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With the Magical advent of Dental Implants, have we forgotten to conserve and save?

  • “The furcation is involved; this tooth won’t serve you for too long!”
  • “The decay has almost reached the root, better to remove it and replace it!”
  • “It’s mobile! Saving it requires more appointments, and then we are not sure how your tissues response will be; I suggest replacing it with a DENTAL IMPLANT!”

Sounds like your own self? Don’t worry every second dental surgeon sounds like this today! Dental Implants are undoubtedly the biggest boon in dentistry both for the dentist and the patient. No cutting of the adjacent teeth, no ill-fitting dentures, and a magical tooth back in place along with an artificial root. But does that mean using this magic, in teeth, which can rather heal with your time and efforts?
With the multiple courses which train and teach Dental Implantology we have many “trained Dental Implantologists” in the fraternity today, thus, where it was once rare for a dentist to dare an Implant in their own clinic, today everyone is in a position to take it up. The good that is associated with it is that; we are a level up in our practice and we give life-like teeth back to our patients, but the Bigger bad my colleagues is that we have literally forgotten to save and conserve what can be kept. We are so blinded to increase our digits both of the “number of Implant cases done” and of course of our bank accounts, that we don’t want to take it the conservative way. Of course, this wouldn’t imply to all but I am sure you know many who are doing the same.
It was very recently that I received a radiograph in a Whatsapp group, where the operating Dentist was glad to have achieved a good torque value for an implant he placed, the very adjacent tooth my dear readers had a proximal decay which could have been happily filled before at least seating the crown, but it was un-noticed due to the Implant thrill! Remove the blindfold and look beyond; the not so big things for you may not increase your digits by as many but will surely take you a much much longer way!

No matter how awesome Dental Implants are, they shouldn’t be used as a treatment for teeth which can be saved! They are mere replacements and should be used only when required! I know you feel its a definitive and assuring treatment, but explore a little more in the preserving aspects of dental sciences dear practitioners, there are many materials and techniques in saving the natural tooth which will not disappoint you either!

Vandita Mishra! 

Comments

  1. deepika penmetsaDecember 8, 2017 at 6:46 AM

    True... treatment plan shouldn’t be based on affordability of the patient, but should be based on patient’s needs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mabel GarciaMarch 23, 2019 at 8:07 AM

    Dental implants are expensive. That's something you NEVER mention in any of your videos about why people do or don't do certain dental works.

    ReplyDelete
  3. mine azMay 28, 2019 at 4:10 AM

    It’s true that dental implants are common these days. So people feel that they can just get implants, instead of actually maintaining healthy teeth and gums. I myself was careless about my oral hygiene, but now I maintain it as best as I can and also go for general examination at the dentist Hermosa Beach.

    ReplyDelete

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