Lonnie's Story

Lonnie is a patient who came to Dr. Chal for implant restoration. She had severe periodontitis, needed teeth for functional reasons, and was also very unhappy with how she looked.

But there is an interesting twist to her story that makes her very fortunate to have chosen Dr. Chal as her dentist.

Dr. Chal began her case as he does every case, with a thorough discussion of all her options and a careful diagnostic workup. Her "before" photograph, at the right, gives a glimpse of her dental problems. Notice how strained her face appears when she tries to smile for the camera.

Here is Lonnie's pre-treatment panographic radiograph, which is what most dental offices take prior to dental implant surgery. But this radiograph lacks any three-dimensional information, and can miss some critical details.

Dr. Chal, however, orders a series of finely tuned CT scans for this type of case, one of which is shown here.

Besides giving important anatomical information that is necessary for the accurate placement of dental implants so that they are stable and don't impinge on nerves, sinuses, or other structures, Lonnie's CT scan revealed something that turned out to be quite important.

Notice the grayish mass present in her sinus cavity (outlined with red). This giant cyst needed to be removed, and this was done for Lonnie. It's another benefit of Dr. Chal's careful attention to detail.

The end result is pictured at the left. Lonnie's implants were successfully placed, and the pathology is gone. Notice the relaxed and attractive smile. Having the pathology removed before the implants were placed helped the success of the case.

Comfortable, esthetic, long-lasting dental implant care isn't a lucky accident. It's the result of careful attention to every detail of the treatment. And that's what we do here.

Lonnie received a fixed implant hybrid restoration. If you would like to know more about this type of restoration, please see Tom's case.

Here's a photograph Lonnie sent to Dr. Chal long after her treatment was completed. As you can tell, she is still thoroughly enjoying the benefits of her investment in her dental health and Dr. Chal's expertise.