Fixed Bridge Denture Replacement System - how and why I developed the idea, and what it means for you.

 

For many years after dental school, I avoided making dentures as much as I could. Many dentists feel the same way - it can be very emotionally draining for a dentist to have to pull teeth and replace them with a hard piece of plastic with "teeth" attached which won't stay put for many people. If you think about it, sore spots will be impossible to avoid since you are pressing a hard object (the denture) against soft tissue (your mouth)! How could it not hurt? I did them anyway because many of my patients could not afford the best solution - implants and fixed bridgework. I kept looking for a simpler, more affordable solution.

Mini-Implants to Support Full Lower Dentures

A few years ago I did find a compromise, at least for lower dentures. Mini dental implants are small, easily placed, and fairly effective for holding lower dentures in place. You still have to take the denture out a few times a day for cleaning, but at least it doesn't "float" all over the place and doesn't require messy denture adhesives. The problem is that the constant slight motion of the denture as folks were eating would put a tiny amount of pressure on the implant, leading to more failures than I was happy with. I replaced them at no charge, but still it was a vexing problem. Reading the dental literature convinced me that the only real solution would be to have the denture (or bridge) permanently fixed in the mouth so no movement of the implant would be possible. However, the solutions that were usually proposed involved conventional size implants, cost upwards of $50,000, required waiting several months for healing before the final bridge could be placed, and could be painful during the process. I had to find a better way.

Moving to a Fixed Solution

A few years ago some of you may have noticed on "Good Morning America" a patient who had live surgery done called "Teeth in an Hour". This procedure is also called the "All on Four" technique, and at the end of the show the patient walked out of the dentist's office with a big smile and no more dentures. Was this the secret I had been looking for?

A little investigation revealed a few problems, at least from my point of view. The cost of the implants alone, without even counting the cost of doing all the preliminary work and building the final bridge meant the average fee for this procedure was again out of reach for many of the folks I know. Might work on Wall Street, but not on Main Street! Before long a few other problems emerged such as a higher than normal failure rate - and believe me if one of only four implants fail, you have a big problem. I kept looking.

Finally, two years ago one of my sales reps for mini dental implants told me I HAD to call a certain dentist he knew who was doing something very unusual. I placed the call that very day, and the dentist and I talked for over two hours into the evening, because we were both looking for the same thing and he had a procedure that worked! I flew to his office a few weeks to see for myself. When I got back to California I ordered the materials I would need to try this new method.

In short, it worked. Using a series of mini dental implants, usually 10 to 12 on the upper and 8 to 10 on the lower, I fabricated a bridge made from a material called light-cured composite resin. This material has been used in dentistry for over 30 years, but usually as a filling material, not as a bridge. My friend was on to something.

Affordable, Full-Mouth, Fixed Bridges Were Finally a Reality

I built several bridges using this method. The implants were held firmly in place by the resin, so implant failures were reduced to near zero. Still, I didn't feel I had the perfect solution for everyone. The resin bridges looked really nice, and worked well, but they didn't have quite the same "feel" as real teeth, and it was difficult to make them look highly esthetic. I decided to try something else, using the general techniques of my friend from Tulsa, but building the bridges using "high-end" denture teeth, which are beautiful, strong, and really look natural if done right. All I needed now was a high-tech method to be sure the implants were in the right place the first time, and I would be able to finally offer denture patients a beautiful, affordable solution to an age-old problem.

3D Imaging

Enter the I-CAT x-ray. This wonderful machine uses what is called "Cone Beam Computerized Tomography", or CBCT for short. This unit can yield most of the information previously available only from a "Cat Scan", only with far less radiation exposure and at much less cost. From a 20 second scan I could see not only the front view of teeth and bone, but "cross sections" or "slices" of both the upper and lower jaw. I can see immediately if we have enough bone for implants and I can see the location of vital structures like the nerve. I can visualize and place the small diameter implants in precisely the correct place, even if there is not enough bone for conventional implants.

Time To Go Work

Time to go to work. At age 65, I am ready for a change, not retirement. I found a small dental office located in a beautiful professional building in Chico, California. The oral surgeon right across the hall owns the only I-CAT north of Sacramento, and he is happy to share! By working mostly alone, with an assistant only on surgery days, I have kept overhead low, and can pass this savings on to you. Working with a local lab and bringing an experienced Certified Dental Technician to our office to set teeth and do a try in allows us to achieve whatever esthetic look you desire! Any tooth shape and shade can be personally selected to achieve the look you want.

Call Scott at 530.873.3798 (or toll-free at 877.331.1242) and we can talk about your case after I know a little about your particular situation. Our fees are not a state secret, and I can usually give you a very accurate price after we talk for a while. I don't charge "ups and extras" - I want it done right for a single price or not at all.

If you are from out of town, I invite you to take a "Chico Dental Vacation". To help us decide before you book your trip, we can help to arrange for a x-ray lab in your area to take an i-Cat scan to send to us prior to making the trip out. Because of the small diameter of mini implants and because of the precision we can achieve using the I-Cat, most folks will NOT need augmentation, even if you have been told you needed it to place conventional implants.

You will find links on this site to hotels, restaurants, and points of interest in and around Chico. We look forward to your visit.