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Archives for November 2020

My Dentist Forced Me into Unnecessary Implant Surgery

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man frustrated after Auburn dentist visit

I’m at a total loss for what to say here. I had a tooth extracted a while back and my dentist has been after me to have an implant placed for as long as I’ve been seeing him. I finally saved up enough to do the procedure and was assured everything would be fine. However, when I came out of surgery, he told me that my bone may be inadequate to support the implant.

He gave me some explanation about how it had been too long since I’d lost the tooth and the bone had thinned out… more or less shifting the blame on me for not starting the work sooner.

As a “courtesy to me” he went ahead and placed the implant, but he says it will probably fail because I waited too long. He wants to remove it and do a bridge. But, he says the final decision is mine.

I’m not sure what to do here. I’m already out a couple thousand dollars on this implant. I’m tempted to go ahead with it since I’ve already invested so much. At the same time, I don’t want to seem like I’m questioning his judgment. Maybe I should be doing the bridge. What’s the best course of action here?

Sincerely,

Greg

 

Dear Greg,

You should be questioning his judgment. If that’s what he told you, you absolutely should be questioning everything coming out of his mouth.

The Lack of Bone is Not Your Fault

What he said about how bone diminishes the longer a tooth is missing—that much is true. It’s referred to as resorption. When the bone isn’t needed to hold a tooth in, the body breaks it down and reroutes it to places that need the nutrients being held in the bone. The thing is, assessing the bone level before surgery is his job. If he couldn’t tell whether there was adequate bone from an x-ray, he should have been ordering additional scans. For him to put it on you like it’s your fault that he did a procedure without visibility—that’s simply wrong. He didn’t do his job.

He Shouldn’t Have Placed the Implant

When he realized the procedure couldn’t be completed properly, he should have stopped and gone over the options with you. It sounds like you might have been sedated, so he just went ahead with it anyway. That was not the appropriate course of action.

You Have Options Beyond a Bridge

If there isn’t adequate bone to hold this dental implant, sadly, it will have to go. However, that doesn’t mean you’re not a candidate for an implant. It usually just means that you’ll need additional procedures, such as bone grafting, to build the area up enough to be able to support the implant.

Visit a Different Dentist

Have a consultation with a new local dentist to see what your options are. It may go without saying, but if the new dentist feels the implant you have is not going to be stable as well, it would be unreasonable for the dentist to keep the fee for it. Best of luck to you.

 

 

 

This blog is sponsored by Dr. Raymond Bolt, an Auburn, Alabama dentist dedicated to quality care.

Will Removing My Metal Fillings Help Prevent COVID?

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woman question mercury-free fillings immunity

I have some health conditions and am really worried that I’ll catch COVID-19. If I do, there’s a good chance I won’t survive it. I’ve been taking as many precautions as possible, but one avenue I haven’t looked at is my oral health. I recently came across an article that said there are links between mercury-containing fillings and weak immune systems. I have a few metal fillings that I’ve probably had for going on 20 years now. I’ve never given them much thought, but if there’s any chance they could be putting me at risk, I’d like to have my mercury fillings removed. Is this something dentists are doing now?

Thanks,

Janet

 

Dear Janet,

You pose an interesting question. Yes, there are some links between your oral health and immune system, but they’re probably not what you think.

No Links Between Amalgam Fillings and Immune Health Have Been Proven

Rather than expecting you to take them at their word, the American Dental Association (ADA) draws on research from:

  • The Alzheimer’s Association
  • The International Journal of Dentistry
  • The Mayo Clinic
  • The National Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • The National Council Against Health Fraud
  • The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR – one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)
  • The New England Journal of Medicine
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

All of these organizations stand by the belief that amalgam fillings (the metal ones which contain mercury) are safe. They further contend that there is no scientific evidence to prove otherwise.

There Are Links Between Periodontal Disease and Immune System Issues

In the early stages of gingivitis, people experience symptoms like bleeding gums and inflammation. As it progresses, the gums start to separate from the teeth, creating tiny pockets bacteria thrive in. Ultimately, the localized infections cause bone loss and eventually the loss of teeth too.

It’s this—periodontal disease—that researchers have a keen eye on these days. They initially noticed people with periodontal disease were more likely to suffer from a wide range of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The inverse is true as well. In more recent years, they’ve discovered the link is probably inflammation.

“It is very important to consider the inflammatory / immune response as a whole, rather than many different modules working separately,” researchers say. They don’t think the inflammation is localized. They believe that, when one area of the body is impacted, others are reactive too. They believe the immune system is tied into this—that inflammation and immune disorder are linked. To that end, a healthy immune system relies on the treatment of inflammation. You must take care of your whole body and that includes good care of your teeth and gums.

You Can Still Have Your Fillings Replaced

At the end of the day, if having those amalgam fillings replaced makes you feel better, go ahead and have it done. It’ll be treated like a cosmetic treatment versus a medically necessary treatment by your insurance, but it’s a common procedure your dentist won’t bat an eye at. But, if you do go in for it, make sure you’re getting your teeth cleaned too!

 

This blog is sponsored by Dr. Raymond Bolt, an Auburn, Alabama mercury-free dentist.