Can I Get Dental Implants if I Have Diabetes?
The short answer is yes. There are two health criteria that must be met in order to have dental implants placed--and once the implants are fused to bone they are usually fine even if the two criteria become uncontrolled: 1) The diabetes must be noted by your physician as being in a “controlled “ state. 2) The HemaglobinA1C should be 7 or below. 7-8 would depend on other factors including overall health status. Over 8 depends on other factors plus the experienced implant surgeon's comfort level. At Gordon Center for General and Advanced Dentistry, we select an implant surgeon for you based on many factors. Our expertise, and knowledge of great practitioners nearby allows us to choose the implant surgeon that is the correct match for you. Call 301-258-1998 or click here to schedule your free dental implant consultation.
What Are Some Signs I Should Ask for a Second Opinion?
There are three main reasons to search for a second opinion: 1) You need to switch practices: Perhaps you moved, or maybe your dentist sold his practice to someone else--and the new dentist proposes a lot of new dental work that “needs” to be done. The second opinion is to see if the work is needed. 2) Your dentist proposes a lengthy, expensive, esthetically complex treatment plan: In this case, a second opinion is to see whether different options can achieve the same results, or if another clinician can show you, from their experiences and work, a more pleasing or favorable result. 3) You get a gut sense that, “something doesn’t seem right”: With insurance companies reimbursing participating dentists, in-network dentists may develop a more aggressive philosophy in order to produce more dentistry from the available pool of patients At Gordon Center for General and Advanced Dentistry, we evaluate patients’ needs from an experienced, time-developed view point. Since we are non-participating providers, we develop treatment or non-treatment based on current research. Over the years, our patients often wind up receiving less dental treatment and consequently incur less out of pocket payments. Call 301-258-1998 or click here to schedule a free second opinion appointment.
Are Dental Implants Safe?
The short answer is yes. When placed by a skilled implant surgeon and restored by skilled restorative dentist, implants are safe. At Gordon Center for General and Advanced Dentistry, we have patients with dental implants dating back to 1983. Our experience allows us to exceed the average for implant survivability and have a 98% dental implant success rate. Our up-to-date knowledge of dental materials allows Dr.’s Leonard and David Gordon to fit the implant with the most lifelike, longest-lasting post and crown known to dentistry today. Moreover, we only use FDA-approved implants and parts. Call 301-258-1998 today or click here to schedule your free dental implant consultation.
How Can I Prevent Gingivitis, Periodontitis, and Oral Cancer?
Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums in your mouth. Proper brushing, flossing and seeing your dentist and dental hygienist every six months for a dental cleaning will treat or prevent gingivitis from occurring. Periodontitis is destruction of the bone under the gums due to buildup of calculus (tartar) and caused by a colonization of a destructive type of bacteria. This is due to lack of (or improper) brushing, flossing, and a failure to have your dentist or dental hygienist remove the calculus on a three-to-six month basis. Some reports detail that the destructive bacteria can be transmitted through kissing or an infected person's toothbrush. Here again, the solution is keep your regularly scheduled dental hygiene appointments. Oral cancer can occur on the tongue, gums, cheeks, roof of the mouth, and throat. Increased risk to get oral cancer has been attributed to the Papilloma virus, smokeless tobacco, alcohol and cigarette use, cigars, and ill-fitting dentures or partial dentures. At every dental hygiene appointment, we do a gum diseases and oral cancer screening. We welcome new patients, so even if it’s been a long time since you’ve seen a dentist, call 301-258-1998 to schedule an appointment so we can help you get back on track.
What Can I Do if a Dental Implant Crown Breaks?
At Gordon Center for General & Advanced Dentistry, we use the latest technology. With the newest screw down Zirconia crowns, the probability that the crown will break is almost non-existent. We collaborate with the finest surgeons who collectively do thousands of implants a year. Moreover, Dr. Leonard Gordon lectures nationally to other dentists on how to properly place a crown restoration onto the implant. If you received an implant crown somewhere else at an earlier time and you notice it’s chipped, cracked, or worn; it's possible the implant wasn’t properly placed or the crown on top of the implant wasn’t properly done. If you’re facing this situation, call us at 301-258-1998 or click here to schedule a free consultation. We will give you options as to the most effective way to fix your problem so that you don’t wind up losing the implant.
What Is the Recovery Like From an All-on-4 Dental Implant Surgery?
Many of our patients return to their normal routine (work, etc.) five days after their surgery and are feeling completely normal in about a week. Regarding the initial recovery, after the numbness wears off, most patients will experience some swelling and soreness from the surgery. This typically last a few days. In most cases you will need to use pain medication for the first 24 hours and then Tylenol or Advil as needed from there, but you can resume normal activity. After surgery, refrain from vigorous exercise for 10 days. As far as what you can eat: For six to eight weeks the implants are healing in the bone. Pasta, flaky fish, soft meatloaf are examples of foods that can be eaten. It is too tough if you need to cut it with a knife. Sandwiches or any foods that one “pulls away from your mouth “ are also not recommended. After eight weeks, the implants are fixed into the bone, but while wearing the temporary teeth, one has to be careful not to eat any tough sandwiches or breads as the all acrylic temporaries could potentially break. Once the final teeth have been fabricated, you can eat whatever you’ve been waiting for all along! Sandwiches, steak, French bread, corn on the cob, apples, you name it.! Learn more about all-on-4 dental implants and click here to schedule a free consultation with today.
Will Missing Teeth Affect How Old I Look?
The presence of teeth affects not only your smile, but the shape of your jaw and face, meaning dental implants help your entire appearance look younger over time. Without teeth, lips become thinner and “disappear”, and a smile that shows little to no teeth makes a person look old. A 30 year old at rest shows about 3 millimeters of teeth, and a big smile shows all of the tooth up to the gum. When you get all-on-4 dental implants, we’re able to do instant facial cosmetics that bring out the lips, can take away some wrinkles around the mouth, and restore the shape of the face back to a more youthful look. Call 301-258-1998 to schedule a free consultation with us and learn more.
Can I Get Dental Implants if I Have Bone Loss?
Yes you can. Newer bone grafting materials and techniques let us successfully place dental implants in areas that even five years ago seemed impossible. A dental CB/CT X-ray machine allows us to 3-dimensionally view the exact topography of the bone. Special guided templates allows us to place implants within .4mm of a preplanned spot. This means we can safely place your dental implant, regardless of bone loss. Click here to schedule a free consultation today.
Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants?
At Gordon Center for General & Advanced Dentistry the oldest patient we have restored implants on was 87 years old. He is now almost 93 years old. Regarding younger patients, female facial bones actively grow until about 21 years old and males’ until about 23 years. Before placing implants in younger patients we take special low dose X-ray shots 6 months apart and overlay the images to see that the patient has stopped actively growing. This is most important in patients who were congenitally missing front teeth, or were wearing temporary front teeth after getting out of braces, and are looking forward to the final more permanent teeth so they can eat whatever they want and not worry about breakage or temporaries coming loose. To learn more about dental implants click here or call 301-258-1998 to schedule a free consultation today.
Do I Need to Floss When I Brush My Teeth?
Flossing removes plaque and food from areas where your toothbrush doesn’t reach. Rinsing with a mouthwash can help loosen particles, but there’s no substitute for the manual removal that floss provides. It’s important to know that any remaining plaque not removed after brushing will turn to tartar (a rough, hard surface), which can only be removed by your dental hygienist. Flossing keeps your gums healthy and tartar levels down, which makes your routine dental cleanings much more comfortable and helps with the prevention of gum disease. Learn more about dental cleanings and schedule your appointment here.