Are dental implants safe?

Yes.

The question of safety with dental implants is one that seems to persist

among the general population.

Perhaps a lack of news coverage is responsible for this.

Someone getting a heart or lung replaced gets a lot more attention

(as it should) then replacing a tooth.

So lets see if this helps.

This is a picture of an artificial heart.

This is a diagram of a real heart.

This is a diagram of the lungs.

All 3 of these items are very complex.

Yet doctors, very successfully, place (transplant) these items into patients all the time.

Below you will see a diagram of a tooth implant.

Yup, that's it.

Its a titanium screw.

No moving parts are pieces.

Far less complex then the heart or the lung.

The point.

Please please please do not be afraid of dental implants.

Replacing severely broken teeth with implants is safe and simple.

If you think you may be a candidate simply talk to your dentist

about implants and if they are right for you.

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The evolution of an implant.

The evolution of an implant.

#1 Somehow acquire a bad tooth.

Break it off at the gums, have a root canal that fails, etc.

(example of tooth broken off at gums)

#2 Get the tooth extracted and then place the implant.

#3 Attach a post to the implant.

This will serve as a platform on which to place the crown.

#4 Place a crown on the post and you are back to full function.

This entire project took about 3 months to complete.

The patient is very happy with the results.

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Implant case

Wrapped up this case on Friday of last week.

Patient broke off half of her tooth.

The break was severe and extended down under the gums.

Patient did not want a bridge so an implant was chosen.

(Digital picture of tooth)

(X-Ray of tooth)

After the extraction both root sockets were examined and it was

determined that the socket farthest back would work best for the implant.

The implant was placed.

Bone grafting material was placed in the front most socket.

The spot was then stitched shut.

The implant is at bone level and the outcome for this case is extremely favorable.

The patient will now wait for about 6 weeks to make sure

that the implant site heals completely.

After that a tooth will be attached to the implant

and she will be back to her old self.

There are certain situations in which they don't work

but for the most part implants are wonderful.

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Implant case from yesterday.

Just finished up a nice implant case.

Patient came in with one of his four front teeth broken off at the gum line.

(Pictured here)

The big problem was that he already had bridges on both sides of the broken tooth.

Since he didn't want to destroy a good bridge he went for the implant.

We extracted the tooth, placed the implant, and placed a temporary on it the same day.

The patient returned in 8 weeks to receive the final crown.

He is very happy with the result.

(Pictured below)

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Painless tooth replacement.

"Painless tooth replacement"

"Teeth in a day"

We have all heard these claims and typically they are accompanied by promises that the doctor can,

almost magically, take out all of your teeth, put implants in, and place crowns on the teeth

with little to no pain, in just one day.

They may even show the patient biting into an apple right after the procedure.

In very rare and unique circumstances this MAY be the case. But for the other 99.7% of us, its not.

anytime you have surgery of ANY kind you need to heal.

The picture below shows a site where a tooth was recently extracted.

This site will be very tender for several days while the body heals.

That's just the way it works. Blood will rush to the site of any injury thus

creating inflammation (swelling) and moderate discomfort.

If implants are placed that too will cause some type of discomfort.

To say that teeth can be extracted and implants placed and that you can begin

eating right away with no pain whatsoever is just not true. What is typically

happening is that these people are trying to suck you in and then sell you on something else.

Simply do lots and lots of homework before letting these places touch your mouth.

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Missing tooth and peg lateral case.

Kristi is a patient that came to our office with a couple of problems.

First off, one of her four front teeth was missing.

The tooth never came in.

Secondly, the matching tooth on the other side did not form completely.

It is what we call a peg lateral.

We did a couple of things for Kristi.

We placed an implant in the spot where the one tooth was missing.

After that healed we placed crowns on both the implant and the small tooth.

Here are the before and after pictures and x-rays.

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Cosmetic Bonding

This patient had a deformed tooth since it came in.

Even braces was not an option because the tooth just isn't the right shape.

His only options were to get the tooth out and get a bridge or implant.

This case isn't perfect.

If I could have numbed up the the patient and shaped the gums

above the tooth I would have been a little happier.

However, this patient didn't get one shot and was done in 30 minutes and

will not have any post op sensitivity.

He is very pleased with the result.

Before (Tooth malformed)

After

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Implants today

Wonderful implant case today.

Patient is about 30 years old.

Her lateral incisor never came in (the tooth next to the front tooth).

She had worn a retainer with a tooth attached to it for years and was sick of it.

We placed the implant and put a tooth on it that day.

Before (without tooth)

After (with implant in)

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Implants today

Today we put an implant in a women who had broken a tooth off at the gumline.

Extraction, implant, and bone graft all done at same appointment.

Before

After.

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Grandpa got loose dentures?

It happens all the time.

Grandpa/Grandma/You have a top denture that fits

great but the lower denture is awful.

There is help.

2 implants need to be placed in the lower jaw.

Each one of those implants will have a gold housing on top of it.

These housings have undercuts in them that will serve as retention for the denture.

The old denture then gets holes drilled into it and metal

receptors with o-rings place in the holes.

These receptors with the o-rings will fit down over the implant housings and

secure the denture to the jaw.

It works very well and people are very happy that their denture is

no longer floating around in their mouth.

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Tooth implant completed today

Today we delivered the crown to an implant that we did several months ago.

The patient came in with a broken lower molar.

She decided that instead of trying the heroic measures necessary to save her own tooth that she would get an implant placed.

The extraction and immediate implant placement went very well.

The healing took place over an 8 week period.

The abutment was in for an additional 2 weeks.

The crown was then placed this morning.

Wonderful alternative to root canals, posts, core buildups, etc.

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What are dental implants?

The teeth that you see in your mouth are connected to you by the root of the tooth.

An implant is simply replacing the natural root with an artificial one and then attaching a tooth to the new artificial one.

Implants can replace single teeth, multiple teeth, or be the way of attaching a loose denture in the mouth with a more firm grip.

Almost anyone is a candidate for implants. Certain medical conditions and drugs that people are taking may present problems but other then that implants are getting to be a pretty universal from for replacing missing teeth.

Most insurances cover implants. Occasionally there are some insurances that are still in the dark ages and don't cover implants so you need to check with your particular company first.

There is no dental specialty that is in charge of placing implants. They are done by general dentists, periodontists, and oral surgeons. Just make sure that the person placing your implants can show you some before and after pictures of work they have done and then can adequately explain the procedure you will be going through so that you will fell comfortable with what will be happening in your mouth.

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Dental Implants

When we talk to people about implants there is a lot of hesitation because people really do not know what is involved in getting an implant. If your tooth is already gone then its really very simple. If you still have a tooth in the spot where the implant needs to go then things can be a bit more challenging but its still not too bad. Here is a little, 30 second, video that shows an implant procedure.

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Technology

It happens all the time.

Someone comes into my office that hasn't been for a long long time. I ask why it is that they have not come for so many years. They reply that they had a bad experience once and that they can't stand the noise of the drill or the feel of the novocaine or something similar to that.

I ask them how long its been and the response comes back that they haven't been in 20 or 30 years.

I then ask them what their cell phone looked like 25 years ago.

After a puzzled look they go on to describe a boxy bulky phone that weighed a ton. I then ask them to describe their personal computer. They go on to talk about floppy disks and commodore 64s.

I then explain that just like in every other area of their life, things move on. Technology advances and things improve. Dentistry of 30 years ago is NOT dentistry of today. I tell them of quieter drills and how we don't use metal fillings anymore and on and on. The real kicker comes in when I tell them that we haven't used novocaine in over 20 years! I don't even know if you can buy the stuff anymore. Even the stuff we use to numb people up with has evolved immensely.

Moral to the story is this. If you have had a bad dental experience in the past. But it was the past of the 80s or even 90s. Please give the dentist another try. Things are so much better now then they have ever been. Technology can be a wonderful thing.

Don't know why I included this one. Just love the 80s hair.

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Cosmetic Dentistry

These are the days that make it really fun to be a dentist.

She told me that she hated her smile but that she didn't have the money to get braces or crowns. 1 hour later without any shots, and for a lot less then the cost of braces or crowns, she got out of the chair, looked in the mirror and started to cry.

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Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

There has been a lot of educational material put out there about not putting your kids to bed with bottles, or sippy cups, full of juice, milk, soda, or whatever. But it still happens on a pretty regular basis. The last thing that should touch your child's tooth before they go to bed is a glass of water, a toothbrush, or a pacifier.

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Beautiful smile on a budget

With the economy still in a little bit of trouble many people are still looking to save a buck or two. but if you are also looking to improve your smile in 2011 then you may be wondering what you can do.

Here are two options that would go a long way towards making that smile look better while not breaking the bank.

First is bleaching.

Second is changing out old metal fillings for brand new white ones.

Both are fast and inexpensive and a great way to improve the look of your smile in 2011.

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Double implant case

Great Case.

Female. Lost 3 teeth on upper left side. 4th tooth broken at gum line.

Placed 2 implants.

Extracted broken tooth after implants placed.

Went very smooth.

Tons of stability upon placement.

Will update when crowns go in.

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Snap on Smile

I blogged about the "Snap on Smile" a while back.

Well, here it is.

Delivered our first case yesterday.

Here are the before and after pictures.

The appliance is completely removable.

Its made of an ultra durable plastic.

You do everything with it. Even eating.

Just take it out at night.

No shots or drilling.

For more info go to www.snaponsmile.com

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But it doesn't hurt?

This is a question we get asked all the time.

"Are you sure I have a cavity. Because it doesn't hurt."

Well, saying that is like saying, "Why do I need to change my oil when my car is running just fine?"

Your car may be running fine and you could save yourself $49.99 by not changing your oil.

However, when you engine seizes up your repair bill is now about $4,000 for a new motor.

You didn't end up saving a lot in the end.

Same is true with teeth and cavities.

you could save yourself the small cost of getting a cavity filled but then when it starts to hurt you will need to get a root canal and a crown. That means that your cost, and your discomfort, will be significantly more.

Save yourself the money and the discomfort.

Get your cavities filled when they are small.

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