Here is more information about an innovative technology for dental implants that enables you to have your new teeth and implants in an hour’s visit to the dentist.
Conventional Dental Implants
Conventional dental implant treatment requires the dental implants to be placed several months before the functional teeth are replaced. Thus, there is usually a time lapse between the time that the implant(s) are placed and the time that the patient has his or her final functional teeth.
The three dimensional software that maps out the placement of the implants before surgery
Advanced Imaging and Computer Design Technology
Teeth-in-an-Hour™ from Nobelbiocare utilizes advanced imaging and computer design technology to enable implants and teeth to be placed at the same time. The implants are placed using a minimally invasive procedure under local anesthesia. No surgical incision or cut is required in the gum. This allows speedy healing and little post-treatment discomfort. It is not uncommon for patients to walk out of the clinic after surgery and carry on their normal daily activities immediately. Interruption of one’s usual routine is rare.
The surgical guide used for the placement of the dental implants
Benefits of Teeth-in-an-Hour implants
Fast Conventional implant procedures take four to nine months and may require multiple surgeries to complete. Teeth-in-an-Hour™ allows up to 28 teeth to be implanted at one time within a short clinical session. There is also minimal disruption to normal lifestyle.
Safe
Safety of the procedure is enhanced due to advanced computer modeling. The placement of the dental implants is simulated in the computer using a special software and digital computer tomography scan information. This allows the operating dentist to visualize all the crucial anatomical structure digitally and it improves the predictability and safety of the procedure.
Perfect fit The use of computer tomography scan and careful pre-surgical evaluation allows for perfectly fitted implant teeth.
What does the procedure involve?
1. Initial evaluation and imaging
The dentist will examine the patient to determine whether he or she is suitable for the procedure. A computer tomography scan of patient´s jaw is performed to collect digital information about the patient´s jaw bone contour. A three-dimensional (3D) digital model of the jaw will be reformatted on the computer.
2. Measurement
Upon confirmation of a patient’s suitability, a second consultation will be needed for making measurements for the fabrication of the implant teeth. It is also possible to combine the initial evaluation and the measurement appointment into one consultation session, if necessary.
The preparation process commonly requires two visits before the surgery, from the first consultation to the time that the final teeth are placed. The process is estimated to take approximately two to three weeks. This is because part of the work is done in Sweden and it takes time for shipment from Sweden to the clinic. The clinical procedure takes approximately one hour (hence the name, Teeth-in-an-Hour™)
After The New Teeth Are In
Under a little local anesthesia, occasionally in combination with a mild general anaesthetic (called sedation), the procedures are carried out pain free. However, it is essential to take the prescribed medicine during the post-treatment period, which ensures painless recovery.
Patients can immediately resume regular activities with no restrictions. Some may choose to take it easy for a day or two – it is a matter of personal choice.
For more information on Teeth-in-an-Hour, click here.
Trailers for “Putting the Sparkle Back into your Smile: A Dental Seminar that Bridges Function & Aesthetics” started airing on Channel NewsAsia today. The seminar, organized by Specialist Dental Group™ and Channel NewsAsia, will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at the Suntec Convention Centre in Singapore from 2pm to 5:30 pm. More information on the Seminar can be found at http://www.specialistdentalgroup.com/events.php. The trailer for the event can also be viewed at the link.
“This is the first time that Specialist Dental Group™ is embarking on such a major public education program. We thought that this was a great way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of our clinic,” said Dr. Neo Tee Khin, Partner and Prosthodontist with Specialist Dental Group™.
Specialist Dental Group™, formerly known as Henry Lee Dental Surgery, was founded by Dr. Henry Lee, a well-respected oral surgeon. Dr. Lee also placed the first titanium dental implants in Singapore more than 20 years ago and this strength in dental implants has continued to be reflected in the multi-specialty team at Specialist Dental Group™.
According to Dr. Ansgar C. Cheng, also a Partner and Prosthodontist with the clinic, six leading specialists from the clinic will be sharing their expertise with seminar attendees on the following topics: · The Mouth & Body Connection; · Restoring your Sparkling Smile; · The Straight Truth about Braces; · Dental Surgery Now Pain-Free; and · Filling Gaps & Brightening Smiles
Invisalign is a new way to straighten teeth without braces by using a series of clear removable aligners. When worn, the aligners are virtually invisible… – one patient reported that she wore Invisalign aligners for several days without anyone in her family or workplace noticing until she called it to their attention!
Invisalign was launched in Singapore in 2005 (it was launched in 2002 in Hong Kong and Australia). Specialist Dental Group has four Invisalign-accredited dentists on our team, including Dr Eugene Chan and Dr Patricia Yeong. Gone are the days of the “metal mouth”…. with Invisalign, you can go about your daily activities with minimal disruption to your schedule. You can also eat anything you like as the aligners are removed for meals, and put on again after you have brushed your teeth….this also leads to better oral hygiene.
Background Facts
* Invisalign has been around for about 10 years in the USA – over 950,000 patients have been treated worldwide
* More than 52,000 dentists have been trained in Invisalign
* Over 500 new Invisalign cases everyday
* Over 20 million aligners have been shipped worldwide
How Invisalign Works
Invisalign uses clear aligners to move teeth. The aligners are changed every two weeks, allowing gradual movement of teeth and minimizing discomfort. These aligners are customized for every patient. Patients are generally given three sets of aligners and they only see the dentist every 6 weeks to check on the progress of their case. Thus, there is reduced frequency of appointments needed compared with braces which requires appointments on a monthly basis.
Key Benefits of Invisalign
1) Teeth are straightened invisibly – as mentioned above, few people can tell that you are wearing Invisalign….it is analogous to wearing contact lenses. Patients using Invisalign smile more during treatment and it does not affect their social life.
2) Invisalign aligners are removable – you can eat or drink anything and can easily brush/floss your teeth resulting in beetter oral hygiene. Studies have shown that Invisalign wearers have better oral hygiene and less gum problems compared with braces patients.
3) Comfortable – since there are no brackets, there are fewer abrasions to the mouth during treatment. The teeth also feel less sore since less force is used as the aligners are changed every two weeks, compared with the monthly adjustment for braces.
The Invisalign Consultation
Your dentist will examine your dental condition and discuss with you the various options to straighten your teeth, including the advantages and disadvantages of each method. If you decide to proceed with Invisalign, an impression of your teeth will be taken as well as a photograph (front and profile) of your current dental condition.
Your dental impression will be sent to a CT scanning machine and incorporated into the ClinCheck 3D animation software. This is a web-based computer program which will show the movement of your teeth from start to finish. Your dentist will discuss the ClinCheck case with you and make any necessary adjustments to your treatment plan. Once approved, all the clear customized aligners required for Invisalign treatment will be fabricated. For more information on Invisalign, please click here.
We are excited to announce the release of our corporate video online. You can view it at YouTube or on our Facebook page.
For those of you who are not in Singapore, the video gives you a glimpse of what a beautiful city Singapore is, and how the excellent healthcare here makes this a wonderful destination to combine rest, relaxation (or business) and wellness/medical check-ups together with dental check-ups and procedures.
You can also get to know the dental team at Specialist Dental Group a little better and view our facilities. For further information or to contact us, please visit our website
Specialist Dental Group is delighted to announce that we have just uploaded our Teeth-in-an-Hour dental implants patient video on YouTube. It is also available on our Facebook Fan Page.
This is probably the first patient video posted online that has been created by a dental clinic in Singapore (and possibly Malaysia/Indonesia). We are really excited about this as one of the missions of Specialist Dental Group is to promote more awareness of dental health and innovations.
About the Patient
The video tells the story of Gregory, a Singaporean man who had lost almost all his teeth several years ago. He had to resort to wearing dentures which were not only uncomfortable, but also affected his speech and his self-confidence. In fact, there were many occasions where he preferred to remove his dentures rather than have them on. Gregory went through the Nobel Biocare Teeth-in-an-Hour implant procedure on his lower jaw in June 2008 as the first part of his dental makeover. While patients normally can have the Teeth-in-an-Hour implants performed on both jaws simultaneously, in Gregory’s situation, it was decided to perform the procedure on two separate occasions. Thus, Gregory was in a unique position to compare what it was like to wear dentures on his upper jaw, while having dental implants on his lower jaw. His dental makeover was completed in August when he went through the Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure on his upper jaw. The video follows his journey for this procedure.
About Teeth-in-an-Hour Dental Implants Teeth-in-an-Hour dental implants is a revolutionary way to replace multiple missing teeth. Unlike conventional dental implants which require 4 to 9 months to complete since time is required for the implant to integrate with the jawbone, the whole process is completed in a much shorter period of time with Teeth-in-an-Hour.
As its name states, the patient enters the dental clinic for Teeth-in-an-Hour implants and leaves the clinic about an hour later with his new teeth! This is made possible through use of the patient’s CT scan and three-dimensional CAD-CAM computer imaging which allows the dentist to plan the procedure ahead of time. The images are then transmitted to Nobel Biocare’s lab in Sweden where a customized surgical template is fabricated and sent back to the dental clinic. This takes about 2 weeks. Thus, the overall time involved is about 2 weeks over the space of a minimum of 2 appointments. More details on Teeth-in-an-Hour dental implants can be found at the Specialist Dental Group website or by clicking on the link on the left hand menu.
The three dimensional software that maps out the placement of the implants before surgery
The surgical guide used for the placement of the dental implants
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