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4 Things every dental implant patient needs to know when considering treatment.

Dental implants are the standard of care for tooth replacement and can provide you with life-altering results! Before embarking on a dental implant surgical procedure, here are the 4 things that every patient should know.
Why did you lose your teeth?
Your practitioner must evaluate why you lost your teeth to accurately assess if you would be a good candidate for dental implants. A dental implant is a human-made root surgically placed into your jaw bone. The bone has to grow around the implant, to secure it into your jaw. This process is called osseous integration. Osseous integration requires a healthy candidate for ideal healing. If you have active periodontal (gum) disease, then you are not an ideal candidate for dental implants until that disease is better controlled. Your dental professional may recommend non-surgical periodontal therapy, surgical procedures or even a combination of both to eliminate active periodontal disease before your implant surgery. After a period of healing and maintenance, you dental professionals determine when you are ready to take the necessary steps toward implant surgery.

Systemic Health
Your dental professionals may ask questions about your medical health, and as well as the medications that you take, patients often wonder why their medical health is related to their dental health. Science has taught us that many medical conditions are directly related to our oral health, this is called the oral-systemic link. Multiple health conditions and medications affect the outcome of dental procedures, especially surgical treatments. It is imperative to provide your dental professionals with a comprehensive medical history and medication list. A good practice is to have a card in your wallet of the list of medications that you take regularly; prescribed and over the counter. Being well informed about your medical and medication history allows your dental professional to provide you with safe, thorough care. Many medications can affect the jaw bone and compromise the long-term success of implant dentistry. Uncontrolled autoimmune diseases and smoking can compromise and restrict the predictability of implant surgical procedures and prolong post-operative healing.

Are 3D Scans a Scam?
The dental implant industry has gone through great evolutionary growth since its inception in the 1950's. The technological growth of digital dentistry has enabled practitioners to yield even more predictable results for patients. Digital planning is a crucial component to long-term successful dental implant outcomes. A 3D scan, also known as Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), is essential in the planning phase of your dental implant treatment. Using this technology allows your dental implant team to precisely plan both the surgical and restorative phases of your treatment. The placement of your implant fixture and the final restoration, or prosthetic, is planned with digital planning software. Fabricating surgical guides or stents from CBCT is a crucial step in the surgical planning phase; this technology enables your surgeon precise surgical implant fixture placement rather than performing the surgery freehand. Many dental implant failures result from poor surgical placement. Although it may be an additional cost to have a CBCT to plan your implant case, it is a worthy investment.

Post-Treatment Compliance
A critical factor in the success of your dental implant is the maintenance phase. Even though your dental implants are made of titanium and are not susceptible to decay, they are placed in your jaw bone and are surrounded by gingiva, (gum tissue) which is vulnerable to the many different strains of bacteria present in your mouth. It is imperative to follow the prescribed home care recommendations from your dental professional, using specialty brushes for implant dentistry and regular professional preventative maintenance.

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month
Although all the dental professionals at NJDC take oral cancer very seriously every day of the year, we want to help spread awareness this month. All of our patients receive a complementary oral cancer screening with their oral health appointments because we strongly believe in the importance of being screened. Familiarize yourself with the facts from the Oral Cancer Foundation and make sure you are screened for oral cancer annually!
• 48,250 AMERICANS WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH ORAL CANCER THIS YEAR ALONE.
• WORLDWIDE THE PROBLEM IS MUCH GREATER, WITH NEW CASES EXCEEDING 640,000 ANNUALLY.
• THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF THE ORAL/ OROPHARYNGEAL CANCER POPULATION ARE HPV16+ YOUNG NON-SMOKERS.
• ONE PERSON WILL DIE EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY 24/7/365 FROM ORAL CANCER IN THE US.
• TOBACCO USE IN ALL OF ITS FORMS AND ALCOHOL ARE STILL MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR ORAL CANCER.

Taking the "Sting" Out of Dental Injections

Dr. Orellana is always researching new scientific evidence based methods to make your time in the chair efficient, effective and most of all, comfortable. When he learned of the benefits of buffering anesthetic, he immediately implemented it into his patient care regimen.

What is Buffering Anesthetic?
Buffering anesthetic is the lowering of the pH level of anesthetic to make the injection process more comfortable. Dental anesthetics have an acidic pH, therefore, the sting you feel while receiving an injection is from the acidity of the anesthetic as it enters the soft tissue. Buffering anesthetic reduces this sensation by neutralizing the pH level and making the injection process more comfortable. The science shows us that reducing the pH level of anesthetic also makes it active faster and more effective.

Buffered anesthetic occurs by adding a pH lowering element to the traditional anesthetic prior to giving the injection. Bicarbonate designed specifically for this purpose, is added to the anesthetic to achieve a better, more effective and more comfortable way to introduce anesthesia into the soft tissue.

If you are looking for a better numbing experience in Denville NJ, then look no further, Dr. Orellana can deliver this revolutionary technique for you!