Archives for March 2022

Should My Husband Get an All-On-Four Dental Implant?

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My husband needs to replace his teeth. Our dentist said that he has lost quite a bit of bone structure and is recommending the all-on-four dental implant procedure. I’ve heard this is a bit of a controversial procedure. Would this be okay for him to get? My husband likes the idea because it means he won’t need the additional procedure of bone grafting. I’m worried because of the controversy behind it. Can you please advise?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

illustration of the all on four

All-on-Four Dental Implant Procedure

 

One of the problems with the all-on-four procedure is that if one part of the appliance fails, the whole thing has to be redone. This is not an issue with an implant overdenture. If one of your dental implants fails then only that implant will have to be dealt with. If it were me, then I would encourage your husband to go ahead and get the bone grafting procedure done and then get implant-supported dentures instead of the all-on-four.

No matter what he chooses, it is important that the dentist he goes to has post-doctoral training in dental implants. This is quite an advanced procedure and it is not adequately taught in dental school. If something goes wrong, the complications can be quite serious.

Three of the top schools for this are:

  • The Dawson Academy
  • The Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies
  • The Kois Center

There are others, but those three are among the most reputable. Make certain the dentist has that training. There are countless dental implant horror stories.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

 

Tooth Mousse and Teeth Whitening for White Spots

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I’ve developed some white spots on my teeth. I went to see my dentist and he prescribed me to use some tooth mousse. After that, he says I will need to do some teeth whitening. Will I need anything else after this or will this take care of the white spots?

Emily

Dear Emily,

tooth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening trays

 

If I were grading your dentist, I would give him about a 45%. The white spots you are dealing with are precursors to decay. They show spots where your teeth are demineralized. If not dealt with, these will become cavities. Tooth Mousse will help with the remineralization and should prevent the decay. However, the company doesn’t make any claims about the appearance of the tooth.

As for the teeth whitening, that is way off base. One basic fact about teeth whitening is that it whitens your teeth evenly. That means the white spots will get whiter along with the remainder of your teeth. There will be no evenness of color.

The only way to get the color the same would be with microabrasion and dental bonding. I would not have your dentist do this. Teeth whitening is the most basic of the cosmetic dentistry procedures. He has a profound lack of understanding with how this works. Microabrasion and dental bonding are much more advanced. I would look for a skilled cosmetic dentist to do this for you.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.