April 07, 2004

By: Maggie Scholz
Website: http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com

Lifestyles - Cosmetic Dentistry and Image Guided Technology

Historically, before fluoridation made its impact, tooth decay was rampant, says Dr. Marvin Rosenberg, who is founder and senior partner of the Florida Institute for Periodontics & Dental Implants in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. Before fluoride, dentistry was a very busy profession as practitioners spent most of their time repairing and replacing teeth. The norm and the expectation was that people would eventually loose their teeth and would have to get replacements. All of this has changed as the population has far fewer cavities and the current expectation is that one could keep most of their teeth for a lifetime.

Today, people are healthier; they’re living longer, and they want to look better, Dr. Rosenberg adds, noting that the change took place about 20 years ago, with the baby boomer generation, which was thriving and wanting to look their best.

It is not unusual to see many of today’s adults wearing braces to straighten their teeth, and sporting pearly white teeth – the result of bleaching, porcelain veneers and caps. These active adults are now looking to implant dentistry to help them attain a beautiful smile.

It’s all part of cosmetic dentistry. Plastic surgeons are beginning to recognize the importance of having cosmetic and restorative dentistry performed on their patients to achieve the beautiful smile and proper bite as part of total facial cosmetic management. Dr. Rosenberg is quick to point out the changes in the way the major toothpaste manufacturers advertise their products. We used to see ads promoting anti-decay ingredients in toothpaste, now tooth whitening ingredients in toothpaste, and healthy gums for the attractive smile, are the talking points in the industry, he says.

People today are into how they look. It’s a market beyond those who want necessities. Many patients are no longer content with having missing teeth, removable appliances, and full dentures. The introduction of dental implants to North America less than 20 years ago provided the opportunity for a patient to have a permanent replacement for missing teeth.

A properly placed implant with healthy gums can support a beautiful and natural looking tooth. The key is proper planning and precision implant placement to end up with the attractive smile. We now have the ability to place implants and provide beautiful teeth for the implants the same day, and have the patient enjoy dining out that same evening.

Today, cosmetic dentistry has taken another major step forward through image guided implant technology. This revolutionary technology, which recently received FDA approval, enables the restoring dentist and the implant surgeon to plan in advance the best location for each implant in order to achieve the most functional and cosmetic results.

The surgeon then uses this new technology to place the implant in the precise location as planned with the highest level of safety and accuracy and with minimal discomfort. We recently had a patient fly in from Germany for total reconstruction, Dr. Rosenberg notes. He was an architect and engineer with a major dental problem and had seen my textbook in a bookstore in Berlin.

The book, Periodontal and Prosthetic Management of the Advanced Case, described advanced cases similar to his problem. He called from Frankfort, made an appointment, and flew to Florida. After a careful work up, we put together a team of specialists, and provided the patient with implant supported teeth, healthy gums around his remaining natural teeth that were capped, and a beautiful smile. He is one happy patient. Other noteworthy scribbles, l@@k brighter image.

Author Notes:

Maggie Scholz contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com.  Everything you need to know to get a whiter, brighter smile!