2011 November Archive - Dr. Mitchell A. Josephs' Blog

Archive for November, 2011

Is a Prosthodontist Necessary?

Posted on: November 29th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I need extensive implant, crown and cosmetic work. Must I go to a prosthodontist? Beverly in West Palm Beach

A: If you ask ten people in a room: “What does a prosthodontist do for a living?” nine out of ten will say: “Remove hemorrhoids?” Sorry, wrong end of the body. A prosthodontist does an extra 24 months of training after dental school, in crown and bridgework placed over natural teeth or on top of implants, as well as porcelain veneers. This allows them to classify themselves as “specialists” and limits the scope of their practice. Their fees tend to be higher on average compared to highly qualified general dentists.

It is not mandatory to be treated by a prosthodontist. There are tens of thousand of general dentists in the USA who have done more of the above procedures than many prosthodontists. A general dentist who practices in an affluent area is likely to have performed more veneer and implant cases than a prosthodontics in a rural or lower socioeconomic area. Either type of dentist can do the job.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE LECTURE on Incision-Free Dental Implant Surgery, Digital Crowns & Veneers and How to Choose a Hi Tech Dental Office at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday December 1stat 4:00 pm. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 13 seats left. Call today to register at 561-832-2917

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and hosts the “Tooth Talk” radio show on Fridays at 11am and Tuesdays at 8:30am on WBZT AM1230. (www.radiotoothtalk.com) On staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Dr. Mitchell Josephs is on the Faculty Advisory Board at McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry. Send questions to drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com or call 888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684) or visit www.palmbeachdentist.com

Osteoporosis Meds and Dental Surgery

Posted on: November 22nd, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I need some teeth pulled and some implants, but have heard medication I take for osteoporosis can put me in danger of getting complications in my jawbone. Should I be worried? Doris in Wellington

A: Sometimes the media gets on a topic like orange on a Home Depot apron. They just love juicy stories that scare the public half to death.

A comprehensive article in the November Journal of the American Dental Association now sets the guideline straight. “The prevalence of patients getting ONJ (osteonecrosis of the jaw: areas of dead bone that protrude through the gum tissue.) Is .10 percent”. (As in one 1/10^th of one percent i.e. small.) And, “no validated diagnostic test including the CTX test, predicts a patient’s risk level of developing ONJ. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a holiday form these drugs (Boniva, Aredia, Actonel, Fosamex, etc.) or waiting periods before performing dental treatment for prevention of ONJ”.

This will be addressed at next month’s seminar. For free literature on this topic, call or drop us an email.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE LECTURE on Incision-Free Dental Implant Surgery, Digital Crowns & Veneers and How to Choose a Hi Tech Dental Office at the Double Tree Hotel, PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday December 1stat 4:00 pm. Attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 16 seats left. Call today to register at 561-832-2917

Dr. Mitchell Josephs practices Cosmetic, Implant and General Dentistry in Palm Beach and hosts the “Tooth Talk” radio show live on Fridays at 11am and Tuesdays at 8:30am on WBZT AM1230. (www.radiotoothtalk.com) On staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Dr. Mitchell Josephs is on the Faculty Advisory Board at McGill University’s Faculty of Dentistry. Send questions to drjosephs@palmbeachdentist.com or call 888-DRTOOTH (888-378-6684) or visit www.palmbeachdentist.com

Porcelain Veneers’ Completion Time

Posted on: November 15th, 2011 by Dr. Mitchell Josephs No Comments

Q: I have been considering veneers and would like them to be finished in time for X-mas and New Year’s. Is this possible? Mariah in Boynton

A: I get this question in mid November, every year. Basically, it’s the old lyric: “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” I think the request works for Chanukah and Ramadan as well.

For a typical full smile, ten-tooth upper case; allow four weeks. First visit: preliminary impressions and photos for the lab with all design notes and any photos of yourself from your past or models cut out from magazines. Second visit: the teeth are made numb, shaped with diamond drills, impressed (with a digital impression scanner called iTero, or traditional “goop” impressions, depending on your doctor’s choice), followed by placement of temporary acrylic veneers. Visit Three: temporaries are photographed and impressed to send to the lab with final design notes and shade choice. Three weeks from this point, your veneers should be back from the lab for insertion.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Mitchell Josephs will be giving a FREE LECTURE on Incision-Free Dental Implant Surgery, Digital Crowns & Veneers and How to Choose a Hi Tech Dental Office at the Double Tree Hotel on PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday December 1stat 4:00 pm. All attendees will receive a FREE copy of his book: “Tooth Talk”. There are only 22 seats left. Call today to register at 561-832-2917