Guided Surgery: Upper Teeth In A Day

We have the technology to take you from a complete denture to an implant supported fixed bridge in a single appointment.

This denture patient had a CAT Scan of her upper jaw.  We applied a computer program to that scan to design implant locations, and a clear guide to be used in the mouth to place the implants without making any incisions. The guide was secured in her mouth and the implants placed.

The computer program also designed her fixed bridge in advance, and we made it in our own in-house laboratory.  After we placed the implants, the bridge was screwed into place.

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc.,
Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
(661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com
5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Prosthodontists Know Dental Implants Are Restoratively Driven

Dental Implants

Board Certified Prosthodontists know that dental implant placement  is decided by the tooth or teeth the implants(s) are going to support.  Historically, when these implants were first developed, most surgeons used the available bone to guide where dental implants were to be located.  Nowadays, the statement "the implants were put where the bone was" is inadequate.  Technological and surgical advances in bone and soft tissue grafting procedures have assured that implant supported teeth can be made to closely resemble the natural teeth they replace.

If a single tooth is missing, or a segment of teeth are to be replaced, then the teeth are planned first and the surgical procedures are planned to realize the eventual prosthetic result.  If an entire arch of teeth are missing, the prosthetic treatment plan is developed first, with the positions of the teeth and dimensions of the prosthetic materials predetermined, and then the surgical considerations planned accordingly.

If you need a dental implant, then your individual needs can bet be explained to you by a board certified prosthodontist.


Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Use of Bisphosphonate

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ) has captured attention in the past 8 years since the identification of this side effect of bisphosphonates (fosomax, et al).  Bisphosphonates are highly effective in control of skeletal health, such as treatment of osteoporosis and cancer metastasis therapy.  However, in patients on oral or intravenous bisphosphonates, there is an increased risk of BRONJ (bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaw) after oral procedures that result in exposure of the bone, especially dental extractions or dental implant placement.  The authors found that while the risk with oral bisphosphonates was rare, the risk, while still low, was 30 times higher with the intravenous type.  However, after two years of bisphosphonate therapy, the risk of BRONJ escalated fourfold.   

Source: Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice, June 2012

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309