dental bridge Archives - Cheek Dental

Solution for My Ugly Tooth

Posted on February 15, 2022 by writeradmin.

I have a bit of a problem. I got hit with a pool cue right in the front tooth at full force. Don’t ask. It’s been a while and since then the tooth turned an ugly brown. I went to my dentist and he told me most of the root was gone so I would need a dental implant. He also told me I had three back teeth that needed fillings. I can’t afford to have all of that done and fix my ugly tooth. Do you know of anything that will help me?

Penelope

Dear Penelope,

I am going to suggest that you change dentists for a couple of reasons. One is the root resorption. If your dentist had treated your tooth when it first experienced the trauma, he could have saved the root, which would in turn have saved your tooth. He should have done a root canal treatment. Unfortunately, now that you have no root left, there really isn’t anything that can be done to save the tooth.

This does not necessarily mean you will need to have an expensive dental implant if you cannot afford it. There are other tooth replacement options. This leads me to the second reason to get rid of your current dentist. He or she is legally obligated to give you all your treatment options, even if he prefers other options.

Some possibilities for you include:

A dental bridge: This is a false tooth suspended between two dental crowns
A removable partial denture: This is just like it sounds. It will clip to your adjacent teeth.
A dental flipper: This is your least expensive option. It’s like a cheaper version of the denture.

Find another dentist who has the integrity to look after your oral health and give you all your options. Then, ask him or her to triage the needs so you can start with the most urgent. This can make it easier to deal with financially.

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

Dentist Placed My Implant Knowing it Would Fail

Posted on October 13, 2020 by writeradmin.

I wanted to replace a tooth. My dentist told me I could get a dental implant, which was the procedure I was hoping for. Apparently, when he went in to place the implant he realized there wasn’t enough bone. He placed the implant anyway. When the surgery was over he told about it and said he doesn’t expect it to last and he thinks it should be removed and then he can give me a dental bridge. I really wanted a dental implant though. Also, I don’t think it is right I should be charged for a surgery he knew was going to fail. Am I overreacting?

Callie

Dear Callie,

No, you are not overreacting. In fact, your dentist could be in some trouble here. Let’s talk about the legal implications. He said he’d provide a service, which in any reasonable contract would be expected to actually not fall apart. If it does, you’d get a refund. In legal terms, this is called an implied warranty. In a dental implant, this would mean that the implant would be expected to support the crown. He placed the implant knowing it wouldn’t. So, yeah…he owes you a refund.

There are malpractice issues here too. How did he not know there wasn’t enough bone before doing the procedure? There are diagnostics that should have been performed, such as x-rays in order to make certain you are a good candidate. Either he didn’t do proper diagnostics or he didn’t know how to read the diagnostics he did. Then, when he saw the true “landscape”, he still went ahead and placed an implant he knew would fail. That is malpractice.

That isn’t the only problem here. You’re not bound to getting a dental bridge just because he blew the procedure. There is the option of getting some bone grafting done to build up the bone structure you are missing. Then, your jaw will be ready for that dental implant you wanted.

Bottom line. Yes, ask for a refund. If he gives you a hard time, tell him you are happy to speak to the dental board and an attorney about his malpractice. That should change his tune.

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

Maryland Bridge Between Two Implant Crowns

Posted on September 30, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have two dental implants and just lost the tooth that is between them. My dentist is tinkering with the idea of putting a Maryland Bridge between them. Have you had experience with this type of restoration? Does it work okay to put a Maryland Bridge between two crowns?

Reuben

Dear Reuben,

I don’t think this is going to be your best viable solution for a few reasons. First, while a Maryland Bridge sounds easy to place on the surface, it is actually a bit more complicated than most dentists think. The best material to bond it to is tooth enamel. In your case, that isn’t an option. Your dentist will be trying to bond it to porcelain, which is harder.

Secondly, for a Maryland Bridge to have any security they need a groove etched into the adjacent teeth for the wings. Because you have a dental crown, there is a good chance it the groove will end up taking things to the metal base which makes it even harder to retain.

Ideally, your dentist would have anticipated that with two dental implants you might one day need a third. Then he or she could have made the implants parallel to one another and used screw-retained crowns. This way, if you lose the middle tooth, it becomes a simple matter of turning your two crowns into a dental bridge.

Seeing as that is not possible, I would first suggest seeing if you can fit a third dental implant in there. That would give you the most secure retention.

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

Problems with Dental Implant Procedure

Posted on December 5, 2019 by writeradmin.

I wanted to get a single dental implant. My dentist felt there wasn’t enough bone in the area after doing his diagnostics and told me I could either get bone grafting done to have the implant or get a dental bridge. I really wanted the implant, plus I didn’t want to crown two healthy teeth so I opted for the bone grafting. We did that and after the healing time we went to do the implants. But, he told me the bone grafting didn’t work and is now suggesting I go ahead and get the bridge. Two surgeries later and I’m still without a dental implant. He actually has a good reputation for implants so I’m kind of surprised. Should I have gone to an implant specialist?

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

Technically, there isn’t a recognized specialty in dental implants. It is up to the dentist how much training they receive as well as whether they’ll do the whole procedure or divvy it up with an oral surgeon. It is possible your dentist is very good with the implant procedure but just now learning how to do the bone grafting aspect. It is tricky and everyone starts somewhere.

What I like about your dentist is his integrity. Some dentists, with more pride than integrity, would have gone ahead and placed the implant so you wouldn’t have known they don’t have bone grafting down yet. Then, after a period of time, your dental implant would have failed and there’d be no way to tie it to his error. He kept that from happening to you.

Getting Your Dental Implant

You basically have two choices at this point. You can go ahead and get the dental bridge or you can do the bone grafting and dental implant procedure again. Getting a dental bridge is a perfectly acceptable solution. However, as you noted, it does require placing crowns on two perfectly healthy teeth in your particular case.

If getting the implant is important to you, I’d ask your dentist for a recommendation for a good oral surgeon to re-do the procedures for you. One word of caution. After your bone grafting procedure is done and healed, visit the dentist again for him to decide on the best placement of the implant. He and the oral surgeon need to communicate before the implant surgery in order to ensure it gets placed in the correct position.

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

Can I Trust Aspen Dental?

Posted on September 5, 2019 by writeradmin.

I need some advice. I’ve been to two dental clinics both of which are giving me completely different treatment plan suggestions. First, I should tell you what is wrong. I had my front incisors replaced with a bridge. My canine teeth were the anchor teeth. They became super loose which how this all started. So, I went to Aspen Dental and they said the teeth need to be removed. So now I have to replace two more teeth. They suggested replacing the canine teeth with mini implants connected to a bridge. My sister told me they have some bad reviews so I decided to get a second opinion. This dentist wants me to replace the canine teeth with full-sized implants then attach a bridge to it, but only with an additional implant in the middle of the bridge. I’m tempted to just go with the cheaper plan, but when I told this dentist what Aspen said, he told me the plan they suggested won’t work. Who is right?

Marla

Dear Marla,

One thing you should know about Aspen is it is a corporate dental chain. These tend to attract new dental graduates with the design of getting some real-world experience in before starting their own practice. There is high turnover and you will likely be dealing with different people quite often.

A Tale of Two Dental Implants

As for the two treatment plans. I agree with the local dentist. What Aspen Dental is suggesting for you, won’t work for long. There are some important dental bridge engineering principles being ignored by them which will cause this bridge to fail. A dental bridge is a false tooth (or in your case teeth) which are suspended between two dental crowns on anchor teeth. You know that because of what you had to begin with. Their lack of adherence to sound principles is likely why you lost your canine teeth. In your new case, they’re suggesting suspending them between abutment teeth with mini implants.

I’m going to ignore the fact that mini implants aren’t designed to support a tooth. They’re mostly to help anchor a denture and you’d need several of them. Even then, they still wouldn’t last as long.

Instead, I want to focus on the engineering.

For illustrative purposes, let’s suppose you needed to replace your first premolar, as seen on the left. It is the tooth in the center of the three teeth which have the blue line. The two adjacent teeth would be considered the abutment teeth which you’d anchor your bridge onto. Notice that these three teeth lie in essentially a straight line. This is good because there won’t be any twisting stress on the teeth.

Now, let’s look at what Aspen is suggesting for you.

Here they are suggesting replacing all your incisors with a bridge and place dental implants on the lost canines as the abutment teeth. This will put a tremendous amount of twisting stress on your new canine teeth causing them to eventually fail.

To prevent that, the second opinion dentist is suggesting you put an additional dental implant in the middle of the bridge. This will work and eliminate all twisting.

I know it is more expensive, but only in the short term. If you go with the “cheaper” treatment, you’re going to end up with serious problems and having to re-do the procedure when it eventually fails (and it will) then have the added expense of bone grafting so you can even have implants again.

Sometimes it is better to go with the treatment that costs more in order to save money.

I hope this helps with your decision.
This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

How Long Until a Dental Implant Can Be Placed?

Posted on July 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’m trying to make some big decisions about a tooth. I had a dental crown done months ago which my dentist now thinks probably should have had a root canal treatment done, but now that there’s a crown it can’t be. He’s suggesting pulling the tooth and doing a dental bridge. I’m getting a second opinion to see if there is another option. I think if I do have to lose the tooth, I’d rather get a dental implant. However, I’ve just now gotten dental insurance and all procedures require a one year waiting period. Will my teeth start to shift in that long of a time period?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

I’m a little concerned about the dentist you’re seeing. If you need a root canal treatment, you need one. It doesn’t matter if you have a crown. Saving the tooth is the priority. I’m glad you’re getting a second opinion. If at all possible, a tooth should be saved.

I also agree that a dental implant is a better option than a dental bridge, especially for a single tooth. To get a bridge would require both adjacent teeth be ground down for dental crowns. This is a waste of healthy tooth structure.

I’m not sure your dentist is looking out for your best interest as much as what is most convenient for him.

Getting a Dental Implant

Worst case scenario, your tooth has to be extracted. With a waiting period, my suggestion is you get a temporary replacement, like a dental flipper, until the waiting period passes. Even if you were to get the dental implant surgery right away, there is still a waiting period while the surgical site heals and the bone has time to integrate around the dental implant.

Once the healing is done, your dentist will place a dental crown on the implant. It’s like having a healthy, natural tooth again.

Dentists will place something there to hold the space open, just like you can do while you wait on your insurance.

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