Are You An Ideal Candidate For Dental Implants?

The ideal candidate for dental implants are patients with overall good general health and oral care. For the implant to be successful, adequate bone in your jaw is needed for the support of the implant. The best candidates are those with healthy gum tissues and little to no periodontal disease. The benefits of dental implants for patients is not just about leaving with a great smile, but being able to eat  foods you've missed out on and an overall better quality of life!

An implant procedure is a team effort between your dentist and oral surgeon. The two will work together to determine how the implant should be placed and what type of implant should be used depending on the patients specific condition. Listed below are examples of what implant procedure(s) may be needed. 

• Replacing A Single Tooth - One implant and a crown.
• Replacing Several Teeth - Implant supported bridges will be the best option for several teeth missing.
• Replacing All Teeth - Implanted supported full bridge or denture replacements are the best options for this specific condition. 
• Sinus Augmentation - The key to a successful implant is both the quantity and quality of the bone, and where the implant is placed. The upper back jaw has been known to be a difficult area for dental implants to be successful, because the quantity and quality of the bone is not as sufficient and the close proximity to the sinus cavities. Sinus augmentation can correct this issue, by raising the sinus floor and developing more bone through bone grafting for the placement of the implant. 
• Ridge Modification - Deformities in the upper or lower jaw can leave you with less bone, leading to difficulties with dental implants. To reverse this issue, the gum is lifted and the bone defect area is exposed. The defect is then filled with bone grafting material to help build up the ridge. These modifications have been shown to improve the appearance and increase your chances of successful dental implants. 

After getting your new implants, remember that good oral health care is continually required and like your own teeth they still need the same care. Make sure to follow up with your oral surgeon after the implant(s) are placed and continue visits to your dentist for routine cleanings. 

Taking Steps To Protect Patient Information Under HIPAA

Most of us like to have all of our information and appointments readily available. But how secure is your information? Many doctor's offices are starting to send appointment reminders and updates via cell phone text or emails.
If this is something that your office has been considering, the first thing to always remember is to not divulge any prevalent information regarding patient care or medical history. A simple text or email that includes, first name of the patient, date and time of appointment and the practice name is sufficient, and may be included in the virtual reminder without jeopardizing their personal information and care.

Below are a few common misconceptions that all medical offices should be aware of to ensure their patients are covered under HIPAA

• If you are not connected to the Internet, this does not mean that all your patients' data is protected. 
• Free emails such as Gmail and Yahoo are not secure forms of correspondence. All medical offices that plan to send out appointment reminders should confirm that the Doctor has paid for a secure email provider. 
• Using personal hotspots may advertise as being secure, but they actually do not provide the minimum WPA(Wi-Fi Protected Access) protection that is required to call themselves secure.

Did You Know there are Stem Cells in Wisdom Teeth?

Did You Know there are Stem Cells in Wisdom Teeth?

The National Institutes of Health has isolated a very powerful class of stem cells in the dental pulp of teeth.   These stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into many types of tissue such as bone, cartilage, liver, and muscle.  This ability to differentiate is referred to by researchers as ‘plasticity’.  This makes the stem cells obtained from teeth particularly valuable to medical researchers as they develop new therapies to fight disease and repair injury.    

Stem cells are specialized cells that have the unique ability to regenerate and differentiate.  They are the body’s repair and maintenance cells.  They fight disease, repair injury and work to keep the body in good health.   Both the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services forecast that the almost limitless and lifesaving potential of stem cells will revolutionize the medical field and how we fight disease and repair injury.  Today, hospitals are utilizing stem cells to treat leukemia and heart failure and are growing and transplanting organs derived from a patient’s own stem cells.  Medical researchers in the emerging fields of personalized and regenerative medicine are developing stem cell based therapies to fight a variety of health conditions including, but not limited to, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Crohn’s Disease, Cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, Spinal Cord Injuries and Alzheimer’s. 

We studied the research on dental stem cells and felt a sense of urgency to offer our patients an affordable and convenient way to bank their families’ stem cells.  Partnering with StemSave allows us to offer our patients the opportunity to secure their own powerful and valuable stem cells during routine dental procedures.    

To learn more about how you can secure your family’s future health by banking their stem cells call our office today or visit www.StemSave.com.   

L. Stephen Vaughan, D.D.S, M.D.