Posted by writeradmin
I need some advice. I had a seven unit bridge placed with dental implants for support. My dentist had placed it with temporary cement, but they fell out fairly quickly. When I went back in, he bonded them with the permanent cement. I noticed several days later after everything calmed down that the teeth themselves look awful. They are too long for the rest of my smile. Plus, the teeth are not smooth and feel very dry. I went to my dentist and he said they look fine to him and there would be nothing they could do anyway because changing them would destroy the bridge and the implants. Does that mean I’m stuck with these?
Martha
Dear Martha,
I hate when I hear these dental horror stories. The one good thing about this is that so far, your dental implants appear to be in good shape. Some stories like yours have serious damage to their jaw or infections that set into their bone. The bad news is that when the problems are with how the teeth look, you are not likely to get much help unless your dentist has the integrity to care how his patients feel about the appearance of their teeth.
The standard for dental care is functional. In order to get beautiful results, it is helpful to go to a cosmetic dentist who cares about the aesthetics of the case. There are engineering dentists who only care about fixing things, and there are dentists that care about both form and function. The dryness on your teeth might be something that you can do something about. I would dry off your teeth and then try to make a mark on one of them with a pencil. If you can make a pencil mark, that means the protective glaze was somehow damaged. He should repair that. If he is not a skilled dentist, he may not know how to polish them up to get the shine on them. If that is the case, there are YouTube videos, but he may be better off talking to his supply representative who he’ll need to get the polishing equipment from and they can show him how to use it.
An option you have for how long they are is to have an expert implant dentist look at your bridge to see if they are properly placed. If he or she determines they are not, you could get their help in having your dentist refund them and starting over. Though, if the implants are removed, you will need a bone grafting procedure in order to replace the implants.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.