Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Ridge Augmentation

When you are considering dental implants, your dentist is going to test to see if you are a legitimate candidate. Dr. Christopher Emuedue uses dental implants for patients who have gum disease or problem teeth, currently wear dentures or have bone loss. One issue that comes up quite often is patients not have enough bone in their jaw to support an implant.  A certain amount of bone is required to support the implant and if you do not have the required amount, we will expose the bony defect and fill the area with bone or bone substitute through a procedure called ridge augmentation.


Ridge augmentation procedures can improve appearance and increase your chances for successful implant placement.  In this procedure, the bony ridge of the jaw is literally expanded by mechanical means. Bone graft material can be placed and matured for a few months before placing the implant. We have many options for bone grafting materials including bone from your own body, a cadaver, cow bone or synthetic material.


Ridge Augmentation is an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia. If you are missing teeth and do not have the bone to support a dental implant, please consider this procedure. You can set up an appointment with Dr. Christopher Emuedue by visiting our website, www.greenvillefamilydentistrytx.com or by calling (903) 455-6701.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Digital X-Rays

Digital radiography is one of the most technologically advanced products available to the medical field today. While traditional systems are effective, there are many features of digital X-ray machines that help create a better overall image of your mouth. Not many dentists have taken advantage of this technology and are still utilizing traditional radiography technology.  We have recently implemented this technology into our practice in order to provide a better level of care to our patients.


Traditional X-ray systems are being surpassed by digital radiography technology. While this old technology was very effective for a number of years, it is slowly becoming nonexistent in the medical field. Digital X-Ray technology has many benefits including:


 



  • Safety – this technology is much safer for patients because they emit roughly 80 percent less radiation than traditional systems

  • “Going Green” – instant imaging removes the need for harmful chemicals that are used to develop images

  • High Quality – the images Dr. Emuedue receives from this technology are much higher quality, allowing him diagnose previously unseen issues


 


While the radiation given off from the older systems is not necessarily dangerous, it is always risky to expose someone to radiation. Digital radiography has become a great resource for patients who want an effective X-ray without the negative effects that could come from radiation exposure.


Since Dr. Christopher Emuedue doesn’t have to take time to develop images, your procedure time is considerably shorter. In addition, thanks to the improved, higher quality images provided by digital X-rays, Dr. Emuedue is able to diagnose patients more effectively. Early detection is the best way for you to avoid potentially invasive, costly dental procedures that wouldn’t have been necessary if the symptoms were found earlier.