Archives for February 2019

Implant Options without Grafting

Posted on February 27, 2019 by writeradmin.

I want to get dental implants. My dentist said I need bone grafting to do that, but as I looked into it I discovered they are made of porcine bone. I can’t do that. It’s an unclean animal. Are there other options for me?

Akram

Dear Akram,

I am glad you wrote. It sounds like your dentist didn’t explained this to you very well. You have a few options here.

All-on-4 Dental Implants

If you haven’t lost too much bone structure, all-on-4 dental implants may be a great solution for you. It uses between four to six dental implants, but places them at angles which allow them to work for patients who’ve lost some bone.

Implants after Bone Grafting

Yes, some bone is grafted from pigs, however, you have other options. There’s bone grafting from cows and even humans. Your dentist should be willing to work around your religious preferences. If he’s not, simply go to a dentist who is.

Once you have grafting done, you open up more options for yourself.

You can implants placed throughout your mouth for each lost tooth, which I’m assuming in your case is all of them because of needing grafting. While the best of the best of replacement solutions, that is very expensive.

Most patients would instead choose implant overdentures. Like All-on-4 dental implants, it will anchor between 4 to 6 dental implants into your jawbone and then anchor your dentures to them.

Because you have more bone, these don’t have to be placed at an angle.

One thing you do want to make sure of is you have no gum disease. This knocks you out of contention for dental implants of any kind. The good news is, if you see a periodontist, they can provide gum disease treatment to get your oral health back on track, allowing you to have the best options in tooth replacements again.

This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.

Dental Implants for a Stuntman

Posted on February 23, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’m a stuntman. While it is not unusual to knock out a tooth in my profession, I’ve lost three so far this year and it’s only February. I need to replace them. Would dental implants be a good option? Do they hold up well?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

Dental implant illustration with three phases

Dental implants are a fantastic tooth replacement option. As you can see from the illustration above, they are implanted into your jawbone as a substitute for your natural teeth roots. Once the bone has integrated with them, you will have a dental crown placed on top to replace the tooth itself.

They are strong and hold up as well as teeth. In your case, that’s not saying much. You will want to find out why you are losing so many teeth suddenly. Is it just a spate of bad luck or is something more serious going on?

Dental Implants and Gum Disease

One possibility is that you have developed gum disease. In its most advanced stages, it can cause your teeth to just fall out. It will certainly make them looser and easier to get knocked out.

I’d like you to see a periodontist. If all is well with your gums then you may go ahead with the dental implants. However, if you do have gum disease, you’ll need to get that treated first.

Once your gums are under control, then you can revisit getting dental implants.

This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.

Implant Overdentures and Smoking

Posted on February 6, 2019 by writeradmin.

I lost my teeth because of severe gum disease. I have that under control now but want to switch from straight dentures to implant overdentures. I’m running into some trouble finding a dentist or oral surgeon who’s willing to do the procedure while I’m still a smoker. Do I really have to quit to get the implants?

Nick

First, I want to say congratulations on getting your gum disease under control. That took a lot of work on your part, especially if it was advanced enough for you to lose so many teeth. Bravo on taking things in hand.

You’ve also chosen a great replacement asking for implant overdentures. As you’ve likely already noticed, dentures have a ton of problems that come right along with them. No matter how well fitted they are, you lose about 50% of your chewing capacity.

The worst side effect however is the facial collapse. You won’t have noticed yet, if they’re fairly new. Your jawbone is slowly shrinking because there are no teeth roots in your jawbone to alert your brain that it is needed anymore.

Because of that, it starts using those minerals elsewhere. In about 10 or so years, you won’t have enough jaw bone left to keep your dentures in your mouth. Implant overdentures solve that by placing dental implants in your jawbone, preserving the minerals.

The Problem with Smoking

I’m not going to lecture you about your lungs. You’ve likely heard that countless times and if that hasn’t stopped you, I don’t think hearing it one more time will.

What you may not be aware of, though, it the effect on your gums. Any nicotene (including vaping) causes the blood vessels in your gums to restrict.

This has three negative effects:

It slows down healing. When healing doesn’t progress, then infection sets in. Infection is the leading cause of dental implant failure.
It also prevents osseointegration. Once the implants are placed, your bone will need to fuse to the implant. With constricted vessels that becomes harder. If the bonding doesn’t take place, the implants will fail.
Smoking puts patients at greater risk for gum disease. You’ve already been dealing with that. Continued smoking will make it more likely for you to develop it again as well as cause the implants to loosen and fail.

While you are likely to find a dentist willing to give you the implants, most will be those who care less about your outcome than their profit. Consider carefully who you use to do this procedure if you continue smoking.

This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.