GALLARDO & LAMAS | Periodontics & Implant Dentistry | Blog » Implant Dentistry

Is LANAP ever combined with traditional surgery for treating periodontal disease?

Dr. John Paul Gallardo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:54:25 +0000

This is the video testimonial of a patient with advanced periodontal disease who had all of his hopeless upper teeth removed and replaced during the same appointment with the all-on-4 dental implant protocol and had the lower teeth treated with the Periolase laser. Because it was performed with IV conscious sedation, all of the work was performed in one appointment and he returned to work the next day.

I’m in Cayman and need extensive work including implants, teeth removals and possibly bone grafting in my sinus. My concern is that I won’t be able to take that much time off to fly into Miami for long or extended treatment. My dental condition is very complicated. How many visits can this potentially take?

Dr. John Paul Gallardo — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:04:28 +0000

For many years now I have been seeing many patients from Cayman for treatments ranging from a single implant or gum disease to complete implant replacements for patients wanting to avoid or replace removable denture plates. Because of our proven sedation protocols as well as years of experience with up-to-date technology in treating the complex case, it is common for us to develop an appointment plan that provides “life changing” dentistry in as little as one surgical visit.

Some examples of this are the All-on-4 dental implant system in which a complete arch of fixed teeth can be possible at the end of the first appointment-the same day the implants are placed. The use of Alloderm grafting incredibly avoids the need to take gum grafts from the roof of the mouth and therefore allows many more teeth roots to be treated for recession in a single visit. Another is laser periodontal treatment or LANAPwhere the Millenium PerioLase Laser is used to treat even advanced gum disease requiring bone regeneration without the use of bone grafts, scalpels or sutures.

We are located 10-15 minutes from Miami International Airport and there are many hotels in the area that we could help you with. Hope this helps.

Dr. John Paul Gallardo

Is it true that I can really come in and have new teeth all in one day with the all-on-4 implants? How is this done?

Dr. John Paul Gallardo — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:54:07 +0000

The all-on-4 implant treatment is a consideration for patients who have dentures or who think they will need dentures. An example would be a patient who has been told they have to lose all of their teeth due to periodontal disease, non-restorable caries or failing bridges and crowns. . Some patients stay away from dentists all together. I’ve heard stories of people whose dentures fell out at restaurants either during a romantic dinner with a significant other or during an important sales meeting. They basically couldn’t eat or smile.

Other patients who have sought out dental advise have been told that the only way to have fixed or attached teeth eventually would be to undergo multiple surgeries and over the course of many months to over a year all while wearing removable dentures over painful incisions and extensive grafting for jawbone reconstruction.

Weeks or months of healing and pain with more conventional and more expensive treatment does not have to be the only option. Some of these “worst nightmare” situations can be taken care of in just one appointment with relaxing conscious sedation techniques. We do this by identifying the areas where the jawbone is still strong using a CBCT (scan) and strategically placing as little as four dental implants with little to no grafting in predetermined positions and deliberate mechanical inclinations. The specific angles in which the implants are placed make the connection points to the “same day replacement teeth” spread out enough to adequately handle chewing forces and create an esthetically pleasing smile. We encourage patient input in the planning stages of treatment as most patients usually prefer a more natural yet better version of what they used to have before the problems began.

Although this treatment modality is not for everyone, those patients that are phobic about dentists and dentures definitely deserve a chance at learning about what I call one of the “miracles” of dentistry….All-on-4. Get rid of pain, denture glues and get ready to smile and laugh. Personal and career changing transformations can realistically be one surgical appointment away.

I checked out the Clear Choice dental implants clinic in Miami. They seem ok in their ads, but I researched them online and I’m still unsure. What do you know about them? Should I go there?

Dr. John Paul Gallardo — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:12:23 +0000

This is a loaded question as we do what Clearchoice does including the all-on-4 procedure. The short answer is to get as many qualified opinions as you can. The difference between us and Clearchoice is that we have a doctor owned private specialty practice setting as opposed to a franchise model. We have been serving our community since 1994 while Clearchoice is a newer model started just a few years ago here in Miami. As far as the doctors that work there, they all should be specialists in their respective fields as are we. It’s really about establishing realistic expectations and making sure you explore worst case scenarios with your doctors personally (not a case presentation business person). It is also very important that you interview the surgical and restorative doctors that would be treating you and exhaust any list of questions and concerns regarding your proposed treatment. The problem we see is that patients are often looking for a “clear choice alternative” but find it difficult to find one. We do see a significant number of patients seeking a second opinion to clear choice when they visit our office but always tell them to go with whom they feel most comfortable and always follow your gut. Hope this helps.

On a scale of one to ten, with ten being extreme, how much pain is involved when getting all-on-4 implants?

Dr. John Paul Gallardo — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:26:02 +0000

I would say anywhere from zero to two. The interesting thing about the all-on-4 procedure is that the majority of our patients have reported little to absolutely no pain after the procedure. As a matter of fact, they are so surprised at this that they have either gone back to work the next day or have been out and about showing off their new smiles. We know this because on many occasions we have been privileged to have our patients drive back to our office the very next morning to thank us personally.
We think a lot has to do with our sedation techniques, the use of growth factors and the fact that the teeth are connected to the implants on the day of the surgery. This means that there is no pressure or rubbing over the surgical site as you would expect with more conventional types of temporary teeth.