Joakim’s Story

Single implant and restorative crown

Category: Male jewelry and interior designer based in Stockholm and San Francisco with single missing tooth and thin jaw bone.

For over ten years I’d been missing a tooth. Since it was near the back, I figured it was unnoticeable. But about two years ago I started to think about having something done as my teeth had shifted and my bite was affected.
Coming from Sweden, where the technology and techniques were invented, implants were my first consideration. However, one of my good friends had recently gone to a so-called top Implant guy here in San Francisco and experienced failures twice. I didn’t want that to happen to me. Her ordeal made me realize that maybe replacing the missing tooth was not going to be as easy as I thought.

Then I was referred to Dr. Bahat. He’s an amazing man. He gave me a choice between a bridge and implants, but I knew that choosing a bridge would mean I’d have to have my adjacent teeth reshaped and that wasn’t what I wanted.

However, nothing’s ever simple. I’m over 6’3” tall and strong, so I couldn’t believe that when my jawbone was rendered in 3-D, the analysis showed the bone was extremely thin. Bone grafts were an option, but I hoped we could avoid that. Dr. Bahat agreed, and was able to select implants with the right length and diameter to be placed within the bone I had.

I had the initial surgery and within three months had the crown placed on the implant. Everything went very smoothly. Dr. Bahat’s staff really took care of me. Almost immediately I noticed a difference in how I chewed—I guess I’d developed a habit of compensating for the missing tooth that I’d never noticed. Now, over a year later, everything’s terrific.

My advice to potential patients? Make sure you’ve undergone a thorough analysis, that your implant specialist is highly trained, and that your doctor will work with you to achieve your personal goals. You don’t want the implants to fail or have to undergo more surgeries than necessary. Or just go to Dr. Bahat. He is simply the best.
Joakim’s Story