Gum Disease and Dental Surgery
Dr. Warren
Periodontist & Implant Surgeon
A specialist in gum disease and dental surgery, Dr. Sharon Warren brings more than 15 years of dental experience to the practice. Working hand in hand with Dr. Frazar, she has the ability to make decisions on the spot during surgery, eliminating the guesswork of achieving the dentists’ goals. Dr. Warren performs all periodontal surgeries, implant surgeries and major exodontia.
A native of Jamaica, Dr. Warren attended University of the West Indies and Howard University in Washington, D.C. She then received her D.D.S. from Columbia University in New York. Completing her residency at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dr. Warren practiced dentistry for three years in Houston before completing her periodontal residency at Oregon Health Science University and receiving a Masters degree in Science, simultaneously.
The Dental Team
Our Houston dental practice has a very unique combination of doctors and available services. Since a majority of the adult population has periodontal disease and periodontal disease leads to tooth loss, we have a periodontist, Dr. Sharon Warren, on our team. If you are diagnosed with moderate to severe periodontal disease or require an implant to replace a missing tooth, in most dental practices, you will be referred out to see a periodontist.
In our practice Dr. Warren will solve your periodontal problems without having to go to another practice. We know it is a difficult task in today's busy society to find a comfortable dental home, let alone two. That is why we can solve most of your problems in our office.
If you have been alternating visits with your periodontist and your general dentist, why not see one practice for both?
People are living longer and healthier lives today in Houston. And, older adults also are more likely to keep their teeth for a lifetime than they were a decade ago. However, studies indicate that older people have the highest rates of periodontal disease and need to do more to maintain good oral health.
Whatever your age, it's important to keep your mouth clean, healthy and feeling good. And it's important to know the state of your periodontal health.
- At least half of non-institutionalized people over age 55 have periodontitis.
- Almost one out of four people age 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.
- Receding gum tissue affects the majority of older people.
- Periodontal disease and tooth decay are the leading causes of tooth loss in older adults.
What you may not realize is that oral health is not just important for maintaining a nice-looking smile and being able to eat corn on the cob. Good oral health is essential to quality of life. Consider a few of the reasons:
- Every tooth in your mouth plays an important role in speaking, chewing and in maintaining proper alignment of other teeth.
- A major cause of failure in joint replacements is infection, which can travel to the site of the replacement from the mouth in people with periodontal disease.
- People with dentures or loose and missing teeth often have restricted diets since biting into fresh fruits and vegetables is often not only difficult, but also painful. This likely means they don't get proper nutrition.
- Most men and women age 65 and older report that a smile is very important to a person's appearance.
- And, maybe most importantly, recent research has advanced the idea that periodontal disease is linked to a number of major health concerns such as heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and diabetes.
While your likelihood of developing periodontal disease increases with age, the good news is that research suggests that these higher rates may be related to risk factors other than age. So, periodontal disease is not an inevitable aspect of aging. Risk factors that may make older people more susceptible include general health status, diminished immune status, medications, depression, worsening memory, diminished salivary flow, functional impairments and change in financial status.
Dental Implants
More and more older people are selecting dental implants over dentures as a replacement option for lost teeth. Whether you have lost one or all of your teeth, dental implants allow you to have teeth that look and feel just like your own.
Older adults have similar success rate with implants compared with younger people. As long as you're in good health Dr. Warren, our periodontist in Houston can restore healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant, you're never too old to receive a dental implant.
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. While high-tech in nature, dental implants are actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support.
In addition, dental implants are intimately connected with the gum tissues and underlying bone in the mouth. Therefore, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompanies bridgework and dentures and preserve the integrity of facial features. When teeth are missing, the bone which previously supported these teeth begins to deteriorate. This can result in dramatic changes in your appearance, such as increased wrinkles around the mouth and lips that cave in and lose their natural shape.
Since Dr. Warren, our periodontist, is a dental expert who specializes in precisely these areas, she is a key member of your dental implant team. Not only does Dr. Warren have experience working with Dr. Frazar, but as a team, they also have the special knowledge, training and facilities that you need to have teeth that look and feel just like your own.
