I went to a chain dental implant clinic because they had an advertisement for a “teeth in a day” procedure for dental implants. That really appealed to me. I went to the clinic with the thought of replacing a removable partial and a dental bridge with dental implants. However, when I got to the clinic, they really pushed to get me to remove all of my teeth, even the healthy ones, and replacing them with all-on-4 dental implants. I really don’t want to get my healthy teeth removed. Is there a clinic like this which will tailor the treatment to the patient?
Casey
Dear Casey,
I’m pretty certain I know the clinic you are referring to. Because you didn’t mention the name of it, I will not either. I will say, this is a high-pressure one-sized-fits-all type of clinic. I agree with you that their suggestion is a bad idea for you. First, if you have healthy teeth, it would be the height of stupidity to remove them. Healthy, natural teeth are important.
One thing that all-on-four dental implants are great for is people who don’t have enough jaw bone for traditional dental implants, but still have some jaw bone. This particular procedure used between four to six dental implants, but they are placed at an angle which enables patients with less than ideal jaw bone structure. That’s not you.
Getting Tailor Care
In your place, I would find a dentist in private practice, who has significant dental implant training. This is an advanced procedure. In fact, it is the leading litigation in dental malpractice suits. You don’t want to be in a situation where you are one of them.
Ideally, you want a dentist who can do the surgery and restoration themselves. When that isn’t possible, make sure the dentist and oral surgeon are in close communication with each other. It should also be the dentist you see first who determines the placement of the implants, not the other way around.
This blog is brought to you Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.
