You always wonder how someone decides to become a dentist. I grew up during the time of Sea Hunt and Jacques Cousteau. I started scuba diving when I was 9 years old with my dad. I was going to be a Marine Biologist on some Tropical Island! I pursued this dream in my studies at Texas A&M.; Upon graduation reality hit, with my only job offer being in the Antarctic. As I was raised in Kentucky, it didnt take me too long to figure out that the Antarctic was a long way from the Tropics! With that, I entered the field of Clinical Microbiology, working for 9 years at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. During this time I started graduate school and really enjoyed doing basic research. My graduate advisor taught Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky Dental school. It was under his influence that I applied to dental school so I could continue my research.
I graduated in 1989, from the University of Louisville Dental School, and on the day of my graduation my mother had a secret to tell me. Seems when I was 5 years old, I told her that when I grew up I wanted to be a dentist! Mom thought it was destiny, I thought it was because our dentist had a great Treasure Chest and we always got a free toy every time we went! Mom may have been right, because I love what I do every day but I also have a great Treasure Chest in my office!
Oral ailments and subsequent tooth loss pose a big health burden worldwide. They affect people throughout their lives, causing pain, despair, and disfigurement. People can lose their teeth due to conditions like severe tooth decay, gum disease, infection, or external trauma. With the development in dental technology, several tooth replacement options are available, and one of the most reliable and durable among them is dental implants.
Dental implants are prosthetic teeth surgically implanted into your jaw to replace missing tooth roots. Besides helping to preserve the appearance of your smile, implants also maintain the mouth structure. By filling the space created by missing teeth, implants prevent the drifting and shifting of the adjacent teeth from their position in unnatural ways.
At The Florida Center for Laser Dentistry, Dr. Kimmel specializes in restoring dental implants and recommends them as an ideal treatment solution to replace teeth missing due to aging, cavities, injury, or any other reasons.
A standard dental implant procedure involves several dental visits. Once Dr. Kimmel assesses your mouth to confirm their candidacy for the procedure, anesthesia is administered to numb the area to be treated. An incision is made in your jaw, and a titanium post is inserted into your jawbone to replace the missing tooth root. An approximate time of 12 weeks is recommended for the site to be healed and for the dental implant to fuse to the jawbone before proceeding to the next step.
Once the dental implant integrates into the bone, Dr. Kimmel places an abutment over the implant to support the artificial tooth. The gum is again allowed to heal. The final step entails placing the artificial tooth or denture over the implant.
At The Florida Center for Laser Dentistry, Dr. Kimmel performs dental implant restoration to restore your missing teeth. The process involves creating an artificial tooth or dental crown and placing it over the abutment to replace the missing tooth.
When we replace your missing tooth using an implant crown, it is referred to as an implant restored with dental crowns. At The Florida Center for Laser Dentistry, Dr. Kimmel attaches a crown either by cementing it or screwing it to the abutment placed over the implant to replace the missing tooth.
At The Florida Center for Laser Dentistry, the placement of dental crowns happens over two dental visits. We will obtain your dental impressions during the first visit and send them to the dental lab to make the new prosthesis. Once the dental crowns are ready, we will have you return to receive them. After ensuring the crown's fit and making needed adjustments, Dr. Kimmel attaches it to the abutment.
Once the implant restoration process is complete, it forms a permanent, fully functional, and aesthetic replacement for lost teeth. Dr. Kimmel may ask you to avoid consuming hard or crunchy foods for a few weeks after the prosthesis placement.