The office was busy and full of all kinds of cases today! Today there was one sort of extreme case and several routine cleanings. My favorite two subjects that I learned about today included implants and X-rays.
A specialist places implants in a patient’s bone with a protein coating around the implant to allow the bone to grow around it to secure its placement within the mouth. Then before placing the denture in the patients mouth, the implants are given around three months to heal. However, it is possible (while rare) for the implant to not heal properly, and a gap to remain present between the implant and bone. Ultimately, this causes extreme pain when the denture is placed into the mouth as the metal implant wiggles when it is not supposed to. And here comes the importance of essays. Unfortunately, this did happen today at the office and it was through an X-ray that Dr. Sims was able to identify that the implant did not heal properly. An X-ray showed a gap in between the implant and the bone, which was likely caused by a weak bone and had nothing to do with the healing process at all. With this x-ray, Dr. Sims was able to communicate with the specialist doctor to identify a solution for this patient moving forward.
This case was not the only one which I was able to learn about through x-rays. There were several pediatric patients today, who all came in for routine cleanings, and lucky for me all of them were due for x-rays. Through the x-rays Dr. Sims explained to me how to identify if teeth were developing at a normal place and also how to identify any reasons as to why baby teeth may not be developing at a normal pace. While it is sometimes genetics, as was the case twice today, it is also common that the placement of baby teeth can prohibit permanent teeth from coming into place in the mouth. I was able to see this in different views today through x-rays.
It was interesting today to see the differences in developing teeth and permanent teeth, and witness first hand what can happen if permanent teeth are not properly cared for. I also loved watching the kids proudly walk out of the office today, as they had no cavities after their check-ups. Their smiling faces along with all the satisfied adults that were treated today really warmed my heart. It was especially interesting to watch a young child endure a dental problem that I also experienced as a child. For me to tell him how everything worked out for me, and see the hopeful look on his face, this connection honestly made my day. I loved seeing first hand how dentistry had such a positive impact on these peoples lives, and I can’t wait for more tomorrow!
