Dentists Find New Way To Give Lasting Smiles

Dentists Find New Way To Give Lasting Smiles
June 1, 2005
NBC4.TV
Dentists have come up with a new way of combining a better smile with less cavities, NBC4's Dr. Bruce Hensel reported.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new type of dental implant. Not only is it whiter than the old ones, but it contains fluoride to make sure your teeth stay that way.
Like many people, Sandy Strouse hates making a trip to the dentist.
"I had some bad experiences when I was younger, and it stuck with me," Strouse said.
For the past few years, Strouse has been willing to brave dental visits to get a new smile.
"This is a big step for her," dentist Dr. Scott Gradwell said. "She has had a lot of dental disease because of fear."
Gradwell is replacing one of Strouse's front teeth with an "osseospeed dental implant."
"(This) has been shown to fuse (to) the jaw bone three times quicker," Gradwell said. "Now they've added flouride, that household name that we all know about in our toothpaste into the tioblast, which is allowing the implant to fuse much quicker."
That can mean faster healing and a tooth that is protected for the future.
"What the studies have shown, and they're five years in the making now, is that the fluoride stimulates the clot cells and the jaw bone cells to grow more jawbone cells," Gradwell said. "And the quicker the bone adheres to the dental implant, the more bone fuses to it and the stronger the bone fuses to it, therefore, we have a longer prognosis. The implant will last longer."
That will give Strouse a long-lasting smile.
In addition to allowing patients the chance to leave the office with a fixed temporary tooth, Gradwell says this implant can also be used for patients who couldn't have implants in the past, such as those with osteoporosis or other bone-compromising conditions.
The osseospeed dental implants run about the same price as traditional implants.