Implant Dentistry

I am 35 years old and I have been living with a complicated situation on the upper right section of my smile for almost 20 years now. I have a decaying infant canine which never came out because of the adult canine growing in. The adult grew in the wrong place and never displaced the babyone.

My adult canine #11 grew in over the top of bicuspids #12. Also, I’m told that  #13  is too far away from where it belongs and is too complicated in its root structure to be moved with traditional braces.  # 11 is partially obscuring the two bicuspids behind it and creating a triangular inner area which is difficult to keep clean. It also happens to  be very unattractive.  My general dentist isn’t even sure what kind of decay might be going on up in there, but so far it doesn’t hurt or have an odor so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The whole area needs some serious work, but I’m not sure what the best option is. Do I extract the canines and get braces to widen the space where the baby was, so that a full-sized canine implant can be put in?   Or do I extract the canines and get a bridge?   Or… can something else be done with a smaller implant + veneers, or something to create the illusion of normal teeth ?   Please send me some input…I want to start figuring out which road I need to go down to try and fix this finally.

– Rhonda in Pebble Beach

Rhonda,

#12 (your first bicuspid) can be made to look like a canine from the front, so if your canine can’t be moved, I’d consider that option, too, after having the permanent and baby canines extracted. Or one dental implant could work – replacing the baby canine with a permanent canine implant. I wouldn’t do the bridge to replace the canine because your bone will shrink in that position over time if you do that and it will be hard to keep it looking natural. But it’s really tough for me to say without seeing you, seeing the x-rays, and doing a clinical examination. You sound like you have a very interesting case–I’d love to have had you come in my door and be given the opportunity to solve it. 

But if you don’t choose my services,  keep in mind that I recommend that you not ask a  general dentist to do this.  My recommendation – find an excellent cosmetic dentist and trust his or her judgment. 

Dr. Lavacca 

I was told by my dentist and the endodontist that one of my molars will need to be removed since it is decayed below the gumline and can not be saved. I’d like to get an implant once the molar is removed. How long do I need to wait to do this?

Sheri,

I’m glad you are considering a dental implant to replace your missing tooth. However, make sure that all the infection is gone and the socket has had time to heal before moving forward with this dental implant procedure.

Be patient during the implant process, because you will want to be sure the implant has had enough time to integrate with the bone. Placing the false tooth on the implant too soon could cause risk to the procedure. We recommend that patients usually wait several weeks. During this time you should wear a what is called a flipper. Flippers are merely a basic resin tooth mounted on pink acrylic. This will work well to temporarily hold the space until your implant has healed and it is safe to place the false tooth on the implant.

Some important information to be made aware of is when a tooth is removed, the adjacent teeth have a natural tendency to tip into the open space, which also leads to the opposing tooth to super-erupt into the open space. Our teeth were designed to naturally move this way so that they consistently touch their neighboring teeth and so that all of your teeth meet when you bite. This movement among your teeth can cause serious symptoms. Many people suffer from chronic headaches, bite discrepancies, and TMJ disorder. If treatment for these symptoms is prolonged, it could become very costly in the end.

Read more about dental implants and TMJ on our Naperville Dental Specialists website.

Dental implants are one of the most natural, permanent ways to replace missing teeth, but implants are not for everyone. You are a potential implant candidate if you:

• Are in good general health, and able to tolerate the surgery to implant the root form into the bone of the jaw.
• Have enough viable bone at the implant site to support the root form, or be a candidate for a bone graft.
• Are NOT on the drug Fosamax or some other forms of oral bisphosphonate. Dental work during Fosamax may exacerbate a serious condition called osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Only a highly trained and skilled prosthodontist like Dr. LaVacca can help you decide if dental implants are the best choice for you. If you a missing tooth or teeth, visit Dr. LaVacca’s Naperville dentist website to make an appointment today.