Tooth Replacement Options Archives | Williams Family Dentistry

Dentist Placed My Implant Knowing It Would Fail

Posted on December 10, 2025 by writeradmin.

Before my dental implant was placed, my dentist told me that everything was okay and ready to go. When I woke up from the procedure, he told me that there was not enough bone structure for the implant to last long. Here is the part that puzzles me. He placed it anyway. He’s now recommending that I remove it because it is going to fail and then get a dental bridge. Should I have to pay for the implant if it is being removed? Plus, I’m guessing there is going to be another fee for the removal procedure. I was really looking forward to a dental implant and getting a dental bridge feels like a step down. Is there any way to still get an implant or is that too big an ask?

Greg

Dear Greg,

I’m baffled as to how your dentist thinks this is acceptable in any way. Here are my problems with the treatment you’ve received. First, if he’d done adequate diagnostics before the procedure he would have known that there was not enough bone and suggested you have bone grafting done in order to ensure you have a successful procedure.

Second, once he was in there and realized that there wasn’t enough bone, placing the implant anyway was unethical. What he should have done was close you back up and let you know what was going on. From there you could have either moved forward with some bone grafting or got a dental bridge instead, depending on which tooth replacement you decided to go with.

To answer your question, no, you should not have to pay for a procedure he did knowing it would not work. That would be like someone selling you a refrigerator that salesman knew would not keep food cold. You’d definitely get your money back for that, right?

Unless there is something else unusual going on, you could still get a dental implant. I would not allow this dentist to do it, though. It does not feel like you are in the best hands. I would ask for a full refund and look for a dentist with post-doctoral training in dental implants. As an aside, these days you can even get metal free dental work, including for implants.

This blog is brought to you by a friendly dentist in Lexington, KY Dr. James Williams.

Is Zirconia Radioactive?

Posted on April 26, 2024 by writeradmin.

I’m hoping you can help me. I need to get my first dental implant (and hopefully my last if I keep up with my oral healthcare). My dentist wanted to give me a titanium implant, but I was worried about that being metal and having that rust or something in my jaw. He assured me it wouldn’t be an issue. When he could see I wasn’t convinced, he suggested zirconia as an alternative. That sounded good until I read that there is radioactivity in them. Now I’m not sure what to do.

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

I am glad that you are trying to keep a careful eye on what you put into your body. That is always an important and healthy thing to do. Your dentist is correct that the titanium implants are perfectly safe to use. In fact, they’ve been used successfully for decades in more than just dental implants. They are also a tried and true standard in other prosthetics such as a hip replacement. Titanium is an inert metal and very biocompatible.

However, if you are still concerned, then zirconia is a fantastic metal-free dental alternative. I know you read about some radioactivity that has you worried. However, I’m willing to bet the article didn’t mention that most things we encounter have some radioactivity, including your own body. The type of radioactivity you will find in zirconia is equivalent to what you would find brick, stone, or even water. I hope that puts your mind at ease.

The most important part of getting a dental implant is making sure your dentist has post-doctoral training in placing dental implants and has experience doing them. It’s also important that if your dentist is sending you to an oral surgeon for the surgical part, make certain that you see the dentist first. It is the dentist, not the surgeon, that should determine the placement of the dental implant.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Williams.

Can I Put Off a Tooth Extraction?

Posted on November 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

I had a root canal treatment done and then a crown. This was a while ago. The tooth started hurting again. I went to see my dentist and he said I have an abscess. He prescribed me some antibiotics and referred me to an endodontist. When he x-rayed it, he said the tooth was cracked and will need to be extracted. Here’s my question. The tooth has been treated with antibiotics and no longer hurts. Can I just put off this extraction until (and if) something else happens?

Eric

Dear Eric,

I’m relieved you wrote to ask before following through with this plan. This would end up being a disaster. Often, just having an abscessed tooth is considered a dental emergency. But, let’s ignore this for a moment and just go under the assumption this won’t blow up quickly.

Right now your tooth is still infected. The antibiotics didn’t “cure” it. Instead, it is just holding it at bay until you have the infection physically removed. What will happen is you’ll feel fine for a while. Then, a few days after your antibiotics are used, the infection will return. If you try to extract the tooth then, you’ll find the infection will keep the Novocain from working to its full potency. That will be a miserable experience for you.

Your best solution and the one which will be the least risky for you is to have it extracted now. If anxiety is an issue for you, there are dental sedation options which will give you an anxiety-free experience.

Replacing an Extracted Tooth

You’ll need to replace your tooth as soon as is reasonably possible. The best tooth replacement option is to get a dental implant. It mimics the natural tooth by providing a prosthetic tooth root and then a crown. It is the closest thing to having your healthy natural tooth back.

I will be upfront that it is the most expensive of your options, but it is worth saving up for. Don’t leave the space open until you can afford to replace it. If you do that, the adjacent teeth will begin to shift or tip into the open spot. Then your teeth will need orthodontics and there won’t be enough space left to adequately replace the tooth.

There are inexpensive replacements you can put there on a temporary basis. Timeliness in both these situations will save you money and hassle in the long run.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Oral Surgeon or Dentist for Extraction

Posted on June 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

I had a filling fall out. I ignored it because I’m not the best at keeping up with my needed dental care. I have some dental anxiety that tends to help me justify putting things off. Well, the tooth became painful again and I went to see a dentist who did a root canal treatment. I didn’t follow up with the crown and the dentist never contacted me. At the time I considered that good luck. Now I’m not so sure. The tooth was reinfected. I went to see another dentist who said the tooth is too far gone and needs to be extracted. He told me it’s a complicated extraction so I could go to an oral surgeon who’d use anesthesia or him with a local. Would it be unsafe to use a regular dentist? Anesthesia is pretty pricey but I don’t want to do anything unsafe.

Carl

Dear Carl,

Sedation dentistry is sometimes called sleep dentistry…for a reason.

It’s not unsafe to do an extraction with a general dentist unless the dentist is in over his head. That may be what your dentist is hinting at by even suggesting you go elsewhere. The first thing I’d do is ask him his comfort level with this procedure. If he’s comfortable then you should be fine. If he’s not you have two other choices.

Go to an Oral Surgeon

An oral surgeon will be experienced in any number of complicated extractions and you can do it under anesthesia. However, as you mentioned earlier, this is a more expensive proposition for you. I have a middle ground, which I think will also help with the dental anxiety you face as well.

Go to a Dentist who Offers Sedation Options

There are dental sedation options with a general dentist which cost less than what you’d have to pay with anesthesia. You will still be completely relaxed. In fact, it is sometimes dubbed sleep dentistry because most patients are so relaxed they sleep through the entire appointment.

You’ll find this allows you to get a lot more work done in each sitting as well. This means you can get caught up on all your neglected dental work as well.

Once your tooth is removed, it will be time for you to look at tooth replacement options. I’m going to suggest you get a dental implant as it is the best replacement option. However, if the adjacent teeth need extensive work, such as porcelain crowns, it will be more cost effective for you to get a dental bridge instead. This will crown the adjacent teeth while filling in the missing tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Dental Implant Versus Dental Bridge

Posted on May 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I need to replace a tooth. My dentist has given me two choices. I can either get a dental implant or a dental bridge. I’m having a hard time deciding. He said the dental implant is better but it does mean surgery. Can you help me understand the benefit to surgery?

Malcolm

Dear Malcolm,

It’s always important to understand the pros and cons of every option. I don’t know how much your dentist explained to you so I’m going to go over the procedures.

With a dental bridge, The two adjacent teeth will be crowned and a false tooth suspended between the two of them. They are bonded on. The downsides are twofold. One, you have to grind down the structure of healthy teeth. Two, if one part of the bridge fails, the whole thing has to be replaced. The upside is no surgery.

With a dental implant, a prosthetic tooth root is surgically placed into your jawbone. You are given some time to heal and for the bone to integrate with the implant. Then, a dental crown is placed on top. Its upsides are numerous but can be summarized by the fact that it is like having a healthy natural tooth in your mouth again. Its downside is you need some minor surgery.

Cosmetic Considerations with Tooth Replacement Options

The color of tooth replacement options can be made any color you want. However, whatever color you end up with is permanent. If you’ve ever considered whitening your teeth, the time to do that is before you have the replacement tooth made.

If you decide to have teeth whitening done later, your natural teeth will whiten, but the cosmetic work will not. In order to get them to match, the crown or bridge will have to be re-made to the new color.

Doing everything ahead of time saves you a significant amount of money.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Alternatives to Dentures

Posted on December 26, 2018 by writeradmin.

I have had dentures for a few years and I’m absolutely sick of them. I’ve given it the old college try but I can’t go any further. There have to be other options. Tell me what you’ve got.

Victor

Dear Victor

You are definitely not alone in your dislike of dentures. They have a lot of disadvantages. Even the best fitting dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. They slip and slide around. However, their biggest disadvantage is the way your body responds to them.

When your teeth are removed, your body recognizes the roots of your teeth are no longer there. Recognizing that and given how efficiently our bodies were designed, it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use somewhere it perceives those minerals will be of more use.

The result of that is known as facial collapse because as more and more of the minerals are used elsewhere, your jawbone shrinks until there’s not enough left to even support your dentures.

The Best Alternative to Dentures

There’s one procedure which rises above the rest in the tooth replacement pool— dental implants. I’m honestly shocked your dentist didn’t suggest them to begin with. A good dentist lets you know what all your options in treatment are.

With dental implants, as you can see at the picture above, a prosthetic root is implanted into your jawbone. In the second phase, which is done after healing has taken place, either dental crowns will be placed or (depending on how many teeth you’re replacing) a full set of dentures can be anchored to the implants.

In an almost complete 180 to dentures, these have many advantages. First, it’s like having healthy natural teeth again. They’re permanent. They’re secure. Your chewing capacity will return to 100%. You can eat whatever you want and brush and floss as you would with your natural teeth.

However, their most important advantage is they will completely prevent facial collapse.

Talk to a dentist who has a lot of experience in dental implants. They should have a 98% success rate.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.