As anyone that has ever been a patient of mine can tell you, I firmly believe that nothing can replace your god given teeth. Unfortunately, life happens and our teeth are sometimes beyond repair of even the most skilled dentist. Many times when this occurs patients are not in a financial position to choose the BEST alternative, which would be root form implants. For those people dentures, replacing either some or all of their teeth, become the choice that fits them best. With this being said, dentures are a great alternative to not having teeth. They do have drawbacks though. Dentures come with a steep learning curve. Patients often have to re-learn how to speak and eat. Dentures can also cause gagging if they are on your top jaw and some patients can never quite get used to the fact that dentures are bigger than their natural gums. The last, and most frustrating problem is that even the most artfully made denture may not function well due to either a long palate or muscle attachments. Muscle attachments on the lower jaw can dislodge a lower denture and a long palate may not provide the suction needed to keep an upper denture in place. Believe me when I say that these shortcomings are as much of a frustration to the doctor as they are to the patient. Thanks to advancements in implant science and technology, there is now a solution for these problems! MDIs, or mini dental implants, are used to secure and support dentures. They are Far less expensive than conventional, root form, implants too! Many patients that are currently frustrated with their dentures will be candidates for this new procedure. MDIs provide great retention for upper dentures and resistance to being dislodged by muscles for lower dentures. In some cases, the palate of an upper denture can even be partially or completely removed! ( Denture wearers often complain of burning their throats because of a lack of heat sensation on their palates.) Some of you may be aware that for the last year I have been taking continuing education courses to become trained in placement of implants. ( Ive even had a couple of patients fuss at me for not introducing them sooner!) I am excited to announce that in the next few months Winning Smiles will begin placing MDIs or Mini Dental Implants. Ive included a couple of videos made by patients that have had this procedure done. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office, or make an appointment to discuss MDIs with Dr. Hoffpauir. Remember not all patients will be candidates for implant placement, but we are excited to offer this treatment to those that are. Please click on the links below to see patients MDI stories! youtu.be/ICWjwVPhae4 youtu.be/joUJ0BKzUsY youtu.be/7aW7eSJPdto youtu.be/msmBwpVCIPI
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:33:49 +0000
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