As a former steelworker, George Odom had a demanding job
that earned him, among other things, the benefit of excellent dental care.
“When I came to Florida from Indiana,” he says, “my teeth were good because I
had a dental plan that paid for everything through my steelworkers’ union.”
When dental difficulties arose in recent years, however,
George found himself forced to pay a significant amount of money for some
disappointing outcomes. “I went to a few dentists down here and they did a lot
of work and really ruined my teeth. I had a bridge made and it cracked in half,
which broke the posts. I went back and had another bridge made and it cracked
in half. And after all that, I got an infection in the root.”
One of the most frustrating things, he notes, was that
those initial dentists he visited didn’t guarantee their work. “Each bridge
that would break,” he shares, “you’re talking a thousand dollars. And then to
go back because it broke again, that’s another thousand dollars.
“That’s why I liked Dr. Patel,” George explains. “Right
away, I knew what I was getting into.”
An informed dental approach
A board-certified general dentist specializing in implant
dentistry and conscious sedation, Rajiv Patel, BDS, MDS, believes in taking the
time to talk to his patients and informing them about every aspect of the
process before any work begins.
“We take a lot of time educating patients because every
patient is different. Sometimes, there are other surgeries that might have to
be incorporated into treatment, and every patient’s anatomy is unique,” Dr.
Patel stresses. He believes it is extremely important to tell the patient
exactly what it will take to complete the job and explain everything that must
be accomplished along the way.
And thanks to advanced technology, including the use of
3-D CT scan models, the doctor adds that he is able to study each patient’s
anatomy before he ever makes an incision. “We know exactly what we’re going to
find,” he says, “so we can tell the patient,
This is how we are going to do the whole procedure
.”
In addition to 3-D models, the doctor also has animated
videos to explain the surgery. Not every patient wants to know every detail,
however. Some people, he notes, only want to hear what they’re going to
experience afterward, while others want to know exactly what will be done.
Whatever the patient needs, Dr. Patel is determined to deliver.
“Education really helps. It builds up the patient
confidence, so they are not nervous. Even postoperatively, they know what to
expect and they don’t get excited or worried about whether something is not
quite normal.”
The implant procedure
When it comes to his teeth, George likes to know all he
can. “I was looking for someone like Dr. Patel,” he says. “I liked him because
he told me everything and let me make the decision about what I wanted to do. I
trusted him.”
And George’s case, while not unusual, was somewhat
complex, according to the doctor.
“We see it relatively often with the loss of posterior
teeth, which are the back teeth in the upper arch, resulting in a lack of bone
support.
“George had a long-span bridge, in which the root of one
of his canine teeth had fractured, as well as considerable atrophy, or bone
loss, in that area.” In addition, Dr. Patel adds, he also had a pneumatization
of sinuses, which means overgrowth of the maxillary sinuses from inside. As a
result, George only had a thin shell of bone remaining, not enough for implant
placement, the doctor explains.
“We
talked about several options with him, and he preferred not to wear removable
appliances, so we went ahead with a consultation about a sinus graft,” the
doctor notes. A sinus graft, or augmentation, involves lifting the sinus floor
and inserting bone substitute, which eventually heals into the patient’s own
bone.
“Sinus augmentation is a very delicate, but very
predictable, procedure,” Dr. Patel informs. “When performed by a highly trained
dentist, it gives us considerable support for the implant placement that will
follow.”
Recovery from the sinus graft procedure is usually
uneventful, the doctor adds. “Within two weeks, patients often feel very
normal, and success rates are very high. We have had a one hundred percent
success rate up to now.”
Following George’s sinus augmentation, Dr. Patel says, it
took about five months for the bone substitute to transfer into his own bone.
“Then we went ahead and placed the implants and finally restored with new
crowns.”
Strong new teeth
With his new bone in place, George’s teeth are feeling
stable and healthy. “The doctor did four implants and now they’re solid,” he
shares. “Very solid, with no pain. And with implants, nothing cold affects
them. I can eat ice cream.”
In fact, George is so pleased with Dr. Patel’s work that
he plans to return to DeLand Implant Dentistry for more dental implants later
this year. “I’m not finished,” he says. “That was just the upper. Dr. Patel
gave me a price on my lower teeth and it’s very reasonable.”
Beyond the value of quality work at an affordable price,
George says he’s extremely impressed with Dr. Patel as a person. “He’s very
clean and very professional in what he does. He’s a very good dentist, I would
say.”
So good, in fact, that George says the entire process went
off without any discomfort. “It was a serious operation, you know. They put me
in a chair and put me to sleep – or at least knocked me out – but not
completely. He made the procedure very painless.”
Additionally, George really likes the doctor’s
straightforward demeanor, a quality even more admirable given his previous
difficulties finding good dental care. “Dr. Patel is very honest with
everything he does.
“He did a lot to save my teeth. He told me everything up
front and he gave me a choice. That’s why I went to him.”
FHCN - Brenda Klettke
Coming Soon: Our New Location
DeLand Implant Dentistry will soon be moving to a
beautiful new office located just a couple of miles to the south of their
current location. Dr. Patel and his staff look forward to providing their
patients with an even more satisfying dental experience beginning in May of
2010. The office will be located at
Spring
Oaks Professional Center, 150 McGregor Rd.,
in DeLand.