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Implant Planning: What to Know About CBCT Scans

Implant Planning: What to Know About CBCT Scans

At Britten Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, we use 3D low radiation Cone Beam CT Scans for diagnosis and treatment planning. While it only take less than a minute, the scan supports a much higher level of patient care compare to conventional 2D X-ray films. 3D low radiation Cone Beam CT Scans allow a detailed look at existing teeth, bone, nerves, and tissue.

The 3D Cone Beam CT Scan provides three-dimensional and cross-sectional views that allow Dr. Britten to:

  • Examine the quality and density of the bone that will anchor the dental implant
  • Determine the proper treatment approach for each individual patient
  • Determine the precise placement of implants
  • Select the correct type and size of the implants
  • Avoid the nerves and sinuses.

Dr. Britten uses the best materials for implants, employing state-of-the art technology and procedures. His commitment to quality implant care has gained the confidence and earned the trust of many of patients just like you.

How 3-D Technology is Revolutionizing Implant Dentistry

Clearwater Periodontist and Dental implant specialist Dr. Todd Britten says he wants to ensure his dental implant patients have the best care possible using the latest technology available. By using advanced 3-D technology, Dr. Britten explains that he is able to obtain and review high-quality images for dental implant planning and even create a 3-D printed surgical guide.

When a patient is ready for a dental implant, Dr. Britten explains the first step is often to take a 3-D CT scan. Dr. Britten said he invested in a scanner that is both comfortable for patients, but provides high quality images at the lowest radiation levels possible. “The PAX-i3D Green is a digital imaging system that provides multiple views of a patient’s jaw and mouth. A 3-D digital scan can now be taken at the same visit in place of a tradition dental impression.” Dr. Britten explains he has a Medit i-700 scanner, making the scanning experience for our patients comfortable and easy. This digital impression can be done at the same visit as the CT scan.

He goes onto explain the patient’s CT scan and Digital Impression are then uploaded to the Dental Laboratory’s sophisticated software program. Dr. Britten plans the implant surgery (deciding on any need for bone grafting, sinus grafting and appropriate implant size and type) as well as a surgical guide to be fabricated by his experienced laboratory clinician.

The Dental Lab then can fabricate the surgical guide with their state-of-the-art 3-D printer. The process usually takes a few weeks, and then the patient is ready for dental implant surgery. Dr. Britten says with 3-D technology and imaging, he can perform dental implant surgeries with confidence, using a precision-crafted 3-D printed Implant Surgical Guide.

      

Quick, Efficient and Confident Implant Planning: 3-D Printed Dental Implant Surgical Guide and CT Scan Technology

We want to ensure that our patients have the best care possible. By using the latest technology, we are able to review high-quality images for dental implant planning and create a 3-D printed surgical guide.

Step 1: CT Scan taken in our office

Our patients deserve the best service we can offer and that is why we invest only in the finest technology.

The PAX-i3D Green is a digital imaging system that provides multiple views of a patient’s jaw and mouth (called a Cone Beam CT Scan).

 

Step 2:  Digital Scan

In place of a tradition dental impression, Dr. Britten uses a Medit  i-700 scanner to take a digital 3-D impression for the surgical guide. This can be done at the same visit as the CT scan!

Step 3:  Planning the Surgery 

Your CT scan and Digital Impression are uploaded to the Dental Laboratory’s sophisticated software program. Dr. Britten plans your implant surgery and  surgical guide along with an experienced laboratory clinician.

Step 4:  3-D Printed Surgical Guide

Our Dental Lab will fabricate the surgical guide with their state-of-the-art 3-D printer. We usually receive your surgical implant guide in four weeks from the time the digital impression and CT scan is completed in our office.

Step 5: Dental implant surgery

Dr. Britten can perform your dental implant surgery with confidence, using a precision-crafted Scan Implant Surgical Guide. This ensures the highest degree of safety and accuracy of the implant placement.

How to Care for Dental Implants: Interdental Brushes

Care for your dental implants just as well as you would care for your natural teeth. Thorough oral hygiene is necessary to prevent diseases to develop around the implants. With proper home care and regular professional maintenance, you can make your new teeth last throughout life. There are various types of implants which may need different home care.

TePe offers a range of products to make cleaning easier. Your dental professional will help you choose the products to suit your particular needs and preferences.

Mucositis (gum inflammation around implants) and peri-implantitis (bone-loss around implants) is caused by dental plaque. Therefore, it is important to clean all implant surfaces, especially between implants and the adjacent tooth. Pay extra attention to the areas where gums and implant meet. Sometimes this can be hard to see where the implant is, so remember to ask your dental professional exactly where your implants are placed. In case of pain or suspected inflammation, a dental professional should be consulted as well.

Products We Love: Tepe Compact Tuft Brush

An oral hygiene product we love is the Compact Tuft Brush from TEPE!

The brush is designed to clean hard-to-reach areas, such as implants, attachments for overdentures, fixed braces or along the gum line.

TePe Compact Tuft™ is an angled brush with a small, dome-shaped tuft with tightly packed short bristles that give a firm feel. The stable handle and dense, firm tuft make this brush ideal for precise cleaning of hard-to-reach areas. The brush is suitable for cleaning implants, attachments for overdentures, fixed braces or along the gum line. It is also ideal for brushing children’s erupting molars.

Available on Amazon.com or TEPE.com

Antioxidants for Oral and Overall Health

Adding antioxidants to your diet has been shown to fight inflammation naturally and help protect from disease. Chronic inflammatory diseases are becoming more severe and common and currently contribute to more than half of the deaths worldwide. Inflammation is associated with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and heart disease, lung and airway diseases like asthma, metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, mental illnesses like depression, and some forms of cancer such as colon cancer.

Both for oral health and overall health, it is helpful to regularly take antioxidants and/or natural anti-inflammatory items into your diet to help reduce inflammation systemically.

 Anti-inflammatory foods

Not every food (or antioxidant) works for every person but encouraging your patients to include them in their diet could provide them with an extra line of defense.

According to the American Heart Association, the following foods are high in antioxidants or have a high degree of anti-inflammatory effect.

  • Fatty fishes high in omega-3 fatty acids are well known for reducing inflammation. They include fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel. Some of these can be high in mercury, so eating them more than three times per week is generally not recommended.
  • Dark leafy greens. Generally, the darker or more colorful the vegetable, the higher the antioxidative effect. Remember, patients on certain anticoagulants and those with a specific type of kidney stone disease need to limit their intake of some dark leafy greens.
  • Tea is well known for containing many types of antioxidants. Green tea has been shown to have a higher level of antioxidants, but they are present in black and white teas also.
  • Whole grains. One current diet fad is to go “gluten-free.” Unless you have celiac disease or a medically confirmed gluten intolerance whole grains are an important source of protein and fiber in addition to their anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Examples of healthy whole grains include whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, barley, brown rice, and popcorn (with minimal salt and butter).
  • Nuts are full of antioxidants and reduce inflammation. In addition, they are high in fiber which makes you feel full.
  • Ginger. In addition to its anti-inflammatory effect, ginger helps to settle an upset stomach, reduce the effects of motion sickness, and reduces muscle soreness.

Source: Dr. Robert Winter, Spear Digest

Dental Benefits: How Can They Help Pay for Periodontal Treatment

Dr. Britten accepts your dental insurance as an out of network provider. What does this mean for you?
 
Understandably, many patients often have questions when it comes to understanding and utilizing dental insurance benefits, especially if extensive dentistry is needed. Dental insurance can provide assistance for dental health care expenses, however, often procedures that are covered often vary widely and the benefit to us is often below the actual cost of treatment.
 
When choosing how to budget for dental health care, or choosing the right benefit plan, it is important to take into consideration the different types of plans available. There are usually two main kinds of insurance plans: group plans or individual plans. A group plan, typically offered by your employer, is often a better value for your money when it comes to dental insurance. These plans have lower premiums and reasonable benefit coverage. Your benefit package can vary greatly depending upon what your employer has negotiated with the insurance company. Group plans often include dental HMOs, PPOs and indemnity plans. It is important to investigate if the plan that you select will allow you to see the doctor you want to see as well as receive the care you deserve. HMO’s typically only let you visit a doctor within your network, whereas a PPO and indemnity plan will still allow you coverage outside the insurance company’s “network”. Another type of plan, an individual plan, is also available. These plans are often more costly in the long run than simply “paying as you go” for your dental care. These plans can have high premiums and restrictive limitations on treatment and reimbursement.
 
As an out-of-network provider, our office can provide a treatment plan that is based on your clinical needs, overall health, financial limitations and desires and preferences. Following an extensive exam, and thorough consultation with Dr. Britten, you can make better decisions for your dental health care that are in your best interest to support lasting oral health:
 
Your periodontal health has an effect on your daily quality of life as well as your overall health. Addressing dental issues in earlier stages will save money in the long run. But no matter if you are experiencing a minor or isolated issue, or a more generalized or even severe issue, Dr. Britten and his staff are dedicated to helping you attain the best possible quality of life through conservative, comprehensive periodontal care. Our goal is to help our patients to restore our patients’ smiles to what was naturally intended: a healthy, natural, beautiful, and functional smile.

What are the consequences of missing teeth?

There are actually several negative consequences of missing some or all of your teeth. First, missing teeth will affect the esthetics of your face. Not only will your smile be affected by the gaps from missing teeth, but if you’re missing too many teeth, the skin around your mouth won’t be supported properly and will start to sag, making your appear older than you are. Additionally, missing teeth will make it more difficult to chew your food properly and may even affect the way you speak. Finally, missing even one tooth may have emotional consequences; many people feel less confident about their smile when they are missing teeth. If you are currently missing any of your teeth, consider replacing them with dental implants, which can look and feel just like natural teeth. For more information about implants, browse perio.org or talk to your periodontist.

–Perio.org

Why Choose a Dental Implant Specialist

Dental Implants, explained:
While regular brushing, flossing, and checkups allow many of us to maintain our natural smiles for a lifetime, sometimes our teeth just can’t keep up. If you’ve lost a tooth (or a few teeth) due to injury or disease, dental implants can rejuvenate both your smile and your oral health.

An implant is a synthetic tooth root in the shape of a post that is surgically placed into the jawbone. The “root” is usually made of titanium (the same material used in many replacement hips and knees), a metal that is well suited to pairing with human bone. A replacement tooth is then fixed to the post. The tooth can be either permanently attached or removable. Permanent teeth are more stable and feel more like natural teeth.

Implants often require planning through the use of CT scans performed in our office, or surgical implant guides, such as the one shown in this video.

When it comes to Dental Implants, Why Choose a Specialist?
We get this question a lot, especially since a lot of general dentists are starting to place more implants. Placing dental implants is often not part of the normal general dentist curriculum. Many general dentists received their training in implant dentistry after graduation where they attend weekend courses or classes and get to place around twenty implants before they begin to implement implant placement in their office.

A graduate periodontal program or residency includes three years of training beyond dental school. During that time periodontal residents are taught the history, science, healing, and proper placement and management of dental implants. An average periodontal resident will place upwards of 100 dental implants during their residency, and are trained to manage surgical complications, including, bleeding, infection, and bone grafting procedures to enhance the success of the procedure.  Because of their advanced training, periodontists are often more equipped to provide the success and deal with the complications that may arise when evaluating a patient for implant placement.

Dental implants may be the best choice for an individual whose gum disease has reached the point of infection that can not be treated, and periodontists are the most highly-trained specialist for treatment of gum disease.

Periodontists are also highly trained in the following procedures and skills:

  • Removing infection from the implant site – removing infection is one of the most important steps of a dental implant procedure. If an implant becomes infected, the patient may experience extreme levels of pain. Periodontists are able to adequately prepare and treat periodontal disease prior to the implant procedure.
  • Implant site monitoring – periodontists are also able to monitor the implant site following the procedure. They are able to recognize any signs of infection, if the implants are successful in integration, and any other issues that may arise with the implant itself.
  • As an implant specialist, Dr. Britten is highly trained and experienced in the most advanced and current technologies used for long-term implant health and success. He believes in using the best diagnostic tools as well as the highest quality implants in his practice. Dr. Britten works closely with the best restorative dentists in the Tampa Bay area to obtain the best possible outcome for his patients’ implants. For more information, contact us at 727-586-2681.

Q: My periodontist informed me that I need implants, but I can’t afford them at this time. Is there any financial assistance for periodontal treatments?

There are a few resources you can research for financial assistance. The first is your periodontist. Many periodontists are willing to set up financing options, such as a payment plan. They also may know of insurance plans that can help cover the cost of your implants.

Another resource is your state dental society. They may be able to give a listing of organizations or individuals that may help subsidize the cost of your implants. Find the contact information for your state society.

Finally, contact a local college or university. Many universities have dental schools that offer clinics that provide care at a reduced cost. Select from a list of schools that have periodontal programs.

–Perio.org

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