August 2019 - Dr. Rick Lane

I have been on Fosamax for many years and I’m wondering if I am a dental implant candidate. I had to get one of my front teeth extracted and the surgeon didn’t sound like he wanted to place an implant. I currently have a dental flipper, which I’m not happy with. It leaves a gross taste in my mouth and it’s pretty annoying. Anyway, I was doing some of my own research and have learned about different types of bridges. The ones I am interested in are an Encore or Maryland bridge.

Also, the tooth next to the one that was extracted has a crown on it already. Do you think a bridge of some sort will work for me? When I mentioned it to the dentist he said it would require shaving down one of my healthy teeth. Now, I don’t know what to do.

-Janice in New Jersey

Janice,

Thank you for your question. It is always good to be upfront with your dentist about any medications you are currently taking. However, Fosamax shouldn’t disqualify you from being a candidate for a dental implant. There may be a small risk associated with the placement of the implant to the bone since you are taking that medication. However, the ramifications aren’t too serious. It would be worth a conversation between your doctor and your implant dentist. It is possible your dose may be modified or temporarily stopped during the oral surgery that would be required to place a dental implant.

If you are concerned, than a dental bridge would work for your situation. Without having seen you in person, it is difficult to make specific recommendations about whether an Encore or Maryland bridge is a better option for you. It is also important to understand the skills and possible limitations of your dentist. For example, just because an Encore bridge would work, you don’t want to be the first patient your dentist has performed this treatment on. So, be sure to ask a lot of questions about their experience and success rate with cases similar to yours. As a general rule of thumb, it is never a good idea to push a dentist out of their comfort zone.

If your dentist is a general dentist and doesn’t have extensive experience in implant dentistry and tooth replacement options, than a traditional dental bridge would be a safer bet.

Lastly, it never hurts to get a second opinion to see if another dentist’s treatment plan may be a better fit for you.

This post is sponsored by Petaluma dentist Dr. Rick Lane.

My crown was loose after the dentist fitted my dental implants. When I went back in to see the dentist he looked everything over and did an x-ray. He said everything checked out and the implant in my jaw looked just fine. The only thing that needed to be fixed was that the crown needed to be cemented again. He made it sound like it was no big deal. Next, he tried to remove the loose crown using a special tool and the entire implant came out! The look on his face told me he was just as surprised and mortified as I was.

Does this sound like an accident? Should the dental implant withstand the force required for removal of a crown under normal circumstances?

-Jeffrey in California

Jeffrey,

Based on what you have described, it is clear that the dental implant was the problem the whole time. The implant was loose and not your crown. If a porcelain crown isn’t fitted correctly, it will come off very easily if it hasn’t already come off by itself. There shouldn’t be a circumstance where a special tool is ever required for the removal of a loose crown.

Sadly, based on what you have shared and by the look on the dentist’s face, he was in way over his head. Implant dentistry takes extensive training and experience beyond dental school. Not every general dentist can successfully place dental implants. Unfortunately for you, it sounds like the dentist was trying to cover up the loose dental implant by re-cementing the crown. It would have only been a matter of time before the entire dental implant would have come out. Far too many patients deal with failed dental implants and have to learn the hard way.

A loose dental implant can be caused by many things. It is possible that the crown was placed too soon before the dental implant had enough time to fuse with the bone, a process called osseointegration. Or it is possible that the implant wasn’t strong enough to endure the force placed on it from the crown. This could mean that the bone density in the site where the implant was placed was insufficient.

Still another possibility is that you were dealing with some kind of infection. But, you would have most likely been in a great deal of pain if there was an infection. So, it doesn’t sound like infection was your issue.

Replacing a dental implant is not a simple process either. The bone will have to heal and fill into the area where the dental implant came out. Also, it is quite possible that you may need bone grafting done, which will help build up the bone in the area because it sounds like there may not have been enough bone from the beginning.

At this point, the dentist you have been seeing is not skilled to handle your situation. It would be wise to seek a second opinion and find another implant dentist in your area. Be sure to check their credentials and ask about their success rate placing implants, as well as cases similar to yours. The original dentist should absolutely refund you for the failed procedure.

This blog is sponsored by Dr. Rick Lane is an implant dentist located in Petaluma.

What do you recommend to replace my front tooth?

My dental implant came out!

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