>>>>I guess if I learned anything from my recent dental work experience is
>>>>that I will never
[quoted text clipped - 58 lines]
> thank you,
> slava.
There are risks in implants, of course. There is no medical/surgical
procedure that is without risks.
One of the risks is bacterial infection. The risk of bacterial
infection in implants is small but real. Most of these infections will
become apparent rather quickly however.
There is no way to avoid bacteria in the mouth. Furthermore, anything
that passes the gums has the potential for putting bacteria into the
mouth. This includes both endodontically-treated teeth, implants, and
otherwise healthy teeth that have NOT had root canal treatment. The
magnitude of the bacterial risk is substantially greater in the presence
of periodontal disease, and the connection between perio disease and
other somatic ailments is gradually becoming better documented. The
only way to avoid this however is to have all natural teeth extracted,
and I don't think there are any ethical dentists ready to make this
general recommendation.
Please understand that the thinking on this is subject to change, and
that in fact it has changed over the years. To give one example, it was
until the past 20 years or so a pretty routine recommendation to have
all patients getting radiation therapy to the head and neck to have all
remaining teeth extracted, at least in the path of the radiation beam.
This is no longer a routine recommendation, but the rationale for this
recommendation was based on fact.
There are other medical factors that may affect recommendations about
dental care. One that has recently become better known is the danger of
surgery of the jaws to anyone receiving certain drugs of the
bisphosphonate class. These patients (mostly patients with metastatic
cancer) are definitely cautioned against any surgery of the jaws,
including extractions or the placement of implants.
Steve

Signature
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
slavarevutchi@gmail.com - 04 Jan 2006 17:01 GMT
> There are risks in implants, of course. There is no medical/surgical
> procedure that is without risks.
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> cancer) are definitely cautioned against any surgery of the jaws,
> including extractions or the placement of implants.
thank you, Steven.
So implants are no panacea either, ha? :)
How long can implants potentialy last? Let's say I get the implant and
it integrates well and
it goes for one or two years without any problem. Provided that I take
good care of it
and don't crack walnuts on it, can it last as long as I do? I'm 34 now.
slava.