Archives for January 2020

Dental Implants after Years of Dentures

Posted on January 31, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have had dentures for over ten years. I have hated them from the beginning but wasn’t in the position to do anything else. Now my circumstances have changed but I’m wondering whether it is too late to do anything since it has been so long.

Kater

Dear Kater,

It is never too late to improve our dental health. In this case, the upgrade can literally save your jaw. When your teeth were removed, your body started a process known as facial collapse. This is where it removes the minerals in your jawbone are resorbed to be used elsewhere in your body. It’s your brain’s way of being the most efficient to the resources available. Because you no longer have teeth, it makes the assumption you no longer need the jawbone to retain the teeth roots. After about ten years, it becomes difficult to keep your dentures in place. Eventually, you’ll lose so much jawbone, you won’t be able to keep your dentures in at all.

The way to prevent facial collapse is by placing a series of prosthetics in your jawbone that mimic your teeth roots. This tells your brain there are still teeth there and you will need that jawbone fully in-tact. The best tooth replacement option for that is to get dental implants.

When you are missing all of your teeth, it is too expensive to replace each tooth with a dental implant. However, there is a great solution. You can get implant overdentures. This places between four to six dental implants and then secures them to a denture.

It’s not at all like wearing removable dentures. Because they’re anchored to the implants, they’re completely secure. You’ll find your chewing capacity goes up significantly with the implants. Best of all, you’ll never have to worry about facial collapse.

Because you have already been in dentures for at least ten years, you likely are beginning to experience some of the problems associated with facial collapse. You are probably going to need to have some bone grafting done to ensure you have enough bone structure to retain the dental implants.

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

Dental Implants Should Line Up

Posted on January 15, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have a problem with my dental implants. I’m a little confused about which dentist to talk to. When I said I was getting dental implants, my dentist sent me to a periodontist. The periodontist made it seem like he was in charge, not the dentist. I had the implant surgery, which was prepared for two bridges, one on either side of my mouth. When the bridges were placed, the “teeth” on the right side match up, but the ones on the left don’t. Is this normal? If not, should I talk to the dentist or periodontist?

Caitlin.

Dear Caitlin,

a man and woman talking on the telephone

Comminication between dentist and surgeon are of the upmost importance

When you can’t find a dentist or periodontist who can do both the surgery and the restoration, it is imperative the two of them work in close communication. Despite what your periodontist said, it should be the restoration dentist who plans the procedure and tells the surgeon where to place the implants. Without that, you end up in a situation like you’re in now.

As to your question, no, this is not normal. It needs to be fixed. When your teeth do not occlude together properly, it can lead to TMJ problems. This can really disrupt your life.

Fixing this will not be simple. It’s very likely one (or both) sets of dental implants will need to be re-done. Though you can ask for a refund, I’m going to recommend something different. I’d like you to have them pay for repairing it, which is likely to cost more than the initial procedure.

When your dental implants are removed, it will leave a gap in the bone. In order to have enough bone to repair this, you’ll need bone grafting done. Then, after a healing period you can start over.

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

Are Clear Choice Dental Implants Safe?

Posted on January 1, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’ve been thinking of getting dental implants for my missing teeth. I keep hearing mixed things about Clear Choice and their tactics, but my question is are they good at what they do?

Ben

Dear Ben,

The one thing they do well is to hire good oral surgeons and prosthodontists. There are some “howevers” here though. First, you didn’t mention whether or not you are planning on replacing all your teeth or just a few. If you don’t need to replace all your teeth, I’d be wary of going to Clear Choice.

They tend to push for patients to remove all their teeth whether they need it or not. This would not be what most dentists would recommend. Most feel it is best to keep all your healthy teeth and just replace the unsavable ones. This is harder for the dentist but better for the patient.

Another thing to be aware of is their cost is pretty high and they use high-pressure tactics to get people to sign quickly. Finally, they tend to prefer to do the all-on-four procedure.

The All-on-Four Procedure

This procedure can be useful for people who have had some bone loss. This allows them to get dental implants without bone grafting. It is a great option for some patients.

However, if you have lost too much bone structure, this won’t be a good option for you. If that happens, you can have bone grafting done. This will allow you to have implant-overdentures if you’d like.

Who Should Do Your Implant Procedure?

You always want to make sure whoever doesn’t your dental implant procedure is highly qualified. That means extensive post-doctoral training in dental implants. It’s also best if the person doing the surgery and the implants are the same person. You can look at Dr. Pumphrey’s qualifications to get an idea of what you want in the person treating you.

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