The Center for Esthetic Dentistry Blog | Dr. Charley Varipapa

Last night I had a very nice dinner at Sonoma in Capitol Hill with Spike from Aquilano Salon which is one block north of us, Dr Joe Khalil a former student of mine who is now an exceptional Prosthodontist (prosthodontists are specialists in facial prosthetics like artificial noses and ears for victims of cancer or traumatic injuries) and Mr Brandon Krapf the local rep for the Zimmer Implant Company. As someone who has been restoring implants for over 20 years I was surprised to hear from Brandon and Dr Khalil that less than 20% of dentists restore implants and and even fewer place them. We haev always considered what is in thebest interest of the patient in developing treatment plans and implant dentistry fits into that formula incredibly well.

Using bridges to replace missing teeth is not in the best interest of most patients and represents archaic treatment to say the very least. Simply being able to avoid the struggle of flossing and threading floss under bridges is reason enough to place a dental implant and not grind down adjaccent teeth to create a bridge, sacrificing 2 teeth to replace one. Teeth that are connected together loose 25 to 70% of their proprioperceptive capabilities. Proprioception is that ability to know where parts of your body are in relationship to other parts-for instance: touching your nose with your finger tip with your eyes closed.

Modern dentures can be held in place comfortably, securely and confidently with various types of implants components. It is unbelievable that someone would not at the very least be givenm the choice of having their denture secured with implants if theyare suitable for them.

By the way dinner was really nice, the pistachio ice cream (I had just a taste) was delicious! I didn't mean to ignore Spike in my dental implant disertation, he is doing great as a colorist on the national Redkin Team and will be doing hair at the big Style New York fashion shows this fall. Anyone looking for a great hair colorist or stylist should contact him or his partner Kim at their shop at 724 N Washington Street in Old Town, 703-683-0755. See ya later