Dental Implants:
A dental implant is an artificial
tooth root placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge in place. While high-tech in nature, dental implants are
actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since
implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support. Dental
implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you
ever lost a tooth.
Are
You a Candidate for Dental Implants?
The ideal candidate for a dental
implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate bone in
your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best
candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal
disease.
What Is Treatment Like?
This procedure is a team effort between
you, your dentist and your periodontist. Your periodontist and
dentist will consult with you to determine where and how your
implant should be placed. Depending on your specific condition
and the type of implant chosen, your periodontist will create a
treatment plan tailored to meet your needs.
Replacing
a single tooth:
If you are missing a single tooth, one implant and a crown can
replace it. A dental implant replaces both the lost natural
tooth and its root.
Replacing
Several Teeth:
If
you are missing several teeth, implant-supported bridges can
replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost
natural teeth and some of the roots.
Replacing
All of Your Teeth:
If
you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full
bridge or full denture can replace them. Dental implants will
replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.
Sinus Augmentation:
A key to implant success is the quantity and
quality of the bone where the implant is to placed. The upper
back jaw has traditionally been one of the most difficult areas
to successfully place dental implants due to insufficient bone
quantity and quality and the close proximity to the sinus. Sinus
augmentation can help correct this problem by raising the sinus
floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants.
Ridge Modification:
Deformities in the upper or lower jaw can
leave you with inadequate bone in which to place dental
implants. To correct the problem, the gum is lifted away from
the ridge to expose the bony defect. The defect is then filled with bone or bone substitute to build up the ridge. Ridge modification has been shown to greatly improve appearance and increase your chances for successful implants that can last for years to come.
What Can I Expect After Treatment?
As you know, your own teeth require conscientious at-home oral care and regular dental visits. Dental implants are like your own teeth and will require the same care. In order to keep your implant clean and plaque-free, brushing and flossing still apply!
After treatment, your periodontist will work closely with you and your dentist to develop the best care plan for you. Periodic follow-up visits will be scheduled to monitor your implant, teeth and gums to make sure they are healthy.
Digital X-rays:
Our office uses a Digital system to take x-rays. Digital x-rays represent the state
of the art in x-ray imaging, requiring 90% less x-rays than conventional film. The images can also be seen instantly, with no waiting for developing. Instead of chemicals, a computer records the x-ray image. This computer image can then be enhanced, making images easier to see.
Perioscope:
This revolutionary technology was developed for the treatment of Periodontal Disease. It is a very new, and truly ground-breaking technology.
The technology is an instrument called a Perioscope. It is an endoscope specifically designed for exploration and visualization of the space under the gum of teeth involved with Periodontitis - the periodontal pocket. The instrument produces an image, on a computer monitor,
of the diseased tooth's root surface.
The Perioscope allows the clinician to see the contents of the periodontal pocket and to analyze the root surface of the tooth for disease causing bacterial accumulations (plaque and calculus). By so doing, it guides the clinician during the process of cleaning the root
surface free of its bacterial contaminations
--
the treatment for Periodontitis.
Also, it allows the clinician to identify cracks, perforations and other disease causing flaws of the tooth root's surface that are located under the gum
--
problems that used to require surgery to detect.
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How does it work?
The Perioscope consists of a 0.5mm diameter fiber-optic strand. The strand is inserted into a sheath. The sheath conducts a flow of water around the strand,
to the strand's end. The end of the sheath has a Sapphire lens that focuses on the tooth's
root surface and sends the image back through the fiber-optic strand to a
video-sensing chip. The image is then displayed on a monitor. The Perioscope allows the clinician to see what could not be seen before.
This is the instrument that carries the fiber optic strand and sheath containing the water flow and the video lens, into the periodontal pocket. It has a hollow tube through which the strand protrudes. The hollow tubes continue its length, towards its termination, with
only one half of the tube present. The remaining half serves to hold the pocket wall away from the tooth and the optics. The tube conducts the water flow that flushes away blood and
debris.
What's So Great About The Perioscope?
Because of the ability to see the diseased root surface, the Perioscope (often, but not always) allows the clinician to treat Periodontal Disease without conventional surgical therapies.
Additionally, the Perioscope allows the clinician to see what could not be seen before during periodontal surgery. Now, surgical therapies are far more effective and reliable than in the past.
Here are some of the breakthroughs that the Periscope has made in the everyday practice of Periodontics:
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Increased effectiveness of non-surgical treatment methods, and thus a reduction in the amount of surgical therapy required for the treatment of
Periodontitis.
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Increased diagnostic accuracy; which leads to an increased appropriateness of prescribe treatment methods.
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Increase effectiveness of surgical therapies which were limited by visibility problems.
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The Perioscope has greatly increased the accuracy of periodontal diagnostics and treatment prescription. Also, it has greatly increased the effectiveness of non-surgical and surgical therapies.
It has created a shift in the nature of periodontal care. However, it does not diminish the power of, or importance of, periodontal surgical therapies. Ultimately, periodontal therapy is about cleaning diseased tooth roots free of bacterial contamination, and keeping them free of such accumulations. Periodontal surgical therapy remains the most powerful of therapies to achieve these goals.
The Perioscope contributes to the ability to achieve therapeutic results that are similar to, and sometimes better than, those achieved by surgical therapies -- without the pain, disfigurement and cost of surgical therapies. However, many periodontal disease situations cannot be adequately resolved without surgical therapy.
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