Using Dental Implants to Treat Periodontal Disease

While easily prevented, gum disease can leave a lasting negative impact on the rest of your smile. In more advanced cases, periodontitis can cause teeth loss, compromising the long-term function, aesthetics, and health of the dentition.

For patients suffering from advanced gum disease, treatment and restoration go hand in hand. In Northern Virginia, Lorton-Springfield oral surgeon Dr. Snehal Patel offers dental implants as a long-term restorative solution for people who have lost one or more teeth to gum disease. By coordinating treatment and restoration care closely with your general dentist and periodontist, our oral surgeon in Springfield helps patients reverse the damage caused by advanced periodontitis and restore function to their smile.

Why Consider Dental Implants after Gum Disease

Treating advanced gum disease requires a multi-faceted approach. In cases where infection has caused tooth loss or bone deterioration, treating and removing infected tissue is just one part of the solution. While some may opt for traditional tooth replacement, dentures and bridges do not fully address bone loss, opening to door for further dental issues in the future.

Dental implants are purposely designed to functionally mimic natural teeth and interact with bone tissue just like natural teeth roots. As a result, implants stimulate bone regrowth, preventing further tissue resorption and protecting the overall structure of the jaw. Since most patients with weakened jaw bones often require bone grafting prior to implant placement, this oral surgery further reinforces the jaw bone and helps improve overall oral health.

Above the gums, dental implants serve as a sterile tooth replacement, protecting dental alignment and restoring missing teeth without compromising neighboring healthy teeth. While patients recovering from gum disease do have a higher risk of implant failure, comprehensive gum disease therapy before implant placement and vigilant oral hygiene following implant treatment can enhance the longevity of your new restoration.

Dental Implants in Lorton and Springfield

During your implant treatment, our goal is to ensure long-lasting, predictable results. By relying on the latest dental technology and coordinating treatment with your dentist, our oral surgeon is able to provide patients with comprehensive care. For more information about dental implants following gum disease treatment, call or visit Dr. Patel today.

Guided Surgery

At Dr. Snehal Patel’s practice, advanced dental technology allows our Springfield oral surgeon to provide patients with precise, long-lasting dental solutions. Guided dental implant surgery is one more way we help patients regain full dental function. 

What is Guided Surgery?

Guided implant surgery is based on in-depth images of your entire smile using a cone beam scan. The resulting scans are then used to create a 3D model of the dentition and jaw bone, which allows our oral surgeon to create a virtual surgical guide for future implant placement. During the procedure, this guide is used to preprogram the instruments used to place the implants, ensuring the post is placed in t

the optimal location and at the right depth for best results.

Advantages of Guided Surgery

The use of a digitized system for implant dentistry provides a number of benefits to patients before, during, and after their treatment.  

Prior to treatment, the creation of a personalized surgical guide ensures that your implant treatment is as customized to your smile as possible. The comprehensive measurements used to create the guide allow for future implants to be placed precisely and strategically, creating best support for restorations while protecting the overall structure of the smile.

Traditional implant placement requires a good deal of guesswork during the actual surgery; dentists and oral surgeons manually placing implants the traditional way must be careful to drill into bone just enough to place the implants without causing damage to the overall bone structure. On the other hand, if the implant is not placed deep enough, there is an elevated risk of implant failure and patients may not enjoy full use of their new restoration.

With guided surgery, the depth and size of the bone is already predetermined, eliminating the risk of over- or under-drilling. During implant placement, the surgical guides help minimize the risk of damage to other important components of the smile, including the nerves, sinuses, and blood vessels that surround bone.  Ultimately, this precision and accuracy leaves patients with higher chances of successful implant treatment and predictable results.

Guided Implant Surgery in Northern Virginia

At Lorton-Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, we offer a number of dental implant options and work with local general dentists to ensure patients receive the best care possible. To learn more about the advantages of guided implant surgery and explore your dental implant options, call our locations in Springfield and Lorton or schedule a complimentary dental implant consultation online. 

Orthognathic and Orthodontics

The alignment of your teeth does more than influence the look of your smile, in fact our teeth guide the way we bite. An improper bite, or malocclusion, can cause serious dental health issues, ranging from cavities to gum disease. Traditionally, orthodontics prove to be an effective means of straightening teeth. However, in some instances conditions in the jaw do not permit lasting results even with orthodontics. In these particular instances, orthognathic or corrective jaw surgery may be recommended.

Why Choose Jaw Surgery for Misalignment?

By itself, orthodontics is ideal for correcting dental misalignment, either caused by trauma or by improper bone development. However, unless patients undergo proactive Phase I and Phase II orthodontic therapy, braces can fail to fully treat the jaw, which determines tooth alignment. Until treated, skeletal jaw misalignment constantly works against orthodontic therapy, preventing patients from enjoying a fully functional and uniform dentition. Potential side effects of serious jaw misalignment range from temporomandibular joint disorder to sleep apnea.

In instances of severe jaw malocclusion, jaw surgery is among the most effective, permanent methods of correcting the bite. This treatment is carefully planned after extensive diagnostic imaging and in coordination with an orthodontic specialist. By targeting the cause of misalignment at the source, patients are able to enjoy improved bite function as well as successful orthodontic results with a lowered risk of alignment relapse. Over the years studies have shown that this combination treatment yields positive, lasting results for patients with serious jaw malocclusion.

Coordinating Care in Lorton

At our oral surgery practices in Lorton and Springfield, Dr. Patel and his team are dedicated to ensuring that patients receive surgical solutions that yield lifelong results. By working closely with your orthodontist and general dentist, our oral surgeon is able to develop a multi-faceted treatment plan that works for your unique smile. Throughout the surgical process, Dr. Patel remains on hand to ensure proper recovery and results.

Learn More Today

Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery is your home for advanced oral surgeries in Northern Virginia. To learn more about our treatment options, contact our team to schedule your consultation. We welcome referrals from dentists throughout the community. 

Treating TMJ Disorder with Oral Surgery

Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD, is caused by jaw malocclusion, or misalignment combined with the subsequent tightness of connected muscles. While the condition is typically addressed through the use of physical therapy and orthotics, some cases of misalignment may not be sufficiently treated through these traditional methods. In these cases, corrective jaw surgery may be the best solution.

What is Corrective Jaw Surgery?

Also known as orthognathic surgery, this type of oral surgery focuses on correcting the structure of the jaw. As a number of conditions stem from jaw position, corrective surgery can be applied to a number of dental issues, ranging from severe over and underbites to sleep apnea. In the case of treating TMD, corrective jaw surgery allows our oral surgeon to precisely target the cause of the condition, poor jaw alignment.

Causes of Jaw Misalignment

Facial trauma can certainly be a contributing factor to jaw misalignment, additionally, developmental issues are a common reason behind malocclusion. Incorrect skeletal development can have a long-term impact on the jaw, causing the teeth to grow incorrectly. Over time, misalignment causes unequal wear on teeth, accelerating dental deterioration and leaving patients vulnerable to cavities and decay. Jaw malocclusion also leads to increased pressure on the jaw joint, thereby triggering the characteristic symptoms of TMJ disorder (TMD).  

Traditionally, treating TMD requires a plan that incorporates a combination of oral devices, orthodontics, and dental restorations. While some cases of severe skeletal misalignment can be corrected with these traditional methods, these treatment options may not fully address to root cause of malocclusion. As corrective jaw surgery is specifically tailored to each unique patient, orthognathic surgery is able to directly target and permanently correct the cause of malocclusion. In the long run, corrective jaw surgery is able to alleviate the symptoms of TMD and ultimately allows patients to enjoy healthful dental function.

Planning Corrective Jaw Surgery

At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, orthognathic surgery starts with an in-depth assessment of the jaw, bite, and teeth. Using advanced diagnostic tools, Lorton oral surgeon Snehal Patel evaluates the condition of the smile and plots a strategic surgical plan. Following surgery, our experienced dental specialist works closely with your general dentist to ensure successful recovery and improved oral health well into the future.

If you’re experiencing serious symptoms of TMD, including migraines, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or excessive dental wear, contact our Lorton oral surgeon today. Together, Dr. Patel can help you regain full function of your smile. 

3D Printing

In recent years, modern dentistry has sought to incorporate new developing technologies into current treatment options as a means of improving treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction. At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, one way we encourage better treatment results is through the use of 3D printing to create personalized surgical guides for dental implant treatments.

Why Use 3D Printing

Proper implant placement is critical to the longevity of dental implants. While it is possible to place implants without surgical guides, the traditional process of implant placement comes with higher risks, including implant failure.

To help ensure successful implant treatment, most experienced oral surgeons will use panoramic and CBCT imaging to create 3D digital models of the dentition and generate computerized surgical guides. However, there are certain drawbacks to this technology. As guides must be physically made in a lab, use of surgical guides can add time to the overall treatment. The cost of surgical guides also increases the cost of overall implant treatment, making it potentially prohibitive to certain patients.

3D printing presents patients with the opportunity to enjoy high quality implant placement without these traditional guide limitations. Similar to traditional surgical guides, 3D printed guides are customized based on advanced imaging and modelling. However, rather than having to wait for a lab to manufacture the final surgical guides, Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery has in-office 3D printers, allowing our team to generate precise replicas of your jaw in our office quickly and efficiently.

At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, our goal is to ensure patients are in full control of their treatment from start to finish. With this precise replica, Dr. Patel is able to walk patients through their treatment and give them a realistic perspective of their prospective results.

To learn more about this treatment option, we encourage dental implant patients to call and schedule their implant consultation with our Lorton oral surgeon today. 

TRIOS Scanner

At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery, our goal is to provide patients with long-lasting dental solutions. To do so, we frequently incorporate modern technologies into our treatment planning strategies, particularly for patients receiving advanced dental care such as dental implants. One such technology we regularly utilize is the TRIOS scanner, an innovative alternative to traditional impressions known for improving patient experience and treatment results.

TRIOS – Enhancing Patient Experiences

On its own, implant preparation and placement is a lengthy process. Even after the implant has been placed into the jaw, patients must return to have additional scans and impressions taken of their smile in order to create a restoration that fits in perfectly with the rest of the smile. Unfortunately, the process of taking traditional impressions can be less than comfortable. Many patients find the “dental goop” to be difficult to tolerate, leading to incorrect impressions that require patients return in order to achieve an accurate model of the arch. Inaccurate impressions can also lead to inaccurate restorations, compromising the final look of the implant crown or bridge.

TRIOS eliminates many of these difficulties. Using 3D scanning technology, TRIOS takes digital images of each tooth, arch, and occlusion, creating an accurate digital model of the entire dentition. Our oral surgeon can manipulate the digital model through the TRIOS software, creating a precise implant restoration that will fit in naturally with the rest of your smile.

As the scan only takes moments to create a comprehensive and accurate model, TRIOS limits how much time patients spend in the chair. The intraoral camera is small and unobtrusive, making it ideal for patients with small mouths as well as those who have a hard time tolerating traditional impression material. Ultimately, TRIOS allows patients to enjoy an enhanced experience and improved restoration results.

Learn More about TRIOS Today

Our mission is to provide patients with the best care possible at every phase of their oral surgery or dental implant treatment. With TRIOS scanning, our team is able to ensure lasting, natural looking results. Contact our offices in Springfield and Lorton today to schedule your consultation with our oral surgeon. 

What to Look for in an Oral Surgeon

Like any other medical procedure, choosing the right oral surgeon can be a difficult process. Individuals looking for advanced surgical care should ask the following questions when vetting potential oral surgeons for your upcoming treatment.

What is their experience?

When it comes to oral surgery, training and experience are especially important factors to consider. Rather than simply picking out an oral surgeon, look for a dental professional who has extensive experience treating your specific needs. Residency and clinical experience can also be indicative of an oral surgeon’s specialty focus, providing patients with the peace of mind that their experienced professional has experience performing similar procedures.

Is the surgeon a member of any professional associations?

Professional dental societies, associations, and continuing education courses provide critical opportunities for oral surgeons to stay on top of the latest treatment techniques and dental technologies. Some societies, including the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery require members to meet certain thresholds of continuing education hours per year as well as pass intensive certification examinations. With these strict regulations in mind, look for a board certified oral surgeon.

Do they accept referrals?

Not every oral surgeon accepts walk in patients. Many offer their services on a referral basis, working with nearby dentists and other professionals to provide care to patients. As a result, it is worthwhile to check with your general dentist and see whether they have any recommendations.

Do they accept my insurance?

There are a number of factors that determine the cost of care. Between the surgeon’s fees, cost of equipment and anesthesia, as well as pre-treatment diagnostic x-rays or treatments, the expenses of undergoing oral surgery can become expensive very quickly. While dental insurance may cover some of the treatment process, patients may still be responsible for out-of-pocket expenses. Searching for an oral surgeon in network with your insurance plan or one who offers in-office financing options can help alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with planning for oral surgery.

Can the surgeon be reached easily?

Even if the surgery was performed perfectly, accidents and emergencies can still happen during the recovery phase. If your surgeon frequently travels between practices across a large region, it may be more difficult to receive appropriate care when needed. Consider an oral surgeon’s availability before pursuing treatment.

Looking for an Oral Surgeon? Contact our Practice Today

With locations in Springfield and Lorton, our practice offers a wealth of advanced oral surgery options in state-of-the-art settings. To learn more about our treatments, schedule your consultation with our Northern Virginia oral surgeon today.