We’ve been discussing a lot of different topics in dentistry, and today we’re hitting on a subject not often broached, even in mainstream health discussion: craniofacial developmental disorders. Developmental Disorders Craniofacial birth defects include manifestations like cleft lip or palate, eyes too closely or widely spaced, deformed ears, eyes mismatched in colour, and facial asymmetries.…
We’ve been speaking recently about the dental implant treatment process. Today, let’s look at an actual patient, her initial evaluation and treatment. The patient, a white 65 year old female, is a heavy smoker and a heavy drinker. Previous dental care in the maxillary arch is failing; radiographs reveal no salvageable teeth, but adequate bone…
Understanding oral health means understanding the most basic root of most oral health problems, from the basic to the advanced: gum disease, or gingivitis. I hope this article is illuminating on this most important of dental subjects. Gingivitis The effects of early gingivitis, as dental professionals are aware, are reversible with adequate oral hygiene, although…
I’d like to start this week talking about the importance of placing implants in a succinct time frame after a tooth is removed. Hopefully you’ll find this discussion informative. Immediate Implant Placement If an implant is to be inserted into an extraction site, the timing of the extraction is important due to the potential for…
In my last two articles on zirconia, I spoke of zirconia and the differences which may be found in the product from various manufacturers. Today I’d like to share with you the results of a five-year clinical evaluation of 3M™ ESPE™ Lava™ Crowns and Bridges. Prof. P. Pospiech together with Dr. F. P. Nothdurft and Dr. P. R.…
In my commitment to discussing the horizons of dentistry, I’ve got an overview of periodontitis associated with systemic conditions. It should not need to be said, as much as it should be said, that patients affected by periodontal disease with underlying systemic factors should be informed about the significance of the systemic condition to the…
In my commitment to discussing dentistry, I present a second article on medication induced gingival hyperplasia. Only a relatively small percentage of patients treated with the medications discussed on Monday will develop gingival overgrowth, it may be that these individuals have fibroblasts with an abnormal susceptibility. Fibroblasts from overgrown gingiva in these patients clearly show…
In my continuing commitment to expanding the horizons of dentistry, I’m discussing medication induced gingival hyperplasia. Today, more than twenty prescription medications are associated with gingival enlargement, with the number increasing. Drugs associated with this problem can be broadly divided into three categories: anticonvulsants, calcium channel blockers. Although the pharmacologic effect of each drug is…
Criteria for success include: 1) Absence of persistent signs/symptoms such as pain, infection, neuropathies, parathesias, and violation of vital structures 2) Implant immobility 3) No continuous peri-implant radiolucency 4) Negligible progressive bone loss (less than 0.2 mm annually) after physiologic remodelling during the first year of function 5) patient/dentist satisfaction with the implant supported restoration.…
Today’s periodontists are extensively trained in surgical procedures to treat and maintain patients with edentulous or partially edentulous arches, integrating endosseous implants into periodontal therapy. Surveys And Studies Oral health surveys indicate there are significant numbers of individuals with compromised dentitions for whom endosseous dental implants may be indicated. In many circumstances, implants are an…
