About Cosmetic Dentistry Discussion : Re: Abutments strangely placed?

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Re: Abutments strangely placed?

Posted by cs on 11/29/2011, 1:20 am, in reply to "Abutments strangely placed?"

Has your wife discussed her concerns with the dentist placing the implants?

If she hasn't, that might be a good place to start. For example, what looks misaligned to her, might be perfectly normal once the implants are placed (although I admit it that to me, as a lay person, it doesn't sound like they would).

You also didn't mention who is placing the implant . . . his/her specialty (if s/he has one) . . . his/her training and experience . .. and possibly most important — if s/he is solely responsible for the work or collaborating with another caregiver.

Although that sort of arrangement is not a necessity, some dentists prefer to partner up with a colleague whose skills complement his/her own (e.g. general dentist and prosthodontist . . . or sometimes a cosmetic dentist and oral surgeon.)

Since my own implant was placed by an individual dentist, placement of the posts was not an issue, because he was able to embed them exactly where he envisioned; but when
two or more are involved, it's easy to see how the result might be less precise. On the other hand, dentists who specialize in implants sometimes rely on hi tech equipment to guide them in placing those posts in specific locations. If that kind of equipment was used in your wife's case, the spot in which they were implanted is more likely to be intentional and related to a larger vision of how the implant will fit in juxtapostion with other teeth.

In other words, the best source of information regarding your wife's implant probably is the dentist in charge of the work. But if I were in her shoes and worried about placement, I would discuss my concerns with my dentist, asap. While there may be no reason for concern at this point, calling attention to the site might prevent a problem later on, when (if a problem exists) it might be more difficult to correct.