Archive for June, 2009

Dental emergencies seem to appear at the most inappropriate times.  Toothaches, broken teeth, abscesses and infections seem to happen when a big event is ready to take place usually when your immune system seems to be at its lowest point.

Toothaches develop usually when the nerve becomes exposed.  Cracks in the teeth or cavities make the tooth vunerable to infections.  As the tooth is left open food and bacteria come into close proximity to the nerve and small blood vessels.  The bacteria penetrates the nerve and transfers down into the deeper part of the tooth and eventually deeper into the bone.  The pain associated with this shifts from a sharp short term type of pain to a deep throbbing sensation.  If the area is not treated the dental infection in the bone continues to grow creating pressure in the bone.  After a while the pressure from the puss starts pressing and decomposing the bone until it hits the soft tissue that covers the bone.  When the dental infection reaches the soft tissue there is no way to contain it and this is when you can become very swollen. This becomes dangerous  as the infection can get not only into the blood system, but can invade the neck or even the brain.

The progress of this can be very short for some people or longer for others.  The body’s immune system is what keeps infections under control.  During stressful times the immune system becomes challenged and then the infections that seemed to not be a problem all of a sudden seem to take over.  The key is to treat the problem before it takes over.

I had a patient I recently treated who was going on vacation the next day and flying.  She developed a large swelling in a cheek area from teeth that

To answer your question I must first give a little background and information on what dental implants are and other factors that can affect the cost of an implant.

Dental implants are man-made tooth roots that are inserted into the bone to replace missing teeth.  They are made of a titanium alloy which is completely biocompatible (accepted by the body).  Over a four month healing period bone grows into the threads of the implant making it a solid part of the body.  Small parts can be screwed into the implant which can then support teeth, fixed bridges and dentures.  Some people think that they are new but have been successfully in use for over 20 years.

The fee of and implant is affected by the need for bone grafting. Dental implants can be inserted immediately after a tooth is removed or can be inserted well after the teeth have been missing for a period of time.  Dental implants and teeth both stimulate bone to keep it from shrinking.  I use the analogy that when a person works out with exercise they stimulate their muscles and therefore the muscles stay the same size or grow. It is the body’s natural response to react to the stimulus of exercise to make more muscle tissue.  If a person is inactive and doesn’t use the muscle it shrinks.  Bone is a living structure in the body and if it is not stimulated internally with teeth or implants then it shrinks.  If fact, it shrinks up to 50% of the width in the first year after a tooth is removed.  Immediately after a tooth is extracted a bone graft or dental implant should be placed in the extraction site to reduce this immediate bone loss phenomenon.

If the case is more complex then a CT Scan which affects the fee.  These are needed to know where the bone and vital structures are and we have the computer software to read the CT scan to give the most accurate placement possible.

If sedation is used during the procedure then this can affect the fee. At our office we provide oral sedation making the patient completely comfortable with little to no memory of the treatment.

Depending on how the implant is going to be used affects the fee. Since the dental implant is only the part that goes into the bone what is screwed down into the implant affects the fee greatly.  This “prosthetic” portion is the functional part that goes into the mouth. This consists of both an abutment that screws down into the implant and a crown that gets cemented over the abutment.

If an implant is to be used to support a removable denture then only 2 implants are usually needed; if it is to replace a missing tooth then 1 implant is needed and if it is to replace 1-2 missing teeth then abutments and crowns are needed to make it a complete “tooth”.

There are a wide variety of factors that really affects the fee of dental implants in the Shelby Township, Macomb, Clinton Township, Utica, Washington Township and New Baltimore Michigan area. To answer your question:  to replace a single tooth if it needs to be extracted can be from $3,100 and up. This includes the fee for the extraction, implant placement surgery, abutment and porcelain crown.  Give us a call at (586)247-3500 or visit our web site at www.TheGentleDentist for a free consultation.  We are located at 15055 22 Mile, Shelby Township, Michigan. Just west of Hayes.

At the Gentle Dentist we see many high fear patients in our office.  Many of these people have had terrible experiences as children.  The dentist of their youth either didn’t listen to them, put their hands over their mouth as they tried to scream for help or did dental fillings and therefore had fear of the dental drill without the use of any anesthetic.  I hear this so much when I interview those who have rightfully so avoided the dentist for many years.  It is now possible to have all of your dentistry done in as little as a one or two visits and not have any memory of the visit.  Can you imagine that?  Not remembering the visit.  What a great way to get over the fear that has been controlling you.

Give us a phone call at (586)247-3500 or visit our web site at www.TheGentleDentist.com to check out what we do.  We are located in Shelby Township, Michigan just a couple of miles north of Lakeside Mall.