No Desire for Bone Grafts

With just one missing tooth, why go for implants?

I’d been missing that tooth for over ten years. Since it was near the back, I figured it was unnoticeable. But about two years ago I started to think about having something done because my teeth had shifted and my bite was affected. Coming from Sweden, where the technology and techniques were invented, implants were my first consideration.

So why did you wait so long to do this?

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 a single missing tooth was not going to be as easy as I thought.

What changed your mind?

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.

Was the treatment as easy as you’d hoped?

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 that the bone was extremely thin. I hoped we could avoid bone grafts. Dr. Bahat agreed, and was able to select implants with the right length and diameter to be placed within my existing bone. Which means it was easier for me and trickier for Dr. Bahat.

How did it go for you?

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 while eating—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.

Any advice for people considering implants?

Yes—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.

Make your own dental implant story.