All on 4™ is a relatively new implant option in the United States but has been done for many years with great success in Europe. This technique uses fewer implants that are placed at mechanical inclinations to maximize support. Because fewer implants are used this means lower treatment fees. Because we have a CT Scan in our facility, the deliberate use of angled implant placement allows us to avoid important anatomical areas that previously required bone grafting. Eliminating the need for costly bone grafting saves money as well as months of healing. We could perform the implant placement with sedation and place teeth later the same day if you wish. The All on 4™ option provides a comparable long term outcome to Teeth in An Hour™ by attaching teeth that do not have to be removed. All on 4™ saves time and money and we are excited to make this option available to our patients.
August 4, 2010
10 Things You Need To Know About Treating Gum Disease Without A Scalpel
1. LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ also known as LANAP (laser assisted new attachment procedure) is easy since there’s no cutting and no suturing.
2. There’s much less discomfort with LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ than with standard surgery – during and after the procedure.
3. It takes less time than traditional surgery. All it takes is one 2 to 3 hour laser procedure visit and two follow up visits.
4. Traditional surgery requires four sessions of about one hour each, with subsequent visits for suture removal and additional check-ups.
5. LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ gives better, longer-lasting results. In fact, 98% of LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ treated patients remain stable after five years, while only 5% reportedly remain stable after surgery.
6. Drs Gallardo and Lamas will probably recommend a soft diet for a day or two, and common sense should prevail, but in most cases, patients feel good enough to eat anything they want right after the procedure.
7. Following traditional surgery, recovery can take between to 2-4 weeks during which patients can experience considerable pain and swelling, where they may be restricted to liquid or soft diets.
8. There’s less than 24 hour recovery period, so you won’t lose time from work.
9. LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ is safe for patients with health concerns such as diabetes, hemophilia, or those taking medications such as Coumadin or Cyclosporin.
10. LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ is less expensive than traditional gum surgery since materials such as bone grafts and stitches are not used. Deep cleanings ( scaling and root planing) are not necessary prior to starting treatment. This also saves on overall cost.
August 2, 2010
I am getting an implant to replace two teeth that have had a removable bridge. Do you do anything to the teeth adjacent to the bridge to build them up?
That depends on whether there is a need to strengthen what holds the teeth in place or change the tooth itself. During a proper evaluation we would evaluate for mobility patterns (you may not realize your teeth are starting to loosen), bone support around the remaining teeth, pathology such as root canal type infections that may show up only on x-rays and make sure that the natural teeth and the implants work together in providing the best possible function. The forces on the “new bite” have to be designed in a very specific way and this could vary depending on the circumstances of the patient. Where the tooth is positioned in the arch dermines, in part, what role it should play in overall chewing as well as appearance. Sometimes the surrounding teeth do have to be built up in order to achieve this proper bite and also create a more youthful appearance if something called the “vertical dimension” of the face has been changed (iefacial collapse). If all that is nessary is the treatment of gum disease then a simple non-invasive laser option called LANAP can reverse the damage to the bone that supports the teeth. I hope this helps!
August 1, 2010
I have to have some teeth taken out and I have decided on dental implants to replace them. I do not want to have both procedures on the same day. Would it be bad to wait a month for the implants? I mean bad in that there might be some bone loss during this period, or scar tissue could form that might make it harder to seat the implant.
Placing implants at the time of tooth removal could be the very best treatment decision for patient and doctor. However, I do understand that you may not feel comfortable with this idea. Waiting four weeks should not be a problem and scar tissue is not a problem either. Typically four weeks is not enough time for significant bone loss to take place. There is always the risk of an unforseen delay in implant placement for whatever reason. In your case I would strongly consider a bone preservation procedure at the time of tooth removal if you feel your appointment plan could change or you dont want to risk unforseen needs to graft at the time of implant placement. Because some areas of the bone remaining after a removal could be unexpectedly thinner or weaker, these areas could “disappear” shortly thereafter and make it difficult or in extreme cases impossible and even dangerous to proceed with implant placement without having to add more involved, more expensive grafting procedures and possibly delay the time of tooth replacement. Bone preservation can be accomplished with natural growth factors that can be obtained from your plasma in minutes where all you expirience is a small blood sample just like you would at your physicians office. This technique is known as PRGF. Other more traditional techniques involve the use of human or cow bone mineral.
If I get a dental implant, will that help restore bone that has been lost? I know that I have to have a bone graft first, but after the implant, does that new bone grow more bone and fill in the area to make it stronger? I am worried about bone loss affecting surrounding teeth in the future.
A dental implant will not create more bone volume (size) but it will make the bone that IS there much stronger and more dense unlike a bridge or a removable partial denture which can actually contribute to more bone loss. In situations where bone grafting is absolutely necessary, keep in mind that all bone grafts and techniques are not the same and they could vary from case to case. Also the health of the teeth ,the gingiva and bone surrounding them that will be next to the dental implants must be evaluated in the early stages of planning the case. The best way to not risk bone loss is to prevent it and plan against it with a comprehensive evaluation including a periodontal examination in addition to the implant consult.
