St. Louis is famous for its music scene. Not only is the Blues Museum located here, there’s a whole style of music known as St. Louis blues.
Blues and other music styles are more than just an occupation or hobby–they’re kind of a lifestyle, and very hard to give up. Unfortunately, for many musicians, your teeth may not hold up as long as your desire to play. If you’re a musician who’s lost one or more teeth, dental implants can help you keep playing. They’re better than the other tooth replacement options available.
Traditional Dentures Are Loose
Traditional dentures are a primitive technology for replacing teeth. With the exception of material, traditional dentures today aren’t that much different from what they were in the 18th century. They still have the same problems, and they can be a challenge for musicians.
Traditional dentures are poorly anchored, which makes them unstable. This can make it hard to create a proper embouchure. You may need to make pressure with your lips and teeth, and this can be hard when your denture is constantly coming out of place.
Another problem is that traditional dentures may interfere with the sound of your instrument. The sound is vibrations, and when you have a loose denture in your mouth, it can vibrate differently, creating its own sound.
Traditional dentures are even worse for singers. If your mouth is your instrument, you need all the components to be sturdy, stable, and capable of making the sounds you desire. Dentures can change the resonance of your mouth, and they may make it hard to form some of the essential letter sounds when you’re singing. Even worse, they can come out of your mouth when you’re singing loudly. That can create a memorable experience for an audience, but maybe not the kind you’re trying for.
Dental Bridges Can Stress Teeth
Dental bridges can be a better tooth replacement option for many people. They’re fully fixed, so they won’t move, and they don’t resonate the way dentures can. They also don’t have excess structure that fills up your mouth. That’s especially good for singers.
But some musicians may have trouble with bridges. A dental bridge is artificial teeth supported by your natural teeth. If your embouchure is putting force on your dental bridge, it can be problematic. That’s because the stress from three, four, or five teeth will rest on just a couple teeth, and repeated stress can damage those teeth. This can lead them to fail–and the bridge along with them.
FOY ® Dentures Are the Best Nonsurgical Technique
FOY ® Dentures represent a tremendous advance in the denture process. These dentures are fitted using advanced concepts in neuromuscular dentistry to ensure that these dentures stay in place and promote optimal function for everything you do, including playing your instrument or singing. The optimal neuromuscular function is especially valuable for singers, as it can help them avoid jaw pain and other effects of TMJ that can come from wearing poorly fitting dentures.
One attractive benefit of FOY ® Dentures is that they can achieve these great results without the need for surgery. But for additional security FOY ® Dentures can be combined with dental implants.
Dental Implants and Implant Dentures Are the Best
Dental implants, on the other hand, are designed to be as much like your natural teeth as possible. They are fully fixed, attached in your jawbone like natural teeth. There’s nothing loose in your mouth to resonate, and the implants won’t come out when you’re singing. Plus, they support themselves, which helps them stand up to the stresses you might put on them. If you have lost several or all of your teeth, we can design implant dentures that offer these benefits while replacing multiple lost teeth.
No matter what your lifestyle, dental implants are the best tooth replacement for maintaining life as it was with your natural teeth.
To learn whether dental implants are right for you, please call (314) 678-7876 (Downtown St. Louis) or (314) 678-7876 (Clayton) today for an appointment with implant dentist Dr. Chris Hill at City Smiles
