Turn back the clock twenty years - in just one hour.
When Kathy was a little girl, she had a smile for everyone she met. As she grew into a young woman, people often commented on her beautiful smile. In college, she even did a little part-time modeling.
Over the years, things gradually changed. Hairstyles, fashion, presidents, cars. Over time, almost unnoticed, Kathy's smile lost its gleam. She was conspicuously absent from her high school reunion photos, and reluctant to be in her niece's wedding photos because her smile embarrassed her.
At age 51, Kathy learned that she was about to lose all her upper teeth because of advanced gum disease, and she was devastated. She was an active, vibrant woman with a career and two boys in college. Her marriage of twenty-one years had ended, and she was just beginning to consider dating. She already felt self-conscious enough about her smile without the worry of dentures. How could this be happening?
Kathy felt she had no choice. She paid $700 for dentures and tried for the next three years to cope with the discomfort, embarrassment and inconvenience they caused. Although Kathy had been asked on several dates, she turned them down for fear of giving away her secret - one that made her feel much older than her years.
When Kathy confided in a friend over lunch that she just couldn't eat her favorite foods anymore because of her dentures, her friend recommended that she look into dental implants.
Dental implants actually become integrated into the bone of the jaw, and allow the missing teeth to be restored with natural-looking replacements that work and feel just like the real thing. But Kathy was concerned about the time involved for repeated visits and a lengthy healing time before her treatment would be finished, and the treatment was expensive.
Last year, a co-worker told Kathy about an exciting new option being offered by Dr. Brit Phillips in Fort Worth - a high-tech computer-assisted procedure that enabled teeth to be replaced in an hour. It sounded good to Kathy and she resolved to call Dr. Phillips right away.
Dental implants have become increasingly popular, but are still too costly and time-consuming to be an attractive option for those missing more than just a few teeth. The advanced Teeth-in-an-HourTM technique was developed by Nobel Biocare as an alternative to replacing each missing tooth with a dental implant.
Just like conventional implants, the new Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure uses titanium implant posts to anchor artificial teeth securely. But since a CT scan provides information that helps to plan and guide the exact placement of each post, only a few posts are required to hold a full set of custom-designed upper or lower teeth.
After discussing her options with Dr. Phillips, Kathy decided to go ahead with the teeth-in-an-hour procedure. In a single visit, her smile was restored.
"Almost immediately, I felt like I had my own teeth back," Kathy says. "My new teeth are rock-solid, and I can eat all my favorite foods again - even corn-on-the-cob, without a problem."
Four weeks after her procedure, Kathy and her girlfriends went to a restaurant to celebrate. Kathy ordered steak and a salad, and experienced the joy of eating, talking and laughing without hesitation for the first time in a long time. It's the beginning of a new chapter in Kathy's life.
Kathy got back so much more than just her teeth. "I feel confident enough to date now," she adds. My teeth are so natural-looking and feeling, it's impossible for anyone to tell these are not my natural teeth. They match my other teeth beautifully."
Kathy smiles a lot more now, and her bubbly, outgoing personality is re-emerging - a change everyone has noticed.
Teeth-In-An-HourTM
For some patients, the Teeth-in-an-HourTM technique is a great alternative to replacing each missing tooth with a dental implant. These special dentures are anchored securely in place by just a few titanium implant posts. They will never slip or cause discomfort, and will never require messy adhesives to hold them in place. In just a single visit, the patient can go home with a beautiful new smile, and new confidence that will last a lifetime.
