I’ve had lots of x-rays and now my dentist wants to do some CT scans as well. Is this truly necessary for dental implants? I’m concerned it’s unnecessary and it does cost a pretty penny.
Jared
Dear Jared,
You can skip some x-rays, but I wouldn’t skip the CT scan for your dental implants. Placing dental implants is a 3-Dimensional job and does require 3-D scans. There have been cases with people who ended up having their sinuses perforated because their dentist didn’t do a CT scan and they didn’t have the proper topography for the placement.
Some dentists try to avoid this without doing a CT scan by using shorter implant fixtures so they don’t have to worry about arranging a CT scan. Unfortunately, these tend to fail because there isn’t enough depth to sustain the implant longterm and it ends up failing. The patient will never know it was because of the size of the implant.
It sounds to me like your dentist is taking the right precautions to give you the best shot at a successful dental implant case. I’d trust him on this.
The Color of Your Dental Implant Crown
Once your implant site has healed and begins to integrate with the bone it is time to start thinking about the implant crown. The crown will be made to match your adjacent teeth exactly. It’s important to know that once the porcelain crown is made, the color is permanent. If you decide at a later date to whiten your teeth, the crown will not whiten with it. You’ll have to replace it after the teeth whitening is done.
If you are able to, it will save you money, in the long run, to whiten your teeth before you get your crown made. This way it can be made to match the color you hope to keep for many years. It is certainly not required but it is something worth considering.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.