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Duluth, GA 30097

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Archives for June 2020

Will Invisalign Fix Misalignment?

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I went to see my dentist about Invisalign and he said that he looked into it years ago and it was only for certain basic orthodontic cases and didn’t feel it was worth it. Will Invisalign fix misalignment or do I have to go the whole traditional braces route? I’m about to start my first “professional” job and was really hoping not to look like I am still in Junior High School. As it is I look very young and I want to be taken seriously.

Meghan

Dear Meghan,

invisible braces

Congratulations on the beginning of your career journey! What an exciting time in your life. I completely understand you wanting to be taken seriously by all the old fogey’s who’ve been at their desk for so many years they’re almost melded into the furniture. Invisalign is the perfect way to do that.

Based on your dentist’s comment, I’m guessing he hasn’t looked at Invisalign since it first came out. Some dentists are better than others at keeping up with the technology in their field than others. While it is true that when this procedure was in its infancy, it only worked for the basic cases of misalignment. These days, it is a completely different story. It can handle all but the most complicated. So, this would be a perfect procedure for a young professional like yourself.

I would get a second opinion from a dentist with a lot of experience treating with invisible types of braces, such as Invisalign. They’ll be able to tell you if it will work for you. I have a feeling, unless you’ve got something rather strange going on that it will work just fine.

Mini Smile Makeovers with Invisalign

One hidden benefit of the aligners used to straighten your teeth is they can double as teeth whitening trays. This means you can straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously without anyone even knowing. As it sounds like you are just out of college, you may not need the whitening yet. However, I recommend you save your last pair of aligners to use later down the line when you do feel like some brightening of your teeth will work.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

My Implants Fell Out the Next Day

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I had four dental implants placed. I just received the crowns and two of them have already fallen out just a day later. Dental implants aren’t cheap and I know my dentist is expecting the second half of his payment soon. I don’t feel I should have to pay for them if they fell out this quickly. He said they’d last years. Is this fixable? Should he re-do them?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

illustration of a dental implant next to a tooth

There is something seriously wrong here. You’ve lost half your dental implants in one day. I feel fairly confident the others will not be far behind. You need to contact your dentist and let him know what is going on right away.

To answer your first question. No, you should not have to pay for these. It’s a pretty basic standard to expect your dental implants to stay in. While these can be re-done, you need to be certain your dentist can tell you why they failed before moving forward.

Reasons for Dental Implant Failure

You should know, that dental implants have 95% success rate, so what you’re experiencing is unusual. When dental implants do fail, here are some of the main reasons. Notice that most of them are a failure on the dentist’s part.

  • Infection. This often results from poorly fitting implants.
  • Subpar implants. Some dentists will cut costs by ordering cheap, overseas implant fixtures. These are rarely as well made as those that must adhere to the standards here in the states.
  • Inadequate bone. Your dentist should do enough diagnostics at the beginning to ensure you have the necessary bone structure to retain the implants.
  • Placing the dental crown prematurely. The waiting period between the surgery and crown placement isn’t just about healing. It’s also to make sure the bone has had adequate time to integrate with the implants and keep them secure. If your dentist puts the porcelain crowns on before that time, the load will be too much and will loosen the implant fixtures.
  • Incorrect surgical placement of the implant.

Once you find out why this happened, you can have it re-done (at your dentist’s expense). Unfortunately, you will need to have an additional procedure done first to get your jaw in a position where it can accept implants again. You’ll need to have some bone grafting done. Then, once you’ve healed from that, you can start over.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.