First, let’s talk about why a patient would choose a dental implant or dental implants. When they come in, they either have missing teeth, a tooth missing or say the whole mouth teeth are missing. Or their teeth are in such bad shape, that’s the only option, really, is to place dental implants. Dental implants typically go in the bone or on the bone. There are basically two different kinds and we do both here.
We offer the blade implants to help people that may need extensive bone grafting and they don’t want to go through the bone grafting procedure. So we slip the implant in places where this is typically tight for what we call a root form implant, which is like a screw that screws into the bone. And so you can cut to the chase quick on the case, save the patient time, money, and discomfort.
There are many ways I treat people with dental implants. Some people, I do an immediate load. Some people I do a delayed load. That means, basically, they get their teeth right away. Some people get their teeth later. That may take anywhere from, like say, that day or the next day for an immediate load and then later could be three months to six months, depending on the quality of bone that the patient has and their overall health.
There is a relatively new procedure that doctors are performing. Not at all doctors, but some, and I do perform the procedures called All-on-4 or Teeth in A Day. And essentially, it’s either four or six implants, sometimes five implants, depending on upper jaw, lower jaw. We pre-prepare the patient by establishing their bite and the appearance of the teeth. Have them made, appoint the patient for surgery and place the implants and then affix the denture to the implants that day.
So the patient walks out with a smile, with teeth that they can function with on that very same day. And they work great. They’re very reliable. All the implants are very reliable and they help restore someone’s form and function. In other words, they look aesthetic, they have a pleasing smile. They can chew food again. They feel better about themselves. I even have one patient that she quit work because of her smile. She became a shut-in so my treatment helped her get back her life.