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Archives for July 2019

Height Matters. What Most Patients Don’t Know About Dental Implant Abutments and Bone Loss

Posted on July 23, 2019 by AllSmiles.

An abutment is a connector that is attached to the top of a dental implant root form. A dental crown is attached to the abutment, and it replaces the part of a natural tooth that shows above your gumline.

Implant Research Shows that Height Matters

There are various widths and heights of abutments. Each patient needs an abutment that fits the implant root and helps the implant crown fit between existing teeth without being too loose or too tight. But what about abutment height?

Diagram of dental implant phases, including 1) implant insertion in bone, 2) healing process, 3) abutment attachment, 4) crown attachment.

Dental implant phases

An Implant Abutment Study

The article “Risk Factors for Bone Loss with Dental Prosthetics,” published in the June 2019 Journal of Oral Implantology, reports findings from a study of how implant abutment height affects jawbone loss. Why are the findings significant? A dental implant root, similar to a natural tooth root, stimulates the jawbone and helps prevent shrinkage. But if an abutment is too high, it can conflict with the implant root and promote bone shrinkage. Consider the findings.

The study gathered clinical data for 57 patients who received a dental implant and prosthesis between 2014 and 2018. Panoramic x-rays were used to measure several factors:

  • Patient bone levels
  • Implant height and diameter
  • Distance between tissue anchors
  • Abutment height

Researchers also analyzed whether patient age, gender, or implant characteristics contributed to the risk of bone loss.

The Results

Researchers measured the patients’ bone levels at 6, 12, and 24 months after the abutments were placed. Abutments of 4mm in height contributed to more bone loss than abutments of 3mm or 2mm in height. Taller (4mm) abutments contribute to more bone loss for several reasons:

  • Increase stress on the gum tissue around the implant
  • Cause the attached prosthesis to rotate and cause slight implant instability
  • Increase stress on the bone while chewing

The increased stress on gum tissue and jawbone can also cause irritation, infection, and soreness.

Why were 4mm abutments used? The clinical data doesn’t reveal why doctors chose specific abutment height for each patient. But author Ömür Dereci indicates that clinicians choose abutment height according to the thickness of gum tissue around the implant abutment. The recommendation: surgically reduce the gingival thickness instead of using high abutments.

If You’re Thinking About Getting Dental Implants

If you’re thinking about having your missing teeth replaced with dental implants, you can’t select the correct abutment height to prevent jawbone loss, but you can carefully select your implant dentist. Ensure your provider has the following qualifications:

  • Extensive post-graduate training in implantology, occlusion, and bite
  • Access to 3D x-ray equipment to accurately measure bone and reveal oral cavities and other structures
  • Extensive experience in implant surgery
  • Extensive experience in restoring dental implants with crowns or an arch of denture teeth

Find at least two potential providers, schedule consultations with them, and compare your options before making a final selection.

 

Michael Szarek, DMD, a cosmetic dentist in Lowell, MA sponsors this post. His office is convenient to Dracut, Helmsford, Tewksbury, and surrounding cities.

Filed Under: Dental implants Tagged With: Chelmsford MA dental implants, dental implant abutments, Dracut MA dental implants, how to select an implant dentist, impalnt abutment height, implant abutment bone loss, implant abutment size, Lowell MA dental implants

Thinking About Sectional Veneers for Your Teeth? 3 Reasons Not to Insist on Them

Posted on July 15, 2019 by AllSmiles.

Are you thinking about asking your dentist for sectional veneers to restore your teeth? Some skilled cosmetic dentists use this innovative treatment. But how do you know if it’s right for you? And should you insist that your dentist uses it?

Sectional Veneers vs. Porcelain Veneers

A porcelain veneer is a thin shell of porcelain that covers the entire front surface of a tooth. Porcelain is also used to make a sectional veneer, but it only covers the portion of a tooth that needs restoring—not the entire front surface.

When Are They Used?

Some cosmetic dentists use sectional veneers to correct small or minor issues on teeth, including:

  • Small gaps
  • Small chips
  • Minor cracks or fractures

Sectional veneers preserve more of your natural tooth structure and require very minimal preparation of a tooth. If there is significant damage to a tooth, an entire porcelain veneer might be required.

Which Veneers Should You Request?

Before you ask your dentist for any cosmetic treatment, you should wait until you receive a diagnosis and explanation of your treatment options. Several factors affect whether or not your dentist will recommend sectional veneers or porcelain veneers.

1. The Condition of Your Teeth

The condition of your teeth and gums, the extent of damage to them, and the goals you want to achieve for your smile all affect treatment recommendations. Your dentist will examine and x-ray your teeth to make a thorough evaluation of the external and internal condition of your teeth. He or she will let you know if porcelain veneers—or sectional veneers—are an option.

2. Your Dentist’s Experience and Preference

Only highly skilled cosmetic dentists can produce beautiful results with porcelain veneers. And experienced cosmetic dentists work with private laboratories and skilled ceramists who understand how to manipulate porcelain to give you lifelike results. Many cosmetic dentists don’t offer sectional veneers at all. Their experience, preferences, and each patient case affect which treatment they recommend. Experienced cosmetic dentists often prefer cosmetic resin as the first choice in concealing minor flaws in teeth. And they achieve beautiful, long-lasting results.

3. Your Risks

So although you can ask a dentist for any treatment, you should wait until you understand the condition of your teeth and the results you can expect from your treatment options. If you’re determined to receive a certain type or brand of veneers, only receive them from a dentist who regularly uses them. Otherwise, you might be dissatisfied with the results.

What Matters Most

If you want excellent results and a natural-looking smile, search for accredited cosmetic dentists in your area. Accreditation requires a dentist to pass oral and written exams and submit several cosmetic cases of varying complexity. Accredited dentists have proven their ability to give you gorgeous results. And after all, isn’t a gorgeous smile what you want?

 

Accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek of Lowell, MA, sponsors this blog. Visit Dr. Szarek’s smile gallery to see examples of his artwork.

Before-and-after porcelain veneers photos of one of Dr. Szarek’s patients.

Close-up smile photo before a patient received porcelain veneers from Michael Szarek, DMD of Lowell, MA.

BEFORE

Close-up smile photo after a patient received porcelain veneers from Michael Szarek, DMD of Lowell, MA.

AFTER

Filed Under: Porcelain veneers Tagged With: aacd dentist Massachusetts, dentist won't do sectional veneers, Lowell, Lowell AACD dentist, Lowell accredited cosmetic dentist, MA sectional veneers, section veneers vs porcelain veneers, sectional veneers dentist, sectional veneers teeth, what are sectional veneers, what is an accredited dentist

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  • Ultra-Thin vs. Traditional Porcelain Veneers – What Matters?
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