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Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Desiree is no longer hesitant to show her smile.
Desiree McCleery’s interest in computers dates back to her days as a teenager. After high school, she put herself through computer school, then began a long career in information technology. Her work has taken her to some exotic and faraway places. “I used to work for the Department of State and spent time overseas,” Desiree offers. “I was in Afghanistan for three years, returned to Florida for a short time, then went to Iraq. I came home again after three years there and spent time traveling back and forth to Peru and Panama, then went back to Afghanistan.” “A little more than a year ago, I started a new job with the Department of Defense as a computer service engineer. I’m a registered authority for Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County. My job basically involves handing out cards that enable individuals to log onto their computers and access our classified network.” Desiree’s job is quite demanding, so she enjoys relaxing on the weekends. For years, though, whether working or at ease, Desiree was hesitant to smile. On those rare occasions that she did smile, she usually kept her mouth closed so people couldn’t see her failing teeth, which came to her naturally, she says. “My father had horrible teeth, and by the time he was 21, he had all his teeth pulled and was wearing dentures,” Desiree relates. “Unfortunately, I inherited his teeth. As far back as I can remember, my mother took me to the dentist with cavity after cavity. “As I got older, my teeth began to break, and I lost a few. Part of that was because it was so hard to get dental care while I was traveling for work because I was only home for 30 days at a time. The dentists overseas are great, but they’re not fabulous.” After returning to the states and landing her current job, Desiree began looking for a dentist to restore her smile. “The problems with my teeth were ongoing, and I finally got to the point where I was just tired of dealing with it,” Desiree admits. “My stepfather asked, Why don’t you get dental implants? So, I looked up dentists that offer implants.” Dental implants are root-shaped, screw-like bodies that are surgically placed into the jawbone, where new bone naturally grows around them to form the foundation for an abutment and replacement teeth. The replacement teeth can be a crown that is cemented or screwed onto the abutment, a partial bridge that can be affixed to one or more implants, or a full prosthesis that can be fastened to a series of implants. “As I looked around for a practice that could provide implants, I discovered that some required your regular dentist and a laboratory person to be in the treatment room with you to do part of the work,” Desiree says. “I thought, That would be a real pain. Then I called Implant Dentistry of Florida. They do everything on-site, so it’s a seamless process. I decided that they were the right fit for me.”
Courtesy Graphic Implant Dentistry of Florida
Streamlined Process
At Implant Dentistry of Florida in Melbourne, Alejandro Martinez, DMD, and Jordan Robbins, DMD, provide a full range of cosmetic and general dentistry procedures. This includes all phases of implant surgery and multiple options for implant restoration. Desiree was treated by Dr. Robbins. “Ms. McCleery first came to our practice about a year ago,” Dr. Robbins recalls. “She was unhappy with the way her teeth looked and was missing several teeth, so I performed an initial examination and discovered that she was in a state of terminal dentition, meaning her remaining teeth could not be salvaged. We agreed that a full-mouth reconstruction using dental implants was the best option to restore her smile.” At Implant Dentistry of Florida, a full-mouth reconstruction is a streamlined process. Once Desiree decided to move forward, she completed the first step, which Dr. Robbins refers to as a thorough records appointment. “During that appointment, we take a cone beam CT scan of the patient’s mouth,” the doctor explains. “Then, we use our intraoral scanners to take images of the existing dentition on the upper and lower arches. We send those images to our dental lab, which creates detailed guides for the surgery. That same lab fabricates the prostheses as well.” Dr. Robbins uses the surgical guides to seat the implants in the precise position so that they won’t damage nerves or other critical structures. That position is determined by the CT images.
Conscious Sedation
During major reconstruction cases in which all the teeth are being extracted and the implants are placed on same day, Dr. Robbins often administers IV conscious sedation, which combines a medication that helps the patient relax with one that blocks pain. “We typically start the patient on nitrous oxide and then start the IV,” Dr. Robbins describes. “Once the IV is in place, we use a combination of medications to relax the patient, but the patient remains conscious. Patients are still breathing on their own and should be able to respond when spoken to during the procedure. They are just in a very relaxed state.” Patients receiving conscious sedation often experience a brief period of amnesia, in which they have no memory of the procedure. It may make the patient drowsy, but it does not have the stronger side effects and dangers of general anesthesia, in which patients are put to sleep. Dentists that use conscious sedation must be specially trained and certified in its use. “I received my IV conscious sedation training while I was in the Air Force and during my residency, so I am certified to provide this sedation method to my patients under the right circumstances,” Dr. Robbins assures. Dr. Robbins used conscious sedation on Desiree, who had her remaining teeth extracted and was fit with five dental implants in each arch during one appointment on January 31. “At the same time, patients receive a set of screwed-in temporary teeth that are custom made for them,” the dentist informs. “Following implant surgery, patients eat a soft diet for about six weeks while the implants are integrating with the bone. After three to six months, when the patient’s mouth has completely healed, we fit them with their final teeth.” Desiree received her final prostheses in early August. Prior to that, she provided input into how her teeth and smile would look. “Ms. McCleery brought in pictures of what she wanted, and we used them as a guide in producing her new smile,” Dr. Robbins reports. “We went through a couple of try-ins to get the teeth exactly the way she wanted them, and the results were great. Her teeth look beautiful.”
A “Fabulous” Smile
The final touches on Desiree’s new smile were done in August, and much like her dentist, Desiree is extremely happy with the results. “My new smile is fabulous,” she exclaims. “I’m absolutely thrilled with it. I got to pick the teeth and smile I wanted, so I gave Dr. Robbins a bunch of pictures to give her an idea of what we were working toward, and that’s the smile I got. It was super neat. The teeth are very natural looking and comfortable, and I’m very happy. “I smile all the time now. Because I smiled with my mouth closed for so long, I had to relearn to smile with my mouth open. My fiancé said I have a happy smile now, but he’s still trying to get used to it because I didn’t smile all that much before I received my new teeth.” Desiree is greatly impressed by Dr. Robbins and the staff at Implant Dentistry of Florida. “Dr. Robbins is outstanding,” Desiree raves. “She was meticulous in prepping everything and making sure my teeth were perfect. She’s fantastic, and the whole group of people at that dentist office is wonderful. They are very caring and took good care of me. Dr. Robbins’ assistant said they’ll miss me because I was there a lot during this process. “I absolutely recommend Dr. Robbins and Implant Dentistry of Florida. In fact, I have already recommended them, and I will continue to do so.”
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