Angular Cheilitis - Angular cheilitis is a condition that causes red and swollen patches in the corners of your mouth where your lips meet. Also known as perleche or angular stomatitis, this can occur either on one side of your mouth only, or on both sides.

The main symptom of angular cheilitis is irritation and soreness.

I have found that the best treatment for this is an OTC medication called Campho-Phenique. This medication contains a combination of camphor and phenol and is used to treat a variety of skin conditions. You can get it at any local pharmacy or Walmart.

E-Day - If you are online or using You Tube for research purposes, you are going to see/hear this word used a lot. E-Day is just a shortened term for extraction day or the day you are having all of your teeth extracted.

FP1 - FP stands for fixed prothesis, so a fixed prothesis 1 or FP1 is a full arch of teeth that replaces missing teeth with a bridge or crown style that looks most natural. FP1’s are designed to resemble your natural teeth as much as possible. The patients natural gums are used in an FP1 type case. THE 3on6 and 4on8 are FP1 type procedures.

FP2 - A fixed prothesis 2 is a dental restoration that replaces parts of the roots and the crowns of missing teeth. You will notice that the teeth are much longer here and this is usually because the patient has pretty moderate bone loss. An FP2 style is suitable for someone that has a low smile line.

FP3 - An FP3 or fixed prothesis 3 classification used to be the most common technique performed. It replaces everything: the tooth, roots, crowns of missing teeth, and the soft tissue. The big difference between the 3 is that the first 2 (FP1 and FP2 do not have the artificial pink gum tissue and the FP3 does. An all on 4 or all on x procedure is an FP3 type restoration.

All-On-4 - An all-on-4 dental implant procedure or FP3 replaces an entire arch of teeth using four implants for support. 2 implants are placed in the front of the mouth and then one implant is placed on each side in the backs at an angle. This was developed this way to accommodate bone deficiencies and jawline limitations. For the longest time this was the most common and easiest way to restore entire arches of teeth. For those patients that aren’t lacking bone, bone is usually removed to make room for the prothesis. Now, this is not always the case, but a question you should asked your provider.

All-On-X - An all-on-x is the same as an all-on-4, but more implants are used to support the prosthetic. The definition is a dental implant procedure that replaces a full set or arch of teeth with a set of implant-supported dentures that are permanent. Most commonly 6 implants are placed instead of 4. The “x” in all-on-x refers to the number of implants used.

3 On 6 - The 3on6 is a procedure that was created by Dr. Randy Roberts of the Smile Clinic Utah. It consists of 6 implants on each arch with 3 sets of zirconia bridges attached to those implants. Both the 3on6 and 4on8 procedures are classified as FP1 restorations and that is very important to know for what I’m about to say next. The 3on6 and 4on8 have become very popular over the last 4 or 5 years. With that being said, there are providers out there that advertise they do the 3on6 when they do not. There is a lot more to this procedure than just placing implants and bridges. It is a lot more complex than that. If you are interested in going the 3on6 route, please make sure you are seeing a licensed 3on6 provider by going to the official 3on6 website.

4 On 8 - The 4on8 is another procedure that was created by Dr. Randy Roberts of the Smile Clinic Utah. It consists of 8 implants on each arch with 4 sets of zirconia bridges attached to those implants. See above (under 3on6) for more information.

Zygomatic Implants - Zygomatic implants are dental implants that are placed into the cheekbones to support an upper full arch restoration. These are used when the patient has severe bone loss.

PMMA - While in the dental office you may hear the abbreviation PMMA used. PMMA or Poly (methyl methacrylate) is a rigid, transparent, synthetic plastic also known as acrylic (it is another way to say acrylic). The picture to the right is of a PMMA All on 6, but PMMA is also used to make regular dentures.

Thrush - Thrush is a fungal infection caused by the overgrowth of Candida Albicans which is a type of yeast. Candida can grow out of control in warm, moist areas of the body, but primarily affects the mouth. It is usually a result of a weakened immune system, but is also common with dentures or other oral prosthetics.

A couple important points for new denture or dental prosthetics wearers. Antibiotics and steroids, which are commonly prescribed during this process can cause thrush. Oral birth birth control and hormones is another contributing factor.

Thrush Prevention

Sometimes it is impossible to prevent thrush, but there are some cautionary measures you can take.

#1 If you use mouthwash make sure it is alcohol free! Mouthwash that contains alcohol not only kills the bad bacteria in your mouth it also kills the good bacteria.

#2 If you are given antibiotics make sure you either eat yogurt or take a good probiotic. Like the mouthwash, antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria in your body it also kills the good bacteria. Probiotics and yogurt help to replace the good bacteria.

#3 Warm salt water rinses are your best friend!!!!!! They not only help the healing process a great deal, they also keep the PH of your mouth in line so it makes it less likely to develop thrush.