I was asked by a business magazine to write about the effect of the smile, and first impressions, on a person’s social and professional life. I’ve had much first hand experience of the transforming nature of a confident and healthy smile in patients’ lives, but researching some of the psychological studies into this field was nonetheless fascinating.
Pristine beaches, exotic food, cheap board shorts, cheap plastic surgery, cheap dental implants and cosmetic dentistry. Quick results. Supposedly acclaimed experts. Definitely worth risking a day or two of Bali belly right?
In my practice I regularly see patients with complex failures of dental implant reconstructions carried out overseas in ‘dental tourism’ holidays in places such as Thailand, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. The results I have seen have been completely unsatisfactory by our standards, even when carried out by overseas experts including professors. The patient then presents to me with the mental anguish of having invested significant money and trust into reconstructing their smile and dental function, but hearing the news that it’s all a failure. Problems I have encountered regularly have been failing dental implants by way of infection, dramatic prosthetic, hygiene and cosmetic problems and damage to the original bone and gums that’s now gone for good. Rectifying these problems is very complicated and I always wish I’d had the chance to see the patient before they sought their miracle cure. Some of the results I have seen have not just been unsatisfactory by my standards, but overtly failing and causing the patient serious problems. Dental implant surgery, bone grafting surgery, dental implant reconstructions and cosmetic smile makeovers are highly complex and advanced procedures that can effect dramatic positive change to patients’ health and well-being. However if they are poorly carried out, the consequences are grave – because not only is it wasted time and money, but the damage it causes biologically is not always reparable.
I have often been shocked by the costs incurred to the patient in the first place – ie. not particularly ‘cheap’ in any sense but the quality. A hypothetical: What if I offered you a luxury sports car that was 50% cheaper (yes please, sign me up!) BUT functioned at 5% of its competitor and broke down permanently after 2 years (ehm…)? Sounds nicer without the disclaimer doesn’t it? Well, our dental holiday situation is potentially much worse because it’s not a car at stake, but your mouth, your teeth, your jaws and your face. Maybe having a filling or two overseas is not as big a risk. But the more complex the treatment (such as dental implant reconstructions), the more dental tourism is not a good idea. Despite our excellent training standards in Australia, few providers here are skilled and trained up sufficiently to carry out advanced dental implant and other reconstructions. You can extrapolate how few those providers would be in SE Asia (well if any). Treatment carried out by Australian providers also holds them to accountability and if failures take place they have indemnity arrangements to be of assistance to patients. But if you have the work done overseas the potential consequences are all on you. Seek treatment on an island and you’ll be left on one when seeking recourse for problems. I hope you can forgive my passion in this posting but it’s just the facts – because patients often tell me that they just didn’t know!
So if you’re considering a dental implant tourism holiday to save yourself a few bob, please do reconsider, for your own health. Save your health and sanity instead. It would be my pleasure to consult you, discuss your options and show you examples of failed work from overseas that I have had to rectify (or remove) in comparison with the standard of treatment here. Then you can make an informed choice and keep your overseas holiday memories positive.
This article by the Australian Dental Association in 2008 provides warning to the wise.
None of us like forgetting things – except visiting the dentist. Last thing we’d expect, however, is to lose our mind as a result.
Mild Memory Impairment (MMI) is a pre-cursor to dimentia and to cognitive impairment. This Japanese study from Behavioural and Brain Functions found there to be a significant relationships between a person’s number of remaining teeth, the length of their edentulous (toothless) period, and cognitive function. This cross-sectional study suggests a significant relationship of tooth loss to MMI and cognitive impairment.
Practicing complex reconstructive procedures, implant and sleep dentistry, I see a lot of patients who have either avoided or have been afraid of the dentist for a long time, often with dire results. I take pride in restoring their confidence, well-being, comfort and improving their general health through our treatments. Now I can take comfort in the fact that I may be improving their memory as well.
So next time you think about forgetting brushing, or the dentist, think twice.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids may lower incidence of gum disease. New research from the Department of Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shows that dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids like fish oil, which is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, shows promise for the treatment and prevention of chronic gum disease (periodontitis). N-3 fatty acids found in salmon, peanut butter and margarine are already known for other health benefits and can help reduct the risk of stroke as well.
Perth Implant, Surgical & Sedation Dentistry is a leading Australian Centre for Dental Implants & Sleep Dentistry. Patients can now learn more about dental implants, their applications and case studies performed by Perth dental surgeon, implantologist and sedationist Dr Misagh Habibi by visiting a new website dedicated exclusively to Dental Implants. This site is Western Australia’s most informative dental implants website and draws on the expertise of our specialised Dental Implant & Sleep Dentistry Centre Perth.
This blog will continue to share information about dental implants as well as publishing case studies of dental implant treatment and dental rehabilitation procedures carried out by Dr Misagh Habibi and team.
Is your reluctance to ‘fix your mouth’ attacking your heart?
The links between gum (periodontal) health and cardiovascular health have been under scrutiny by scientists for years. People suffering from periodontitis (gum disease) can be twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack.
There is growing evidence that chronic infections and the inflammatory chemicals from gum disease may be involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis – the plaques that block arteries and blood vessels, leading to heart attacks or strokes.
A fascinating new finding is that oral infections such as gum disease can cause your immune system to attack its own proteins, clogging your arteries. According to Professor G Seymore of the University of Otago Dunedin, “control of gum disease should be essential in reducing the risk of heart disease.”
Now scientists have found that heart attack and gum disease share a genetic link as well.
On a personal note: As my dental clinic in Perth specialises in sedation and complex reconstructive, implant and surgical dentistry, my team and I have the pleasure of bringing patients suffering from advanced dental problems and often severe phobias back to oral health. We enjoy helping patients with advanced needs develop their oral health, their ability to eat, socialise and smile with confidence. We can take special satisfaction in knowing we’re probably helping save their life as well!
A study published in JADA reported that people with naturally red hair are more resistant to local anaesthetics and as a result may experience increased anxiety regarding dental care. If you are a red-head and this picture fits the bill, then rest assured that you probably weren’t imagining that painful past experience. Sleep Dentistry could be the solution for you.
This year the team from Perth Sedation Dentistry and our sister Churchill Dental Practice participated in the National Dental Foundation’s Dental Rescue Day. (The term ‘sister practice’ is quite apt here, literally, as my sister is my partner dentist).
We were fortunate enough to provide dental care to needy patients who were referred to us by various charity organisations. Several patients presented with advanced dental disease and I was proud to see the entire team working their hardest to provide more care than we thought possible in the alloted time! It was great to help all of these patients, many of whom required emergency care. But it was particularly rewarding for the team to stay overtime in order to treat a young lady who left our rooms with a new smile. Having suffered from 
disadvantage in life which had led to rampant dental decay, she was able to smile for the first time in years and we later heard that her entire demeanour and self esteem had been transformed.
Dental Rescue Day is a great initiative and we hope to be involved again in the future.
I’ve always wondered why people call them their canines “eye teeth”. Now surgeons in the US have used a patient’s tooth to secure a prosthetic lens in place, restoring her vision. Read this fascinating article from CNN.
This patient is a lovely gentleman who had suffered years of discomfort and embarrassment due to missing and heavily stained teeth, and an overclosed, dysfunctional bite. Despite being a successful executive, he was uncomfortable in social situations and avoided smiling. His tremendous fear of the dentist and strong gag reflex had kept him away from consulting experts for years, until he came across Dr Misagh Habibi on the internet. He felt that the combination of his advanced skills in dental implantology, cosmetic rehabilitations and sleep dentistry (IV Sedation) to treat phobia may be the perfect solution. And it was! With just a four procedural appointments that were a breeze under our IV Sedation (Sleep Dentistry) technique, his mouth and smile were transformed. Using advanced 3-D computer planning, a full mouth reconstruction and rehabilitation was carried out using dental implants and crown & bridgework. He can now chew, smile, eat and talk with absolute confidence and is enjoying life with a new social and professional confidence.
