This dental implant case took about one year to complete. We started with CT scans and placed eight dental implants in each jaw. These photos show completion of the lower jaw.

Dr. Dan Vogel and Dr. Richard Pitz, both New York dentists, obtained a patent on Optically-Cured Space-Frame Reinforced Dental Composite Restorations. Dr. Pitz has retired from private dental practice. Dr. Dan Vogel now works at The Center For Special Dentistry.

The Center for Special Dentistry
425 Madison Avenue @ 49th Street
NYC 10017
(212) 758-1000
www.NYCdentist.com

Professor Sharon McLaughlin teaches senior dental hygiene students in the post-graduate Prosthodontic Department at NYU Dental School. She also oversees patient care rendered by these students.

Professor Sharon McLaughlin, RDH, BS, MM, Dental Hygienist
The Center for Special Dentistry
425 Madison Avenue @ 49th Street
NYC 10017
(212) 758-1000
www.NYCdentist.com

Dr. Dan Vogel joined The Center for Special Dentistry in August 2011. Dr. Dan Vogel was originally a dental lab technician for 15 years who worked in the dental practice of Dr. Richard Pitz at 400 East 54th Street. Dan went to NYU dental school and returned to Dr. Pitz’s office to share space and build his own dental practice. Dan joined us this summer after Dr. Pitz retired. He has been a wonderful addition to our practice.

Dan’s new address:

Dan Vogel, DDS
The Center for Special Dentistry
425 Madison Avenue @ 49th Street
NYC 10017
(212) 758-1000
www.NYCdentist.com

Students of dental implantology should visit our free online resource, NYCdentist.com/Linkow, to read four complete textbooks written by Dr. Leonard Linkow, a pioneer in dental implants.  These books provide historical insight into the era or early modern implant dentistry.

Mandibular Dental Implants

Maxillary Dental Implants

Theories and Techniques of Oral Implantology (Volume 1)

Theories and Techniques of Oral Implantology (Volume 2)

BioHorizons (BHZN) has filed a plan for a $100 million IPO later this week.  I like BioHorizons dental implants but that doesn’t make me want to buy the company.  Dental implant pricing has become very price competitive and this will only further increase with the November 2010 combination of Sybron, a Danaher (DHR) company, with Dr. Gerald Niznick.  Danaher is trading near its 52 week high for a good reason.  BioHorizons also does not appear to offer a unique competitive advantage over dozens of competitors.  This IPO does not interest me.

It is interesting that the New York Times newspaper published a front page article today about the use of cone-beam CT scanners that produce 3-D images of teeth.  The concern is about the amount of radiation produced by these machines versus the actual diagnostic benefit for teeth braces or dental implants.  This Saturday is the beginning of the annual Greater NY Dental Meeting at the Javits Center in NYC which is the biggest dental convention in the world as ranked by attendance.

The article suggests patient caution when visiting an Oral Surgeon or Orthodontist who offer this type of CT scan x-ray and it also suggests patients avoid a dental office that still uses slow D-speed film for regular dental x-rays.  It appears the authors of the article laid out a fair discussion of the potential health risk from excessive dental radiation while exposing an unflattering light on the cone-beam manufacturers.  The article appears to tackle the promotion of the i-CAT from Imaging Sciences International, a division of Danaher Corporation.

The Center for Special Dentistry recommends this NY Times article to our readers.

1dentist, LLC one of the world’s largest dental internet companies launched 1dentist dental software online in October 2010. This free open source software has been used by thousands of dentists since 2003 but now it is being offered via the internet using secure 1dentist remote servers.  The intention is to provide young dentists the ability to manage their dental practice software with minimal hardware, networking and IT costs.  Some very influential dentists have joined the board of 1dentist, LLC to support the effort.

Visit 1dentist.com for more info.

One of our patients recently underwent surgery for complete right knee replacement.  Her orthopedic surgeon requested dental clearance beforehand.  This is an appropriate standard of medical care that is rarely considered.

Today Dr. Raymond Fonseca and his wife, Marilyn, came to visit our office to talk for a few hours.  Dr. Fonseca is the former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Editor of the definitive textbook series, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Fonseca’s Oral and Maxillofacial Trauma.