Listen or Read Dr. Bielkie’s Monthly Podcast Interview!
Topic – Accidents Happen – Dental Implants to the Rescue
Below you will find an easy to read transcript of Dr. Anthony Bielkie’s interview on the razorcast™ monthly podcast. You can click the video to listen to the podcast or simply read the easy to follow transcripts below. Enjoy!
Podcast Interview:
RC: Hello everyone, this is Liz Harvey coming to you from our razorcast™ studios in New York City where we are dedicated to bringing you top quality advice from many of the leading expert professionals across the United States.
In today’s episode we are speaking with Dr. Anthony Bielkie. Dr. Bielkie is the founder of Stoneridge Dental with locations in Shelby Township and St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Dr. Bielkie received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1991 and received the prestigious Fellowship Award from the Academy of General Dentistry in 2000. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Michigan Dental Association, the Macomb Dental Society and a Board Member of the Academy of General Dentistry. He is certified in Lumineers, Invisalign and Clear Correct and has over two decades of experience serving patients of all ages.
Dr. Bielkie is widely considered to be one of the top dentists in the country and he is also a contributing member of our national network of industry professionals.
Today we are going to talk about a very important topic: Accidents Happen – Dental Implants to the Rescue.
RC: Hi Dr. Bielkie, how are you today?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: I’m doing great, how are you?
RC: I’m doing great, thanks for joining us.
Question 1: Could you please give an overview of what dental implants are and what types are available?
RC: So could you give me an overview of what dental implants are and what types are available?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: That’s a great question. So we like to break up what a dental implant is into three steps/three stages. So the first stage is the dental implant which is the artificial root. That’s the part that goes inside of the bone and secures whatever other attachments we are going to apply to it. The second part is the abutment or the fixture – that’s the part that you would see above the gum line. And then on top of that, can put a crown. Sometimes, we’ll also use it to hold down a denture or a partial.
Question 2: How do you determine if dental implants are the best choice for a patient? Are they recommended for any age?
RC: Okay and how do you determine if dental implants are the best choice for a patient? Are they recommended for any age?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: Generally we want the child to be fully grown. So as the jaw bone grows, the implant would stay in place or be anchored so age is a very important factor but you can’t be too old to get an implant. Frequently, we’ll have people come in the office and say, “Oh I’m too old for an implant.” But we’ve placed implants in ninety year old people so that’s not an issue. It’s very atraumatic. It’s much more traumatic to remove a tooth than to place a dental implant. So we place dental implants in people of all ages over the age of eighteen.
Question 3: If a patient has an emergency where a tooth has been knocked out, what should they do right away?
RC: Okay and if a patient has an emergency where a tooth has been knocked out, what should they do right away?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: The first thing they should do is they should pick the tooth up by the crown of the tooth, not by the root. We don’t want to interfere with any of the surface of the root of the tooth. If it’s dirty, they can gently rinse it off but we don’t want to scrap it or remove anything. The most important thing somebody can do is reposition the tooth as soon as possible. Now we’re talking about if the tooth is completely evulsed, that means the complete tooth including the root. Frequently when we get an emergency, people think they got their tooth knocked out. But maybe, it just broke in half and that would be treated a little bit differently. But if you’re not a dentist, the best thing is to see a dentist as soon as possible.
Question 4: If they choose a dental implant, how long does it take to get it?
RC: Gotcha, okay and then I also wanted to ask. If they choose a dental implant, how long does it take to get it? So I guess if the tooth is completely knocked out, how long do they have to wait before they can get it replaced with a dental implant?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: It varies but frequently we’ll do same day emergencies. So the sooner you see somebody who is qualified and able to handle the implant emergency situation, the better. So it’s not uncommon in our office.We keep a stock of implants available and if somebody will come in with an emergency, unfortunately got hit in the mouth with a golf club and cracked their tooth in half, frequently we’ll remove what’s left of the root. If we determine we can’t save what is left of the tooth, we’ll remove the tooth and place the implant in that same day. And in some cases, depending on the quality of the bone and the extent of the fracture, we’ll even put a tooth on it the same day so people can leave with a smile.
Question 5: How long do dental implants last?
RC: So how long do these dental implants last?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: Well the beauty of them is that they are made of titanium so people aren’t going to get a cavity in them. So the dental implants are considered extremely stable and safe with success rates in the ninety percentile over many years. Then there’s a restoration on top of that. So our goal for most of our dental work, especially implants, is to last an extremely long time. Now we do want patients to have regular care, home care, brushing, flossing and regular visits to the dentist to make sure everything is in line but our goal is for these to last an extremely long time.
Question 6: What are some modern advancements in dental implants that have helped you and your patients?
RC: Alright so lastly, what are some modern advancements in dental implants that have helped you and your patients?
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: Back in the day, a lot of times we were very worried about the volume of bone or how much bone the patient had to allow an implant to be placed appropriately. And we would say certain people perhaps weren’t candidates for implants. That’s changed dramatically. We now have the ability to do bone grafting materials and put implants where they were never really able to be placed before. We can use sinus lifts. The best thing is really to sit down with your dentist and discuss the different options, the pros and cons. There was a time where we thought implants are experimental, that’s not the case anymore. They are by far the standard of care for a missing tooth.
Many people think that well maybe I’ll just do a bridge because it sounds less invasive but really when you grind away the tooth or (I don’t like the term but) whittle down the teeth on either side you can cause sensitivity. Now you have multiple teeth connected and if you have a problem you have a multiple tooth problem. Whereas, an implant is a great way to restore a tooth and a very easy way for a patient. There will be no cold sensitivity because there is no nerve in a dental implant and our patients are really happy and most of them say, “If I knew it was this easy, I would have done it a long time ago!”
RC: Okay! Well thank you so much Dr. Bielkie. We know you are extremely busy so I just want to thank you for your time and your help today.
Dr. Anthony Bielkie: Well thanks for all the great questions. I hope it was helpful.
RC: Definitely and for our listeners across the country, if you are interested in speaking with Dr. Anthony Bielkie, you can either go online to www.StoneRidgeDental.com or call 586-739-6400 to schedule an appointment.
On behalf of our entire team at razorcast™, we want to thank you for listening and we look forward to bringing you more top quality content from our country’s leading industry professionals.
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