implant overdentures Archives - Kokopelli Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

I had implants placed in order to get implant supported dentures. The implants themselves are completed. I’m in the healing and waiting on bone bonding of some kind phase. I’m in temporary dentures in the meantime. I called this week to change my follow up appointment and received a recorded message that they are closed until further notice and will be contacting everyone soon. It turns out that the dentist lost his dental license. The office didn’t have a recommendation for me and told me just to keep wearing the temps for now. I have zero confidence they’re going to follow up. What do I do? Also, I don’t know why he lost his license. Should I be worried about the implants?

Petra

Dear Petra,

This is tough and I’m sorry that this happened to you. That bone bonding you mentioned is extremely important. It’s known as osseointegration. This is where your dental implants integrate with the surrounding bone. Without that, you can lose the implants.

The one piece of good news here is that the dentist is likely to sell his practice. After all, he needs income and he just lost his main, possibly only, source of money. When another dentist buys his practice, then that would include all the patients and their uncompleted work. He or she would be expected to finish that.

As for whether your dental implants are safe, it wouldn’t hurt to get an expert implant dentist to look at them and put your mind at ease. You will also want to make certain that who ever buys the practice is qualified in dental implants. If they are not, ask them to return the portion of your money that is yet to be completed. That way you can get it done by someone who is.

This blog is brought to you by friendly dentist in Ahwatukee Dr. Harveer Kaur.
We also treat patients from Sun Lake.

My mother is 83 years old and medically compromised with several conditions including diabetes that we are having trouble controlling. We just took over her care. I discovered that she had not been to a dentist in a while so that is one of the first things we did. He is suggesting that we have all of her teeth extracted and get dental implants for her. It’s not the expense I worry about as much her compromised health. My understanding is that this requires some serious surgery. Are there any other options for her?

Benita

Dear Benita,

Please bear in mind that I have not examined your mother so any advice I give about her situation is general and not definitive for her situation. That being said, based on what you’ve described, I do not feel like your dentist is being compassionate or making recommendations that is in your mother’s best interest. As to whether there are options, there are almost always options and your dentist is ethically obligated to give you all of those options, though it didn’t sound like he did that.

At her age, especially given her compromised health, dental implants would be an overtreatment that would be too hard on her body. I would do two things. First, go to a different dentist and just get a second opinion on whether or not she needs all of her teeth removed. If not, I would save as many as possible. Then, if she does need her teeth removed, I would recommend that she just get removeable dentures.

In most circumstances, I would say it was important that she have implant supported dentures on the bottom teeth in order to prevent facial collapse, but really, at her age, it won’t matter. Removable dentures are fine.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee and Sun Valley Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

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