dental implants

Science Friday: New Denture Ceramic for Dentistry

February 3, 2012 By Catherine Hughes Leave a Comment

Stronger, prettier dentures? New ceramic materials for dental bridges?

Chemists in Germany believe they have made a breakthrough in creating a better ceramic.

Glass chemist Prof. Dr. Christian Rüssel of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) and his colleagues of the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry were successful in producing a new nanocrystalline glass ceramic, which may be suitable for use in dentistry due to their strength and optical characteristics.

Science Daily News is reporting that the glass chemists of Jena University have recently published their ceramic research results in the online-edition of the science magazine Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.

Prof. Rüssel told SDN,”We achieve a strength five times higher than with comparable denture ceramics available today. In combination with new optical characteristics an additional field of application is opening up for these materials in dentistry. The enamel is partly translucent, which the ceramic is also supposed to be.”

The fundamental materials are melted at approximately 1.500 °C, then cooled before being finely cut up. The material is then melted and cooled a second time. Finally, the nanocrystals are produced by controlled heating to about 1,000 °C, which determines the crystallisation crucial for the strength of the product.

According to Rüssel, the ceramic ends up looking translucent, like a natural tooth.

This is good news for dentists, denture patients and those seeking dental implants who want the look and strength of regular teeth.

Dental Care: The Truth About Who is Placing Dental Implants (video)

November 29, 2011 By Catherine Hughes Leave a Comment

Dental Care: The Truth About Who is Placing Dental Implants (video) Prosthodontists, periodontists and oral surgeons love dental implants, and so do general dentists. Specialists claim they are more qualified to place dental implants, but a lot of general dentists place dental implants.

Said one general dentist, “I place implants myself, but only in ideal situations.”

Another general dentist said, “After referring to specialists and getting back poor work , I thought: How much worse can I do? Now I offer implants.”

This The Wealthy Dentist survey asked the question that many dentists requested we ask: Do you place your own dental implants?

Click on Play to hear how dentists and specialists responded –

Ever since American Idol judge and Aerosmith lead singer, Steven Tyler received dental implants this year to restore his two front teeth by a dentist in Paraguay, there’s been a new surge of interest in implant technology.

What are your thoughts on who should be placing dental implants?

Filed Under: Dental Implants, The Wealthy Dentist Tagged With: cosmetic dentistry, dental, Dental Care, dental implants, dental survey, dental surveys, dentist, dentistry, dentists, survey, video marketing

Dental Implants: What Do Dentists Charge?

June 28, 2011 By Catherine Hughes 3 Comments

dental implants survey In this survey, we asked dentists what was the average cost for dental implants. Dentists reported an average of $1,559 from a general dentist, and $1,853 from a specialist.

“It needs to be less expensive,” complained a Missouri dentist.

“I wish surgical fees for implants weren’t as steep as they are,” said a Washington dentist. “The price point seems to prevent a good share of my patients from receiving the service.”

Here are some other comments from dentists on dental implants:

“We charge $1,750 for first implant then $1,200 for additional implants placed at the same time.” (New York dentist)

“I am a general dentist who places implants. If I place the implant, I charge for the crown — not the abutment. If I send the case to the surgeon, then I charge for the abutment and the crown.” (Georgia dentist)

“I bill out implant, abutment-type and crown-type all separately.” (Colorado dentist)

“I do ceramic (zirconium) implants. They are more bio-compatible and more esthetic. I charge $3800/implant, but for the implant itself is $600.” (General dentist)

“I find that it is easier to restore, but are some dentists charging more than $850?” (Florida dentist)

Filed Under: Dental Implants Tagged With: dental implants, dental survey, survey

Dentists: How Much Does Dental Implant Treatment Cost Per Implant?

June 17, 2011 By Catherine Hughes 1 Comment

take the TWD dental survey on wisdom teeth Dentists: please participate in our implant treatment cost survey.

As part of The Wealthy Dentist dialogue on dental practice management and marketing, we offer weekly surveys and invite your participation.

In order to understand different perspectives on the dental industry, we have developed surveys to canvas a diverse group of dental practices on their view of the dental industry, what constitutes current good practice in dental marketing and quality care.

The information collected will be used to prepare articles for The Wealthy Dentist readership.

This survey was closed on June 28, 2011.

If you’d like to be notified about future dental surveys, please sign up for our weekly newsletter in the right sidebar.

Filed Under: Dental Surveys Tagged With: dental implants, survey

Survey: What Questions Do Patients Ask About Dental Implants?

March 22, 2011 By Jim Du Molin 14 Comments

top 5 questions patients ask about implants We conducted a survey that asked dentists what questions dental patients ask when considering getting implants. It turns out that there’s a real difference between the questions dental implant patients do ask — and which questions they should be asking.

Dentists responded with the following . . .

The top 5 questions dental patients ask -

How much do dental implants cost?
How long do dental implants last?
Are implants painful?
How long will it take to get my new teeth?
Does dental insurance cover implant surgery?

Versus . . .

The top 5 questions dentists want patients to ask -

Am I a good candidate for implants?
What are the potential complications of dental implant therapy?
How much implant experience does the doctor have?
What is the healing time for my implants?
Can implants improve my appearance?

Many dental implant patients seem to have the same questions about dental implant therapy. Unfortunately, these questions aren’t necessarily the ones dentists think they should be asking.

The 2 main questions patients ask are -

How much do dental implants cost?
Will dental implant surgery be painful?

When dentists feel their very first question should be -

Am I a good candidate for dental implants?

There is really a disconnect between the doctor and patient. This is no surprise, since patients are thinking about how they are going to pay for the implants, and whether the procedure will be painful.

But doctors can’t afford not to address the primary concerns of the patient first: cost and pain.

One dentist wrote, “Long term, when the conditions are favorable, proper bone density, height and width, proper biomechanical considerations, proper occlusal load. A dental implant is more cost effective over a 3 unit bridge. However, when the above conditions are not meet — the 3 unit bridge (with sufficient ferule, impressions taken with custom made tray and properly impressioned, properly articulated, preprosthetic endodontic treatment performed by an endodontist, core-restoration — not in composite) will be more cost effective (for the patient).”