Dental Implants Your Way

I get the same question just about every day. Do dental implants really work? Well, the answer is a resounding YES!

With proper diagnosis and treatment planning dental implants in the right patient can provide a real alternative to either bridges or even removable prostheses. Dental implants can be used to replace one or more lost teeth in a wide variety of ways.

Dental implants, as they are currently placed, have been done now for over twenty years with outstanding success rates in the correct hands. Every system can be abused and horror stories abound about nightmares faced by dental implant patients. For the most part, these types of stories are probably related to poor diagnostic and clinical skills on the part of the dentist or an unhealthy patient. When placed by a skilled dentist in a healthy patient, dental implants are highly successful and can provide years of support for a healthy dentition.

Change Your Smile, Change Your Life

As almost every dentist can tell you, there are times when just changing a patient's smile, can truly make an amazing change in their lives. During my thirty years of practice I have seen patients go from introvert to extrovert; I've seen others who were depressed and just generally unhappy become alive.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a dentist is the change you can make in someone's life in just a matter of a few dental visits. It is common knowledge that one of the first things you notice when first meeting someone is their smile. You make instantaneous judgments based upon that smile and in just the first few seconds, you determine if that person is someone you want to get to know better or if that person is just not for you.

We've hear numerous times how a new smile has affected job placement, personal relationships and even marriage. Dentistry has progressed so far over the past several years in its ability to help people live the lives they want and deserve unhampered by a smile they are ashamed of. Remember, you can change your life by changing your smile. The first step is to ask your dentist what they can do to help.

Show a Little Respect

No Shows and Last Minute Cancellations are just disrespectful. Now, as a practicing dentist, a parent and a member of this planet, I too have last minute problems that arise unexpectedly. Not is not the issue. What is at issue is the constant lack of respect displayed by many patients towards their health care providers. I include in this list physicians, dentists, chiropractors etc. Patients need to understand that all we have is our time. If you are going to cancel an appointment, we need to know with enough time to rearrange schedules. Once is OK, twice is maybe a problem but more than that is just plain disrespectful.

If you really don't plan on keeping an appointment, I would suggest you don't make it. Scheduling an appointment with your health care provider is not an arbitrary task. We organize our days based upon the appointments needed by our patients, last minute cancellations or no shows can ruin our day and also place an obstacle in our helping those patients that might truly want and need that appointment.

So, I plead with all of you out there who are about to schedule an appointment with your physician, dentists or other health care provider. Please make every attempt to keep that appointment. If you can't make it, call way in advance. If this is the first time, no problem. If this is becoming a habit, get counseling to help with your habit and stop wasting the time of someone who is there to help you.