. This is just about identical. It is basically a hard plastic mouthguard designed to fit your mouth in such a way that provides a stable bite and prevents further clenching and/or grinding of your teeth. The splint also relieves jaw and muscle pain caused by malocclusion problems. The kind of treatment you’ll need after using an occlusal splint will determine how long you wear it, and may even change the course of negative effects again caused by your malocclusion.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Occlusal Correction: Orthognathic Surgery

Okay, say it with me: “or-thog-NATH-ic.”

Quite a tongue-twister, yes, and this complicated name is fitting for what it is. Orthognathic surgery digs a little bit more into the nitty-gritty of occlusal correction, because it is full-on surgery of the jaw or teeth. Orthognathic surgery moves the jaw or teeth into their proper positions in cases where braces or smaller-scale solutions will not be effective. If bones need cutting, screwing, or reinforcing, this is what should be done.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Occlusal Correction: Orthodontics

Correcting a malocclusion with orthodontic dentistry is similar to selective reshaping of teeth. The difference, however, is that selective reshaping is meant for moving one or a few individual teeth. Orthodontics moves broader groups of teeth using removable contraptions like braces or retainers. These methods also cause pleasing aesthetic results, straightening teeth and providing a pretty smile.

Careful comprehensive observance must be taken as the teeth are being corrected, in case moving so many teeth causes other negative changes in the chewing system. Just because your teeth are now straight doesn’t mean other problems are not present or waiting to appear. All cares and concerns should be voiced as early as possible, whether before, throughout, or after the process has been carried out.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Occlusal Correction: Restorative Dental Work

The focus here is on occlusal (bite) correction, but this is where my CEREC unit comes in handy: restorations! Completely decayed, damaged, or missing teeth might be one of the most obvious problems contributing to a malocclusion… we cannot chew properly without all our teeth.

Like selective reshaping of teeth, restorative dental work is focused on the teeth and, well, restoring them, as opposed to reshaping the jaw or working with the surrounding muscles and cartilage. Crowns, inlays, onlays, dentures, or implants can be formed to bring back a mouth full of fully functional teeth.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

 

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Occlusal Correction: Reshaping of Teeth

This is probably the first solution one might think of when wondering how a malocclusion will be corrected. The teeth are grinding together, so just move them around so they don’t. Right?

Well, I think we’ve learned that it’s a little bit more complex than that; but in some cases, the solution is as “simple” as moving teeth around. If the jaw, surrounding muscles and tissues, and everything else seems to be functioning well, selective reshaping can take place, and your teeth will fit together correctly when you bite down. This will halt and prevent further wear-and-tear on teeth that are perhaps showing signs of cracking, wearing, chipping, or breaking.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com