Why do I have to wait for Dental Implants?

Why do I have to wait for Dental Implants?

In todays fast pace society, people don’t want to wait for a finished product. This seems to be true even if a delayed approach results in better results.  I personally blame the fast food industry for the lack of patients, and I’m just as guilty as everyone else.  This movement even applies to Dental Implants.  Therefore, as a profession we’ve shortened treatment times and pushed the principles of biologic healing to the breaking point.  We’ve gone from a delayed approach to a immediate approach with Dental Implants and how quickly we can restore them.  The question inevitable becomes, how long from extraction to Dental Implant supported tooth.  As a Board Certified Periodontist, I’ve towed the fine line between immediate implant restorations and a delayed approach based on predictable results and science based research.  However, there are situations that limit me from contributing to the fast pace movement and require the patient to heal for a period of time before Dental Implants can be utilized successfully.  These situations includes, infected teeth due to bacteria, lacked of proper width and height of bone, and lack of Dental Implant initial stability.

Interested in Dental Implants and how they can be placed in a minimally invasive way? Check out the Dental Implant Page.

OKC Dental Implant Presentation

The current patient is the wife of a well known and respected Oklahoma City General Dentist.  Working together, we determined that a tooth supporting a 3 unit bridge was hopeless.  Therefore, it needed to be extracted and replaced with 2 Dental Implants.  One issue was anticipated before treatment could begin.  Her Maxillary sinus was in the way of where one of the implants needed to be positioned.  Therefore, at the time of extraction and implant placement a vertical sinus augmentation was completed.  Due to these factors, inadequate torque values were achieved.  Therefore, going against fast food dentistry, we delayed the final restorations for approximately 3 months.

Single Immediate Dental Implant

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