bone grafting Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

What If I can’t Get a Dental Implant?

Posted on August 7, 2024 by writeradmin.

I lost a tooth years ago and have been wearing a dental flipper. I’ve replaced the flipper a few times and now want something permanent. I wanted to get a dental implant but my dentist said that because I’ve lost so much bone in that area, I am not a candidate for dental implants. He wants me to get a dental bridge instead. Is that my best option? My other two teeth that would be used in the bridge are healthy and I don’t really want to grind them. Can you advise me?

Meredith

Dear Meredith,

While it is true that dental implants do require sufficient bone to retain them, not having that bone does not automatically disqualify you from getting a dental implant. It does mean that you will need an additional procedure before the implant will be possible. There is a bone grafting procedure that will build up the missing bone structure for you. After a time of healing, you should be able to move forward with the implant.

Both of these procedures require advanced post-doctoral training. It is possible that your dentist does not know how to place implants and, as a result, he is steering you toward something that he knows how to do— a dental bridge.

If you decide not to go through the extra bone grafting procedure, then a bridge is the next best permanently secure option. The other options currently available are all removable, which it sounds like you’re trying to avoid. There is a chance of getting a Maryland Bridge, but that would require cutting a notch into the adjacent teeth as well.

In your place, I would find a dentist who is skilled in placing dental implants and get the procedure you wanted to begin with.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.
Click here to learn about the when a dental bridge would make more sense.

How Can I Tell If I Need Bone Grafting?

Posted on March 29, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have had the same dental bridge since I was a teenager. Now I am in my 40s. One of the supporting teeth for the bridge needs to come out and I would like to replace both teeth with dental implants. However, I was wondering if I would need bone grafting first because I have had the dental bridge for so long. It looks to me like there is less bone in that area. Is there a way for a dentist to know ahead of time or will they have to go in there first? I’m hoping to do this in the most orderly way possible.

Trenton

Dear Trenton,

First, you will need to be in good general health. This is because the procedure requires surgery and you don’t want any unnecessary complications. Other than that, what you will need is for your dentist to do good diagnostics. This will include x-rays and a CT scan. Make certain that whichever dentist you go to for this, has post-doctoral training in dental implants. This is an advanced procedure that is not adequately taught in dental school.

Like cosmetic dentistry, dental implants are not a recognized specialty so that means the patient has to ask the right questions. Some great post-doctoral institutions for this type of restorative dentistry are:

The Dawson Academy
The Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies
The Pankey Institute

There are a few others, but these are some great ones to look for. If a dentist has pursued training with those institutions they will almost always list them in their bio on their website. If you don’t see anything like that, don’t hesitate to ask the dentist where they did their dental implant training.

Often, the dentist will have to send you to an oral surgeon to place the implant. However, it is extremely important that you make certain the dentist determines the placement of your implants, not the surgeon.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.
Click here to learn about whether to get a Dental Implant or a Dental Bridge.

Dental Implant Placed Knowing it Would Fail

Posted on November 11, 2021 by writeradmin.

I’m frustrated with my dentist and wanted to get your opinion on it. He’s from another state so you won’t know him. Before my dental implant procedure, my dentist told me that I had plenty of bone. When I woke up from the surgery he told me that I after he got in there he noticed I did not have enough bone but he placed the implant anyway. Yet, he said the best thing to do would be to remove it and get a dental bridge so I don’t have to worry about when it is going to fail. Why in the world did he place it then!? I’m also wondering if I am stuck with a dental bridge.

Freddy

Dear Freddy,

You have a right to be upset about this. Your dentist put you through a surgery unnecessarily and then staged it so you’d have to have another one to undo it. First, if he did the appropriate diagnostics then you would not be in this situation to begin with. He should have known ahead of time how much bone you had.

He can’t actually get away with this. There is an implied warranty when a procedure is done that there is a reasonable expectation it will succeed. The exception to that is in the medical field when a procedure is a last-ditch effort to try and save someone where the risks are known.

Don’t let him do any other procedures for you. While you are due a refund, it is actually going to cost you more to get this fixed than you likely paid him. Instead of a refund, I want you to have him pay to have it fixed by the dentist of your choice. He shouldn’t have a problem with that. If he does, you tell him you can contact a malpractice attorney. His malpractice insurance will tell him to settle quickly.

I am sorry this happened to you. You will be able to get that dental implant you want, but it will take a bone grafting procedure first. When the current implant is removed, it will take some bone with it that will need to be replaced. Then, after that has had time to secure itself, you can have the dental implant you want.

Make sure the dentist you choose is an experienced implant dentist, with post doctoral training and experience in bone grafting.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

My Husband’s Implants Smell

Posted on October 14, 2021 by writeradmin.

My husband is in the process of getting all-on-4 dental implants. He already has the implants screwed in and has temporary acrylic teeth. The permanent teeth will be porcelain. Here is the problem we are facing. I have chemical sensitivities and his dental implants smell like rubber to me. I can’t even sleep next to him at the moment it smells so bad. His dentist insists he needs the titanium implants and not the metal-free ones, but that may just be because he doesn’t want to re-do his work. He also insists there would be no smell with the implants. What do I do?

Alison

Dear Alison,

Dental Implant Diagram

I don’t know much about your husband’s specific case as I have not examined him, so I cannot advise as to which type of dental implants he needs. I can tell you that one area where your husband’s dentist is correct is with the smell. Titanium is quite inert and does not have any smell. You can even ask your dentist to smell one that he has in his office that hasn’t been used yet. In addition to that, the titanium is embedded into his bone. That makes it impossible to smell.

You mentioned your husband’s temporary teeth are made from acrylic. This does give off a slight smell. If he has some food debris collecting in the temporary teeth, that would also add to the smell. If that is the case, your husband would benefit from a Waterpik, which will help clean out some debris from under his temporary denture. He could also rinse with some hydrogen peroxide, but I would not recommend doing it more than once a week or he risks getting an oral yeast infection.

What you don’t want him to do is switch out his dental implants. This is not just because I don’t believe the implants are the problem, but because switching them would be a huge problem for your husband. If you remove his dental implants, a significant amount of bone will come with it. Then, in order to get different implants, he will need an additional surgical procedure known as bone grafting. Once that was completed he’ll need a time of healing before he can even begin again with dental implants from scratch.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Ways to Avoid Dental Implant Failure

Posted on August 3, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am going to get some dental implants. My dentist wants to do a CT scan. Is this really necessary? He’s doing other x-rays as well. It just seems like overkill to me.

Ben

Dear Ben,

Dental Implant Diagram

You have asked a great question. This leads to the important topic of dental implant failure. I would consider a CT scan an important diagnostic tool in the preparation for getting dental implants. You see, dental implants are a three-dimensional procedure. Because of that, you need three-dimensional images of the area. Without that there is a risk of the dentist or oral surgeon hitting a nerve or perforating your sinus cavity.

It’s important to make sure that you have enough bone structure to support a dental implant. Without that, your implant will not stay retained. The good news is, even if you don’t have enough bone support, there is a bone grafting procedure that can build up that missing bone and give you the support you need.

Truthfully, though, if you have the right dentist he or she will make sure that you have adequate diagnostics that tell you whether you are a good candidate immediately or if you need some stuff done to become a good candidate.

Dental implants are not adequately taught in dental school. You need a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training in placing dental implants. Take a look at Dr. Becker’s training credentials to get an idea of what type of dentist you will want if you are getting dental implants.

A question we often get is should a patient have an oral surgeon versus a dentist for the surgical portion. You can do either. The key is that it is the dentist who determines where the implants go, not the surgeon. Because of that, make certain you see the dentist first.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Bone Grafting Failure

Posted on June 9, 2021 by writeradmin.

I wanted to get a dental implant and went to a dentist who has done a lot of dental implants in the past. He said I was a good candidate and I went forward with the procedure. Apparently, when he went to do the procedure he discovered I was not a good candidate and said I needed some bone grafting. I agreed to do that too because I really wanted a dental implant. I had the bone grafting procedure done then waited for the healing time to end. Once that happened I went back in for the dental implant. Again, he told me there still wasn’t enough bone left. Now he is suggesting I get a dental bridge. Is there really no way for me to get the dental implant I want?

Mark

Dear Mark,

Yes, you can still get that dental implant if you want. It will require another bone grafting procedure though, if you are up for it. I wouldn’t be too hard on your dentist with this one, though. There are a couple of things here that tell me you have a good dentist. First, he is trying to add new skills to his procedural base. Not many dentists know how to do the bone grafting procedure and it sounds like he is investing time in learning every procedure he can for his patients. That is a good quality for a dentist. An even better one is his integrity.

When he attempted the first procedure, he realized his error. He told you instead of hiding it and attempted a fix. When that didn’t work, he must have felt horrible. Some dentists would have placed the dental implant anyway in order to protect their reputation. Your implant would have failed, but not right away. You would have never known the reason behind the failure. He humbled himself and told you the truth. I’m telling you that dentist is a keeper.

That being said, he has not had time to develop his skill in bone grafting. You will have to go to a more experienced dentist to do that. Once that is done, you should be good to go for the implant.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Click here to read about sedation dentistry.

Is It Too Late For Me to Get Dental Implants

Posted on May 28, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have had dentures for about ten years and I finally have dental insurance. Is it possible for me to get dental implants at this time? I do have some periodontal disease which did cost me my teeth to begin with. What do I do?

Luke

Dear Luke,

Dental implants are always a good idea. They are far superior to dentures. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%, but the worst side-effect is the facial collapse that will result the longer you live with dentures. Once your teeth were removed, your body recognizes that and immediately starts to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. It does this in an effort to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources.

Realizing you don’t need the bone to support teeth, it wants to use those minerals somewhere they will be more useful to you. It is a wonderful way of using your body’s resources. The downside, though, is after a number of years you have lost so much bone that you are not even able to keep your dentures in any more. Having dental implants placed signals to your body that there are still teeth there and because of that it will leave the minerals of your jawbone in place. This protects you from facial collapse.

Generally, if you are in good general health you are a candidate for dental implants. In your case, there are two things you will need to deal with before moving forward. The first is your gum disease. If it was severe enough that you were losing teeth. You don’t want to lose your new dental implants. So, step one to getting dental implants is to have your gum disease treated.

Second, the gum disease combined with the length of time you were in dentures means you probably have a significant amount of bone loss. Once your gums are healed, the second fix will be to get bone grafting done. This will build back up the bone you need in order to secure the dental implants.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

My Dental Implants Keep Falling Out

Posted on October 30, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’ve had six dental implants and so far four have fallen out. Is this normal? Should I have to keep paying for them?

Lauren

Dear Lauren,

You are in serious need of a new implant dentist. The failure rate of dental implants should be between 2-5%. Your dentist has a failure rate of 67%. That is inexcusable. My guess is the remaining dental implants you have won’t last long either.

The first thing I want you to do is get with an experienced and qualified implant dentist and have them examine your dental implants in order to tell you where the problem lies. here.

Reasons for Dental Implant Failure

Inadequate bone support. This can happen if your dentist did not do adequate diagnostics to ensure you had enough bone to begin. This should include 3-dimensional images, such as you’d get with a CT scan.
Premature loading. This means putting stress on the implant by placing the dental crown before it has adequately integrated with the bone.
Incorrect placement of the dental implant.
Infection.
Poorly fitting fixtures.

There are other reasons, but these are some of the most common. Once you know the reason for your multiple dental implant failure, you can make a plan for moving forward.

At this point, I would ask for a full refund. When I say that, I don’t just mean on the fixtures that have already fallen out. I mean all of them.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to just get new implants. You will first need to have a bone grafting procedure. This is necessary to build back up the bone you lost when the implants failed.

Then, after that has had time to heal, you can move forward. Please make sure you see a dentist with extensive post-doctoral training in dental implants. This is an advanced procedure and not adequately taught in dental school.

Right now, it is one of the leading procedures leading to malpractice lawsuits.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Titanium or Zirconia Dental Implants?

Posted on June 23, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have two dental implants and need a third. Both the previous dental implants are titanium. I recently read online that the titanium implants have negative neurological effects. I’m thinking because of that I should get one of the zirconia implants. However, I’m also wondering if I should remove the earlier implants and switch them to the zirconia. What do you think?

Brandi

Dear Brandi,

If you don’t mind giving me your source material for that article, I would love to see their evidence for that. My guess is they don’t really have any or are using scientifically invalid data. The truth is traditional dental implants, made from titanium, have been used for decades and is proven as biocompatible.

As for whether or not zirconia is better, we don’t have enough data for that yet. I’m not saying they aren’t. Just that the zirconia implants are fairly new and we don’t have any way of knowing their longevity yet. They may last just as long. Only time will tell.

If you want to get the zirconia implant this time that would be fine. Not all dentists do them yet, but you will have more success with a metal-free dentist. As for switching out the ones you already have, it is more than just a matter of taking out the titanium implants and then putting in the zirconia ones. First, when the old ones are taken out, there will be a gap in the bone structure. You will need to have bone grafted in so new implants can be retained.

Then, after your bone grafting procedure is done, it will be time for the surgery for the new zirconia implants. That is a large expense for dental implants that are not having any problems. My suggestion is you leave them unless there is a problem. However, it is your money and your mouth. You are welcome to do with it what you want.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

All-on-Four Dental Implants

Posted on July 6, 2019 by writeradmin.

My husband is tired of his dentures. When he first got them, we were under the impression they were his only real option. The longer he’s had them the more he’s despised them. We recently learned about dental implants. We went to see a dentist about them and he said that the All-on-four procedure is his only solution because of bone loss. What I want to know is if this will be as good an option?

Carly

Dear Carly,

All-on-Four Dental Implants

I’m sorry your husband wasn’t given all his options at the beginning. This would have saved you a lot of hassle and discomfort, not to mention paying for two procedures. I hate telling you this, but your husband isn’t being given all his options again. In fact, whatever dentist you saw wasn’t completely honest. The all-on-four procedure isn’t your husbands only option.

While the dentist is right that there was likely a lot of bone loss, you can have bone grafting done. This will enable your husband to do traditional dental implants. You asked if all-on-four is as good. It isn’t. While the procedure has gotten a little better, it is still considered controversial. Plus, if one component of it breaks, the entire unit will have to be replaced.

The theory behind this procedure is to place the anchoring implants at an angle which, in theory, requires less bone structure to be available. That would be a good option if we couldn’t add to our bone structure, but we can.

Get Dentures Supported by Dental Implants

I’m going to recommend he have the bone grafting done and then have implant supported dentures. This places dental implants in his jaw, which in turn will protect him from further bone loss. After a period of healing, he can have dentures anchored to them.

He will find a much higher quality of life. There’s not slipping or sliding, no food getting underneath, and his chewing capacity will be significantly increased. This will completely change the way he feels about his teeth.

I’d also like you guys to look for a better dentist in your area. Hopefully you can find one who keeps up in his field or at least has the guts to say he doesn’t know or can’t provide necessary services.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.