Case Study 2
Clinical team
Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon: Dr Juliet Tay
Brief Summary
Janice is an American citizen residing in Jarkarta, Indonesia. She decided to come to Singapore for a consultation as she was aware of the high level of skill and competency of Singapore doctors.Janice was 42 when she came to our clinic. She had many of her teeth extracted when she was much younger and she wore an upper denture. Her motivation to seek treatment was the result of an embarrassing incident which happened while she was having dinner with her friends. Her denture was very loose, and almost fell out of her mouth while she was chewing and talking. She had heard about dental implants and now wanted them to replace her missing teeth.
On examination, there was a large volume of bone resorption both in terms of width and height. The upper anterior area had so much bone loss that the bone was paper thin. Her maxillary sinuses were also large and had pneumatised into the tooth bearing area of the jaw. There was insufficient bone to place dental implants.
A treatment plan consisting of bone grafting, sinus lift, 10 dental implants and 2 crowns was formulated for her. The surgery was staged and carried out under IV sedation. The first step was to rebuild and restore the bone volume and height. 5 months later, 10 dental implants were placed. Following a 3 month period, crowns were then fabricated and fitted on for her.
This is her interview.
Q. How do you feel since your new teeth have been fitted?
A. I feel great. I have been waiting a long time for this treatment to be completed and couldn’t believe it when it was finally done. It’s like a load off my shoulders and I can finally start living my life again.
Q. How do the implants feel and how does it affect your eating?
A. Previously with dentures, I didn’t dare laugh too widely or eat too quickly for fear that the dentures would dislodge. With dental implants, I can confidently chew my food better and I find it helps my digestion. Eating is no longer a balancing act of trying to chew while preventing my denture from moving around.
Q. How was the dental implant treatment process and was there any difficulties?
A. There was definitely some apprehension on my part, as I was not sure how the final outcome would be or if the treatment would be up to my expectations. Dr Tay was highly recommended by a friend and I found her to be very gentle and reassuring. The bone grafting procedure was uncomfortable as there was some swelling which lasted about a week. There wasn’t much pain though but I am sure sleeping through the surgery helped.
Q. Do you have any regrets?
A.No none....... actually yes. I should have done it earlier !
| Fig. 1 Before Treatment |
Fig. 2 Before treatment - gums red and inflamed due to dentures |
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| Fig. 3 Before |
Fig. 4 Lab work |
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| Fig. 5 Lab work |
Fig. 6 After treatment - abutments fitted onto implants |
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| Fig. 7 After treatment - abuments fitted onto implants |
Fig. 8 After treatment - Crowns fitted on |
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| Fig. 9 After treatment - Crowns fitted on |
Fig. 10 After |
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X-ray before
X-ray after
