Dental Implants Fell Out After Three Days
I arranged to get eight dental implants with my dentist. I’ve had six done already and am scheduled for two more soon. The problem that I am having is that three of them have already fallen out. I haven’t even had them for a week. Here are my questions.
1. Should I have to pay for the ones that fell out?
2. Can they replaced?
3. Should I be worried about the remaining implants?
4. Is it safe to move forward with the next two dental implants?
Carlton
Dear Carlton,
I’m going to start off by saying that this is absolutely not what you should expect. In cases of skilled cosmetic dentists, there is generally a 3% failure rate with dental implants. Your dentist has a 50% failure rate. That is unacceptable. Now that I have that out of my system, let’s go through your questions.
Should you have to pay for the ones that fell out? Absolutely not and your dentist should not expect you to. If you’ve already paid for them, I’d get a refund.
Can they be replaced. Yes, however, it’s not as simple as just putting in new dental implants. When they fell out or even if they are removed, then they will take some bone structure with them. That bone is necessary in order to retain the dental implants that need to integrate with the bone in order to stay in your mouth.
Should you be worried about the remaining implants? Absolutely. If the first three fell out, what is preventing the others from doing the same?
Is it safe to move forward with the other two dental implants? I don’t recommend it, not unless your dentist can tell you why the first three failed. If he can’t or you aren’t buying his explanation, then the first thing I would do is go to an implant dentist with significant post doctoral training and get a second opinion. You need to find out why these first few failed before you make any decisions.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.
Click here to learn about a smile makeover with porcelain veneers.
Whitening My Non-Veneered Teeth
I have six porcelain veneers, but the teeth next to them look very dark compared to them. It makes it obvious my veneered teeth aren’t my natural tooth structure. Is there a way to whiten my non-veneered teeth without damaging my porcelain veneers? I was looking at using Crest Whitestrips.
Emory
Dear Emory,
I am very glad you wrote. First, I want to say that I wish your dentist had thought ahead on your smile makeover. Most smiles are eight to ten teeth wide. When you are getting a smile makeover, it is standard operating procedure for the dentist to recommend you have your teeth whitening first. This way your adjacent teeth will blend in better with your veneered teeth. It also helps the teeth in your lower arch to match your smile without spending a fortune on veneers for those teeth too. Had your dentist followed this procedure, you would not be in this situation.
To answer your question, whitening your teeth will not damage your porcelain veneers. Bleaching gel only works on natural tooth structure. I’m going to recommend something a bit different from Crest Whitestrips, though. While they do whiten teeth, they will have two big disadvantages in your situation.
First, the strips are designed to cover your front six teeth. As those all have porcelain veneers on them, it won’t really improve your situation much. Second, the strength of the whitening gel you would get from their strips is not nearly as strong as what you’d get from the dentist. Depending on how white your veneers are, it could take you several years to get them as white as your veneered teeth.
My suggestion is that you have your teeth whitening done by a dentist. This uses custom-fitted trays and professional strength bleaching gel. Your dentist can even shape the trays to fit around your veneers.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.
Read More...Dentist Said I Cannot Get White Crowns
I am a bit frustrated. I had a full set of dental crowns done years ago. At the time, they said they didn’t make them very white. I was a bit disappointed, but you can’t do more than what is available. Now that I am replacing them, I felt sure I could finally get the white crowns I have always wanted because they do make them that white now. Unfortunately my dentist said that because I have posts in my crowns that the whitest colors will show the posts. I don’t want that. He told me to do a B1 color with the temporaries and see what I think. We did that, but I wasn’t too thrilled with the color. Do you think it would be possible for me to get an M4 or a BL4 without the post showing through and making them look fake?
Chris
Dear Chris,
I am glad you wrote. I think your dentist may be in a bit over his head when it comes to cosmetic dentistry. He is confusing two very basic concepts: color and opacity. The posts won’t show through because the porcelain crowns are too white, just if they are too translucent. If he does not understand the difference between them, you can almost guarantee you will not get the results you are hoping for. If the posts do not show through the B1, they won’t show through a whiter color either.
This is a very doable smile makeover for you as long as you have the right dentist. Here is my advice. First, ask your dentist if he has done a smile makeover with the bleached shades, which is what you’re looking for. Then, ask to see the before and after images. If he doesn’t have that experience or the results aren’t that great you have a choice. You can allow him to try giving certain conditions I’ll go over shortly or you can go to a dentist with more cosmetic training and expertise.
If you decide to give him a chance, he needs to do the color you want. Insist on that, no matter how white it is. He should also be asking you about the shape and size you want. Then, when the crowns come in, he should place them with a temporary try in paste. Bring someone with you to help you get a good look at them and give you some support if you need to tell him that you don’t like them and they need to be redone. He should not do any permanent bonding until you are thrilled with how they look, even if it means sending them back to the lab.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.
Read More...Do I Have to Quit Smoking with Porcelain Veneers?
I went to see my dentist because I was interested in getting a smile makeover. He suggested I get porcelain veneers but told me that I will want to quit smoking so I don’t stain them. I felt like someone had stuck a pin in the balloon that carried my dream. I was a little confused as well because a friend of mine has porcelain veneers and she smokes. Do you know if there are different brands that work with smoking?
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
I am glad that you wrote. I can understand your confusion. Why is it your friend can smoke with porcelain veneers but not you? The truth is, you can. I am not sure why your dentist said that. In fact, porcelain veneers are more stain resistant than your natural teeth. One thing that smoking will do is stain the edges where the bond meets the tooth. There is a way for your dentist to polish those up as a part of regular maintenance.
I wonder if your dentist is not very comfortable doing porcelain veneers. He may have used the smoking thing as a way to discourage you from a procedure that is not in his wheelhouse. I would look for a different dentist to do you smile makeover. It is quite common for a person to have a dentist for general dental work and a dentist for cosmetic work. You will have better results from someone who does a lot of cosmetic work. In fact, I would ask to see some before and after pictures of work they’ve done so you can make sure they get decent results.
A step you can take is to brush your teeth with Supersmile Toothpaste. Unlike other whitening toothpastes that damage your teeth with abrasives (something you definitely do not want to do with your smile makeover), it uses a protein pelicle to safely remove surface stains from your dental work.
I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.
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