How many Dental Implants?

How many Dental Implants are necessary for you?

How many dental implants are necessary to get when considering the procedure will depend on a variety of factors. Some factors include the specific needs of the patient and the type of dental implants being used. In general, dental implants are used to replace missing teeth, and the number of implants needed will depend on the number of missing teeth.

They restore oral health and function, and they offer patients many advantages over other tooth restorations. If you are missing teeth or have damaged teeth that need to be extracted, we urge you to consider dental implants as your replacement solution.

However, it is important to note that it is not always necessary to get a dental implant for every missing tooth. In order to determine how many dental implants you will need, our Prosthodontists are specially trained in this area of dentistry.
In some cases, it may be possible to get fewer implants and still achieve good results. There are several benefits to getting fewer dental implants, including the following:

Cost:

All-on-4® can be a costly procedure, and the more implants you need, the more expensive it will be. By getting fewer implants, you may be able to save money on the overall cost of the procedure.

Recovery time:

The recovery time after getting dental implants can vary, but it is generally longer if you get more implants. By getting fewer implants, you may be able to reduce your recovery time and get back to your normal activities more quickly.

Risk of complications:

As with any surgical procedure, there is a risk of complications with implants. The more implants you get, the higher the risk of complications may be. By getting fewer implants, you may be able to reduce your risk of complications.

Ease of maintenance:

Dental implants require regular care and maintenance to ensure that they are functioning properly. The more implants you have, the more time and effort may be required for maintenance. By getting fewer implants, you may be able to simplify the maintenance process.

Natural appearance:

All-on-4® implants are designed to look and function like natural teeth. However, if you get too many implants, it may be more difficult to achieve a natural appearance. By getting fewer implants, you may be able to maintain a more natural-looking smile.

In conclusion, the number of dental implants necessary when considering the procedure will depend on your specific needs and the type of implants being used. While it may be tempting to get as many implants as possible, it is important to consider the benefits of getting fewer implants, such as cost, recovery time, risk of complications, ease of maintenance, and natural appearance. By weighing the pros and cons, you can determine the best course of action for your specific needs.

Timely, cost-effective and painless, our dental implant procedure, All-on-4®, has positively impacted the lives of so many people.

Contact By Design Dental for a thorough dental implant consultation and learn how dental implants may be life changing for you.

 

 

 

 

 

How to React to Losing (or Breaking) an Adult Tooth

How to React to Losing (or Breaking) an Adult Tooth

Adult teeth are commonly knocked out by falls, sports accidents, biting down on hard objects, and other mishaps. Damaging or losing permanent adult teeth can be scary. Minor tooth injuries can often be treated by your dentist, but severe tooth and mouth injuries require a specialist to perform expert extractions, restorations, and sometimes even bone grafting procedures. Oral surgeons are experts in repairing facial injuries of all kinds, including tooth replacements. In fact, many oral surgeons are on staff at major hospitals to treat emergency facial trauma patients.

All of us at By Design Dental Implant Center know how frightening losing your permanent adult teeth can be, which is why we’ve listed a few steps to help you prepare for broken and lost teeth. To improve the chances of saving your natural tooth with minimal discomfort, follow these helpful instructions on How to React to Losing (or Breaking) an Adult Tooth!

Broken Teeth: When you break a tooth, it’s vital that you immediately call your dentist or oral surgeon. Next, gently rinse your mouth with water, and bite on gauze or a damp tea bag to slow any bleeding. If you have one handy, use an ice pack to reduce pain and swelling. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also help control pain.

Broken teeth can be caused by external factors, but internal problems (like cavities) often contribute to a tooth breaking. Root canals and other procedures are generally required to treat cavities, especially if they are severe enough to cause tooth breakage. You have the best chance of receiving the proper treatment for your condition if you seek treatment early.

Knocked-Out Teeth: When you have a tooth knocked out, it’s important to save the tooth and bring it to your oral surgeon quickly. Oral surgeons are experts in restoring teeth, and seeing an oral surgeon will give you the best chance of saving your natural tooth. An oral surgeon will also be able to address any issues with any surrounding facial muscles and tissues that were also damaged.

To preserve the tooth, make sure you only hold the chewing edge (crown) and not the root. Without cleaning the tooth, place it in a container with some whole milk or saliva to preserve it on your way to the office. Do NOT try to sanitize the tooth yourself using any sort of alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

If bleeding occurs, bite down on gauze, replacing the gauze every ten minutes until bleeding subsides. In the case that your tooth cannot be saved, dental implants are the best option to restore your smile and permanently replace your tooth. Contact us for more information about dental implants.

We hope you won’t need to use these instructions, but it never hurts to be prepared. If you are missing a tooth or several teeth, contact our office. We will do our best to schedule your appointment as soon as possible (usually the day you call). Our restorative team specializes in replacing missing teeth, and in the case that your teeth cannot be saved, our practice offers the best dental implant options available. We encourage you to contact us for your tooth restoration needs.

Why smoking may put your dental implants at risk

For most people, the adverse effects of smoking are well known. People who smoke suffer from an increased risk of health complications, including lung cancer and heart disease. In addition, smoking may lead to the failure of dental implants. With today’s blog, your implant dentists in King of Prussia discuss why smoking may put your dental implants at risk when receiving tooth replacements.

The Effects of Smoking on Your Dental Health
When you smoke, you hinder both the appearance and the health of your smile. Patients may develop bad breath and teeth stains from frequent smoking. Over time, smoking may lead to the onset of gum disease, oral cancer, and even the loss of jawbone tissue. Quitting smoking can protect the beauty, health, and stability of your smile.

Smoking and Dental Implants
The integrity of your dental implant depends on the ability of the implant post to bond with the surrounding bone tissue. Also known as osseointegration, this process keeps your implants sturdy and long lasting. When you smoke, you expose your gum tissue to nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, and carbon monoxide. These toxic chemicals interfere with the healing process following the placement of the titanium implant post. As a result, your implant may fail.

Regular smoking also dramatically increases your chances of developing periodontal disease. Gum disease can dissolve the connective tissue between your teeth and gums. This often causes loosened teeth and, without treatment, tooth loss. Since your implant depends on the strength of these same connective tissues, your restoration can fail.

Finally, smoking can lead to bone loss. Losing bone tissue means a bone graft may be necessary to place an implant. Unfortunately, the compromised healing abilities of your bone tissue as a result of smoking may prevent the procedure from working, once again standing between you and a restored smile.

For all of these reasons, you now may understand Why smoking may put your dental implants at risk.

Smoking Is Not Alone

Not everyone is a good candidate for dental implant procedures. There are a few conditions that can disqualify patients from receiving this treatment. To learn more about dental implants and problems with patient candidacy, click here.

Schedule a Visit with Your Philadelphia Implant Dentists
For a patient with one or more missing teeth, dental implants can improve the health and appearance of your smile. Interested in learning more about the implant process? Then schedule a free dental consultation and X-ray today by calling your Philadelphia implant dentists at 484-231-1177. At By Design Dental, we provide affordable and convenient dental implants, employing the latest in implant technology to restore your smile to full function and appearance. We look forward to seeing you soon at our office located at The Atrium, 234 Mall Blvd., Suite 180, King of Prussia, PA 19406.

Dental Implant Recovery Diet

A very common question patients have after undergoing dental surgery is, “What can you eat after dental implant surgery?” Eating the right foods is a crucial part of every patient’s post-op care. It’s important that you help your body make the most of its natural resources to stay strong and heal quickly. Once a dental implant procedure is complete, our patients must often adjust their diet and create new nutritional habits from the time of their surgery date to the final delivery of their new teeth. Typically, we give our patients a recovery nourishment options list after treatment to ease this transition, but there are a few best practices everyone should be aware of.

Let’s review how to lead your teeth and your stomach down a safe, easy and healthier post-operative path.

Continue reading Dental Implant Recovery Diet

Dispelling 4 Common Myths about Dental Implants

Dispelling 4 Common Myths about Dental Implants

Dental implants have long been associated with a laundry list of negatives; outrageous cost, large amounts of discomfort during and after the procedure, time spent away from work and avoiding favorite foods are all commonly thought to be synonymous with dental implants. Fortunately, advances in technology and practices have made dental implants much simpler and easier than they’re commonly thought to be.

Long-term costs are greatly decreased when compared to that of traditional dentures, and affordable payment plans are available for a wide range of budgets and financial situations. Discomfort is virtually nonexistent during the procedure, thanks to intravenous sedation and medications, and the time associated with surgery and recovery have been greatly reduced, thanks to advances in technique and technology. The technology used during the procedure has advanced beyond the usual selection of instruments, from custom, easy-to-install full sets of dental implant supported teeth to robotics that can guarantee advanced planning and incredible precision.

Dispelling 4 Common Myths about Dental Implants

Read on as we disprove four of the most common myths associated with dental implants. It should be noted that every patient is different; the information contained in this post is based on the typical patient that undergoes dental implant procedures.

They Cost Too Much

Cost is a major deciding factor for many people when it comes to dental procedures, and with good reason; a single dental implant can cost upwards of $4,000, while full sets can run into the tens of thousands.1 However, many dental practices have implemented cost-effective plans that allow a wide range of payment options for most budgets.

While dental implants can be costly upfront, the long-term costs of dental implants are far less than the cost of maintenance and upkeep associated with traditional dentures. Dentures require periodic cleaning and maintenance and have a tendency to become loose when eating most foods. Damage caused by hard or difficult to eat foods can require costly replacements or maintenance that adds up over time.

Dentures can also be lost or misplaced, meaning that another costly pair must be purchased to replace them. The cost of oral adhesives like Fixodent can add up as well, as they need to be periodically reapplied to dentures throughout the day, requiring a steady supply of funds reserved for purchasing more. Add in the cost of refitting dentures due to natural changes in a patient’s jaw, and the traditional denture user’s costs start to pile up.

Getting permanent dental implants is a huge advantage when it comes to saving on long-term costs and maintenance, as the initial installation is the only procedure required, and seldom do patients have to replace or perform regular maintenance on their dental implants. This has never been truer than with the All-on-4® dental implant system; it’s a permanent, single-procedure solution with minimal maintenance in which four fixtures are inserted into the upper and lower jaw, and full sets of custom-made teeth are affixed to the implants. After the initial cost of the procedure, there are no further costs to consider, and affordable payment plans exist that open up a permanent, dependable solution for a perfect smile to thousands of potential patients.

The Procedure and Recovery Are Uncomfortable

One of the most prominent stigmas of dental implants is the amount of discomfort associated with the surgery and the recovery post operation. While there could be minor irritation after the initial surgery, the actual procedure has none at all, thanks to intravenous anesthesia.

Intravenous anesthesia involves the use of an IV to directly administer a sedative to the patient, relaxing them for the procedure. While the levels of sedation differ, the anesthetic is administered to calm patients and prevent discomfort during the procedure. Depending on the level of sedation, some patients won’t even remember much of the procedure or experience any feeling of discomfort.

Most patients are able to return to normal activities within four to seven days and begin to eat normal foods within four to five weeks. This is especially true when patients choose the All-on-4 system; recovery time is usually three to four days, and three to four weeks is enough healing time to eat many foods comfortably.

Regardless, the discomfort associated with procedure and recovery time that is synonymous with dental implant surgery has been rendered nonexistent during modern procedures and greatly reduced during the post-op period. Recovery experiences are far superior to other procedures’ experiences with the All-on-4 system, as the number of implants required to successfully affix the prothesis is fewer compared to the traditional system of one implant per tooth.

Surgeries, Visits and Recovery Take Too Long

Coupled with the false belief that dental implants offer a negative experience, the belief that they take time, with repeat operations and recovery periods, has largely become obsolete in the current world of cosmetic dentistry. Most dental implant procedures now require a single visit and can be completed in a day.

As far as post-op time, most patients are able to return to normal activities within four to seven days and begin to eat most foods within four to five weeks. This is especially true when patients choose the All-on-4 system.

The time usually associated with subsequent office visits has also decreased. Dental implants now require fewer follow-up appointments, with a few initial post-op visits required to make sure that the procedure is taking successfully. Then patients can spend time enjoying their new smiles and their favorite foods without the worry, maintenance and potential damage associated with traditional dentures.

The Technology Used during Procedures is Outdated

Another stigma is that the technology involved in dental implant procedures is archaic and outdated. Luckily, this is also untrue, as monumental advancements have been made since the traditional picks and drills. Some recent technological advancements in dental surgery are:

  • Robotics and Guided Surgery
  • Digital X-Rays
  • All-on-4 Implants

New technology like Yomi, a robotic arm system that assists dental surgeons in a number of ways, is limited to only a few dental practices. With haptic guidance and multisensory feedback, Yomi allows dental surgeons to be more precise in the angulation and depth of implant drilling. It also provides a real-time view of the patient’s jaw while the procedure occurs, allowing dental surgeons to have a complete view of the surgery from every angle, ensuring the safest and most successful dental implant surgery on the market today. Yomi is controlled by a dental surgeon during the entire procedure, combining a professional’s insight with the unmatched precision of an automated drilling system.

Digital X-rays emit less radiation and are developed in mere seconds, decreasing patients’ exposure to harmful radiation and allowing dentists to address problems quickly and efficiently. This is especially useful to dental surgeons, as they can plan procedures based on the unique needs of every patient by generating an accurate X-ray in seconds.

All-on-4 implants is a dental implant system that is made up of full sets of teeth and arches and only requires four screws to be successfully implanted into a patient’s mouth. With robotics, digital X-rays and advanced implant systems, dental implants are now easier to implant than ever before.

The Benefits of Dental Implants

The dental implants of the past are just that—in the past. Advances in technology and procedure management have allowed for decreased time in the operating room and time spent away from work and other activities post operation. While the cost may seem significant initially, the long-term savings make them a great investment when compared to the upkeep associated with traditional dentures.

Dental implants are a viable option for anyone who is tired of the discomfort associated with eating while missing adjacent teeth or dealing with upkeep of traditional dentures. Dental surgeons want you to be comfortable and relaxed during the procedure. They strive for your procedure to be accurate and effective for your situation and want patients to return to their normal routine and favorite foods as soon as possible. Most of all, they want their patients to be happy with their permanent, perfect smiles.

Thanks to the advances in financial options, procedures, recovery time, pain management and technology, the happiness that a permanent smile from dental implants can provide is available to more individuals than ever.

If you’ve been thinking about investing in your perfect smile, it’s time to book a free consultation today.

Sources:

  1. For Most, Implants Beat Dentures, but at a Price, The New York Times

 

Considering Dental Implants? 5 Things You Need to Know Now

Are you Considering Dental Implants? 5 things you need to know now.

What is one of the most common reasons that patients visit or look into visiting an oral surgeon? To replace missing teeth! Most patients end up choosing dental implants as their ideal replacement choice because dental implants look, feel, and function just like natural teeth. The popularity of this procedure has sparked so much interest that other dental practitioners and corporate dental companies are looking to capitalize on this opportunity to offer dental implantation services. But the unfortunate truth is that many practitioners don’t have the necessary training or experience to place dental implants. That is why we urge you to ask very specific questions of your doctor prior to making a selection for your dental implant placement.

Below are the 5 things you want to go over when you are choosing the right doctor for your dental implant procedure:

1. What kind of training has the doctor completed?

Before receiving certification, oral surgeons must complete additional training and gain in-hospital experience. Residency programs ensure they gain the licensure to practice individually. While many other dental professionals gain their training during a weekend course, oral surgeons are trained through specific requirements. The choice here is obvious! You can’t deny the value in experience.

2. How many dental implants has the doctor placed?

Once again, you cannot deny the value in experience. Most dental practitioners are not specialists and do not consistently perform dental implant procedures. Oral surgeons regularly perform dental implant procedures; thus you should expect them to answer with a relatively high number, depending on the size of their practice.

3. What is the doctor’s success rate?

 For your sake, you want to go to a doctor that knows the procedure and is almost always successful! Shoot for someone who has a 95 percent success rate (or better).

4. How long will it take them to complete the procedure?

A dental implant procedure can vary; it should not be rushed or take too long. Normally, dental implant procedures take no more than half an hour to an hour.

5. What would disqualify me for dental implants?

The only way to find out is to schedule a consultation! You should visit an experienced oral surgeon. You will receive a consultation that consists of a thorough examination and a discussion of your medical history or other factors. This combination of factors helps them formulate your specific treatment plan.

When you undergo any procedure, you want to make sure you trust a true professional. While dentists and other institutions may claim they can place dental implants, they usually do not have the same kind of training or experience of a specialist, like an oral surgeon. Extensive experience and knowledge about the placement of dental implants is your best bet for the best results, which is why it’s important to have all the information you need to make the best decision for your oral health.  When you select a trained oral surgeon, you get everything you need and more! If you still have questions, or you are ready to come in and meet our skilled team, please feel free to contact By Design Dental Implant Center and schedule a consultation appointment.

How to Gain Your Smile Back

What if you are embarrassed to smile? It could be due to multiple missing teeth. Maybe you have broken or decayed teeth? If you’re not smiling, you are missing out in more ways than one. Gaining your smile back will help you develop and maintain your emotional wellness.  Let’s talk about How to Gain Your Smile Back.

We all know it is important to be physically healthy, whether it is through exercise or eating well, but many people often overlook their emotional well-being. Emotional health and physical health go hand-in-hand, especially in a world that is constantly changing and becoming increasingly challenging. You shouldn’t have your smile be a source of stress.

Smiling naturally releases endorphins and endorphins offer you natural, positive energy. Endorphins can actually work to reverse stress and make you feel better. Smiling also works to help you lower your blood pressure and boost your immune system, which will help you to stay physically well.

Unfortunately, the number of Americans who are missing all of their teeth in one or both of their jaws is staggering: The American Academy of Implant Dentistry states that more than 30 million Americans suffer from widespread tooth loss. If you are one of the 30 million who have lost their smile, we can help you find it again through dental implants.

Dental implants offer the closest resemblance to natural teeth because they were designed to your individual facial structure and aesthetics. It is no wonder why they are the favored choice over partial restorations or removable dentures; dental implants are secure and permanently fixed to the mouth so the end result of dental implant placement looks completely natural. Dental implants sites take some weeks to heal in before the permanent prosthesis is placed. A temporary prosthesis will be fitted after the procedure so you can use your teeth and start smiling again.

Dental implants are a restoration option that will not only improve your emotional wellness; it will ultimately enhance your entire quality of life. You shouldn’t have to deal with the pain and stress of oral health issues. We want to see you feel comfortable and confident when you smile. Your smile should make an impression that you feel good about!

If you have any questions, please contact our dental implant center at By Design Dental today! We would be happy to answer your questions about dental implants and offer you more information on the dental implant process.