John's Dental Implant Horror Story

When Dr. Chal examined John, he found that the implants had been improperly placed and would all have to be removed and re-done before proper restorative treatment. John had gone to an oral surgeon who had placed the implants without any restorative plan. Being an oral surgeon and not a restorative dentist, he had little appreciation for John's restorative needs.

While this scenario is all too common in dental implant treatment, it is a recipe for trouble. Even when there is a restorative plan, it is almost always vague and comes down to a matter of the dentist eyeballing what "looks right." Dr. Chal, in order to insure the greatest stability and longevity of the final result, plans the exact placement of the teeth and then provides his surgeon with a template that lets him know the exact placement of each implant.

To the right are John's "before" photographs. He shows typical jaw shrinkage, which occurs when teeth have been missing a long time. (For more information about this, please read our page about facial collapse.) He was also suffering from not being able to chew properly, as well as an embarrassing esthetic situation.

John not only lost a considerable amount of money from treatment that had to be re-done, but he also lost a lot of time. The implants had to be removed, the jaw allowed to heal, and the whole process had to begin anew.

But with proper restoration, the happy ending is shown in the "after" photographs on the right. He now functions as if he had his own original teeth back, and is happy and confident with his appearance.

A close-up of John's smile after Dr. Chal's restorative work reveals a natural and relaxed look.