New Dental Implant

New Dental Implant
April 6, 2005
WOWT.com
The Food and Drug Administration has just given the green light to a new fluoride-coated, dental implant. That's good news for patients who need a repair.
Sandy Strouse hasn't always been a big fan of the dentist.
Strouse says, "I had some bad experiences when I was younger and it stuck with me."
For the past few years, she's been willing to brave the chair to save her smile.
Dr. Scott Gradwell, a periodontist from Allentown, Pennsylvania says, "This is a big step for her. She has had a lot of dental disease because of fear."
Dr. Gradwell is replacing one of Sandy's front teeth with an OsseoSpeed dental implant.
The implant fuses quickly and Sandy's implant is strong enough to support a custom-made temporary tooth.
Dr. Gradwell says, "She doesn't have a gaping hole for three months and she doesn't have to wear something that's removable."
The OsseoSpeed implant was developed and studied extensively in Europe. Dr. Gradwell is one of the first in the U.S. to use it.
He says, "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. 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."
Dr. Gradwell says this implant can also be used for patients who couldn't have implants in the past. That includes those with osteoporosis or other bone-compromising conditions.